Volkswagen Mark IV Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Request :- Weigh your wheels ! [Edited with table of weights]

Mk4 Golf 
Tags
mk4 golf
20K views 121 replies 46 participants last post by  PJ 
#1 ·
All weights with tyres but as you should be aware tyre weights can vary enormously so the table below is indicative only. Where more than one weight is stated an average is calculated. All weights in Kg?s

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:eek:ffice:eek:ffice" /><o:p> </o:p>

P.S. As you can gather I?m not an aficionado on wheels so I will stand corrected on mistakes if you would be so kind as to point them out !

15? VW Stock steelie 16.7

15? VW Avus 2 (std TDI wheels) 16.3

15? VW Avus ?

15? Others TBA Please contribute

<o:p> </o:p>

16? VW Stock steelie ?

16? VW <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:eek:ffice:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Montreal</st1:place></st1:City> I?s 17.0

16? VW Montreal II?s 18.0

16? VW Brands hatch 17.0

16? VW Monte carlo 16.0

16? Others TBA Please contribute

<o:p> </o:p>

17? VW Santa Monicas 21.0

17? Rep RS4?s 21.8

17? Rep RS6?s ?

17? Audi TT 5 spoke 19.0

17" BBS RX 18.6 (just for Shiuming!!)

17? Others TBA Please contribute

<o:p> </o:p>

18? VW Anni?s (BBS) ?

18? VW R32 (Oz) ?

18? Rep RS4?s 23.0

18? Rep RS6?s ?

18? Rep R32?s 26.0

18" Audi A8 reps 23.4

18? Oz super leg?s 18.0

18" Oz ultra leg's 18.0

18? Others TBA Please contribute

<o:p> </o:p>

19? Rep RS4?s ?

19? Rep RS6?s ?

19? Rep RS007?s ?

19? Other TBA Please contribute

<o:p> </o:p>

20?> TBA You are mad

<o:p> </o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

Now in weight order for those of which weights are known; (this bit not edited as of 03/01/07)

<o:p> </o:p>

16? VW Monte carlo 16.0

15? VW Avus 2 (std TDI wheels) 16.3

15? VW Stock steelie 16.7

16? VW Brands hatch 17.0

18?Oz super leg?s 18.0

17" BBS RX 18.6

17? Audi TT 5 spoke 19.0

17? Rep RS4?s 21.8

18" Rep RS4's 23.0

18? Rep R32?s 26.0

Original post below.

Chaps,

Bit mad this but could you weigh your wheels next time you've got one off the car.

Reason being, heavy wheels (however nice they look) have a significant effect on how your car goes.

Big wheels (like mine) although to a degree improve handling have some very negative side effects, these being;

Slower acceleration

Bad fuel economy

Bad handling (big heavy wheels create a massive gyroscopic effect and also the unsprung weight plays havoc)

Bad ride quality (rubber band tyres + increased unsprung weight = boneshaking)

What I'm trying to decide is what route to go down wheel wise and hopefully if this thread developes will help others (yourself included) choose your next set. I blindly went down the route of "I must have those" without fully investigating the consequences before I did so. My main bugbear is that I'm convinced that the heavy rep RS4's I'm currently running have slaughtered my MPG, and that this is due to the weight of the things. Handling is now devine compared to stock but that's mainly down to Mr Eibach et al although going from 195 wide rubber up to 225 wide has obviously helped. [edit] but added drag and also helped to kill mpg.

The general rule of thumb is that air obviously weighs less than alloy wheel and if you up-size, you are replacing air with alloy = not good.

Obviously BBS's are the daddies but not all of us can justify the expense of them. The ATS DTM's are a lightweight wheel so could be considered but in all honesty don't look that nice. It would also be very interesting to find out how much the OEM wheels weigh (including steelies). I have a sneaking suspicion that the Monty 2's will win out here and that VW may have got it right in the first place.

If you are mad enough to play along with this and plonk ye rims on the bathroom scales on your driveway whilst getting raised eyebrows from your neigbours, please could you post the following info :-

1, Wheel type / make (genuine or rep) etc.

2, Make & size of tyre fitted.

3, Brief comments on how you rate yer rims, what effect they have had on the car. etc

Also, if you don't want to weigh yours or think I'm talking rubbish here, I'd more than welcome the debate and would be very interested to hear your views. Please contribute.

[2nd edit]

Thought I'd practice what I preach and I've just been out and weighed my wheels, the results are :-

Wheel = AVUS II; 15.8kg with Michelin Pilot Primacies 195x65x15 on 1.6mm tread

Wheel = AVUS II; 16.9kg with 'Corsa65' cheapy specials 195x65x15 on 7mm tread.

