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Old 10-15-2013, 11:50 AM   #7 (permalink)
kennybobby
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Nice looking wheels

Forged aluminum wheels can have the same strength as steel with less weight, which is very interesting albeit expensive. How much weight will you save?

The total weight of the vehicle is the primary factor for energy and power calculations, especially when looking at the acceleration phase. But 10 lbs off of 3000 lbs makes little difference in acceleration power and even less at constant speed.

The rotational weight (or mass) of the wheels, also known as the rotational inertia, is the primary factor for calculating the energy and power required to accelerate the wheels. So dropping 10 lbs off of 80 lbs in the drive wheels would make a significant difference in acceleration power of the wheels. For equal acceleration of the vehicle the lighter wheels would be slightly more fuel efficient. Not sure if you could measure it in normal driving, but it might show up in drag racing.

So it will take less power to accelerate a lighter wheel up to a given speed, but a heavier wheel will have a higher angular momentum and kinetic energy and will coast longer.
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