i have two sets of 15" wheels that i'm considering putting on the corolla. there are these miata wheels
and these mx-3 wheels
(love the doll in the short tight dress in that pic, had to use that one instead of a boring old 'wheel only' pic) the miata wheels are 13 lbs, the mx-3 wheels are 17 lbs. common sense tells me i should go with the lighter wheels but i prefer the look of the mx-3 wheels and think they will suit the ae95 better. so i did a little reading about wheel weight and why it matters -- better acceleration, braking, handling, fuel economy due to less rotational mass or something like that -- but most people were talking about track times, drag racing, stuff i don't care about at all. so my question is: driving the speed limit, am i likely to notice any difference between 13 lb wheels and 17 lb wheels? as a slow driver, should i care about 4 lbs difference or should i just go with what i think looks better?
just put in about 3/4 tank of fuel instead of filling it should be about same the weight. go with what you like, I had 185-65-15 on yaris rims on mine hills are not your best friend
david I have a set of 2000 miata polished limited edition wheels on the rocket their 15x 6 with 185/60/15 tires.these tires changed the gear ratio from 3.73 to around 3.43, I realy notice how this has afected the acceloration ,the spedo correction is 9mph . the wheels look great on the car, I plan on doing the brake up greade with slotted rotors,as soon as some caliper paint I ordered shows up. Larry
stock tire size on the ae95 is 185/70r13 and i plan on sticking very close to that -- 185/60r15 or 195/55r15 so only 1 or 2% bigger -- so i'm not too worried about overall diameter, just the 4 lb difference in wheel weight.
the most significant thing about wheel weight is how it affects "unsprung weight" that is the total effective weight of all of the suspension parts, wheels, tires, brakes, etc that are not "sprung" or supported on the springs of the suspension. This affects both ride quality and handling. the lower the unsprung weight (including the weight of the wheels and tires) the smoother the car will ride, the more the tire will stay in contact with the road, improving both handling and braking, as well as the rotational mass as others indicated with acceleration, which will have a small effect on fuel economy. But economy is not the reason that costly very light wheels and tires go on race cars, nor on performance cars. It is to get better handling, better braking, and to improve ride quality to make high speed travel less fatiguing for the driver on long races.
back in the day of the heavy Detroit large cars, the way they improved ride quality was just make the car very heavy: A large sprung to unsprung weight ratio provided a smooth comfortable ride. As cars got smaller and lighter, the wheel and tires had to get lighter to keep ride quality reasonable. If you have ever been in a very old small car (large unsprung weight), you will notice how bouncy and uncomfortable the ride is, because of this phenomena, among others.
I suspect that 4 lbs you would notice, though it would not be large, likely you will be lighter than with a steel wheel, which is about 20 lb as I recall. So go with the look you like since there would not be enough difference to matter much unless ride quality is important to you.
thanks matt, i agree. they look a lot like the stock sr5 ae95 alloys, which i quite like on the corolla and is why i am leaning towards using them. the miata wheels are a little too sporty for me, but i'm contemplating flat-blacking them to make them more my taste. haven't decided anything yet though.
Not only is the unsprung weight something to think about, but the lighter wheels will have a lower polar moment of inertia, meaning you can accelerate faster.
Yep I think its the way those mx3 rims are raised around the cut outs that make them like those 13" all-trac Alloys which I like as well but I've changed mine for 14" 'Ninja Stars' which came on the SX and seca corolla here so I could get a better range of tires. Toyota Alloys are pretty heavy though it seems to me but seem pretty hardy.
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88 Corolla 4wd Wagon 5speed, All power options, Fact Sunroof, Diff Lock, 14" SX Alloys, Hankook Tyres, 4afe, King Springs, Upgraded Headlights, Full Synth oils, Tow Bar, 210,000kms
I agree- I've got 14" daisys (complete with centers) on 3 of my wagons and really like 'em.
if it aint there, there's a good chance it won't break!
83 SR5 Silver/Blue (Snowmobile/work beater)-totaled but drivable
85 SR5 Blue
88 SR5 White (the 'good' one)-not anymore-totaled
87 fwd silver wagon a/t
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my sense of mechanical guilt made me go with the miata wheels. i still think i would prefer the mx-3 wheels but the miata's certainly don't look bad. i went with 195/60r15's, about 4% larger than stock. i'm pretty happy with it and will post some pics later.
Ah, what exactly is "mechanical guilt"? meaning you know the lighter wheels are better and can not stand the idea of not using them? You really feel guilty over 4 lbs? Wow, you think like some engineers I know.
I would just pick the wheels that looked best, because you have to enjoy driving the car or you will not take care of it.
Petros wrote:Ah, what exactly is "mechanical guilt"? meaning you know the lighter wheels are better and can not stand the idea of not using them? You really feel guilty over 4 lbs? Wow, you think like some engineers I know.
you nailed it. i figured bigger tires and wheels means more weight than to start with so i should save weight where i can. it's not like i dislike the miata wheels so i was open to them. plus i realized that if i really thought they looked dumb on the car, i could just sell them and put the mx-3's on at no loss.