Wheel = Stock steelie; 17.7kg with Dunlop? 195x65x15 on 3mm tread

Wheel = RS4 (rep); 21.8kg with Cooper Avons 225x45x17 on 4mm tread.

Comments; AVUS II's stock wheels, good mpg, poor grip probably due to tyre choice and width.

Steelies; no comment, don't know

RS4 rep 17"; Great grip, poo mpg, ride quality as stock (running -30mm eibachs + sachs gas sport dampers as well)

Quite a difference me thinks.
 
See less See more
#3 ·
I suggested something similar in a different thread - standard weights and measures sort of thing, for example, I'm going to weigh my Milltek before I have it fitted, to see if the claims are true about stainless being lighter than mild steel, but then looking at the back boxes, the Milltek appears to be much larger/longer and therefore probably negates any weight saving.

I've weighed one of my standard 1.6 steelies (actually 15" although the tyres say R14 or was it vice-versa?) and I made it 15.6 Kg on bathroom scales. Continental EcoContact CP.

If it helps, www.bbs-japan.co.jp lists weights for all wheels there. Some of them are well under 10 Kg even at 19" and above.

Before I got my wheels I did research this, and I even mailed Continental tyres regarding tyres weights and, I kid you not, the German chap got back to me with weights of the desired tyre at different speed ratings to the nearest 0.01 Kg [:D]

EDIT: There's more to it than overall weight though, gyroscopic effect also depends on how the mass is distributed - more of it at the edge = more gyroscopic effect. BBS has published a study of the MkV GTI wheel, which is made using BBS "Air Inside" technology - basically large portions of it are hollow, to reduce weight at the outer edge.
 
#4 ·
Interesting topic. My old man recently bought a set of 18" RS4
repros for his 3.2 TT so he could run a set of winter tyres. As a
mattter of interest he happened to weigh the originals for comparison;
the standard wheels with Pirelli P Zero Rossos (225/40 R18) weighed
just under 22kgs whereas the repros with Vredestein Wintrac Xtremes
(225/40 R18 again) weighed just over 23kgs. We both commented how
heavy the wheels in general were, but the rim size is obviously limited
in this case by the size of the brakes. I'll try to remember to
weigh mine when I next have them off (Santa Monicas with Conti Sport
Contact 2s (225/45 R17))
 
#5 ·
Also, gyroscopic effect is more of a problem at the front because the steering alters the axis of spin, giving corrupted feedback. If you've ever picked up a spinning computer hard disk drive and gently tilted it side to side, you'll know the weird sensation I'm talking about, and you don't really want too much of that in your steered wheels on a road vehicle [:S]
 
#8 ·
As far as I know OZ wheels are supposed to be lightweight!?
Yes but only relatively so - what tends to happen when people buy lovely new alloys is go for a bigger size of wheel than they had before, thereby generally negating any weight saving!

Also, there are different types of alloy wheel, most are cast (molten alloy poured into a mould) but the really lightweight ones are forged (stamped out of a solid billet then machined and finished) - those are mega ???.
 
#9 ·
Excellent idea. I've spent absolutely ages looking at different wheels in the past few weeks trying to fnd something that I like yet is light and affordable. In the end I may just get some RCs. They aren't my favourite wheel at all but they're lighter than almost anything that is the same size.

I too was wondering whether people would be prepared to weigh their wheels so that we could build a database. In the meantime, have a look here

http://www.wheelweights.net

It's not an exhaustive list by a long way but it's a good source of data for comparing a lot of common wheels.
 
#14 ·
I think you may be right, both are BBS wheels, and mine are 17". I actually thought 20.9 sounded too light. Anyway, my car is all cleaned up ready for a meet tomorrow, not about to go out and start taking wheels off to weigh them [:)]

ct.p, how about making some sort of table in the first post for easy visibility?
 
#15 ·
for this same reason i went for original OZ rather than replica rs6

i changed over my 16" monty II's for some 18" OZ canyons. these are not the lighest OZ wheels availble but whilst swapping them over i did not notice them to be heavier than the monties (or not much in it). I keep a close eye on the mpg and i can say i have not notice it change at all. But i will get them on the scales next time i have them off!
 
#18 ·
17" Audi TT 5 spoke polished comps (you know the ones!) with nearly new P6000 rubber (Michilin or Pirelli? I forget!) 225-45-17
=19kg

Car does feel noticeably slower in a straight line with these wheels on, compared to the stock 16" Beetle wheels I run for winter.. But the handling is a bit better with the 17" comps. Cant say I notice a difference in mpg..

