Dave C. '97 Z28

Does anyone know the correlation between reducing unsprung weight and vehicle performance?

I really like my aftermarket ZR-1 wheels, but they seem pretty heavy. If I could get ahold of some lighter weight Z06 wheels, would they be worth it?

I'd prefer the ZR-1's for style, but the Z06 wheels are lighter. (by how much I don't know.) But if I could reduce the unsprung weight by say 40 lbs (10lbs per wheel), what kind of a real life performance gain is that?

Thanks,

-Dave C. '97 Z28

Sam Strano

Dave,

You can't really quantify it exactly, but it would help a LOT. Unsprung weight form wheels or tires is doubly bad as plain old unsprung weight is. The reason is the the wheels also have a flywheel effect as well. And anyone who's every installed a flywheel that's even 7 or 8 pounds lighter sees a big difference in acceleration and deceleration both. That difference is x 4 on since you have 4 wheels, *AND* has the unsprung weight effect too.

Probably would notice the difference in handling very little. I really have a hard time telling on my autox in terms of response. But the difference is there. I just find it a lot more noticeable when speeding up or slowing down.

Dave C. '97 Z28

Thanks for the help! I'm still trying to decide if I want to switch or not, but your info on the weight during accel/decel certainly is swaying me towards changing.

-Dave C. '97 Z28

Todd80Z28

Check the weights before you go to switching. I seriously doubt that the Z06 wheels are 10lbs lighter than the ZR1s. Probably more like <2lbs. Seriously. The majority of the wheel weight is the hoop anyway, and that won't change.

Dave C. '97 Z28

Yea, I doubt they are 10lbs also.. I just pulled that number out of the air to make a point about what I was trying to ask. I would suspect that they're lighter, but not by 10.

-Dave C. '97 Z28

nape

I was just researching this info as well. Supposedly ZR1s are 20.5 lbs a piece as reported here: http://www.bfranker.badz28.com/fbody/weights.htm.

I can confirm the info on the weight of the '01 SS wheels. I owned a set of '02s for a while and they were 22lbs each.

From the web info I've found, Z06 wheels are either 20 or 20.5lbs depending on your source.

I'm keeping my 16" wheels because my budget is small, but now I know when it comes time to upgrade.

Dave C. '97 Z28

My problem is that the ZR-1 wheels I have are aftermarket, so I need to weigh them to see how much heavier, if any, they are from the OEM ZR-1 wheel.

-Dave C. '97 Z28

Sam Strano

What size are they? Knock-off 17x11's are about 25 each. 17x9.5's are somewhat lighter, but not much (2 lbs maybe).