OEM Wheel Weight

Greetings Forum members! I have a 2017 Leaf S and this is my first post. I currently have winter "snow" tires mounted on the 16" OEM wheels and am looking to purchase a second set of wheels upon which to mount my summer tires. In addition to looks, one of the things I'm considering in my choice of wheels is the weight. I'd like to match the OEM weight as close as possible to minimize any adverse affect on mileage. The OEM part number of my wheels is 403003NF0E which I believe is used on 2013-2017 Leafs. I've tried searching for the weight online and in this forum with no joy. Does anyone know the weight of that wheel? Many thanks!

The S has steel wheels as original so any aluminum alloy wheels you find that fit will be lighter. There are several threads on the forum about wheels. The Leaf has large brakes so some wheels with the correct offset and bolt pattern will not fit because they won't clear the brake calipers (front calipers are larger than rear).

The important specs are all listed here:

http://www.electricvehiclewiki.com/Wheels,_Tires

• OEM wheel size is 16" x 6.5" with a 40mm positive offset
• Hub has 5 bolts, 114.3mm (4.5") bolt pattern.
• Hub (center) bore size is 66.1mm
• OEM wheels weigh 21 lbs
• Tire size: 205/55R16

A larger CB would ensure more clearance for calipers, as would a lower offset. However, too low of an offset will increase aero drag and reduce efficiency.

GerryAZ said:

The S has steel wheels as original so any aluminum alloy wheels you find that fit will be lighter. There are several threads on the forum about wheels. The Leaf has large brakes so some wheels with the correct offset and bolt pattern will not fit because they won't clear the brake calipers (front calipers are larger than rear).

Click to expand...

The statement that alloy wheels are lighter is false.

I have an S, that came with steel wheels. I later bought a set of OEM Leaf alloy wheels (and original ecopia tires) of the same tire size.... The alloy wheels were actually 5 POUNDS HEAVIER (each) than the STEEL!.

I believe that although alloy wheels are made of lighter material than the steel, steel wheels are stronger (per pound) than the alloy. So they have to use more alloy material to keep the alloy wheels strong... I was also surprised by this. You may be able to buy aftermarket alloy rims that are lighter than the OEM alloys, but they will not be as strong against potholes, etc..

for the sake of data, the 17" wheel and tire of a SL weighs 46 lbs. Pretty darn heavy (my car weighed with a digital bathroom scale that aligns with airport baggage scales very accurately). i am in the market of researching lighter wheels right now.

are the steel wheels 15" or 16"?

how much does each steel wheel+ tire weigh on your Leaf? any weight reduction you can do there will give you gains in mileage, but possibly hurt aerodynamics depending on wheel design. Aero does not have a very significant effect though, the model 3 aero covers give you 4% at 70 mph vs the lightweight spokes (no hub caps). At lower speeds the advantage is even less and the benefit of reduced angular momentum and comfort from reduced unsprung weight probably overcome the aero drag at higher speeds.

some research has been posted here:
http://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=18857&p=522649&hilit=civic+hybrid#p522649

the civic hybrid wheels are lightweight and aerodynamic, but unfortunately look very ugly. i am on the verge of going with them and machining out the center bores for weight (and getting new lug nuts because honda uses round end ones), but the wife is vetoing that move on looks haha.

Marko

The wheels I spoke about are the 16 inch steel and 1st generation Leaf alloy wheels...

im not going to go weigh them. but the steels were 5 lbs less than the alloy..

alozzy said:

The important specs are all listed here:

http://www.electricvehiclewiki.com/Wheels,_Tires

• OEM wheel size is 16" x 6.5" with a 40mm positive offset
• Hub has 5 bolts, 114.3mm (4.5") bolt pattern.
• Hub (center) bore size is 66.1mm
• OEM wheels weigh 21 lbs
• Tire size: 205/55R16

A larger CB would ensure more clearance for calipers, as would a lower offset. However, too low of an offset will increase aero drag and reduce efficiency.

Click to expand...

Thanks alozzy for the info! The wheel I settled on is the American Racing AR95T Estrella, p/n AR956717. The place I bought them from said they weigh 20 lbs so that's pretty darn close and with a load rating of 1400 lbs, they should be fine on a little Leaf. Now I just need to pick up a set of TPMS sensors. I'll search MyNissanLeaf for suggestions on sensors that will work with my 2017 Leaf.

My opinion is that the aesthetics (looking "sporty") drove people to buy "mag wheels", then more recently aluminum alloy wheels, for simple family cars that would be better served using steel wheels. On many cars, the alloy wheel option uses wheels which are 1 inch larger than steel. The results:


- sometimes (but not always) the wheel+tire weighs a bit less
- tires are more expensive
- the wheels are more expensive
- the ride is harsher (good for your BMW M4, bad for your Corolla)
- the tire profile is less useful for all-season/winter use
- the alloy corrodes and is susceptible to cosmetic damage
- tires lose air during temperature changes
- the wheels are more susceptible to damage from potholes
- any wheel damage is much harder to repair
- mounts/dismounts take more time and care
- tire balancing is trickier, as there is more weight at the outside edge

I owned a previous car (Honda Fit) which had a noticeably poor ride when using the "sport" model factory wheels, but was much improved with the base model steel wheels. It made me wonder why Honda even bothered with the "upgrade." In my mind, the near-universal adoption of alloy for passenger cars has been 90% fashion, 20% practicality, and -10% common sense.

@HappyDad to each his own, but I'd personally skip the TPMS - not worth $500

alozzy said:

@HappyDad to each his own, but I'd personally skip the TPMS - not worth $500

Click to expand...

Actually, $185 for a set of four aftermarkets (UVS3000*) on the Titan TPMS site or about $310 for OEM. Still a lot of money but not bad for piece of mind and a helpful reminder of when I'm losing valuable miles per kW.


*Updated on 4/5/18: As it turns out, the UVS3000 is not an OEM-equivalent TPMS sensor for a 2017 Leaf. The OEM p/n is 40700-3AN1D so please start with that number if searching for aftermarket sensors. Sorry to get off-topic but I felt a correction was absolutely necessary. The tire shop where I bought the wheels will install and program a set of OEM-equivalent sensors for $260. They guarantee I'll be able to swap my winter and summer tires with no reprogramming necessary. Deal!!