Just for reference..
16" Monte Carlo wheels with Continental Touring tyres, 205-55-16, 5mm'ish tread all round (standard issue Beetle stuff)
= 16kg

Rolling radius is very close between the 2 types of wheels/tyres. Would 3kg (12kg all round) really make the car feel slower in a straight line I wonder? Its not a massive difference, but definitely noticeable to me.
 
#19 ·
One thing that you need to remember is that the tyre on a larger wheel will weigh less (for the same rolling diameter)

I went for superleggeras on weight alone. Compared to my santas, thay were 2kg a wheel/tyre lighter.

The car was totaly different to drive after the change.

The mrs PD dropped 4-5mpg going from15's to my old santas, but I think this is partly tyre choice as well.

F1's drink fuel. The track tyres I'm running at the mo are even worse. Grippy tyres+ noisy and high fuel consumption.
 
#20 ·
I had santas on, and put some a8 replicas on. I didnt weigh them, but they felt really heavy in comparison to the santas. fuel consumption only went down 2mpg, but the really noticable diffence is the noise of the power steering when turning the wheel at slow speeds, I now get a horrible whining noise. On the hunt now for some BBS RC's, as they are supposed to be lightweight.
 
#21 ·
17" Audi TT 5 spoke polished comps (you know the
ones!) with nearly new P6000 rubber (Michilin or Pirelli? I forget!)
225-45-17
=19kg .
Thats incredible, i thought my Comps were really heavy but it seems not!

I'm running the same size rubber but Michelin Pilot Sports 2.

I'm looking for some lighter alloys for the track, Compomotive MO's are
winning on looks and weight at the moment. 8-9kg's without tyres.

edit: Yep, my TT wheel is 19.5kg with above tyre
 
#22 ·
17" Audi TT 5 spoke polished comps (you know the
ones!) with nearly new P6000 rubber (Michilin or Pirelli? I forget!)
225-45-17
=19kg .
Thats incredible, i thought my Comps were really heavy but it seems not!

I'm running the same size rubber but Michelin Pilot Sports 2.

I'm looking for some lighter alloys for the track, Compomotive MO's are
winning on looks and weight at the moment. 8-9kg's without tyres.

edit: Yep, my TT wheel is 19.5kg with above tyre
Yeah, I thought mine felt much heavier than the stock wheels. 2KG difference doesn't seem like so much now. Strange..
And yes, i too would prefer some lighter wheels.
The 17" Comps do look great though!
 
#23 ·
One thing that you need to remember is that the tyre on a larger wheel will weigh less (for the same rolling diameter)

I went for superleggeras on weight alone. Compared to my santas, thay were 2kg a wheel/tyre lighter.

The car was totaly different to drive after the change.
Surely metal weighs more than rubber though... I'm more inclined to think that weight saving was mainly due to the design and alloy type of the Superleggera rather than losing weight from less tyre.
 
#24 ·
I unfortunately lost the auction i was looking at yesterday for some compomotive MO's. These weighed in at 8-9 kg each.

My audi wheels and tyres are 19.5kg with the tyre weighing in at an estimated 10.5kg according to the website below.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Michelin&model=Pilot+Sport+PS2

This makes the TT rim roughly 9-10 kg!

My old tyres are below, a weight saving of about a kilo. The weight is
spot on as i just weighed one on some scales and it came out at 9.5
kilos.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?make=Continental&model=ContiSportContact

I also found this valuable test below, the results very very similar to what i've changed

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=108

A most excellent website [Y]

Hope this helps you guys too!
 
#25 ·
Hey guys, i was thinking of getting 19" ASA AR1's but i hadn't taken the weight into consideration. now i think 19" will just slow the car down and make it more expensive, thing is though i really like these rims so what size would you reccomend folks? i will be getting Koni RHA (plus RHA on rear) suspension at the same time as the wheels. Obviously i want it to look good but i've always thought that performance is more important.

Oh and before someone says it, no i cant just buy a faster car! i like my 1.6 and wont be able to afford anything else for at least 5yrs!

Take care!
 
#26 ·
This is a really interesting and important thread!

Just swapped from 16" 205 Brands Hatch and Continential (uuugh) all up weight (tyres babdly worn) 17kgs, to 18" 225 Toyo's on Oz Supper Leggra's again all up 16kgs. Oz claim the rims are 16kgs. More interesting the R32 look alike from OZ are 26kg !!!! they do look nice but man thats a lot of weight for nice!!!

It would be interesting to see a similar thread for rotor and caliper weights - to compare some of the after market stuff - I suspect the weight savings claimed are in the caliper - I guess difficult to save much weight in the rotor even going to 2 piece But the improvement could be significant especially if the reduction was at the outer area of the disc- any thought guys?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top