Dembo

You also have to remember that it's not just the weight of the wheels, but the amount of weight that's rotating. Larger wheels have more weight further out from the centre, and that has more of a performance impact than carrying the same extra weight elsewhere.

Dembo

Not really. Ultra low profile tyres give a different kind of crap ride quality that suspension can't deal with. And if you do hit some really nasty pot holes, you stand a much greater chance of damaging the wheels.

oxhouser

so nobody knows the effects of heavier wheels then?

PhenomS2k

I know one effect is heavier steering, not necessarily a bad thing imo.

simonprelude

Heavier wheels equals slower acceleration, usually poorer handling, heavier steering etc. Worse fuel economy, increased drive train wear etc etc etc.
Not a good thing usually.

I have changed to lighter wheels on the NSX and the steering feel is taking some getting used to, throttle response seems better though.

russellhq

18s for show, 17s for go. Thats what they say I believe

16s are the they way forward though Get a set of 6 spoke JDM ones

Anh

Usually increasing the weight of wheels will make it more difficult for the dampers to control the wheel movement, makes the car more skippy if the wheels weigh too much.

Also when rolling a wheel over a bump or pot hole the shock felt on the chassis is more severe.

Mans Best

As reducing the unsprung weight of a car is a key objective in maximising handling/roadholding, putting on heavier wheel/tyre combinations would theoretically be precisely the wrong thing to do.

Whether you would notice any change in handling entirely as a result of that increase is entirely another matter - unless you used exactly the same other equipment (such as tyres) and conditions, had the ability to drive with metronomic precision and the road you were driving was in the same condition each time with identical weather conditions, any back to back comparison against a stopwatch would be totally meaningless.

From a performance point of view, wheels should only be big enough to cover the brakes, but that ignores the aesthetics...

Chris Type R

Not sure that I agree - the sidewalls are lower & need less strengthening. TBH, I've not weighed by 16s vs my 18s, but I doubt that there's much in it.

Increasing the total wheel weight will also put additional wear on the CV joints, and shocks. I expect that you'd have to go very heavy for this to have a serious impact on your pocket though.

eSeM

Go try it ..... you will get a shock.

Bigger wheels also tend to be wider. As most of the weight in a tyre is the steel under the tread an extra 1" on the width will add a few lbs.