Is wheel weight all that important?

[Hersbird]

Rotating Mass, Available Horsepower, and Acceleration
This is a long but good explaination. It doesn't address economy but that would be the least effected by losing rotating mass as it is stored energy that could be recovered in coasting. In a drag race it would be more important as you don't get poi ts for coasting and road racing would be the most important as it effects both acceleration and braking.

[Cobb]

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[Chrysler kid]

Originally Posted by RedDevil

Who needs a parking brake when you can shoulder it against a rock anyway? :P

Lug nuts don't do much, but if you change the hub material into something space age your wallet will be so much lighter you'd feel it at the pump.

Seriously, has anybody ever looked into the weight of the hub etc?
Why bolt that carbomagnesium rim on a pig iron hub?
Any other way to reduce weight on the hubs, or am I, err.... boring?

I guess I am the only one who has seen back woods mechanics fix squeaking rear brakes with hose clamps.


I caught a local doing it and he was going through "lifetime" front pads every two years on his Dakota. The wheel cylinders in the drums were shot and leaking and he never had enough money to replace them but god forbid he go twenty minutes without smoking a pack of cigarettes. The parking brakes are mechanical so yes he would pass state inspections

Everyone knows the rear brakes are the most important part For safety and stopping!

[Xist]

I do not think that you could even put weight on the front of the Robin without it tipping over!

[NHB]

Originally Posted by Xist

This article is about $15,000 carbon-fiber rims for a Porsche 911, 19x8.5 and 19x12" rims, that are over ten pounds lighter than the stock wheels. One source estimated that would increase fuel efficiency by four percent:

I don't see any possibility for 4 percent increase. They say that those wheels save 19 kg which is comparable to 35 kg of non-rotating mass. If car and driver have a total weight about 1500 kg, that 35 kg is just 2 percent compared to the total weight. In acceleration those wheels could give a gain of 2 percent. At a constant speed that same 19 kg difference doesn't have any effect. How the difference could be 4 percent?

[NHB]

Originally Posted by Chrysler kid

Everyone knows the rear brakes are the most important part For safety and stopping!

Is it just my poor English or do you really think like that?

[niky]

Originally Posted by NHB

Is it just my poor English or do you really think like that?

He was joking.

Those State inspections that pass you with just a handbrake? That's a pretty poor joke, though...

[Xist]

If comedy were easier, more comedians would be funny.

[sqidd]

Lol^^^^^^^

[Cobb]

Ah yes, my favorite car of top gear and Mr Bean.