I just weighed the OEM wheel/tire combo while doing my B1 service. The total is 55 lbs.
According to Tire Rack, the OE Michelin MXM4 weighs 29 lbs, so the our stock wheel weighs 26 lbs. There are a number of aftermarket wheel choices in 18" that are lighter and would reduce unsprung weight dramatically.
For instance the Enkei Racing Series NTO-3M weighs just 18 pounds. http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/wheelDisplay.jsp?title=Enkei+Racing+Series+NT03-M+Hyper+Black&image=/images/wheels/enkei_racing/swap/enkei_nt03-m_hyperblk_ci3_l.jpg
Secondly, while the Michelin is a good tire, it is only a Grand Touring-All Season(GT-AS) class, and being biased toward treadlife, squeals badly in hard cornering. The are pitiful few choices for Ultra High Performance-All Season(UHP-AS) in size 235/55/18.
However, in 245/50/18 the Yokahoma Advan S4 weighs just 30 lbs, and is 1/10" wider. It is a UHP-AS and delivers much higher traction numbers both dry and in snow. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=ADVAN+S.4.
This combination of the 18 lb Enkie and 30 lb Yokahoma = 48 lbs; an unsprung weight reduction of 7 lbs. Using the basic unsprung weight formula (1 lb reduction = 10 lb reduction in vehicle performance weight) then 4 of these would effectively take 280 lbs off the car.
In other words, the Enkie/Yokahoma UHPs should really rock.
There are other wheels, but this is definitely the tire I'm considering.
According to Tire Rack, the OE Michelin MXM4 weighs 29 lbs, so the our stock wheel weighs 26 lbs. There are a number of aftermarket wheel choices in 18" that are lighter and would reduce unsprung weight dramatically.
For instance the Enkei Racing Series NTO-3M weighs just 18 pounds. http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/wheelDisplay.jsp?title=Enkei+Racing+Series+NT03-M+Hyper+Black&image=/images/wheels/enkei_racing/swap/enkei_nt03-m_hyperblk_ci3_l.jpg
Secondly, while the Michelin is a good tire, it is only a Grand Touring-All Season(GT-AS) class, and being biased toward treadlife, squeals badly in hard cornering. The are pitiful few choices for Ultra High Performance-All Season(UHP-AS) in size 235/55/18.
However, in 245/50/18 the Yokahoma Advan S4 weighs just 30 lbs, and is 1/10" wider. It is a UHP-AS and delivers much higher traction numbers both dry and in snow. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=ADVAN+S.4.
This combination of the 18 lb Enkie and 30 lb Yokahoma = 48 lbs; an unsprung weight reduction of 7 lbs. Using the basic unsprung weight formula (1 lb reduction = 10 lb reduction in vehicle performance weight) then 4 of these would effectively take 280 lbs off the car.
In other words, the Enkie/Yokahoma UHPs should really rock.
There are other wheels, but this is definitely the tire I'm considering.
Newbie for Life
Keep me posted on any tire/wheel combo you end up choosing. I would love to hear your thoughts/comments on how it helped handling.
