Hey guys,

What 1/4 gains have you seen switching from stock 16" Iroc (or similar) wheels to something like a Weld Drag Lite or Pro Star?

I google'd the topic, and it appears the stock 16" Iroc wheels weigh 22-24 lbs a piece without tires.

Weld Drag Lites would weigh 10 lbs each for the fronts, and 13 lbs each for the rears.

So 24*4 = 96 lbs for stock wheels
10* 2 + 13*2 = 46 lbs for Welds (20 in the front, 26 in the rear)

What type of gains would you expect to see making this switch on a 12-14 second street/strip car.

 

i cant give u exact gains since i also made some other changes to the car but
on 16" iroc rims with a drag radial the car would 60' 1.85-1.92 .
when i swaped to a set of draglites and a 26x9 hosier slick the car would go 1.71-1.75 60' consistently with the same launch i would use on the 16" irocs and drag radial

i later swaped to a 28x10 slick on the draglites and it would slow down slightly in the 60 unless i launched at a higher bost level

so yes the weight difference will make a decent gain

 

Tires weight less also
Figured about 9x lbs for my A body.
Would guess maybe a tenth tops but with less roll resistance could be more
Maybe someone with real before/after experience with slips can chime in.

 

I did the test way back when my car was running in the 12-13sec range and it was worth about .10-.15 sec and 1-2mph if I remember correctly.

 

You're reducing unsprung weight. The rule is for ever 100 pounds you can remove from the car, you should be able to go 0.1 seconds faster. Removing unsprung weight has even more advantage.

Sprung weight is supported by the springs and is controlled by the shocks. Unsprung weight is dead weight. It's just along for the ride. Lightweight rims, brakes, diff etc all contribute to reducing that unsprung weight.

How much gain you get by switching to a lightweight rim will probably vary depending on the car. One of my 32x16 slicks mounted on a 15x15 rim is lighter than a steel belted radial.

 

Also don't forget where you are saving the weight...running the skinnies on the nose improves weight transfer to the rear when you launch. My 4th gen consistently picks up .15 - .20 with the skinnies on compared to 17" rims.

 

I think i went 13.2's on irocz wheels and went 12.9 with drag wheels and skinnies but did have abit colder air... Dropped nearly 70 lbs total. I have to search my old posts here. I cant remember my mods. I know it was in the 13.4's with intake swap on my L98 and then added rockers and pulleys and was in the 13.2's range