Wheel weights

Why does lighter matter? Have you already done a track alignment? I'm positive more front camber would do more to make my car faster than lighter wheels. Right now, my car becomes an understeering hot mess after the outside edges of the front tires melt away.

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Less unsprung weight helps with acceleration, braking, and handling.

http://www.formula1-dictionary.net/unsprung_weight.html

 

I'm well aware of what unsprung weight is. My question is why does it matter to OP? A track alignment is going to make your car faster at everything but drag races, at a much lower cost than lightweight wheels.

 

Forgeline GA1R Open is a very light and strong wheel. They are made to order and can have what ever offset you may want. I believe they will come in around 18-20 lbs per wheel for a 458 or 488. Overall probably a bit lighter than the Speciale wheels. The Speciale wheels are not that bad when it comes to weight. Off the top of my head I believe they are like 18-19 for the front and 22-23 for the rears.

Have you considered the Pista CF wheels?

 

I agree on the weights. I love the Speciale wheel look and you will save around 5lbs per wheel (I believe the sport forged wheel is about 25-26lbs). That is a difference you can feel. Imagine you were wearing running shoes and then someone strapped 5 lb weights to your feet. Everything would be more sluggish, especially in transient response. I know the weight and forces are different with a car but the concept the same. I think a difference of 3-4 pounds per wheel is the where it becomes noticeable. Remember that unsprung weight is about equivalent to 4x the difference in sprung weight. So 5lbs per wheel feels like dropping 80 pounds from the car.

 

Btw, forgeline makes a great product as per the previous poster so if you like their wheels, you can get similar or slightly better performance with a touch of savings. Quality and durability is excellent. They have been a track favorite for a long time. Probably a bit higher resale on the Speciale wheels.

 

Do you have the weight specifications for the FI wheels? I'm quite sure they are lighter than the Speciale wheels. I'm also quite sure they are stiffer, which is a factor in how responsive a wheel feels.

There's also the 458 specific OZ Superforgiata which is one of the lightest 458 wheels of them all - a personal favorite of mine.

The Speciale wheel is nice, but you can get stronger, lighter and stiffer wheels.

 

I have black OZ Ultraleggera on my Italia. Depending on spec, it weighs between 9 and 12 kg. I’m very happy in terms of handling, visual effect and weight reduction. If they’re not the lightest out there, they’re certainly at the top of the lightest list.

Kind regards,

Nuno.

 

Not bad for the frons, but a bit on the heavy side for the rear.
The OZ Superforgiata is a bit lighter


8.7 kg front (19.5 lbs)
9.8 kg rear (21 lbs)

 

I didn’t know that. Great info, thanks!

I think OZ is the way to go. Lots of different wheels on their catalogue, making it easy to select the wheel that adapts to your need the most, and a long standing racing pedigree.

Regardless of the model you end up choosing, I really like their black matte wheels. They have a very nice finish, imvho.

Kind regards,

Nuno.

 

What's really cool about the OZ Superforgiata is that it also comes in a 458 specific 19" version. 9x19 front and 11x19 rear. A really sweet wheel for a track day setup with Pirelli Trofeo R 265/30R19 and 325/30R19

 

Note OZ Ultraleggera is a pressure cast wheel, not forged. They are actually quite strong but they are not forged. The Superforgiata obviously is forged but they are roughly twice the cost (about 5-6k/set last I checked for a different car). I don't know the exact specs but suspect the BBS FI wheel is similar to Speciale weight but if you could get the FI-R in Ferrari spec size, they would be another 2-4 lbs lighter. I have them on another car and they are a spectacular wheel, similar weights to a Magnesium wheel. Truly next level technology but very expensive (about 9-10k/set, very limited sizing and offsets, and very limited availability). No clue if you can get a spec for Ferrari.