Wheel weight. Does it really matter?

Just like the title says. I'm looking at 2 different wheels, one is 36lbs and the other 48. Either way I go, the tires will weigh exactly the same.

Has anybody kept tire size and wight the same but increased wheel weight?

Have you noticed a difference in any way?

ETA: I'll clarify, will the added 48lbs of total weight really make a noticeable difference.

 

The more weight the less gas mileage per gallon you get

 

Yes

 

Yeah I figured that would happen. I should clarify that in offroad applications, will 48lb difference, make a difference.

 

Moment of intertia IE rotational mass

 

It will make a huge difference in economy. I went from some light 31s to load range e heavy sidewall 33s. lost power and millage.

 

That could also be the 33s though. Im stepping up to 33s aswell but the lighter wheel is also about 300 bucks more.
I asked a tough question not a lot of people have gone from identical tires to a lighter wheel. Math aside im asking real world experience.

 

Size always matters!

 

Yup, there's a difference in inertia to stop as well as the unsprung weight and mileage considerations.

That said, it will matter less the smaller percentage it is for the whole system. My '93 Pickup with all of 100 horsepower notices the drop in weight a lot more than say a brand new Tundra would.

Think of it as A factor rather than THE factor and get whatever you want. OEM Wheels are already paid for though ha.

 

When you go to larger tires, unless you re-geared your speedometer/odometer, you will actually have gone more miles than your odometer says, and therefore your milage will be better than you calculated. Of course with heavier tires your milage will be less, just saying it's probably not at much less as you think.

 

NO!

At least not for normal use. This is one of those things where theoretically yes, but real world no. If you're building a race car saving a few pounds can make a small difference in top speeds. I saw some testing on 1/4 mile drag racing times. Reducing unsprung weight by 200 lbs got the car across the finish line about 1/2 car length sooner. That might mean the difference between 1st and 2nd place and a difference in prize money. On your Tacoma, you'll never notice 48 lbs.

I've never fooled much with wheel weight, but have been buying tires for 40+ years and have never noted any difference in performance in tire weight as long as everything else is close to the same. I have noted a difference in tire diameter, width, and tread pattern. All of those things increase rolling resistance and rob both power and fuel. When you go to a wider, taller tire with a more aggressive tread you will see 1-3 mpg loss. But it won't be because of the weight.

I've gone to E rated tires on both my Tacoma and F150. Tires on both of them are now 15 lbs each heavier than the P rated factory tires. That is 60 extra pounds. I stayed with the same size and a similar tread on the Tacoma and fuel mileage is exactly the same as before. The tires I put on my Ford are a more aggressive off road tread that are 1.5" taller than stock, same width. I lost about 1.5 mpg with the Ford.

That's true, but the difference between a 31" and 33" tire will throw the odometer and speedometer off by about 5%. That is going to change mpg's by about 1/2 mpg. A little better, but not a game changer.

 

The more unsprung weight the harder it will work your suspension, especially shocks. Shocks are designed for a specific range of unsprung vs sprung weight.

 

Actually the difference is 6.5% and if you were getting 20 mpg with the 31's the difference will be 1.3 mpg. Still not a lot, but starting to get significant. Just saying if someone says they get 3 mpg less with the bigger tires, it's not actually that bad, it's more like 1.7 mpg less.

 

$300 total or for each wheel?

Assuming $2.00/gal a 2 mpg difference will cost you $300 in 12,000 miles.

 

I used to know all the Math and sprung and unsprung weight stuff when the racing stopped I never gave it much thought anymore

If you drive a 4x4 do you really worry about fuel mileage??

A whole 48 pounds I have 4 or 5 times that weight behind the seat that should have been taken out a few years ago

 

so, wheels, not tires. Of course things that are heavier will have an adverse effect on MPGs. Not quite as much as the tires (rotational inertia is dependent on how far from the center of rotation).

But you're off-roading. Are you hypermiling in 4-low?

Probably not.

Get the wheels that fit your budget, and the ones that will be strong enough for your application.

If I got new wheels, they'd likely be heavier steel ones rather than alloy. Why, because I'm cheap and I don't care what they look like. And steel can get smashed more than alloy (and bent back into shape).

 

Yes, it absolutely makes a significant difference. The worst place to add weight on a vehicle is rotational weight. A few pounds isn't huge, and tire weight is more offensive than wheel weight, but almost 50lbs of increased wheel rotational mass is ridiculous. Lower power vehicles will suffer worse performance losses than higher power ones, meaning 1st Gen will be hit especially hard compared to later gens. If your truck is a trail rig only, it likely won't be a huge deal, but if your truck is a daily driver/weekend warrior you'll notice significant loss of power, mpgs and reduced braking. Worth it or not is your call, but it will be noticeable. If you have two options and one is drastically lighter than the other, the lighter option is the correct way to go.

I have an thread on this as it is so commonly overlooked on the forum:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...eel-tire-combo-trd-rock-warriors-ko2s.381030/

 

Can you elaborate on that? I’m going to a 265/75 r16 and want to k ow what this means

 

I do. I’m always conscious about this.

Some camping trips involve 800-1000 miles of driving.

I like having that perfect balance of getting close to 20 mpg and off road capability. I had that in my 98 xtra cab 5MT. But we outgrew that vehicle as a family.

I’m struggling to find 18 mpg in my 04 DC.

Hoping the lighter wheels I’m switching to will make a difference.

 

Likely that the larger tires will increase your crawl speed, which can make hairy/technical situations more challenging.