Does putting light weight wheels do anything to your car besides making your whole car lighter in general ?

well being that the rims r lighter u will need less force to rotate the wheel therefore increase n the speed and performance of ur car. lighter rims will have lower inertia so u'll be quicker with lighter rims. i'd get some 15" or even a set a 16" if ur go n for perfomance

Adding 1lbs to the wheel/tire is like adding 8lbs. Two main reason's for light wheels - better acceleration & better braking. Rotational mass is the hardest thing for the brakes to stop. Suspension will also function better.
I've heard that 6lbs to the wheel/tire will reduce your 1/4 mile time by 1/10th of second. Ya, it don't sound like much, but you could loose 6lbs on the wheels or gut 100lbs from your car to get the same results.

Shorter overall diameter = acceleration
Taller overall diameter = top speed

jackasssi basically summed it up :)

I know when I went from 18" wheels to 15s my times dropped significantly for autocrossing.

EVerything just works better with lighter wheels and tires because everything is dependent on your suspension & brakes.

Look into centerline wheels, they make some very light 17" rims. 13.5 lbs. I know that some of the 16's and 15's weigh less, but if you don't want to go that small and still want lightweight centerlines are a good option.

I know when I went from 18" wheels to 15s my times dropped significantly for autocrossing.

:eek7: Of all people to have 18's, CivicSiRacer. I figured you would be one of the last people to roll on some 18's.

Hey I had to start somewhere :) When I first started on my Civic back in 1996, 16s were considered HUGE! :) But I got 17s and people thought I was crazy :D

This was from 1998 with 18x7" Focal Z1s:
http://home.dejazzd.com/mlouie/CivicAugust1999.jpg

:eek7: Of all people to have 18's, CivicSiRacer. I figured you would be one of the last people to roll on some 18's.

Back in his show days. :lol:

I remember way back, I used to want some Niche or Concept Neeper wheels, then after that wanted some "17 5Zigen 5ZR Corpse wheels. I'm very glad I got neither of those, and instead got the 12lbs. Rota C8's that I have on my car right now. :cool:

The less unsprung weight on the ends of your wheels, the quicker it can make you, and the easier it is on your hubs/knuckles/arms. As Jackass said, 1lbs. of wheel weight is really 8 pounds. if you have a 12 pound wheel like mine, that equates to 120 pounds of rotational mass when spinning. Imagine those Escalades you all see on "25's that can sometimes weigh in at almost 70 pounds! 70x8... You get the picture. What's easier to stop or accelerate on, 120 pounds of rotational mass, or 560 pounds! On that's just for one wheel!!! :eek:

Hey I had to start somewhere :) When I first started on my Civic back in 1996, 16s were considered HUGE! :) But I got 17s and people thought I was crazy :D

This was from 1998 with 18x7" Focal Z1s:
http://home.dejazzd.com/mlouie/CivicAugust1999.jpg

i think that your silver civic is sick....did you sell it??yea the wheels are big but i like it...the kit...and the cf hood...dont be embarrassed of that ride....what was the dimensions on your tires..what size?

Yeah I sold that Civic for my 2000 Honda Civic Si - for a measly price of $5000. I still see it around town on 14s, but I also sold the carbon fiber hood separately.

The wheels were 18x7" Focal Z1 with 215/35x18" tires.