range impact of wheels/tires

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I just replaced my stock steel rims and stock tires with:

Raceline 131 b 16x7 5-100/4.5 EVO Aluminum Rims
And
205/55/R16 Mich. Premier A/S Tires

Hopefully my range will increase. Anybody wanna take a guess as to the effect this change on all 4 tires will have on my

2013 Nissan Leaf S
 
Post your results.

Less weight is always better and less weight on the outer rim is much better to reduce unsprung weight. I almost thought about the new S vs SV to get the smaller rims on my 19 plus.
 
I just weighed my nearly new (about 600 miles) Michelin Energy Saver A/S on the stock 17" wheels - about 46# for the assembly as noted above. (I also see that the tread depth measures just 7mm, On a new tire, that's slim pickings. No wonder they don't last.)

New wheels are going to be nominal 20#. The stock tires are nominally 21# per Tirerack, implying a stock wheel weight of 25#. I can confirm by weighing the new assembly after I get the stock tires mounted to my new wheels - should see the expected difference. Swapping out the all-seasons onto slightly wider 17s, Will put the snows on the narrower stock wheels. Just waiting for delivery. Took advantage of Labor Day Weekend sale.

We'll see about range impacts. New wheels expected to be less aero, but quite a bit lighter. Same tires. I'll report here in about a month.
 
At least in the world of bicycles, wheel weight is thought to be an advantage mostly in acceleration. At steady speed, it's all about aerodynamics. Rolling resistance probably matters a lot more on cars than bicycles too, given the larger contact surface. Plus bike tires don't have the alignment or cornering issues found on cars. It will be interesting to see what you measure with the different setups.
 
goldbrick said:
At least in the world of bicycles, wheel weight is thought to be an advantage mostly in acceleration. At steady speed, it's all about aerodynamics. Rolling resistance probably matters a lot more on cars than bicycles too, given the larger contact surface. Plus bike tires don't have the alignment or cornering issues found on cars. It will be interesting to see what you measure with the different setups.


With electric bicycles, wheel weight goes pretty quickly from being a non-issue to being a serious one - especially with hubmotor bikes, which tend to be heavy anyway. Jump a curb or nail a deep pothole with most hubmotor bikes and you risk breaking spokes at best, and denting the rim (despite the tube and tire!) and/or breaking the internal magnets loose, ruining the hubmotor, at worst. Mid-drive bikes are much less prone to this, and modders will often use motorcycle wheels and tires to get maximum wheel performance despite the weight penalty. So it really depends on the individual case.
 
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