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One of the important parameters that affect the performance of the car is the weight of the rims. Modern motorists understand that by reducing the weight of the discs (by installing lighter discs on the car), it is possible to increase the smoothness of the ride, improve the vehicle's handling, as well as the dynamic characteristics (braking and acceleration speed).

Also, the durability of the suspension, the absence of breakdowns of its elements for a long time, to a certain extent depends on the weight of the disks. This article will discuss in detail the mechanism of the influence of the mass of disks on the performance of a car, in addition, we will talk about how the weight of disks differs depending on the material of their manufacture, as well as the technology used.

sprung and unsprung weight

In order to understand how wheel weight can affect a car's handling, performance, ride and suspension durability, it is necessary to understand what forces are acting on a car while it is in motion. One of the main parameters that engineers are guided by when developing a suspension for a particular car model is the ratio of the sprung and unsprung mass of the car. What it is?

The spring (spring, shock absorber strut) is an elastic suspension element that softens the shocks that occur when the car moves over uneven road surfaces. Thanks to this element, shocks are transmitted to the body only to a small extent, which determines the smooth running and comfort of movement. The sprung mass is the mass of the parts of the vehicle that are separated from the road surface by the spring (body), and the unsprung mass is the mass of the parts that are between the road surface and the spring (discs, tires, hubs, brake system elements).

Controllability

At the moment the car hits a bump, the wheel takes on the impact and transmits it through the shock absorber to the body. In turn, the body with its weight (through the shock absorber) compensates for this impact, and the wheel returns to its original position. The smaller the unsprung mass, the less force there is on the body, in addition, less effort is spent when maneuvering. However, if the weight of the body is too low relative to the weight of the wheel (all unsprung elements), then the wheel will not be able to quickly return to its original position, which is fraught with loss of control (skidding).

Dynamic characteristics

The ability of a car to pick up acceleration quickly and provide effective braking is also dependent on unsprung mass. The more the wheels weigh, the more energy is needed to increase the speed of their rotation (which ensures the acceleration of the car), the same applies to the braking process.

The engine is only able to produce a limited amount of power at any one time. Therefore, the more the wheels weigh, the more engine power is used to spin them, and less power is left for fast acceleration. In numbers, it looks like this: with an increase in the weight of the wheels (unsprung mass) by 1 kg., The car loses 1% of power. Therefore, to increase the acceleration speed and enhance the braking efficiency, lightweight rims are installed; with light rims, the car accelerates faster.

Smooth running

The ratio of the sprung and unsprung masses also affects the smoothness of the ride, there are two ways to achieve the ideal ratio - increase the sprung mass or reduce the unsprung mass. The first method has certain drawbacks, since an increase in the weight of the car (for example, due to additional ballast in the cabin or trunk) reduces the acceleration dynamics. Therefore, most often they try to lighten the wheels as much as possible by reducing the unsprung mass.

There are quite definite indicators - a reduction in the weight of the wheel (each of the wheels) by 1 kg. has the same effect as reducing the body weight by 40 kg. That is, reducing the weight of each wheel by 4 kg. (total reduction in unsprung weight of 16 kg.), you can achieve the same smoothness that is observed in the presence of several passengers in the cabin. But at the same time, the car picks up acceleration much faster than in the loaded state (as if passengers were actually sitting in the cabin).

Disc weight and suspension durability

The durability of the suspension elements also depends on the weight of the rims (and other unsprung elements). When driving over uneven road surfaces, bumps occur that are damped by the suspension. Moreover, not only shock absorbers, if the impact is strong, then other suspension elements also take on part of the impact energy. And the higher the unsprung mass, the greater the load on the suspension. Naturally, an increase in load does not contribute to the durability of the nodes that take on the blows.

Which wheels are lighter (forged, cast, stamped)?

Stamped steel rims are the heaviest, which has become a common reason for replacing them with light alloys immediately after purchasing a new car. However, steel wheels have a minimal cost, so they continue to occupy a stable position in the auto parts market.

Cast aluminum alloy wheels about 20% lighter than steel wheels, manufacturing technology allows you to realize almost any designer's fantasies. In addition, alloy wheels provide better cooling of the brake system.

Forged wheels are the lightest. Hot forged wheels, on the other hand, are 20% lighter than cast wheels and 50% lighter than stamped steel wheels. The main obstacle to their unconditional dominance among other types of auto disks is the price - forged disks are somewhat more expensive than cast ones, and much more expensive than steel ones.

Magnesium alloy wheels occupy a special place on the market, such wheels are somewhat heavier than forged, but much lighter than aluminum wheels. However, magnesium rims are not widely used because they are less durable than aluminum rims and are not repairable if damaged. Magnesium discs are purchased by fans of fast driving and dynamic maneuvering, owners of sports cars.

