Hi everyone!

I'm looking at picking up some rims for summer driving. Right now, I am considering a used set of Work Emotion XD9s and a new set of Enkei PF01s from Tirerack.

TL;DR: how much does wheel/tire weight affect performance in the butt dyno? I don't race but I do like to have fun driving and don't want to affect performance adversely.

Details

Here's what I know:
Works are 17x7.5 and 17x8.5, +42 all around. They weigh 21.25 and 23.45 lbs according to the sales guy at Work.
Enkeis are 17x8 and 17x9, +50 and +60 respectively. They weigh 17 and 17.2 lbs according to Tirerack.

I am going to put Continental ExtremeContact DW tires on them. These are my size choices:
Works would get 225/45 and 245/40, which weigh 20 and 22 lbs each.
Enkeis would get 235/45 and 255/40, which weigh 21 and 23 lbs each.

This totals to 41.25 and 45.45 lbs per corner for the Works, and 38 and 40.2 lbs per corner. The difference is 3.25 and 5.25 lbs. How noticeable will this weight be in terms of performance? I've read that a pound of unsprung weight is equivalent to anywhere between four and ten pounds of sprung weight, so that'd be 17 lbs X (4 or 10) = 68 to 170 lbs difference. It's also extra rotational weight, which is where I would likely notice it.

For reference, I'm currently running stock AP1 wheels with 205/55 and 225/50 Nokian WRG2 tires.

Work wheels are $150 cheaper but I would need to pay for the tires to get mounted and balanced. Tirerack does that for free with wheel and tire packages.

On another note, I'm pretty sure neither of these will rub, but if you think so, let me know. I'd rather not modify my fenders if I can help it. I'm on stock suspension and will not be lowering it.

Thanks for your opinions (and hopefully facts!) on this matter.

NE

 

I would rather run the Enkeis in your case, except with 225/45 on the front since cost is the same and the widths are better. In either case go with the look you prefer, either is a viable option.

 

I would go with the enkei as well. If you were to do the xd9 I would run a 215 up front becuase it sits pretty square on the 7.5" and its the same overall diameter as the rear 245. 225/45 would be better suited on the 8" front with the 255 rear. The shorter profile of the 235/40 would be ok on the 8" and 245 or 255 rear becuase its overall diameter bias is in the right direction and with the shorter sidewall of the 235/40 they run narrow, its pretty much a lower profile 225/45 I have found.

 

This is the best option.

 

Thanks guys. Now, given the Enkeis, there are two options I like. The silver, which comes in PF01 and PF01SS for the rears, looks pretty good. Has anyone run the white with polished lip on a silverstone AP1? It comes in the same 17x8/17x9, but both are the PF01SS which has a bigger lip. I know that it can be an issue with big brake kits, but I won't be needing those. It's just that both the front and rear come with more lip, and it's not a completely white wheel. For what it's worth, this car lives outside all year; I know white can be a pain to clean.