losing wheel weight

[tiger318]

My current rims weigh approx 21.15 lbs.

Is it worth it to buy new rims to only lose 4 lbs per wheel? Can't i just take out the spare tire and backseat and have the same effect for free?

Is losing 24lbs via the wheels different than losing it elswhere in the car?

[1996 328ti]

It is where the weight comes off that is also important.

[tiger318]

i'm confused...is losing wheel weight the most "ideal" vs other areas. will i even notice a difference in driving when losing only 24lbs?

[1996 328ti]

I'm not the one to answer but there is something called unsprung weight.
My guess it is better to remove weight from something that turns than something that is fixed.

Removing weight is like adding horsepower, although very little unless it becomes significant.
Since you need horsepower to push you, less weight means more horespower available to do the job at hand.

[Jeff Spooner]

Hey Tiger,
The lighter wheels reduce rotating weight which allows the car to acclerate the wheels faster. You probably will not notice too much difference here. the big increase is in the braking. the lighter wheels are easier to slow down. The other place it helps is unsprung weight. the lighter the whole suspension is the better the shocks and stuts can control it.