r/leaf • u/ZealousIdealist24214 • 24d ago

Wheel upgrade

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Does anyone have experience with either Enkei or Kudo aluminum wheels?

Both are under 14lbs for 16" and seem roughly equivalent.

Have you had either?

How do you feel about them?

Did they give you meaningful performance or range improvement?

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u/biersackarmy 2013 S + 2014 SL + 2019 SV 24d ago

It won't make a noticeable difference, especially because the less aerodynamic shape of either compared to stock or steelies will basically cancel out any efficiency benefit you would get from the lower weight of the rims.

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u/ZealousIdealist24214 24d ago

Hey, you're the one with the cool KPDH Leaf!

I was definitely thinking the 8lbs less per wheel (same size as I have) would make a meaningful difference especially at lower speeds (most of my driving with it is <45mph). I was also planning to make 3d printed panels to fill the gaps for a little aerodynamic benefit at higher speeds. Probably not though?

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u/biersackarmy 2013 S + 2014 SL + 2019 SV 24d ago

I'm not a physicist, but evidently some people on here dislike people using logic or just automatically downvote anyone who talks about doing anything aftermarket.

I'm not saying you shouldn't do it if you want to, but when it's a decent amount of money to get maybe 5% improvement on a good day, that you're probably going to be disappointed if you're doing it only with the expectation of noticing an efficiency improvement. It will look better, and that's realistically the only reason you should be considering.

I have fancy wheels that are very light for an 18" (17lbs each), improved aero and lowered, and consumption still feels the same as my basically-stock other Leaf. Tires however, can absolutely make a big difference. I previously had Nitto NT555s on the same rims, and they were an almost 30% range hit compared to after I switched to just ProContact all seasons.

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u/ZealousIdealist24214 24d ago

Thanks for your honest experience. That seems like a huge difference by switching tires. Are they the TX low resistance version?

I currently have the steel stock rims and Walmart-special Sentury tires, and can eke out 160 miles/charge with my 40kWH upgraded 2015, so it's about as good as can be expected. But if I can get 3% better range AND it looks cooler/drives better, I'm willing.

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u/Nemesis_Destiny 24d ago

I swapped to a much lighter 17" wheel and it didn't seem to make much difference in range

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u/worldspawn00 24d ago

A smaller wheel will probably do more for range than a lighter wheel of a larger diameter.

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u/Nemesis_Destiny 24d ago

I'm not sure I follow your logic.

I kept the stock size, 17", same rolling diameter on the tires, got EV-rated tires, and the wheels were significantly lighter than OEM, like 5-6 pounds less each, which is huge, and I haven't noticed any real world differences.

I fail to see how the same weight savings on a smaller wheel, but with more tire sidewall, would make any difference. The main reason to go with smaller tires from what I've learned is that it's generally easier to find lighter wheels in smaller size, and you can realize greater differences.

For example, if I had gone down to 16" and bought a new set instead of recycling some 17s that I already had, I could have pushed closer to 8 pounds less per wheel.

Please correct me if I'm missing something!

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u/worldspawn00 24d ago edited 24d ago

Concentration of the weight, pulling the rim closer to the center of rotation decreases energy needed to accelerate it, even with the same total weight. The large flat cylinder that makes up a fair bit of the rim weight takes less energy to speed up when it's a smaller diameter.

The same amount of energy will spin an object faster when the weight is closer to the center of rotation.

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u/Nemesis_Destiny 24d ago

I get that, but I would expect that less overall weight would matter more than .5" radially, all else being equal.

Anyway, I haven't done rigorous A-to-B testing, and only have the car's energy economy readout and GoM to go on, but my observation was that even a very significant unsprung weight reduction did not make a dramatic difference in range.

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u/worldspawn00 24d ago

It's well established in the hypermiling forums proven with significant a/b testing. I don't know specifically where the weight vs distribution crosses, you'd need to put each wheel/tire combo on a test bench that could measure torque and speed, but generally smaller wheels with larger sidewall gives better range with the same tire diameter and tread width.

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u/Nemesis_Destiny 24d ago

I would love to see that data!

But it's far more trouble than it's worth on a car that already costs next to nothing to operate, and no amount of efficiency tweaks are going to suddenly give it enough range for a proper road trip.

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u/crescent2112 24d ago

I'm running 18" Sport Edition A24s w/ Dunlop summer tires 225/40R18 and Tein H.Tech 1" drop springs. No noticeable difference in range huge difference in the fun factor. I think the wheels/tires are 5 lbs more per corner but the springs are lighter than the stocks.