unsprung weight
 

Sorry Mods, if this is in the wrong section.

So how much of a difference does unsprung weight really make in terms of DD driving feel? A shop guy was telling me dropping a lb of unspring weight was like dropping 16lbs of sprung weight. This seems like quite an exagerration to me. I was researching online and have read 1lb is equal to anywhere form 6-10 lbs of sprung weight. What do you all think? And would dropping ~20lbs (slightly lighter wheels an dropping spacers) make a difference that I would actually be able to feel in acceleration and handling in DD driving?

There are some wheels I really like aesthetically that are unfortunately, heavier than the stock Rays. I would lose my spacers though which would make it about even in terms of weight. The other option is some wheels that look alright, but that I don't like as much as the heavier ones. These would reduce a little bit of wheel weight and also allow me to lose the spacers which are actually quite heavy.

Get the wheels....just add Z1's new 2 piece rotors that drops 10lbs each side (fronts) & will look sick under the new rims!!! Next on my list of things to get for sure!!! Looks as if you're already a Z1 customer!!!

It's kinda one of those things. Typically, the lighter the wheel the more the wheel costs. I'm SURE you can find something that fits your taste, but for me, weight + sexy wheels = 3000+ dollars. Not sure about the unsprung weight to sprung weight ratio but stuff like light wheels, drive shaft, flywheel, pulleys, etc can free up quite a bit of power. All about dat power:weight and how much you really want to spend

i dropped 11lbs by changing to the LMZ5 wheels. noticed a huge difference right away in the feel of the car. felt more nimble. it felt like i switched to a lighter pair of shoes or something.

Granted the G37 sport wheels weight a bit, but I dropped around 30lbs switching to Volks

Volks ar eout of my budget. I was thinking Gram lights 57xtreme which would drop probably like 6 lbs total on the wheels + dropping the spacers which would probably take me up to like 20 lbs dropped overall. If this won't really make a difference that I can feel, I'd probably prefer to go with Work emotion cr ultimate which weigh more than stock rays but which will allow me to drop the spacers which would probably even out with what I have currently in terms of weight. I like the look of the CR Ultimate more than the 57xtreme. but realize it would be a purely cosmetic upgrade.

That's a lot of $$$ to drop unless those 20lbs make a pretty sizeable difference that I can feel which is what I am trying to learn in this thread. Plus, they only have them for the fronts? Wonder if mismatched rotors (front vs rears) would look weird.

There are wheels made out of carbon fiber. 15lbs per wheel. I want :yum:

2 piece rotors can help a bit, cheaper than volks.

the physics of unsprung weight vs sprung weight gets pretty tricky if you really want to understand it. lots of good articles online to read online though.

but most important thing to know is that lighter is better for performance, but not comfort. heavier wheels usually absorb the bumps more. but its a 370z so Im sure comfort isnt the top of your list. comparing 2 lbs per wheels is almost like splitting hairs though. but if its like 3 lbs per wheel and over, then most likely you'll notice it

I've dropped nearly 50lbs of un-sprung with more to go if I ever get 2pc rotors in the rear. The results are amazing especially when braking. I did all mine at once.

z1 only has that light 2 piece rotor set for the fronts. Does anyone know if there are any weight savings from their normal akebono performance slotted rotors int he rear?

http://www.z1motorsports.com/g37_370z/product_info.php?products_id=4517{104}695{376}1869

what kind of tires are you running? Pilot super sports will drop a lot of weight from similarly sized re11's

I'm running re-11s, and they're new so they won't be changing anytime soon

I'am unsprung weight reduction fan. I bought Volk racing G10 wheels for my car and the result was day and night I swear, after that i got my self Tanabe suspension which is lighter than stock and again i immediately felt the difference. Now im looking to get Z1 front rotors and in meanwhile i hope they release the rear rotors to buy them both.

Rpf1's <$1300. Dropped 35lbs over all.

I just swapped my AME for RPF1's. 6lbs per wheel savings.

On street I have a set of Foose 5-Speeds 19"x8.5" and 19"X 9.5". Absolutely beautiful chrome wheels. But they weigh about 25 lbs each.

For track I throw on Enkei RPF1's. Not as nice to look at but they weigh ~17lbs? each.

It is an absolute night and day difference in the feel and handling of the car.

If you are not going to track the car, then you honestly should just spend the money on looks and not performance. There is no reason to spend the money on lightweight racing wheels if all you are going to do is zoom zoom onto freeway ramps and drive your GF around.

Totally depends on what you want to do.

Yeah, I figure it wouldn't matter to me. I go the track like once a year, maybe twice. guy at the shop was telling me that the reduction in unsprung weight would make a difference I could feel in DD driving even which is why I am asking about it. I don't need every bit of performance, but if it makes the car noticeably more fun to drive normally, then I might be interested. He was telling me 1lb unsprung is like 16lbs sprung and Enkei's site says 1lb is like 20. if those numbers are true, then it could make a significant driving feel difference. Just trying to get real unbiased third party thoughts on it here.

i wouldn't get a wheel that would degrade the driving experience from stock. especially not on a car like the Z. if you want to play dress up, you should maybe get a G37C or G35C. that's a better date car anyway imo.

