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A quick search about Honda specific wheels (which I know the most about) shows that:
-Typical Honda 14" steel wheels weigh about 18lbs / 8.2kg
-Honda Insight 14" wheels (aluminum alloy) weigh 11lbs / 5.0kg
-Honda Civic Hybrid 14" (aluminum alloy) weigh 16lbs / 7.3kg
I imagine it comes down to how much engineering was put into the wheel. Aluminum fatigues and eventually fails if it flexes, so although it's stiffer per given mass, it needs to be thick enough that it doesn't flex.
As an aside, I believe the Insight aluminum unibody, stripped of glass and all other components, weighs in at only ~375lbs / 170kg. For comparison, I believe an early 90's Civic chassis (similar in size) weighs in at ~470lbs / 215kg, while being significantly less stiff and with less crash protection.
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