camperdave wrote:
pnichols wrote:
Home Skillet wrote:
I just did a 600 mile trip.
What a difference those ALCOAs make.
No more jarring on on the big bumps on the freeway.
Overall ride is much more pleasant.
How is that possible based merely on the wheel material being aluminum instead of steel?
I'd sure like an engineering based explanation of that.
Aluminum wheels are lighter, so you are reducing unsprung weight.
I'm thinking hard about the unsprung suspension weight of heavy vehicles, but can't quite wrap my head around: "With a given suspension system stiffness and a given heavy vehicle sprung weight ... how will hitting a bump with light weight but rigid wheels (aluminum) not transfer that sharp vertical motion to the vehicle above just as strongly and quickly as heavy weight but rigid (steel) wheels do?"
I understand unsprung weight in a racing situation to keep the spin-inertia low so as to take maximum advantage of instantaneous changes in engine torque ... but what's that got to do with a heavy RV?
I suspect that aluminum wheels on an otherwise heavy vehicle are primarily for "looks." :h
