Wheel weight - how much does 10lbs per wheel make?

[Ryan Frost Outdoors]

I'm shopping around for a new set of wheels and noticed there is some gaps in weight with wheels. For example some wheels I like are upwards of 40lbs each, and others are 24lbs for each wheel. What does that mean in MPG or even performance? I know some of these are nearly 20lbs difference, but let's just say 10lbs difference x 4 wheels. Will that make much difference in things?

 

[smritte]

The real question is, how fast do you want to drive off road?
I’ll try to keep this basic.
Weigh your tire, wheel, hub, brakes and suspension. If your a front solid axle, throw that in the mix.
This is called unsprung weight. Next, have the suspension move up and down. Take the speed of the suspension movement, throw in the weight and calculate kinetic energy. (yes, I am keeping it simple)

Your shock’s job is to control the speed of the unsprung weight, absorb the kinetic energy and convert it to heat.

If your head hasnt exploded yet, I will answer your question.

The heavier everything is, the harder your shock has to work. When the shock overheats it no longer controls the suspension. “If” you set up your suspension correctly, the more weight you add, the bigger the shock needs to be.
Heavier rims mean faster shock overheat off road as well as less shock life. This will also add stress to ball joints, bearings and steering.

This doesn’t mean 150 mph. My last Jeep (TJ), I had 2 inch Bilstien’s. My tire/wheel combo was 80 pounds (solid axle also). I could drive 40mph on a dirt road for about 30-40 mins before I noticed the suspension getting squishy. I would slow down and let them cool off.
Some people don’t notice this. I do.
There’s also a bit of energy going into your brakes, some people dont notice this either.
basically, heavy means more wear, less handling and a slight difference in performance and stopping.

 

[Walter K]

+1, wheel weight will really effect the acceleration and braking