Weight of wheels: BIG list

[nkopper]

Don't think this has been posted in the past. I ran across this fairly exhaustive list of wheel weight that some of you might be interested in: http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread/t-41827.html

Nathan

[dennis68]

Nice to see my cheapo Centerlines don't weigh any more than the $$$ Fiske or HRE's.

[Salt Racer]

Gotta love this...

Dymag Callaway Corvette Cast Mg 17x8 12.9

I too was surprised to see the weight of Centerline rims. Too bad they don't make wheels with good positive offset and 1+" caliper clearance.

But forged centers tend to be heavier than cast or billet due to higher density (better strength per weight raito), so that should be kept in mind.

Thanks for posting this.

[Fuelie Fan]

I'm not sure I understand your point. A material with greater strength/weight should allow your part to be lighter, not heavier. Also, forging increases a materials mass density only very slightly, not enough that it'd show up on the scales. Could you please elaborate?

[Salt Racer]

...Also, forging increases a materials mass density only very slightly...

That is what I meant, for a given spoke design. I would think the weight difference would show up on a scale if you compare a simple cast wheel (no counter pressure or anything, just poured) and a forged wheel of large diameter (18+"), again for a given wheel design.

EDIT: I got curious and did some research. A356-T6 casting, has 0.0965 lb/in^3. A357-T6, the alloy used for SSR wheels, has the same density when cast (SSRs are forged). 6061-T6 has 0.0975 lb/in^3. Assuming a wheel has the volume of 210 in^3, the weight difference between the two would be about 0.2 lb.

Other high strength/fatigue alloys such as 2024-T3/4 and 7075-T6, have even higher density (0.100 & 0.102 lb/in^3, respectively). More info can be found here. http://www.matweb.com

..A material with greater strength/weight should allow your part to be lighter, not heavier..

True, but I don't think you can take much more material off from the spokes of modern performance wheels even with forged centers (in terms of both strength and deflection).

I also should have noted that many high-dollar forged rims have 3-pc construction, which contributes to extra weight (bunch of Ti or steel fasteners, instead of aluminum weld bead).