[Guest]

Does anyone know of any companies that sell cheap, lightweight 14inch wheels? All I can seem to find is 15 inch and above.

 

[Guest]

14 inch is tough. There are the pricey Volk TE37s or the cheaper 4 spoke split Konig Burners... Some Miata wheels might fit.... I have text document with wheel weights listed. If you want it just e-mail me with "wheel weight" as title.

 

[Limited Slip]

why dont you try 15s? better look, probbaly better cornerning, more responsive, and not much more expensive

 

[Bowlcut]

14"s offer the ability to keep the gearing right and quick. Like my friend looking for the 13x8"s for his CRX. If you are wanting race rims there are a few out there, just be ready cause they are usualy ugly as hell. But they are ugly to the point they are somewhat appealing. And if you have the ad22vf upgrade or any other brake upgrade you may be SOL trying to get something to fit over them. But if you are just wanting something to replace your stockers....and want to look "cool" or something you will probaly have to go to a 15.

 

[kesi24]

first thing... wheel size do not change the car's gearing... most upgraded wheels( bigger )is heaver ..that's why people thing it messes with the gearing).. but if u get light weight bigger wheel... u can benifit form better handling and a it makes the car slightly faster because it will take less energy to move the lighter rim.......kesi24

 

[nx2kPA]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by kesi24:
but if u get light weight bigger wheel...it makes the car slightly faster because it will take less energy to move the lighter rim.......kesi24</font>

it's a little more complicated than that...it's the total weight of the wheel and tire that matters, not just the rims.

Also, the distribution of the weight of the tire and rims has an effect. Two tire and wheel setups with the same outside diameter and same exact weight will not necessarily be equally as easy to accelerate.

Considering the above, it would theoretically be possible to get an aftermarket wheel/tire combo that is lighter than the stock wheel/tire combo and still lose some acceleration, depending on the weight distribution of the two setups.



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-----------Josh
'93 NX2000
not quite stock

 

[Monsoon]

i now the g-racing suzu's come in a 14 inch option, and they are a LOT less than volk racing te37's which are getting pretty old imo.

panasports are always nice.

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http://www.geocities.com/myfastser/FFT.html

 

[Guest]

I have some 15 inch wheels on the car right now and I want to downgrade to 14 inch wheels because:
1. Less weight
2. Less agressive looking (I prefer the stealth look)
2. Less grip (makes the car more tossable and fun because it's easy to slide around turns without having to be go insanely fast)
3. I can get cheap 14" Dunlop tires at Costco with a 45,000 warranty. I can abuse them all I want and then Costco buys me new tires

Monsoon, know of any online stores that carry Suzu's or Panasports?

and has anyone ever heard of Sport Edition Value wheels? Tirerack carries them for $70 a piece.

 

[Benito Malito]

I like the wat the 14's on the classic. I think thats mostly cause of how much i like the car. I don't think 15's add much in the unsprung weight dept.

 

[Guest]

Borbet and TSW make some fairly light & cheap 14" wheels. We have run the 14x6 Borbet Type C with track tires for years. Strong and cheap, and about 14 pounds each. Another cheap option is to find some used 14x6 NX2000 wheels around here or in a junkyard.

Pricey choice is Panasports... $180+ each. But you can get them in 14x7 at under 12 pounds, which is very nice.

Jon
91 SE-R
with 11# wheels from
http://www.rosenautosport.com

 

[Guest]

Tirerack has the Borbet "Type H" wheels for $69 and they look pretty nice. I think I might go with those. They didn't have type C listed.

 

[Trys_Hard]

The Miata 7 spoke wheels weigh 10.2 lbs. They have the same width as the stock alloys and just need to have their centerbore enlarged. I plan on getting a set for autocrossing. I was also able to find some off brand wheel at America's tire for $60 ea.
They are 14x6 and weigh 12 lbs. They look pretty decent also. They are Primax Wheels, unfortunately the centerbore is larger than stock so I'll never road race with them on.


