DrJer

Active Member
Jul 23, 2012
188
2
Swift Current, Sk
VetteCoins
600
Car
1997 Coupe
Crap. Hoping to make it down to Chicago on the old rubber....but maybe new rubber would be in order then....

Maybe it's a good time to upgrade the wheels while I'm at it with some 18/19's or 19/19's?...but I like how light the factory wheels are....

Maybe you have different wheels than my stockers, but IMO 'light' and 'factory wheels' don't belong together.
 
Maybe you have different wheels than my stockers, but IMO 'light' and 'factory wheels' don't belong together.

That's an interesting question for us who aren't in the know, and I'm sure there are many more than just Riley (perhaps) and me who have questions.......

Just how heavy the OEM wheels are and how heavy the different aftermarket wheels are.

I think we all understand the benefits of less unsprung weight and how that affects performance, but to know the weights of different wheel/tire setups is hard to know and learn.

There's no chart or info that I know of which tells us all this info.

Can you shed some light on it and guide us in the right direction DrJer.

Your help is much appreciated and indeed anyone else who can share some info on this subject.

Perhaps a new thread might be in order so as not to mess up Manny's ad.

Cheers,
Colin
 
I think GM is doing really well with the weight of the factory wheels on the Corvette. I only realized this once looking for aftermarket wheels for my C5. Now, buying the factory wheels from the dealer is insane but the number of used wheels on the market make them the best bang for the buck. IMHO.

Weights of C5 Wheels

Wagons

1997-1999, Front 19.2 lbs, Rear 21.4 lbs

Magnesium

1997-2000, Front 17.0 lbs, Rear 19.5 lbs

Thin Spokes

2000, Front 18.0 lbs, Rear 20.0 - high polish
2000 Front 17 lbs, Rear 20 lbs painted, no sensors
2001 -2004 Front 16 lbs, Rear 20 lbs, high polish

Z06

2001, Front-19.6 lbs, Rear-21.4 lbs
2002-2004, Front-19.2 lbs, Rear-21 lbs

When looking for wheels, I am having a heck of a time finding something that doesn't add around 8 lb per wheel (yes I am looking for 18's/19's and factory wheels are 17/18) and is affordable. The best option I have found so far is the TSW Nurburgring at only 2 lb per corner but am looking for something with a bit of a lip. I am as surprised as you are about factory wheels being light but they are surprisingly decent!

On the other hand, tires are freaking heavy. Like, 25-30 lbs a piece!!! Did you have run-farts on your car? I imagine they are even heavier!

All the weights I quote are referenced and not first hand. I'm looking forward to hearing what you find out for some first hand info!
 
I was just very surprised how heavy my wheels/tires were when I took off the factory ones... I'll try to do a weight comparison this week. Maybe my perception was off.

I see what you're saying but I've had mine off and they are heavy heavy heavy -- but they are also huge huge huge -- In fact they're some of the biggest passenger tires made so there's much mass there to begin with.
To my mind that would mean a lighter wheel an even bigger necessity.
Big wheels and tires seem to be a necessity for performance cars.

I am amazed at how big the tires are on my GS -- 325/30/19 ... that's some mass to be driven -- and when I go to Michelin Pilot Super Sports, I"m going with a larger tire: 345/30/19 -- Even more mass and another 4/5 of an inch for the engine to deal with.
The fronts arene't really that much smaller being 275/35/18 -- that's still almost 11" in width and quite a mass.

Bottom line -- lighter wheels sure will help with performance and free up some of those precious ponies sapped up by larger, heavier wheels and tires.

I know cost is a big factor for those of us on a budget but that's another discussion.

Riley - would you be so kind as to cull this discussion off of Manny's tire advertising thread please, and make it a thread to itself?
It's not fair to him to have his thread go so awry.


Apologies to Manny for the diversion, but who I'm sure also has some knowledge and info to share on this, as well as a source of wheels thru Dasilva Motorsports Inc.

Cheers,
Colin.
 
K, I saw that stocks are 50/60lbs front/rear on a C6... with rubber

My 265/35/18 RE11s on 18x10s weigh 51.0 lbs
my 305/30/19 RE11s on 19x11s weigh 59.4 lbs (less total for much more rubber)
my 305/30/18 Hoosiers on 18x10.5s weigh 52.0 lbs. (much stickier, way less weight rear not stock sizes for height though)

(sorry Manny)
 
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Wheel/tire weights

K, I saw that stocks are 50/60lbs front/rear on a C6 285/35-19 back and 245/40-18 front.... with rubber (not sure yet c5s)

My 265/35/18 RE11s on 18x10s weigh 51.0 lbs
my 305/30/19 RE11s on 19x11s weigh 59.4 lbs (less total weight for much more rubber but c5/c6 are different... call it even??)
my 305/30/18 Hoosiers on 18x10.5s weigh 52.0 lbs. (much stickier, wider, way less weight rear not stock sizes for height though... for me doesn't matter 'cause I have aftermarket adjustable traction control and stock tc put to sleep.)
 
