Weight Issue with rims

I was talking to an Auto Mechanic who I know well. He mentioned dropping a civic onto 17 inch rims puts a lot of strain on to the Motor. I believe him, but a lot of people still do it and I was wondering, if I put really light weight rims and stuff like that, would it help. Also bigger rim somehow = more mileage on teh car, is there anyway to tell the ECU the size of the wheel so it doesnt put more miles on the car????

Just got into the Idea of a civic so I am posting up all these Ideas as they come to me, thanx for the responses/help

Originally posted by JBL85
I...Also bigger rim somehow = more mileage on teh car, is there anyway to tell the ECU the size of the wheel so it doesnt put more miles on the car????The rim gets bigger, but the diameter of the tire stays the same (or at least it should) so the circumference of your wheels with tires should be unchanged and your odometer should still be accurate.

i dont think increasing th rim size would affect your milage...as for light rims, it depends how much you're willing to spend

mugen makes the lightest rims i know of, and those are pretty expensive

Originally posted by NSX
mugen makes the lightest rims i know of, and those are pretty expensive I believe Volk Racing TE-37s have been the lightest for a while. 8.8 lbs for a street legal wheel. SSR and Spoon have lighter race-only wheels, I think.

Originally posted by jay@af
I believe Volk Racing TE-37s have been the lightest for a while. 8.8 lbs for a street legal wheel. SSR and Spoon have lighter race-only wheels, I think.

if only JDM rims were cheaper:(

Real quick physics lesson. Larger tires mean more unsprung weight. It requires more horsepower to wheel thats larger in diameter indepent of the size of the tire on it. I dont have the equation sitting in front of me, but you have to significantly drop the weight on the larger rim in order for it to not take more horsepower to turn.

how much are the stock 14-15 steel wheels, i assume the caps arent much weight

Originally posted by jay@af
I believe Volk Racing TE-37s have been the lightest for a while. 8.8 lbs for a street legal wheel. SSR and Spoon have lighter race-only wheels, I think.

8.8 lbs is pretty light!
yeah, the spoon ones r quite light too, and pretty nice
but not every1 likes black rims cuz from a distance they look really bad

Well I dont have much cash for rims.....i mean yeah weight : cash ratio is a problem =) Might as well just leave the stock hubcaps

Yes, if you get big rims that are over 25 lbs a piece it will slow you down, not strain the motor, it just causes more sprung weight, which is accelerations enemy.

There are many affordable lightweight rims out there, My volk te 37s are 8 lbs a piece and also cost 1800, plus tires !! you can get Kosei K1s for 600 and they are 14lbs a piece , believe me if you can tell a difference, my hat is off to you.

The HX alloys are 14 lbs a piece the 6th gen, that is an option.
the stock steel wheels are 18lbs a piece you do not want to go over that!!!!! So pick wisely

Rotas... My 15x6.5 weigh 12 lbs per rim. Thats not bad when you consider I only paid $400 for a set of 4. They come in different colors like white, bronze, flat black, & Gunmetal. They are becoming very popular because they are so light and cheap.

Not to mention the HX wheels are only 14s arent they?

Stock 15x6.5 GSR wheels weigh about 16 lbs. So you can see your saving yourself several lbs.

if speedo accuracy is a huge problem you can have a proper shop calibrate your car for the wheels

the Volk racing wheels are super light, but they come with a price. you could always have a good machine shop lighten and balance your stock wheels.

Originally posted by Racing Rice
Rotas... My 15x6.5 weigh 12 lbs per rim. Thats not bad when you consider I only paid $400 for a set of 4. They come in different colors like white, bronze, flat black, & Gunmetal. They are becoming very popular because they are so light and cheap.

Not to mention the HX wheels are only 14s arent they?

Stock 15x6.5 GSR wheels weigh about 16 lbs. So you can see your saving yourself several lbs.
There are many wheel options!! The HX rims are 14"s true, if you are out for performance you want a light 15-16" wheel that is forged, if you cant afford that then you will want a light rim like the Rotas or the Kosei, there are many.

If you are going show, then I dont car what people say, you dont win shows by having 20" cheapos they are always imports almost always forged, so they are big and light. I like Racing Rices idea.

I have been eyeing some 15" konig rieghns for a civic I dont even have yet (yes, still shopping). Does anyone know the weight or have any opinions on them. I think they are cast, but they only cost $100 a-peace from discount tire comp. Will I need to get an alignment with the bigger tires?
Later,
Ktulu
:bandit:

Hey Quick civic, my dad owns a machine shop, has like CNC and Lathe's, would that work?

IMO opinion if you go any wider than 195, yes you will need an alignment, anyone care to add why?

uhhhhhhh....toe angles:confused:

you win, thats right, toe angles change slightly!

so why not leave the stock wheels and spend that 500-1000 on engine modifications

and once you have a super car, get some wheels that can really put the power to the floor =P

Originally posted by JBL85
so why not leave the stock wheels and spend that 500-1000 on engine modifications

and once you have a super car, get some wheels that can really put the power to the floor =P
500-1000 to make it supercar?? WOW. :)

You can alway handle better despite power, ever car is capable of traveling 100 MPH, can your car take the twisties at 80 MPH and up?
That is the point ;)

I didnt say to make it a super car, just save that money to mod it.

by the way, do you race your 98 EX and what have your raced and bit if soo???

I auto x it, it is really beat :)
handling is my main goal, more grip, and to be honest I think I have the car as tweaked as I can get it.

I have a turbo kit for it, that I have not installed, because I will blow the motor for sure the way I drive, so internals are next, some day!!

Does it really do that much damage to your car, like you notice power loss and stuff?

what auto x?

auto crossing, its racing on a road course with street cars isnt it?
Or is it drag racing down long strips of road? I know it has something to do with driving for a long time and driving hard

short streey couses or parking lot courses, a lot of turns, barely any straights.

Yeah, so......my question if i remember was how beat is your motor?

or how much damage does auto x do to it?

Actually the motor, has held up, the only side effect from the hard use is the cam is scored a bit, and the clutch is slipping at 50k miles.

The key is changing fluids all the time!!!

Also the real wear is on my suspension, bushings, bearings, CV joints are all due for replacement!!

sounds fun, but i drive my maxima like im auto x it, its still running pretty good =P, but the alignment isnt what it use to be =)

Hey Dezoris,
The wheels will be the only mod to the car. So should I get it aligned with the specs that you posted in the suspension forum?

i meant i drive it like i am in an auto x race that is********

Originally posted by Ktulu
Hey Dezoris,
The wheels will be the only mod to the car. So should I get it aligned with the specs that you posted in the suspension forum?
No, not w/o it being lowered.
Keep it within factory specs. :)
You can use those, but it may be difficult to get some of thos - camber angles, w/o a camber kit. You can print them out and try :)

how long you been auto x'ing for, seems like fun, just dont know where to do it in so cal?

and i hear to go to the race track its 200 bucks

How do you explain to someone dense that the weight of your tires and rims do make a difference when it comes down to it? The problem is, they DO know a lot about cars but this just seems to be one issue they won't sway on. :argue:

Originally posted by ilbfastSumday
How do you explain to someone dense that the weight of your tires and rims do make a difference when it comes down to it? The problem is, they DO know a lot about cars but this just seems to be one issue they won't sway on. :argue:

Its all a matter of physics.. If they dont understand that itll be pretty hard to change their minds.. What kinda arguements are the using?