Average disc weight

The ratio of weight and size of rims made of various materials is well illustrated by the table. The data presented in the table was obtained on the basis of a comparative analysis of the weight and dimensions of more than 4 thousand models of auto disks from various manufacturers. Each mass indicator is obtained by obtaining the arithmetic average from the total mass of disks of the same size (diameter) and one type (material of manufacture) of many models from different manufacturers.

Average weight of one disk, kg
Diameter, inchescastForgedSteelcast magnesium
R103,63 2,30
R124,17 4,50 3,08
R135,40 3,58 7,26 3,83
R146,29 3,94 8,01 4,38
R157,32 3,69 9,56 5,16
R168,59 6,40 10,20 6,47
R179,82 7,38 12,40 9,20
R1811,17 8,62
R1912,28 10,36
R2218,76 11,51
R2319,87
R2422,22

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The total mass of the car is the sum of the sprung and unsprung mass. is included in the unsprung mass and is an extremely important, one might say, defining characteristic in the dynamics of a car. The thing is that the unsprung mass makes a vertical movement relative to the car body, just remember how the chassis behaves when driving over bumps. When a car moving at speed hits a bump, the unsprung mass rushes up, imparting kinetic energy to the vehicle body, while the sprung mass must compensate for this push. That is why the balance of sprung and unsprung mass is very important, which should be distributed in a ratio of 85/15. From the foregoing, it is logical to conclude that the smaller the non-dessor mass, the smoother the car moves. However, it is very important that this softness does not turn out to be prohibitive, otherwise the wheels will simply stop holding the road properly. As noted earlier, the weight of tires is the main component of the unsprung mass, which means that when chasing dynamic performance, you should not forget about the correct weight of rubber.

What is the best tire weight?

It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question of what tire weight is better. It all depends on many factors. In order to try to clarify this issue, one should recall such a physical concept as inertia. Inertia is a measure of resistance to change. When the driver presses the gas pedal, the vehicle's engine spins the wheels, while a certain amount of energy generated by the engine is spent on overcoming the weight of the wheel, the main part of which is enclosed in tires. It turns out that the lighter the installed tires, the easier the car spins the wheels, which means it picks up speed faster. In a word, if the weight of the tires has practically no effect on the maximum speed of the car, then in its time of gaining a certain speed, these “rubber” kilograms play one of the main roles. As a rule, the average wheel weight on civilian cars is a little less or a little more than 19 kg. These figures can be called the golden mean suitable for the average city dweller who does not go into the details of the dynamic characteristics of his vehicle and cares more about his ability to deliver from home to work and back.


How to choose the right tire weight?

First you need to familiarize yourself with the tire size recommended by the auto manufacturer, it is not recommended to ignore it. The size is indicated in the operating book. Most often there are two recommendations - for summer and winter. Tire size largely determines their weight, but not without exceptions. To date, tire production technologies have stepped forward and those sizes that were characteristic only for summer tires in the early days can now be found among winter options. Conditionally tires can be divided into two categories:

  • For everyday driving, the choice of tires from the comfort segment will be optimal. Such rubber can be described as reliable and durable. These tires have an average weight, the manufacturer tries to keep the balance.
  • If you have to travel frequently on the highway, it is best to choose high-speed tires from the premium segment. If they do not differ in increased durability, then there is no point in comparing the comfort segment with them in terms of reliability of control. As a result, they are light in weight.

Of course, there are other types of tires, but they belong to highly specialized categories. For example, because of their high cost, not very popular eco-tires with a long resource. There are also sports tires that have high resistance to extreme overloads. To sum up: it will be much more efficient in operation to choose tires based on the purpose of use, and not on weight.


What affects the weight of tires?

To determine the weight of automotive shoes, there are tables in which the size and volume are correlated with weight. These tables can and should be used. However, we should not forget that the weight may vary depending on the manufacturer.



What factors affect tire weight?

First, as already mentioned, is the size. The larger the size, the heavier the tire and vice versa, the smaller, the lighter it is. Although, this is not and is not always the case, because the decisive fact here will be the tire production technology.

The second is the thickness of the sidewall of the tire. In addition to the mass, the thickness of the sidewall determines the resource. The thicker the sidewall, the longer the rubber will last. There are tires with a reinforced sidewall, their resource is impressive, and if buying such tires you can save money due to their slow wear, then such tires will definitely not have a positive effect on fuel consumption.

Thirdly, it is the load index. The load index is a number that characterizes the maximum load on the tire. The index does not always correlate with weight. In this case, the composition of the rubber from which it is made is much more important. Today, there are lightweight tires on the market that can withstand very heavy loads, while also having increased wear resistance.

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