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As the title says ------- Add what you can please. There is a lot of interest.

There seems to be a source of performance to be had thru lighter wheels and tires. I'm interested to hear what you guys have learned about it, if you wouldn't mind sharing please.

cheers,

Colin.

EDIT:
DrJer has a thread on this subject started already if you would add to that thread in stead we can delete this one.

http://www.canadiancorvetteforums.com/forums/general-corvette-discussion/4050-wheel-tire-weights.html

TNX -- Colin.
 
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I think GM is doing really well with the weight of the factory wheels on the Corvette. I only realized this once looking for aftermarket wheels for my C5. Now, buying the factory wheels from the dealer is insane but the number of used wheels on the market make them the best bang for the buck. IMHO.

Weights of C5 Wheels

Wagons

1997-1999, Front 19.2 lbs, Rear 21.4 lbs

Magnesium

1997-2000, Front 17.0 lbs, Rear 19.5 lbs

Thin Spokes

2000, Front 18.0 lbs, Rear 20.0 - high polish
2000 Front 17 lbs, Rear 20 lbs painted, no sensors
2001 -2004 Front 16 lbs, Rear 20 lbs, high polish

Z06

2001, Front-19.6 lbs, Rear-21.4 lbs
2002-2004, Front-19.2 lbs, Rear-21 lbs

When looking for wheels, I am having a heck of a time finding something that doesn't add around 8 lb per wheel (yes I am looking for 18's/19's and factory wheels are 17/18) and is affordable. The best option I have found so far is the TSW Nurburgring at only 2 lb per corner but am looking for something with a bit of a lip. I am as surprised as you are about factory wheels being light but they are surprisingly decent!

On the other hand, tires are freaking heavy. Like, 25-30 lbs a piece!!! Did you have run-farts on your car? I imagine they are even heavier!

All the weights I quote are referenced and not first hand. I'm looking forward to hearing what you find out for some first hand info!

Good choice on the TSW Nurburgring's. Great style and decent weight. They are also Rotary Cast and very well balanced. ( I love mine)
Many aftermarket wheels are made offshore and are much heavier than the OEM wheels. Made more for cosmetic's than performance.
Always compare the weight difference before buying. :canada:
 
Good choice on the TSW Nurburgring's. Great style and decent weight. They are also Rotary Cast and very well balanced. ( I love mine)
Many aftermarket wheels are made offshore and are much heavier than the OEM wheels. Made more for cosmetic's than performance.
Always compare the weight difference before buying. :canada:

Is it possible to get a decent aftermarket wheel that looks good, is light weight and doesn't cost an arm and a leg?
Some of us don't have very deep pockets any more. Spent it all at Manny's.:D

or is it just cheaper to boost pressure by a notch to make a little more power?

C.
 
OEM c5 wheels with runflats are supposedly 47/53 lbs

So Riley is right again that upsizing costs weight and money.

My 18/19s are 51/59 lbs. vs. stock

Careful with those words there! They have a way of going straight to my head. Oh, If I could ever hear my wife say those words.....:rofl:

So far the Nurburgring are the only ones I have found that fit the look I want and don't add weight and are very affordable which is nicely backed up by Mark. I'm just looking around to see if there is a wheel with a lip that does the same thing. I really, really like Manny's CCW T-10's as well but those cost a little more.
 
K, I saw that stocks are 50/60lbs front/rear on a C6... with rubber

My 265/35/18 RE11s on 18x10s weigh 51.0 lbs
my 305/30/19 RE11s on 19x11s weigh 59.4 lbs (less total for much more rubber)
my 305/30/18 Hoosiers on 18x10.5s weigh 52.0 lbs. (much stickier, way less weight rear not stock sizes for height though)

Just weighed my stock rims with tires

Stock wheels/tires (Kumho Ecsta) (stock sizes) worn out F 52.4 lbs R 59.8 lbs
OEWheels knock offs 18/19s RE-11s (wider) new F 51.0 lbs R 59.4 lbs

Therefore I achieved this impossible!! Bigger, wider, grippier, less weight... for reasonable prices!! Basically the same overall tire heights.
 
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So do you figure that you saved about 10lbs per corner considering larger and wider etc and same weight DrJer?

To change and make it worth my while and make it feasible for me I'd like to save about 20lbs per corner (to justify the expense) -- I wonder if this if feasible at a reasonable cost?
 
So do you figure that you saved about 10lbs per corner considering larger and wider etc and same weight DrJer?

To change and make it worth my while and make it feasible for me I'd like to save about 20lbs per corner (to justify the expense) -- I wonder if this if feasible at a reasonable cost?

probably not that much but the wider was key to my decision
 
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