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Originally Posted by Tim
Sorry - I misread you original post. However, I don't see how dopping more than 14 lbs off the wheels could do anything but increase FE. The tires, for those that are interested, are Continental ContiTouringContact CV95, which are one of the GreanSeal's low rolling resistance tires. In fact, they're one of the best on the list (actualy the CH95 is on the list - CV is just "V" rated version and takes 51 psi, weighs 18.3 lbs).
There are many other collateral benefits to lowering wheel weight. Better braking, accelleration, reduced strain on the suspension. I can't see that at the speeds I drive (40-55 miles per hour) spoked vs. flat would make any difference - no more than the 6 holes in the stock wheel currently do.
I'll have all this installed in about 2 weeks. I'll be sure to report back after the first tank.
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Well, since I'm a bit of a physicist (I loved high school physics
), I just had to go back and look at the equations. I found this convenient site -
http://theory.uwinnipeg.ca/physics/rot/node1.html
and concluded that the weight factor of 8 - i.e. a 1 lb increase or decrease in wheel weight is equivalent to 8 lbs increase or decrease in car weight - is hugely exagerated. If I applied the equations correctly, the energy required to rotate a wheel, which for this purpose resembles a uniform disc, is 1.5 times the energy needed for linear motion. So the virtual weight of a wheel is 1.5 times its true weight. Reducing your wheel weight by 14 pounds will have a similar effect to reducing the vehicle weight by 21 pounds.
In other words, the effect of wheel weight on FE is a big whoopdedoo.
