The banner above is an advertisment - if it asks you to download software, please ignore.
Site News - 3/26 M Car Covers (by State of Nine) | 12/12 Make Amazon Pay Saabnet!
Date: Wed, 02 May 2007 19:04:15 GMT
From: johannes <johsnospamnospam-efitter.com>
Subject: Re: Classic 900 - aluminum or steel/best tires for sport driving


still me wrote: > > On Wed, 02 May 2007 13:13:58 GMT, johannes > <johsnospamnospam-efitter.com> wrote: > > >> > >> What is the weight difference for Saab wheels? I know that the Alu > >> wheels I had on a Golf II were much, much lighter than steel, and I > >> attributed the great performance of that car partly to this. > > > >But did you compare steel/alloy performance on the same car, or did you > >just compare with another car? > > Just to throw a few facts into the mix: I think the alloy wheels may > be lighter than the steel wheels, but not by a lot. Most aluminum > wheels are rather heavy. Originally alloy wheels were a magnesium > alloy. The Minilite was a popular choice. I believe my last set > weighed in at about 8 lbs each. In contrast, I believe my Saab alloys > are close to 40lbs each. They are twice the size, but even so.... > > Alloy wheels, if lighter, are important in one way: they reduce > unsprung weight. Unsprung weight cannot be controlled like the sprung > weight of a vehicle. Consequently, we try to minimize it. Alloy wheels > today are more of an ornament that a performance enhancement - with > the notable exception that in order to get lower (and consequently > wider) tires on a car, most manufacturers packed in alloy wheels. Well said. I think there has been an almost transition to alloy wheels. We now expect out pride and joy to have alloy wheel, unless it's a postal van. 20 years ago or so, a car with alloy wheels stood out from the crowd, indeed the wheels were often the target of thieves. I noticed one year at a trip to Denmark that suddenly most cars had alloys. The 200% car purchase Tax in denmark probably means that a small aftermarket upgrade looks more impressive for perceived value. However, alloys are vulnerable to potholes and kerbing. How often have I seen a flashy Mercedes SL with scraped alloys, it really looks out of place. Did the director lend the merc to his mistress? Better keep my mouth taped over for now...

Return to Main Index
StateOfNine.com
SaabClub.com
Jak Stoll Performance
M Car Covers
Ad Available

The content on this site may not be republished without permission. Copyright © 1988-2024 - The Saab Network - saabnet.com.
For usage guidelines, see the Mission & Privacy Notice.
[Contact | Site Map | Saabnet.com on Facebook | Saabnet.com on Twitter | Shop Amazon via TSN | Site Donations]