New light wheels and mpg/power?

Hey friends,
I have a '11 2.7 4x4 ac auto and am thinking about getting some new wheels for it to replace the stock steelies (specifically the mb72 in 16"). I see that they are pretty light and affordable and am curious if any of you have noticed any mpg or power increases going to a light aluminum wheel from the stock steelies? any lighter in the unsprung weight can't hurt right?
Thanks and keep on truckin!

 

You most likely will not see any change. Go with the wheels for looks but run a skinnier tire

 

I did the change over and saw nothing but its prolly my tires that made it that way. I still see 27avg

 

When I bumped up from a 15" wheel to a 16" and 28" to 31.7" tires I kept it as light as possible and mileage went up a bit (with a few other things replaced too, like everything from my intake back through the headers and exhaust.)

Point is, I went up nearly 4 inches and didn't lose mpg because I kept it very light. It does help.

I'm not saying you'll see the same because of the number of mods I did when I fixed this little Pickup up, but I am saying that lightweight will make a small difference, added on top of whatever other things you do over time that make a small difference will yield you greater FE.

 

How much do those wheels weigh OP?

 

i noticed my mpg went up a few when i went from steelies to new wheels.

 

thanks for the answers very helpful!. I pulled the trigger and should have them installed next week. i believe they are 23 lbs. Not expecting them to pay for themselves but i do like the look. Any mpg/ power increase would just be icing on the cake!. I haven't seen many threads about this topic specifically regarding the 4cyl so keep the responses coming if anyone has any further input!

 

I weighted one of mine last night 81.3lbs. That's wheel and tire combo. My tires are 31x10.5-15 BFG TA/KO load C. Idk what they weigh.

 

Unsprung weight is not the same as rotational mass. The reduced weight of the wheels will have a few effects -- these effects are very slight, so some may be noticable and some may not:
-- brakes more effective due to less rotating mass to slow and less overall vehicle weight, but this will also affected by the tires you choose and their available traction
-- better acceleration (for the same reasons, also affected by available traction)
-- better handling due to suspension's ability to respond more quickly to road surface (less unsprung weight), and less overall vehicle weight
-- anything else that I may not have thought of

The stock steelies on my 2006 2wd are quite boring, but I don't really feel any better or worse about myself because of the vehicle that I own, as long as it's not a thrashed rust-bucket POS (everyone has their minimum standards LOL). These wheels aren't ugly, they work fine for my needs, plus they probably won't catch the attention of any thieves, and that's all I really care about. Everyone's different... enjoy the new wheels!

 

Stock 16x7 steelies are around 28 lb, if I remember correctly. If the MBs are 23 lb, they aren't that much lighter, so you won't see a noticeable improvement over stock.

Konig Countersteers (~$700/set) are 18 lb. And the Rays TE37 forged wheels ($3000/set) are 16 lb.

 

the stock steel wheels are 32 lbs each. so around 9 lbs per wheel between stock and mb 72 at 23. 16 lbs sounds awesome though but the price for these is right

 

^That's why I bought the Konigs. At 18 lb they are a good value.

Something is not adding up. The tire weighs only 43 lb according BFG's website. That means your 15" alloy wheel weighs 38.5 lb. That's heavier than a 16" OEM steel wheel.

 

16" steel wheels... I have a 4x4

 

^My comment about not adding up was directed toward Kirk1589. If the numbers were true, his 15" alloy wheel would be heavier than your 16" steel wheel.

 

Konig Countersteers or SCS 5 spoke wheels are the way to go if you want to watch weight and not spend $ on volks ha

18lb wheel + 40lb tire = only 58lbs per corner. The tires I "really want" weight over 50lbs a piece alone, so I'm happy with these for now. Doesn't help that I'm at about 125 hp haha

 

Re-weighted them on a digital scale made for weighting metal, 67lbs tires 44 alone according to tire rack.

 

That makes more sense, so the stock 15" alloy weighs 24 lb.

BFG's site says tire weighs 42.8 lb. Tire Rack says 44 lb. Tire Rack claims to get the specs from the mfr...

 

+/- 2lbs