Soooo, lots of people ask which wheel they should get, and many answers are always forthcoming, ususally backed up by something like "It's really lightweight, so your car will perform better, but you'll pay an arm and a leg". For example some wheels weigh 24+lbs each while others weigh more like 18lbs each - a 6 lbs per wheel, or 24lb per vehicle difference.
However, no-one ever seems to question the wisdom behind low-weight wheels and if any of us will really get any bang for our buck by forking out $1000 a wheel instead of $250, just to get something lightweight. And no, sorry, i'm not going to listen to some youth tell me he just spent $4k on wheels and he definately feels a difference - of course he does, he'd be admitting he was a moron otherwise! And i do understand that wheel weight, or in fact it's moment of inertia (raw wheel weight has little to do with it in fact) only affects acceleration, and not constant speed.
What i'm looking for is a good scientific analysis (cause i can't do it myself) of what affect heavier wheels (with a higher moment of inertia) will have on a typical 3000lb 3-series BMW. I've seen this done for road bikes and the resounding conclusion is that you're wasting your money on light weight wheels unless you're acceletaing all the time (velodrome racing) or climbing steep hills all the time. I'd like to see the same math done for car wheels. I'm of the opinion that the math will say the same thing - that you are way better off buying that low cost heavier wheel and spending the additional $750 per wheel on other mods.
Anyone want to volunteer for some math homework? Or know a link where this has been done already?
However, no-one ever seems to question the wisdom behind low-weight wheels and if any of us will really get any bang for our buck by forking out $1000 a wheel instead of $250, just to get something lightweight. And no, sorry, i'm not going to listen to some youth tell me he just spent $4k on wheels and he definately feels a difference - of course he does, he'd be admitting he was a moron otherwise! And i do understand that wheel weight, or in fact it's moment of inertia (raw wheel weight has little to do with it in fact) only affects acceleration, and not constant speed.
What i'm looking for is a good scientific analysis (cause i can't do it myself) of what affect heavier wheels (with a higher moment of inertia) will have on a typical 3000lb 3-series BMW. I've seen this done for road bikes and the resounding conclusion is that you're wasting your money on light weight wheels unless you're acceletaing all the time (velodrome racing) or climbing steep hills all the time. I'd like to see the same math done for car wheels. I'm of the opinion that the math will say the same thing - that you are way better off buying that low cost heavier wheel and spending the additional $750 per wheel on other mods.
Anyone want to volunteer for some math homework? Or know a link where this has been done already?