TRD Off-Road vs. 20 TRD Pro Wheels - Weight Comparison

Not incredibly scientific, since I'm just using a bathroom scale, but each IS weighed on the same scale. 20 Pro wheels were weighed right out of the box, the other wheels are off my 20 TRD OR. I made sure all wheels weights were removed and cleaned them before weighing. Center caps are weighed separate in the pics, but are almost identical.

Stock 2020 OR Wheels w/center caps: 24lbs 2.6oz
2020 TRD Pro Wheels w/center caps: 20lbs 15.3oz
Difference: 3lbs 3.4oz

 

Good to know. Looking for some OEM wheels and weight is a factor .

 

Do you think ~13lbs is going to make any noticeable difference?

 

Totally! $4- $6 in gas........ per annum. Yuuuuuge!

 

The real factor is the rotational mass, it's basically the weight difference except exponential. That's actually a lot of weight off of the wheels.

Edit: I looked it up to be sure, due to the effect of rotational mass any weight you add or subtract from the wheels has 3x the impact of static or unsprung mass (like weight in the bed, or fuel). So it's actually more like 39 lbs saved.

 

I honestly don't know. I didn't buy them for the weight difference. I liked the look. People talk about the 'alleged' weight difference all the time though, and I had both here, so I figured I'd weigh them.

The data may or may not be important to you, but at least it's data

I WILL say that the truck rides completely different (much less harsh, but still 'firm'). I much prefer the ride now.

Unfortunately, I changed from the stock tires to Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S in 265/75R16 at the same time, so I have no idea which was the larger contributing factor to the change in ride.

 

That's 15% more weight on the OR. If it where 13 lbs in the bed or cab there would be no difference that could be measured. But in the wheels it does rob HP. I wouldn't think very much, but science says it makes some difference. In the real world tire construction (aggressive tread vs smooth) and inflation pressure probably has more affect that a few lbs weight.

 

TL;DR
13lbs of rotational mass = running on half a tank of gas (vs full) in terms of performance.

Theoretically this matters, but in reality it doesn't. It's kind of like how swimmers need to shave every hair on their body to swim faster. It's to get the extra 0.001 seconds over the other guy. In racing, rotational mass matters because handling is extremely important, and the tiniest of advantages make a world of difference.

In the real world, no one is shaving all their body hair to swim faster, and you aren't going to notice any difference in 13 pounds of rotational mass, given the overall weight of the vehicle. A good example of this is how your fuel economy and overall performance isn't suddenly and noticeable better when you're almost out of gas vs when your tank is full. Your tank holds up to ~131lbs of gas. On empty, you're probably hovering round a weight loss of 120lbs and I bet you don't even notice a performance difference. Even if we're generous and say 1lb of rotational mass = 5lbs of sprung mass, you're looking at a benefit of 65lbs. So the equivalent of running on about half a tank of gas.

Now if you run at a half tank with lighter wheels and lighter tires... things start to add up - but it's still barely noticeable at all.

I'm not arguing BTW. I just don't want to see someone thinking this matters more than just buying the wheels they like. If you like these and they weigh less... thats a bonus!

I like the wheels. I'm more just curious to see if someone that cares about weight believes it matters that much.

 

In order for a vehicle to accelerate it must overcome inertia forces....a lighter Tacoma with the same power as a heavier one will always have the advantage.

 

Nice analysis, in perspective the weight difference and even the rotational mass difference is basically negligible, I agree.

 

Another way to use a bathroom scale is to stand on it holding the wheel, then step off and back on the scale without the wheel. Some scales are less accurate at the lower end of their range.

 

Reducing the weight only helps acceleration, braking, handling, mileage, wear, ABS, Traction control, and ride quality. Otherwise it doesn’t matter at all. I wouldn’t recommend buying wheels you hate however, everyone will notice if they don’t like how their truck looks. I like all the OEM wheels so I’ll go for lighter since I’m running light stock size tires.

 

Bumping this old thread. Is the consensus the 20 Pro wheels weigh around 20lbs? I came from the Subaru community and the forged BBS wheels I had weighed 20lbs. I get the Pro wheels are smaller in diameter, but I have my doubts with the wheels being cast.

 

Haha yeah yeah I saw the read the entire thread and saw the photo. Just curious as to why its listed higher on the box it comes in and a toyota parts website.

 

CONSPIRACY...

 

I got the 2020 pro wheels coming from TRD OR wheels and did notice a difference right away. Not huge in mpg or acceleration but noticeable. The thing I liked the most was the wider rim with additional 12mm offset. Almost flush with the flares

 

The pro rims just look better and rides better

 

It also matters where the weight is. If the weight is at the outermost part of the wheel it will take more torque to rotate. Tire weight will have more effect than wheel weight, though both significantly change dynamics.