------------------
Art R.
1992 Sentra SE-R
SCCA Solo II Driver
Cal Club #823 E Stock

 

[Guest]

"Doug"
"nx2kPA" is right. The whole physics of size and weight breaks down to this. The nature of kenetic energy determines that (with all other things being equal) the further the weight is from it's driving mass (drive shafts) the more energy is needed to move it and same for stopping it. Take a 16inch wheel vs a 15inch wheel of equal weight. Because a large amount of weight on the 16 is further from the wheels center then the 15, more energy is needed to move/stop it. The truth is, you will feel very little differance when accelerating using a 15X6.5 vs a 16X6.5. The overall weight of the wheel tire package makes the biggest diffrence. Example being: My factory NX 14X6 with tires has an over all weight that is the same (within a pound) as my 15X7 with tires. They really feel no different on my car except the 15s have better cornering characteristics. There is a difference, as can be proven, but I can't really feel it. I hope I got that out in a clean manner???

 

[slowSER]

here is a list of 14" wheels w/ weights from Miata.net:
Advan Racing RG Forged 14x6 8.9
Mazda Miata 92C/93LE (BBS) Forged 14x6 9
Watanabe MagEightSports Cast Mg 14x6 9
Mazda Miata 94 M-Edition Cast 14x6 10.25
Mazda Miata 94-97 Cast 14x6 10.5
TSW Quad Cast 14x6 12.5
Watanabe MagEightSports Cast 14x6 13
Panasport FC Cast 14x6 14
Superlight Sports Cast 14x6 14.3
Panasport Pro Rallye Cast 14x6 14.5
Superlight ML Cast 14x6 15

I think Grover Pickering is running Diamond steel wheels on his SE-R racecar -- $75-ish apiece and about 16 pounds. Not too shabby.

If you could find some used Miata wheels, that would be the ticket for cheap/lightweight. Problem is, from scanning the classified ads on miata.net, Miata drivers seem to think their wheels are made of gold.

------------------
'93 Sentra SE-R, daily driver and track/autox toy

 

[MaddMatt]

I like the American Racing Type 24. 14X6, don't know the weight, but they are not heavy. From a distance on a cloudy day, they look like Panasports

~$240 for a set.



------------------
Matt
92 SE-R from Heck

 

[Guest]

Maybe I'm talking out my a$$ here- I dunno.
Don't most people who upgrade their wheel size also go to a lower profile tire? If so, would'nt that offset the weight issue?(as far as the tire's concerned)- If you have a lower profile tire farther away from the axle, it should weigh about the same as a larger profile tire closer, right?

 

[Guest]

Well, I had been planning on getting Miata wheels for a while, but I was discouraged from doing so because they wouldn't fit and were the wrong offset.

How much is it going to cost to get the "center bore" enlarged?

 

[Guest]

"Doug" A good machine shop would be able to properly hone out the center and still keep them hub centric.
"audio1der" wish it was that easy. It also has to do with different tire manufactures, weight being different (all other things equal). A lower aspect ratioed tire does, in most cases, have a lighter weight.... the same tire brand in different sizes are often manufactured in different parts of the world with different outcomes in compound, build and weight. If you were to put on a bigger wheel, yes you lose some side wall (overall height being the same), but the weight of the lost sidewall vs the distance the metal is from center is not enough to offset the additional kenetic energy created by the bigger wheels. Why do you think most autocrossers use smaller/lighter wheels for, quicker responce and braking. Then there's other fun stuff like offset and hub centric properties of a wheel. Quite frankly I hate the whole damn thing because there is so much involved if you get to serious about wheels. The best rule to follow is "best to go 1 up and no more then 2 up in size". All of the big boys (tirerack, Discount wheel & tire) will tell you this. I say get what you like and pay more attention to the offset vs wheel width. best to keep offset within about
+/- 5 other wise you can cause some nasty wheel bearing wear and alignment issues that can not be sorted.

 

[mschoenholz]

Originally posted by RacerJon:
> Borbet and TSW make some fairly light &
> cheap 14" wheels. We have run the 14x6
> Borbet Type C with track tires for years.
> Strong and cheap, and about 14 pounds
> each.

OK. How about 13"? Has anyone found a 13" that will fit over a stock Classic brake?


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Mark Schoenholz
'91 Classic