See how lightweight our wheels really are
Updated: Sep 4, 2020
A lot of wheel brands talk about lightweight wheels. Many like to tell you things like our wheel is 30% lighter than OEM. But how much do they really weigh? Are Litespeed Racing wheels really the lightest wheels that you can buy? Please check our this post for candid information on wheel weights, and contact us here for any question or if you are ready to buy a set.
The weight of each wheel will depend on a lot of things, like size, offset, vehicle weight , wheel design and more. Here are some examples of real wheel weights, so you can cut through the marketing hype and see exactly what you are getting.
Carbon fiber: The most hyped wheel material, with almost no clear information on how much they really weigh. Carbon fiber wheels cost $10,000-$20,000 for a set of 4, but its almost impossible to find out how much they really weigh, to see if that big price tag will net real weight reduction. It is almost impossible to find a picture of a production/road ready carbon fiber wheel on a scale, but from what we have found carbon fiber wheels actually weigh around 17 pounds for smaller front wheels and around 19 pounds for larger rear wheels. BUT Litespeed Racing forged magnesium wheels start at only 15 pounds, and cost less than full carbon fiber wheels.
It is very hard to track down the real weight of carbon fiber wheels, because the brands that are selling them don't want you to know that you are paying top dollar for wheels that aren't as light as you would expect. But there are some very very good wheel being made by HRE and BBS that are definitely lightweight and deliver as promised. But are they lighter than Litespeed Racing wheels?
In a true apples to apples comparison of BMW M3/M4 fitments between the kings of lightweight performance wheels, you can see the Litespeed Racing RS5 and VS10 forged magnesium are both lighter than the BBS FI-R and HRE R101LW.
But what about in other sizes/fitments?
In most cases the Litespeed Racing RS5 and VS10 forged magnesium monoblocks will be the absolute lightest wheel that money can buy. But what about our forged aluminum versions? They are still light weight compared to other forged aluminum wheels.
Not every wheel can be 15 pounds, but not everyone has $7K-$10K wheel budget. Our forged magnesium wheels are always our lightest option, but our fully forged 6061T6 wheels are also lightweight and a great value for those who are looking to maximize their budget. Below you can see other brands are proud to get a wheel to be 26 pounds, while 26 pounds seems heavy to even our entry level forged aluminum options.
At Litespeed Racing we make real race ready wheels, including custom made block wheels. Check out our 11 pound deadlock drag racing wheel in 15X8.5 inch.
Ready to take the step to improve your car's performance and fuel economy with a set of the lightest wheels that money can buy? Contact us here to ordering information.