patmo

I recently bought a set of reproduction Z06 chromes from a good dealer and had them put on my car. I went from the high polish y2k wheels and noticed when installing them the new z06 wheels were quite a bit heavier than my y2k wheels but just chalked it up to the bigger size and figured that it should not be a big deal. We had previously installed the full Z06 suspension and WOW what a difference going from the base f1 suspension. It was great, but then after I put my new chromies on it seemed to lose a little of the responsiveness. I thought maybe it was because of the extra weight of the new wheels but everyone said NO WAY a few extra pounds makes that much difference. Well I am here to post from my experience that it most certainly does. I just purchased a set of used oem Z06 wheels (the grey ones) and changed them out because I like the look of the grey on the mill yellow better than the chrome and I was curious what the difference in weight would make my car feel like. After doing the swap the responsiveness is back and the car actually seems to handle and accelerate better. I measured the weight of each of the wheels and this is what I found. The oem z06 wheels(grey) weighted in at 18lb front & 20 lbs rear. The chrome reproduction weighted in at 28lbs front & 32 lbs rear. That is an average 11 lb increase of rotational mass, which for those of you without a physics degree means it is not just the force down but also that extra weight that must be spun and slowed down as well. It is kinda like when you put 22's on your suv they say it is good for you to upgrade your brakes because the extra mass puts a very large strain on them because it is being spun. The factory wheels on the c5 makes such a difference. If you are not such a performance nut as I am then the reproduction wheels would be fine but if you are looking to get the most out of you car then stay with(you z06 owners) or go to (us non z06 owners) the factory oem wheels. The general made them really light for a reason.

blazeone

Most of the repros are heavy. On the other hand there are many high quality forged aftermarket wheels that don't have the extreme weight penalty. HRE, CCW, BBS to name a few.

Bat Boy99

Thanks for the detective work. Had no Idea that the deviation between the two types of rims were so large. Thanks for the info. It may have changed my decision based upon your research.

lt1george

How true, good post. Thank you. Have fun riding around.Save the Wave.>George

Z06ufgrad2002

Yes, the aftermarket repro wheels are quite heavy and that is why I have stayed away from them. The prices look nice but, when you ask about the weight; it's amazing how much heavier they are when compared to the OEM wheels.
HRE, CCW and the others make very nice wheels but, they too are typically heavier than the OE wheels. Not quite as much but, they are heavier and the price tag is quite a bit higher as well.

gwanghoops

patmo, you ought to crosspost this to the several threads of aftermarket wheels in the C5 Parts forum. great info to consider when buying wheels.

b_pappy

Wow, that's a huge difference! I can't believe they could make it look so similar and weigh 11 pounds more in the same size. (I believe you, just think they need some better wheel designers overseas) Sheesh, guess I'll keep saving my lunch money for Ronal's.
Bruce

ericdwong

Unsprung weight for you. Rotational weight too. I also got ridda my repro's

RWhite

You can pick up a rear CCW wheel with a MT Cheater Slick on it with one hand and not strain. Unless you are Arnold S., you will strain if not give up on the stock wheel and a DR. The CCW's, at least in their Drag Pack setup (rear wheels, not the front skinnies) are very light. The skinnies are another thing!!!. Can't comment on the other aftermarket wheels.

Tripleblack51

Great information.
I recently spoke with Sean at LAPD about the weight of the Z06 Motorsports wheels they sell.
Sean told me that because the motorsports wheels are cast, they are only 2-3 lbs heavier/wheel than the oem wheels.
Seems like a very reasonable trade-off. Eight to twelve vs a 44 lb weight gain is much better.

Again thanks for posting.

Pedro

Basement

Great research and info! I just picked up some Z06 (2004 OEM) wheels and wonder how much difference there will be, if any, between those and the OEM wagon wheels they'll replace. Either way, I figured I was better off going w/OEM Z06's instead of repros. Lucky guess on my part, I suppose...

jrose7004

I would never have thought that would be the case!

gmf

Does anyone know the wheel weights of the other OEM model's and years? y2k rims? wagon wheels, etc?

Cocked and Locked

Great info. Thanks for the thread.

Evil-Twin

my Wagon Wheels with EMT's weighed in at 26 and 28 pounds
MY CCW weighed in at 14 and 16 pounds with Michelin Pilots Sports

gmf

Don't the EMT's add 10lb's per wheel over non-run flats?

Evil-Twin

the EMT itself does not weigh ten pounds.

RENEGADE ROCK

lighter brake rotors could also free up some horse power.

Allthrottleandsomebottle

I know about this issue.......I have Aftermarket PWO stock size front 17" with runflats & HRE 545 18 x 12s on the back of my 97' (27 lbs each).......57 lbs each with 345/30/18 drs on it still running high 10s in the 1/4.
With 345/35/18 street tires running mid 11's.......64lbs each side.
Our 00' coupe has OEM MAG rims......17 lbs each front & 19.5 back.
18" Mag rim, with 275/35/18 Yoko AVS sport non runflats...46 lbs each. with a 295/35/18 same Yoko tire & Mag 18" rim...50 lbs each!

dbhajek

Even though I am sure adding heaver wheels makes a difference I did not see much in the 1/4 mile. After adding reproduction polished Z06 wheels to my Z06, I have started using my stock wheels for DE events, I still ran the same time in Orlando. Maybe at my level of driving it doesnt make a difference, or it was so small of a difference I cant even notice.

Bud