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I own a 2005 civic coupe with stock steel wheels and 185/70R14 tires.

I heard from a friend that upgrading to 16" alloy wheels and new tires would give the car better traction, shorter stopping distance, and even save gas (on the account of the wheels being lighter).

I wanted to confirm if that information is true. I was considering getting 16" - 6.5" width alloy wheels and 205/50R16 tires, if the benefit warrants the cost of the upgrade.

 
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well, a wider tire may give you a bit better cornering and traction, but usually larger rims weigh more and will cause power loss, rougher ride, and worse gas mileage. hence why all the hybrids use tiny 13-14 inch rims and low rolling resistance tires. cornering sucks, but it gets 50+mpg.

 
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The circumference of the 18 inch tires is greater than the circumference of the 16 inch tires. Without recalibrating your odometer, you were going a further distance per tire revolution with the 18 inch tires than the 16 inch tires. Perhaps the added distance negated the increased weight of the wheels; or at best, is not too discernible a difference.

 
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I had understood that the alloy wheels weigh less than the steel wheels (plz correct me if I am wrong).

So, should I get alloy wheels on the same size (14"); or even then there is no real advantage of doing changing wheels?

At what point does the weight of a steel wheel match weight of the alloy wheels? i.e. do 14" steel weight = 15" alloy weight?

 
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In the following link someone weighed the actual stock steel rims on a 2005 civic:

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/4...el-weight.html

His total was 30.5lbs

So to put it in perspective I did a search for alloy wheels for my civic. The lightest 14" alloy wheels weigh in at 9.3lbs and tires weigh in at 19lbs for a total of 28.3lbs

If I went one step higher to 15", then its 12.6lbs for the wheel and 19lbs for the tire for a total of 31.6lbs

So I guess even the lightest 15" will be heavier than the stock 14"

 
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You can always buy a good set of lightweight forged wheels... like O.Z. Wheels with HLT in the same stock wheel size.

lighter wheels, slightly, you can use same tires.... and pay through the nose and offset any savings you may get. :-)

 
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yeah every wheel has a different weight. as far as honda steel rim vs alloy, the alloy is usually only 1-2lbs lighter.

 
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Assuming it is 2lbs lighter per wheel and I change all 4 wheels and tires, does this translate into any noticeable change in gas mileage, acceleration, etc?

I am just thinking that 8lbs won't make any real difference; so it is not worth the money. But then again, I could be wrong.

 
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If you put groceries in the back, how much does that weigh ? more than 8 lbs.
Do you notice the way the car handles and drives with groceries in the trunk ? I don't.
What about full tank of gas vs empty tank. Hard to feel a difference.

4 people in the car make a noticable difference, but not a few pounds.

Reducing unsprung weight ( wheels and tires ) should make the suspension react beter, and in turn the car will handle better, but 2 lbs is not that much.
( unless you are in a F1 car )
I like the look of the alloy wheels, and the no hubcabs is plus.

 
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altho 2lbs off the wheels is more like 3 lbs of static weight, it still isnt much. i wouldnt switch rims just for weight savings. unless you go with the very light rims that are 10 lbs, then thats around 32 lbs or 48lbs static weight which is like almost 3/4 tank of gas difference. it adds up the more you do.

 
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Wheels and tires come in a wide range of weights. And there is no standard of comparison.. I have 15" steel rims that weigh less than some of my 14" alloys. There are some websites that list wheel weights for lot of alloys. Right now the hot shoes are choosing a 9 pound 15" with 195/50x15 Direzza Sports.
There are wheels in 14" to 17"irms that weigh pretty close to oem. tires you can check weights on TireRack specs. In general lighter tires are better than lighter wheels simply because their weight is much further from the hub center. The further, the more torque it takes to turn the wheel likewise the weight, so when you go with wider tires its best to go with a little less diameter as well. More weight but at a little less radius can keep the torque required pretty close. More torqueless mpg and less acceration.