While I have already swapped out the stock S-Lites for a set of 17" Flik Wasps in black with a polished silver lip, which changed the look of the car for the better in my opinion, and saved a few pounds on the corners, I am curious as to how low the weights can go on 17" wheels. Even though they may be out of my and others price range, I am wondering about forged wheels from companies like HRE, Volk, etc. I have seen their products and the claims of light weight, but for some reson, I haven't seen the numbers. Anybody?[img]null[/img]

 

Theres #'s out there, just gotta look. You can get volks in 17"s that are around 15lbs :smile:

 

Here are some of the lightest rims.

Buddy Club P1 QF 17 X 7.5 12.9 lbs
Centerline RPM 17 X 7 13.5 lbs
Dymag Callaway Corvette 17 X 8 12.9 lbs
Joustmeister 17 X 7 13.0 lbs
Modex Ks-Ce 17 X 7 13.0 lbs
Racing Hart CP-035R 17 X 7.5 13.0 lbs
Racing Hart CP-8R 17 X 7 12.5 lbs
SSR Type-C 17 X 7.5 13.0 lbs


_________________
Not waiting any more :smile: MINI is in the garage.

 

The Tire, Wheels and Brake forum on this very site has this info:

ASA AR1 17x7 et42 20.7 lbs AR1
ASA EM9 17x7 et40 21.0 lbs EM9
ASA JS1 17x7 et40 20.5 lbs JS1
ASA JS5 17x7 et42 21.5 lbs JS1
ASA JS6 17x7 et40 22.5 lbs JS6
ASA KA3 17x7.5 et42 22 lbs KA3
ASA LW5 17x7.5 et43 17.2 lbs LW5

BBS RK 17x7 et42 17.5 lbs RK

Kazera KZ-R 17x7 et 45 18.0 lbs KZ-R
Kazera KZ-S 17x7 et 45 19.0 lbs KZ-S
Kazera KZ-U 17x7 et 45 19.5 lbs KZ-U
Kazera KZ-V 17x7 et 45 17.0 lbs KZ-V

Kosei K1 17x7.5 et45 16.0 lbs K1 Racing

Millie Miglia HT3 17x7 et45 21.0 lbs HT3

OZ Crono Evolution 17x7 et37 19.0 lbs Crono Evolotion
OZ Superlegerra 17x7 et37 15.5 lbs Superleggera

Prodrive P1 17x7 et42 22.0 lbs P1

Speedline 2113 17x7 et42 23.5 lbs 2113
Speedline 2116 17x7 et40 23.5 lbs 2116

Sport Edition Tekno 17x7 et40 23.0 lbs Tekno
Sport Edition Fox 2 17x7 et40 22.5 lbs Fox 2
Sport Edition Fox 5 17x7.5 et40 23.0 lbs Fox 5

SSR GT1 17x7 et45 16.5 lbs GT1
SSR Competition 17x7.5 et42 13.0 lbs Competition

 

The best sources of wheel weight info (in a general sense) are:

http://www.wheelweights.com (the same list can be found at http://www.europeanspeed.com as well.) http://www.wheelspecs.com is slowly becoming a better source, and is being kept up to date more than the other sites, but it's still missing some brands and information.

This Buyer's Guide put together by Import Tuner isn't bad, and http://www.edgeracing.com also lists weights for some models that fit the MINI.

After looking around, you should be able to get down to 14.5# in a 16" wheel, and roughly 15# in a 17" wheel for $150 or less. If you start getting much lighter than that the money goes up quickly.

Jeff

 

Centerline has a five spoke one called Impulse weighing about 11lbs in the $300 ea. vicinity. Thats about the lightest/cheapest one I've seen. Also check Velox, and SSR. Both have inexpensive ultra light wheels. Going with Volk, expect $460+ ea. minimum in 17", and higher as the weight drops.

 

As with many things in life, if one is able to swing cash, and pick them up (no shipping), cost-savings are often experienced. I got my set of 16" Volk CE28Ns for 1,250, with centering rings, minus the caps though. At about 300 bucks each for 10.75 lb wheels, I couldn't pass that up...

 

Thanks for the response guys. After looking at the figures and different databases, I am pretty pleased with the cost/benefit of my inexpensive Fliks, weighing in at 19 lbs. The other major consideration with wheels of course is looks, and I like the look of the Flik Wasps. Having raced bicycles for many years, I know the benefit of strong, light wheels. It is all about power to weight ratios, lose weight AND do what you can to gain strength and power. The best place to lose weight on a bicycle is the wheels, as they are rotating mass. A common opinion in cycling is that you get 2 for 1 if the reduction in weight is from the wheels (every 1 lb. of wheel weight lost is equal to 2 lbs. lost from elsewhere). If I had the money, and the look was right, sub 15 lbs. 17" wheels would seem to provide quite a benefit by reducing unsprung weight, however, I am no expert when it comes to exactly how much benefit is gained relative to the weight reduced when it comes to automobile wheels.