29th April 2006, 12:59
| #31 |
| BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: ~
Posts: 242
Thanked: 91 Times
| Some Tech Talk !! While many people choose alloy wheels for their beauty, there are equally important performance benefits to be derived ... Performance Benefits of alloy wheels ! Reduced Unsprung Weight Compared to Steel Wheels This is one of the most critical factors affecting a vehicle's road holding ability. Unsprung weight is that portion of a vehicle that is not supported by the suspension (i.e. wheels, tires and brakes) and therefore most susceptible to road shock and cornering forces. By reducing unsprung weight, alloy wheels provide more precise steering input and improved "turning in" characteristics. Improved Acceleration and Braking By reducing the weight of the vehicle's rotational mass, alloy wheels provide more responsive acceleration and braking. Added Rigidity The added strength of a quality alloy wheel can significantly reduce wheel/tire deflection in cornering. This is particularly critical with an automobile equipped with high performance tires where lateral forces are high. Increased Brake Cooling The metals in alloy wheels are excellent conductors of heat - improving heat dissipation from the brakes - reducing risk of brake fade under demanding conditions. Additionally, alloy wheels can be designed to allow more cooling air to flow over the brakes. What's the difference in choosing wheels? Choosing wheels seems very easy.Most differences are cosmetic but some are also practical. Which material is best is a hotly debated topic. Most common are steel and aluminium alloy, exotic materials like carbon fibres being way out of financial reach of most of-roaders. You simply can't compare them as they are completely different by construction. Comparison - Alloy Wheel Vs Steel Wheel Most genuine wheels are made of steel. A stamped inner part is junctioned to a rolled outer rim and now-adays welded together. If you look at older rims,you can still see that they were riveted together. The setup is strong, easy to repair but most important, cheap to fabricate. They can be painted over and over again.Many manufacturers use the same production method but take stronger and/or thicker materials to increase load capacity and they also make them in sizes better suited to after-market tires. The biggest disadvantage of steel is it's weight or rather it's lack of performance. An alloy wheel will accelerate faster and stop quicker as well as reducing load on shocks and steering linkages. How can such a small weight difference make up for a drastic change you may ask. After all the difference will rarely exceed 8 pounds per wheel. This would be true in a static situation. ! But the wheel is a dynamic part on the car. It's weight must be accelarated and braked, it's movements must be tamed. And everyone familiar with physics laws can tell you that a moving parts inertia is completely different from a static part as the rest of the axle is (in this example). There's a tremdous amount of force stored in a rotating wheel. You need much energy to get it up to speed and you need also good brakes to bring it down. The steering linkages will wear faster too.The heavier a wheel/tire combo the more energy is needed. Similar for shock absorbers. If you have a heavy wheel they will take a beating. So aim for the lowest possible weight. A steel wheel will also bend much earlier than an alloy wheel. But the distinct advantage is that you can hammer a steel wheel back in shape while an alloy wheel will usually break... So if you intend to do many miles far away from civilization keep the steel.  |
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9th May 2006, 14:11
| #32 |
| Senior - BHPian | Recomendations for ZEN tyre/alloy upsize Hi folks, My friend is in the market for a used zen and is looking at the older generation cars (carb.) He is keen on putting in a new set of tyres & alloys. What are recommended upsizes for the car and rims ? How does 14" affect the ride/handling ? I have ridden shotgun in Amitoj's zen and felt quite allright, but he had altered (stiffened) the suspension to take the engine transplant etc. Zen owners please post your experiences. Brands/Specs/Costs would be of great help Thanks  p.s : Tubeless tyres might not be feasable as he regularly would be travelling to Coorg and the interior roads there are harsh and rubber is prone to punctures often. Last edited by s0uljah : 9th May 2006 at 14:13. |
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10th May 2006, 04:48
| #33 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Bangalore/CA
Posts: 62
Thanked: 0 Times
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10th May 2006, 05:19
| #34 |
| Senior - BHPian  | 165/60/R13 seems to be the order of the day for the zens. |
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10th May 2006, 09:49
| #35 |
| Senior - BHPian  | |
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10th May 2006, 10:10
| #36 |
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10th May 2006, 10:41
| #37 | ||||
| Senior - BHPian | Quote:
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Amitoj/Satya you guys do a fair bit of long distance so your inputs experience is much appreciated  edit: guys if you could please post the costs for your specific setups (tyre+rim) would be helpful. Last edited by s0uljah : 10th May 2006 at 10:57. | ||||
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10th May 2006, 11:00
| #38 |
| Senior - BHPian | |
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13th May 2006, 21:10
| #39 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 63
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2nd June 2006, 01:07
| #40 | |
| BHPian  | Need opinions on these choices Quote:
OK guys .. here we go.. now lemme scriblle down some of my thoughts and considerations for my wheels .... Currently my zen runs in 145/80r12 which i think is gud ... but just that i wanted to go 4 an upsize to 13 or 14 inchers ...... 1) 165/60r13 bridge stone potenza G3s with 5J alloys... satya, you are running in this i see ... and according to u it's pretty gud ... sooo i almost considered this one .. and i feel the 99mm sidewalls is pretty fine ........ 2) have this 145/70r13 also in consideration..... coz i saw sushrutha's car pic and felt that wud also can be a choice ... i have not heard much feedback on this one .. if anyone can provide ... 4) 185/55r13 (possible for a zen??) i dunno ... jus tell me if anyone knows or heard about this?? 5) OK ... 195/45r14 .. now here is the deal... i really love a 14 inchers on my zen but 'm worried about the riding and FE...... then like all you guys know the bangalore roads .. So considering the bangalore driving conditions ... and some long drives to outskirts ... what would be the best choice ..... 'm confused with so many profiles and openions ..  LOLI'm goanna put probably league alloys ...!!.. what comments on this? And my tyre is goanna be bridge stone potenza G3s.... | |
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2nd June 2006, 10:57
| #41 | ||||
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2nd June 2006, 11:12
| #42 | |
| Senior - BHPian | Quote:
But Vinz, its NOT a good idea to go for this spec if you are not modifying the suspension also. I really dont know how bad the ride will be with the stock suspension on these tyres, but ur FE will surely go down and ur ride will be harsher too on stock suspension. Also, since the profile is quite low, u will need real strong wheels as well. I agree with kpzen. 165/60 R13 seems to be the best fit for u. Cheers Amitoj | |
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2nd June 2006, 13:04
| #43 |
| Senior - BHPian | |
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6th June 2006, 09:30
| #44 | |
| BHPian | Quote:
thanks amitoj for ur gr8 reply .. helps me aloot..!!.... now anyone has any suggestion on wheels (alloy) ... ?? ....... 'm going with 165/60R13 ... wad profile alloys??..... | |
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6th June 2006, 14:25
| #45 |
| Senior - BHPian | |
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