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wheel width vs. weight

To: autox@autox.team.net
Subject: wheel width vs. weight
From: David K Yeung <dkyeung@juno.com>
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 01:27:55 EDT
I'm faced with deciding between 16x7 vs. 16x8 inch wheels for my FWD
Grand Prix using 245/45-16 tires.  I don't know the exact weight
difference between the two wheels but the 16x7 with a Yoko A032 weighs
38lbs (18 lb wheels and 20 lb tire) and the 16x8 with a 245/50 Yoko Avid
street tire weighs 49lbs.(guess tire weighs 27-30 lbs via manufacturer
spec and wheel is 22-19lbs) The approximate weight difference between the
wheels is therefore as much as 4 lbs.(the wheels are also different
design, 16x7 is 5-spoke, 16x8 is crosslace).

here's the $0.25 question...for autocross, is the extra inch wheel width
a good tradeoff for the extra 4lbs per corner? wider or lighter?

and whatever the answer is, it's not the whole enchilada. Since the
wheels are different design, factors such as brake cooling and moment of
inertia come into play.
Dave Yeung
Houston Region

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