Has anyone lightened factory steel wheels?

[YukonCornelius]

I have many spare stock 14" steel wheels for my 95 accord lx. I did some searching looking for examples of drilling, chemical milling, acid dipping or any other ideas but came up empty handed.

[RustyLugNut]

I suppose it is feasible. I would question the reasoning. I have a set of 14 inch steel rims for an application and found that they were lighter in most cases than just about all the aluminum factory and aftermarket rims available.

If you want to go forward and do some lightening, safety becomes an issue. Wheel design isn't for the faint of heart and ignorant. It is the first contact your car has with the road and is one of the most highly loaded parts of your car from a dynamic range of rest to pot hole hits at speed.

[YukonCornelius]

I weighed one last night, 18 lbs. That seems heavy to me for a 14x5.

[JRMichler]

I engineer light weight high speed machines for a living. I will not modify wheels or most suspension parts.

There are too many ways that something can go wrong, the consequences are too severe, and the weight reduction is minimal.

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by RustyLugNut

I suppose it is feasible. I would question the reasoning. I have a set of 14 inch steel rims for an application and found that they were lighter in most cases than just about all the aluminum factory and aftermarket rims available.

If you want to go forward and do some lightening, safety becomes an issue. Wheel design isn't for the faint of heart and ignorant. It is the first contact your car has with the road and is one of the most highly loaded parts of your car from a dynamic range of rest to pot hole hits at speed.

Those are heavy rims. You can find 14" rims 8-12 pounds at junk yards without to much trouble.

[Frank Lee]

FWIW, 25-50% weight reduction thought possible (11 years ago) for OEM wheels with different design and manufacturing techniques: Cambridge Journals Online - Revue de Métallurgie - Abstract - Steel solutions for mass savings in the wheel industry

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Cambridge Journals Online - Revue de Métallurgie - Abstract - Steel solutions for mass savings in the wheel industry

Research Article
Steel solutions for mass savings in the wheel industry
H. Luccioni
Abstract
Two different approaches are available to reduce the mass of automotive steel wheels. The traditional approach is based on the use of high resistance steels that allows a thickness reduction of the rim and disc. A mass reduction up to 25 % can thus be obtained. A different approach allows a larger mass reduction with a more drastic change in the wheel production technology. One possibility is to use laser welded blanks to feed the existing manufacturing lines. Another possibility is to implement a combined spinning and rolling of the rim. These new steel solutions allow a mass reduction up to 50 %. Indeed they allow adjusting precisely the steel thickness and properties to the local service conditions. Finite elements calculations have been carried out to assess the static and dynamic behaviour of the new wheels.

RE: Indeed they allow adjusting precisely the steel thickness and properties to the local service conditions.

My interpretation on that line is.................will work until you hit your first pothole.

Local service conditions in SE Michigan would mean reinforcing your wheels, not thinning them out.

[YukonCornelius]

Originally Posted by mikeyjd

Those are heavy rims. You can find 14" rims 8-12 pounds at junk yards without to much trouble.

I'll check out the local yard for some dinky 14's. These old Honda wheels are certainly overbuilt. I have not bent one in 9 years, even after some serious abuse that goes beyond a nasty potholes.

Thanks for all the responses!

[hawk2100n]

I just ditched a stock set of Honda steelies because 2 were bent severely. I didn't bend them to my knowledge however I watched them on the balance machine and they were severe. The car would vibrate bad at speed. Depends on your budget but Craigslist has many 14" aluminum rims coming through. I got a great set from an 03 Honda civic hybrid for 275 shipped however there are definitely more affordable options out there. I'm not sure if your car is 4x100 or 113 but you will be able to find something if you look long enough.

[ConnClark]

It would probably be cheaper, easier, better, safer, etc... to just go buy some alloy rims.