Lighter Weight Wheels --- Worth It?

[Frank Lee]

Hmmm... maybe I'll have to stick the 13s back on the Tempos...

[blueprintbill]

I'm a newbe here, interested in a set of summer wheels for my soon to be new A3 TDI. Most every where I look I find wheels that look like they would work like fans, pushing or pulling air, and costing FE. Also these vendors / manufacturers / OEM's ( with the exception of Volvo - as seen here - thank you ecomodder ) refuse to post their wheel weights. I guess you are supposed to make your choice purely on the elusive criteria of esthetics.
Some how, it seems to me, a wheel maker should be encouraged to produce a line of light weight, aluminum, aerodynamic ( moon disk ? ) wheels. Would there not be a market ? I'm already standing in line.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by blueprintbill

Some how, it seems to me, a wheel maker should be encouraged to produce a line of light weight, aluminum, aerodynamic ( moon disk ? ) wheels. Would there not be a market ? I'm already standing in line.

One of the most common mods to dedicated economical vehicles is to replace the stock, more aerodynamic wheels or rim covers with something more fancy.
Often the Low Rolling Resistance (LRR) tyres disappear along with the wheels.

It's the reason I picked up my set of unused Volvo Libra aerodynamic wheels and Michelin LRR tyres fairly cheap.

[blueprintbill]

Not to bore anyone restating my question above ( apologies to offended interests ) but - Why are manufacturers and vendors afraid to list the weight of their products ??? ! I have been combing thru Tire Rack's wheel section / catalogue and after reviewing hundreds if not thousands of some of the goofiest ricer pimpmobile fans ( oops - I mean wheels ) I couldn't find the weight of one. Why not ??? Then I go to manufacturers websites directly, BBS, Konig, HRE, Enkei, and even there they don't list weights. They might talk about their products as being light weight but how light ? Not really significant I guess.
But I wonder if there is not some kind of manufacturers behind the scene agreement ( 'conspiracy ? ) to not compete on this basis. It might put any one of them at a disadvantage to another who might produce one even lighter. Heaven forbid some sort of objective criteria gets in the way of the latest 'cool' - 'style'.
Then I go to Tire Rack re "Wheels" and read commentary by 'Eric', one of their experts, that rags on those who place such importance on wheel weight. Tire Rack is a part of it. What's the story here??? Something stinks ! Let's air this out !

[zonker]

Yes, honest wheel weights are a hard thing to find... it seems that if people really knew what the weights are they might me more inclined to run stock steel wheels with hubcaps lol.

If you have to use a general rule of thumb, the forged wheel will most always be lighter (and more expensive) than a low pressure cast wheel, and keeping an eye on the rim diameter and width will save you a bit on the weight too. 7" wide rims will work every bit as well as 7.5" width rims.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by blueprintbill

I couldn't find the weight of one. Why not ??? Then I go to manufacturers websites directly, BBS, Konig, HRE, Enkei, and even there they don't list weights. They might talk about their products as being light weight but how light ? Not really significant I guess.

Weird isn't it ?
I've looked at some European sites, no weight information there either.
Not even for steel rims.

I wouldn't be surprised if the fancy so-called light-weight alloy wheels end up weighing more than the dull steel rims !

Then I go to Tire Rack re "Wheels" and read commentary by 'Eric', one of their experts, that rags on those who place such importance on wheel weight.

Let's see how different car manufacturers handle the issue.

Honda used low weight wheels on their fuel sipping cars back in the '80s - '90s - some people are still putting those rims on Honda's more recent cars.
Peugeot / Citroen also used lightweight wheels - Piwoslaw sourced a set of them for his car.

But Volvo on the other hand uses very heavy aerodynamic wheels on their fuel-sipping DRIVe C30/S40/V50 range.
These are a whopping 45% heavier than the lightest 16" alloy rims they sell.
Strange, as the increased load of the heavier wheels can be felt through the traditional PS set-up in my car.
I doubt Volvo had extra coasting distance in mind when designing these, as coasting isn't a common driving technique.

[Christ]

Tirerack.com has the wheel weight listed for every wheel they sell. Its in the product specific descriptions. Most mfrs also have them listed and/or available somewhere. Its not a factor in the average consumer's decision making process when buying wheels. Mass and shiny/obnoxiously large aren't in the same class of thoughts.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Christ

Tirerack.com has the wheel weight listed for every wheel they sell.

Cheers !
They seem to list the weight on most of them.

Surprisingly, only 1 out of 52 wheel options has a lighter weight than the Volvo Cordelia wheels I have.
I'm not surprised these rims have now become the standard fit on Volvo's fuel sipping DRIVe Start/Stop models.
They're 7.5 lbs apiece lighter than the previous 16" Libra aerodynamic wheels fitted to these models !

[blueprintbill]

Originally Posted by Christ

Tirerack.com has the wheel weight listed for every wheel they sell. Its in the product specific descriptions. Most mfrs also have them listed and/or available somewhere. Its not a factor in the average consumer's decision making process when buying wheels. Mass and shiny/obnoxiously large aren't in the same class of thoughts.

Christ
I stand corrected visa- vis Tire Rack,... sort of. I have finally found ' product specific descriptions', ie my type of car and wheels for, and with apologies I cheer them for the listings they do indicate. This is the only site I've found doing so. However, they don't list for 'every' wheel they sell. For my car ( Audi A3 TDI ) for example weights are listed for 78% of the products shown ( a grand total of 149 ) and for this I am grateful and a sure customer.
Also being a serious shopper I have found that NO manufacturers ( and I have seen a lot of websites ) list weights. Maybe you have to call or e- mail them ? Even my Audi dealers parts dept. cant tell me the weights of any of their wheels without going to the showroom with a scale. They are not available on-line. Sort of sad. Kind of frustrating.
Cheers,
Bill

[Christ]

Bill, I'm used to being able to make s phone call for this sort of info... Yes, you normally have to call or email the mfr, and you could wait awhile for an answer. Another option is OEM wheel refurb/ suppliers. They'll always have at least the shipping weights available.

If ever comes down to a wheel choice where there's half a pound difference, you can always send the wheels to a machine shop and have the lip taken off each side. You'll just have to get it balanced with sticky weights.