New to my '12 Sport, and new to making even minor mods on a car. I'm arguing with myself about whether to invest in lightweight wheels. (The RPFs, of course, have caught my eye.) I could see the advantage in shedding weight if I were trying to shave hundredths of a second off of a lap time, but in the real world of commuting and hauling kids around and trying not to be noticed by cops, would I really be able to tell the difference in acceleration if I switched from the stock wheels to the RPFs? Mostly I think I want cool wheels just because I want cool wheels. Not sure that's worth $800+. Except of course when I am sure.

 

Well, whether you notice the difference really depends on how you drive... and also what tire you match it with. A heavy enough tire and it would pretty much just cancel out any benefit of light weight wheels. By my rough estimate, the 3 to 4 lb loss in weight going from stock to 16" RPF1s just about offsets the 1 lb gain on the tires that I matched them with... in terms of torque on the hub/axle.

If you "commute" and only haul your kids around... I would bet that you probably wouldn't feel anything.

On the other hand, if your kids are scared of your driving... maybe you would!

My nieces and nephew know what to expect when they're told that they're riding with me. Seat belts and something sturdy to hold onto. Then you hear "Weeeeeeeee," from the peanut gallery every time I make a turn.

Basically, if you think you do "spirited" driving... then you just might feel it.

I've had my Fit since June 2010... and I've gotten 2 speeding tickets, two warnings (for speeding) and a seat belt ticket. When the cops have their quota coming up... pretty much anything is noticeable.

 

I have PF01 (not the older RPF) on my 2012 Sport. The weight change wasn't really noticeable over stock.

 

better tires will make more of a difference than lighter wheels.

 

Yeah I was also looking at the enkei racing series but Id rather spend money on multiple sets of tires. I'm going for gold rota boost 16x7 et45 ~15.5lb with some Continental DWS 205/50/16 ~19lb. Should weigh about 34.5lb for about $1070.00+ S&H.

 

When I ordered 15"X7" RPF1s from Tire Rack I had light weight 195-55-16 Conti Pro Contact tires mounted on them.. The difference was amazing but the tires were shot to hell in less than 20,000 miles... That was mainly due to installing a supercharger soon after getting them... Right now I have 16"X6 1/2" Kosei wheels and 205-50-16 Goodyear GT tires that weigh 12 lbs more per axle or about the same as the stock OEM wheels and tires... The weight increase is horrible.. Instead of spinning the front tires from 0 to 40 mph my clutch slips and I sometimes have to drop from 5th to 3rd gear to pass slow moving trucks on 2 lane highways... I will be putting the RPF1s back on with tires that weigh around 20lbs which will be about 7 or 8 lbs per axle less than stock... Lowering rotating mass makes more of a difference in overall performance than anything you can do for a car with a small engine that lacks low end torque as well as improving braking.. Reducing unsprung weight improves steering response and feel as well as suspension function and ride quality...

 

Yep, less unsprung weight will improve. By how much, how much value is in the change, and whether there are other options with better ROI depends on you individually.

 

Lighter tires will make much more difference in acceleratuion than lighter wheels because the weight is farther from the hub centerline.
torque equals weight times radius. The greater the torque the greater the effort required to turn the wheel.
So pick the best tire that combines the lowest weight and slightly less diameter tire. More often than not its 185 or 195 for Fit. Absolute min wgt wheels matter only if youre racing.

 

I'm also new to even minor mods like wheels, but thinking about replacing the stock rims and tires on my 2011 Fit base trim. The price difference for the sport trim didn't seem to be worth the extra goodies, especially since it seemed like I could upgrade the wheels to something better than the sport's alloys for less.

Does anyone know the full specs on the base trim wheels? I'm trying to figure out clearance in advance so I don't have product arrive and end up in over my head. I also haven't weighed them; it would be nice if someone can tell me the weight of the stock pot metal wheels and their associated stock tires.

The RPF1s are mentioned a lot in the forums, but at TireRack's current $190 for the 15x7s they seem a bit steep for my everyday (although "spirited") driving. Kosei K4R 15x7 is almost the same dimension and only about a pound heavier than the RPF1, but at a much better $144 each, which seems like a good way to go.

The weight of the tires is also certainly important, and makes me wonder about 15/16/17" rims. The metal has to be heavier than the rubber, right? And the overall outer diameter of the tire should end up being about the same regardless of wheel size, yes? So the suspension benefits of a shorter sidewall are probably outweighed by increasing the outer radius of the wheel and adding more weight to it, hence 15" wheels make the most sense?

What's the best way to figure out how much clearance I really have so I don't buy stuff and get it shipped only to end up rubbing? Stock suspension with no plans to change it other than to add a Progress rear sway bar.

 

Keep in mind if you go with 15's you'll have to have big sidewall tires to 1) keep your speedo correct and 2) so your car doesn't look like a ridiculous 4x4 with 6" of wheel gap.

IMO get 16s if you're going to stay stock so you can get wider tires with less sidewall. The standard offset spoken around here is +40 to +45 on a 7" wide wheel.

I also have a base model and I have never weighed the stock steelies, but with tires, they're fairly heavy.

 

posted this a while ago...the right wheel/tire combination can make a real difference. You just have to make the proper choices.

 

unclezeno,
I noticed a lot of improvement in acceleration with the smaller, lighter wheels and tires. But like Nemo128 asks, how much, and is this worth it to you? It is worth it to me, however I was fortunate to find good deal on a mint used set of RPF1s.
Having experienced the advantages of lighter shoes, I would have a difficult time going back to my OEM Sport rims. FYI, I chose to buy new tires, over remounting my OEM set even though they still have at least 40K miles of tread still on them. Yes, I feel guilty having a perfectly good set of tires just sitting in my garage, but I am spoiled on the performance of the lighter set up...and most importantly, they make me smile!

Here is what I found:
35.1 lbs...GD3 Sport Rims mounted with 195/55R-15 Dunlop SP31
28.7 lbs...RPF1 mounted with 195/50R-15 Yokohama S. Drives
25.2 lbs...RPF1 mounted with 195/45R-15 Toyo T1Rs

 

But what about the 4X4, 6"gap thing????

 

GD's like yours and mac's get a pass with 15's and any size tire even with stock suspension, GE's look retarded on 15's and lower profile tires at stock height

If you're just in it for the performance and fuel savings, it is the best thing to do, no doubt, just don't want mnky to put the wheels on and be amazed how tiny they look and find dogs chilling in his wheel wells when he comes out to the car in the morning.