^Yeah, Rays says 1lb=15.

Now... If this is true, that means Spohn lost "750lbs"... Yeahhhhh, I doubt it's the SAME feeling. I'm sure it's like his car lost 200-300lbs, maybe even more, but 750 is a stretch...


You gotta just take it as it is, and for a DD. Just drive it. You already have 4.08s on an auto!

Since I have spacers, which would be dropped, it's probably come out about even on weight to what I have now.

Just get whatever wheels you want, and get the S/C, wheel weight won't mean much after, lol

I've been talked out of the SC.

but usually you still need to stop. that's where the biggest difference is felt.... braking.
braking first, then more power mods if so desired.

265/295 RE11's 122lbs
265/295 PSS 106lbs

-16lbs unsprung weight ~ -240lbs

Oh. Well then... Just do whatever makes you happy. I don't understand the rat race to have the best really...
You should want the best for yourself, yes, but AFTER what makes you happy.
You want 20's with a big àss lip that's chrome, do it, while 18" TE37's with PSS will weigh less and your car will be "n" seconds or "n" percent faster is good and dandy, but if you don't like TE37's, then who cares? Someone will always be faster and happier than you with THEIR set-up, Taylor make your car to what you enjoy while you have it.


And going back to your other threads and thoughts on making the car faster, if you have the money, and you want it faster for YOURSELF, just buy the headers, don't wait on other dynos, just do it, it will be better than stock. And at the same time, know that the 4.08 gears on the auto negates, or is worth a LOT more in the way of acceleration than many of the mods you CAN do. I bet 50lbs of unsprung weight is about the same as the jump in gear ratio.

But yeah, unsprung weight is the final frontier.


And brother, I kind of fear that you'll forever fall into the trap of wanting faster, and at the end of the day, the 370Z is NOT the fastest car you can buy, not even for the money. I don't think it's worth the effort to keep trying to make it better with no end or not being happy with it.





Sorry for the long post, maybe I'm retarded and sorry if I'm being redundant.

FELT? Or actuality? And by how much?

Again, with the sport package, the brakes are PLENTY enough to lock up the wheels, no matter the weight of the wheels or the car.
And if you can lock up the wheels, tires is next for braking distance.

That's using 15lbs as a rule, which I think is a bit extreme

I don't want to be the fastest. I want fun that I can feel which is why i am asking if the reduction in unsprung weight makes a difference that a DD driven car can actually feel. But its a little hard to buy something that you know will actually be detrimental to your performance even if you might not notice it.

If it makes a difference I can feel in terms of accel, braking nimbleness, then the heavier wheels aren't happening. That is what I am trying to learn here. I've heard some really big and hard to believe weight equivalencies thrown around so I am trying to figure out what si actually more accurate. Just want to know as much info as possible before making decisions.

I dropped around 11lbs in the wheels over all and the difference was huge in terms of feeling. Totally worth it. It probably feels about 165lbs lighter to me.

DETRIMENTAL is a bit strong, and that contradicted itself IMO. Isn't it a little hard to drive a car you don't enjoy 100%.
You put spacers on because it LOOKS nicer, it "technically" lowered the performance of your car. How much do you care?

If you're going from 28lbs to 45lbs a piece, ok, sure. I see a valid complaint, or reason to think about it. But from 28 to 30? I don't see any concern.

:icon18: the hell, you started modding cars this week?

never mind that i posted. GL to you guys. lol

I'm checking out from this thread, good luck

I didn't know anything about unsprung weight or anything when I installed the spacers. I did it purely for looks, yes. Wheels are a bigger investment than spacers though. Also, some people are saying it makes a big difference which is why I am asking, to find out if it really does. So like I said, I am trying to figure out if there is a significant enough difference that I would feel it. According to Critical, he felt a difference from 11lbs. If I get slightly lighter wheels and drop the spacers, that'll be more like 15lbs or more. And if I switch to PSS on my next set of tires, it would be even more, like 30+ lbs overall. So I am just trying to get info.

You'll definitely feel 30+lbs. You'll feel it in the acceleration, braking, steering and handling. The car will feel livelier.

I can't seem to find the weight for the 2013 18" base wheels.

But I bought 19" TE37SLs and I'm expecting quite a difference performance wise when I put them on.

I dropped my car's rotating weight by drilling holes in my tires. Like you guys have said, it does detract from ride quality though.

http://www.carbonfibergear.com/wp-co...ber-wheels.jpg

Or get these by HRE. $2.5k-4.5k a wheel but carbon fiber and magnesium. The 20's weigh only 21lbs :tup: