Quote:
Originally Posted by MechEngVT
BDC: Rubber is pretty darn heavy. I was always under the assumption that unless you were going for over-the-top bling that the tires were heavier than the wheels. Remember, tires are all *steel*-belted radials and they have metal in them near the outer diameter.
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Are all tires steel-belted these days? I don't try to keep up with tire technology, but I seem to remember seeing mention of e.g. Kevlar belts instead of steel. Probably for these very reasons: saving weight & rotational inertia.
But the "rubber is heavy" is part of what motivated my question. Not as heavy as alloy or composite in the rims (per unit volume), but the sidewalls seem thicker than the wheels.
Another good point on width adding weight/inertia, not to mention rolling resistance.