Lighter wheels?

I'll stick to the heavy wheels, I believe.


To me, I am more concerned with appearance than MPG when it comes to wheels.

And since I selected 18" it is pretty obvious that I am not that bothered by a firm ride.

That is the thing about this forum, we all have different views and we respect the views of others.

Steve B
 
I personally run 185/60R15 winters and 195/50R15 summers and feel the massive difference between the sidewalls whenever I change. But it's apples vs. pears, and I'm unconvinced a 205/40R17 on a 7J rim will be any squidgier than a 195/50R15 on a 7J rim.

err... I'm not sure I understand what you mean...

195/50-15 and 205/40-17 are indeed apple and peers, because 195/50-15 is not a correct match for the OEM A2 tyre diameter, when 205/40-17 is. 195/55 is much more correct, and is a perfect match to 205/40-17.
Compared to 195/55-15, 205/4-17 have 1" less height in each sidewall.
195/55-15 have sidewalls that are 31% taller. Even with stiff sidewalls, the tyre will always deform more under lateral force.
 
Winter and summer tyres cannot be compared because of the compound change. By definition a winter will have more flexible sidewalls.

- Bret
 
I'm OK with that. My point is not to compare winter and summer tyres, but sidewall heights.
What I was saying is that a higher sidewall will deform more laterally.
 
Steve no explanation necessary, just trying work it out as well myself!?!
surely any reduction in rotating mass is good and reduction in un-sprung mass will allow suspension to deform less react quicker or be designed lighter itself? (maybe only applicable in racing?) although I read somewhere the ecoboost version of ford fiestas have lighter running gear than the rest of the range? suppose the changeable nature of wheels cant be designed into the specification build of the car.
The only downside is 17's or 18's look so so SO much better!
As in the motorcycle world how come we don't get magnesium or Carbon wheels??
 
the "cost" was in answer to
As in the motorcycle world how come we don't get magnesium or Carbon wheels?


A set of Rays TE37s - which are around 3.7kg each in 7Jx15 - would be around €1600 plus taxes and shipping.

Good, light, strong, forged motorsport wheels cost money. Which is why Audi also charge quite a bit, because they have to have them approved in all countries, carry them in stock etc... aftermarket rims are a nightmare if you want to replace one after a few years.

- Bret
 
My favorite topic...

I don't like pepperpots and don't share the opinion on how light they are. 15'' forged Japanese wheels weigh 4...5 kg so why bother? I have heavy 16'' Rays on my car and am not going to mount bigger wheels any time soon. Well, I might become weak and get the second thought if I should come over the same model in 17''x7'' size: The bigger brother weighs about 5.8 kg.

My general recommendation: Try at least to search for lighter wheels/rims the same size you have on your car and then decide if it's worth going for them or not. It's worked out for me but my case is just a single one. Anyway, I don't see the point of installing heavy alloy wheels or replicas. Everything stated here is my own h.o.
 
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Ive just gone through my first full tank of fuel having swapped the heavier A3 sports wheels back to pepperpots. My DIS "how many miles to go" reading showed 465 miles on a full tank of fuel with the A3 alloys. It now shows a range of 505 miles with the pepperpots so in theory this means i will get and extra 40 miles from a full tank with the lighter wheels. :)
 
Ive just gone through my first full tank of fuel having swapped the heavier A3 sports wheels back to pepperpots. My DIS "how many miles to go" reading showed 465 miles on a full tank of fuel with the A3 alloys. It now shows a range of 505 miles with the pepperpots so in theory this means i will get and extra 40 miles from a full tank with the lighter wheels. :)

Depends on the driving conditions and speed too, doesn't it. At 140-150 kmh on autobahn, I have to fill it up more frequently than on the roads in Norway at 70-80 kmh. My A3 1.9TDI calculates 700 km with the full tank in Denmark vs 1000 km in Norway :)
 
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