Forged Rays Volk Wheels installed - stock wheels are HEAVY!

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LTLFTcomposite said:
Can you save some weight by filling the tires with helium?

I am just waiting for someone to try that... and see how far they get... if they are able to move at all... :lol:
 
Skywagon said:
I am just waiting for someone to try that... and see how far they get... if they are able to move at all... :lol:

I was joking of course, but your response made me wonder what would happen (setting aside outcomes like the car floating away). Helium expands and contracts too much with temp changes or something?
 
LTLFTcomposite said:
Skywagon said:
I am just waiting for someone to try that... and see how far they get... if they are able to move at all... :lol:

I was joking of course, but your response made me wonder what would happen (setting aside outcomes like the car floating away). Helium expands and contracts too much with temp changes or something?

There was a lot of people thinking about it and trying in the past, but to summarize:
1. Main problem is that Helium atoms are so small, so they leak even through many solids, Helium can penetrate metal in tires and leak through rubber wheels, so you will have to have some super fancy sealant (not sure if one even exist that can withstand constant bending of the tire) or add helium every day.

2. Helium contracts/expands with temperature much faster then air, so to compensate for that your tires would have to inflated to higher pressure to reduce the effects of the temperature.
 
nater said:
Cars need to reduce mass, not weight. Helium only reduces weight.

Nate

Are you really sure? I thought on the surface of the earth weight is proportional to mass... How is it possible to reduce weight without reducing the mass?
 
Helium would reduce weight because it pulls up due to the atmosphere. This is tantamount to reducing weight by lifting a car off of a scale using a helicopter.

It would WEIGH less on the scale, but still have the same MASS.

I promise you, helium in the tires is pointless. Helium in balloons is interesting, however. A helium balloon on the moon would fall to the ground, by the way.

Nate
 
TangoKilo said:
Can we get back to the subject at hand... Where to find light weight wheels for my LEAF? :cool:

Here is one source, but they can also be found used by searching in the tuner forums. I bought mine from a guy who was a drifter.


http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/volk-racing-te37-wheel-16x7-5x1143-p-10963.html

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=103685#p103685
 
palmermd said:
TangoKilo said:
Can we get back to the subject at hand... Where to find light weight wheels for my LEAF? :cool:

Here is one source, but they can also be found used by searching in the tuner forums. I bought mine from a guy who was a drifter.


http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/volk-racing-te37-wheel-16x7-5x1143-p-10963.html

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=103685#p103685



$2400 for a set of wheels???
 
awiegel said:
$2400 for a set of wheels???

You paid $17k for a battery pack, and now you are worried about a lousy $2400 for the best possible wheels you can get?.. until you hit that first pothole :)
 
Can somebody help find out the wheel size and tires of this Leaf? I really like the wheel/tire setup since it "fills" out the wheel well and it looks like the offset is just right for the wheel to be flush with the fenders...

This was the car used in the Pikes Peak climb. Where is this car located nowadays anyways? At Nissan HQ?

k8dNb.jpg
 
mxp said:
Can somebody help find out the wheel size and tires of this Leaf? I really like the wheel/tire setup since it "fills" out the wheel well and it looks like the offset is just right for the wheel to be flush with the fenders...

Nobody will think you are cool by putting those tires on a Leaf, its a family car :)
 
mxp said:
Can somebody help find out the wheel size and tires of this Leaf? I really like the wheel/tire setup since it "fills" out the wheel well and it looks like the offset is just right for the wheel to be flush with the fenders...

I think it fills the wheel wells because the car is lowered. I'd be interested in knowing what suspension they put on the car. Wheels look like the Volk Racing wheels I have on my car. 16x7 +33.

edit: after looking at my car again compared to this one, I'd say they used a 17" wheel and it looks more like the VR CE28 wheel.
 
palmermd said:
mxp said:
Can somebody help find out the wheel size and tires of this Leaf? I really like the wheel/tire setup since it "fills" out the wheel well and it looks like the offset is just right for the wheel to be flush with the fenders...
edit: after looking at my car again compared to this one, I'd say they used a 17" wheel and it looks more like the VR CE28 wheel.
I'd have to guess it's a 17" wheel as well. Probably a 225/45 tire or so on it, too.
 
Yeah, that tire diameter is definitely larger than stock diameter; you can fill the top of the wells with suspension, but the gap in the front and behind the tire really looks like a larger tire.
 
defiancecp said:
Yeah, that tire diameter is definitely larger than stock diameter; you can fill the top of the wells with suspension, but the gap in the front and behind the tire really looks like a larger tire.

OK. So, what did they gain with a larger diameter tire? On a hill climb, I would have thought it would slow the car down. No?

It would be nice to find out what they did to the suspension...
 
awiegel said:
OK. So, what did they gain with a larger diameter tire? On a hill climb, I would have thought it would slow the car down. No?
Higher top speed - I suspect that even with just 80 kW there are portions where they get to speeds where power starts dropping off...
 
palmermd said:
mxp said:
Can somebody help find out the wheel size and tires of this Leaf? I really like the wheel/tire setup since it "fills" out the wheel well and it looks like the offset is just right for the wheel to be flush with the fenders...

I think it fills the wheel wells because the car is lowered. I'd be interested in knowing what suspension they put on the car. Wheels look like the Volk Racing wheels I have on my car. 16x7 +33.

edit: after looking at my car again compared to this one, I'd say they used a 17" wheel and it looks more like the VR CE28 wheel.

More digging around: See that sponsor enblem on the quarter panel? It's Motegi Racing, so it's their wheel, which looks like a satin black MR125 seven spoke - 17 x 7.5 offset +42. The problem is, our cars have 5 lugs and the pics on the Motegi website shows 4 lugs for that model.

http://aftermarket.motegiracing.com/wheels/?siteid=4&groupid=23

I am really starting to like this Pikes Peak modded Leaf more...:
http://blog.caranddriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Pikes-Peak-2011-2.jpg

http://nissanleafforum.com/nissan-leaf-makes-history-at-pikes-peak.html
Does anyone recognize any of the Nissan techs in the 2nd pic?
 
mxp said:
More digging around: See that sponsor enblem on the quarter panel? It's Motegi Racing, so it's their wheel, which looks like a satin black MR125 seven spoke - 17 x 7.5 offset +42. The problem is, our cars have 5 lugs and the pics on the Motegi website shows 4 lugs for that model.
That wheel is available in a 5-114 bolt pattern. Weighs 16.3 lbs according to Tirerack.
 
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