Aluminum wheels: can 200 lbs make a difference?
#13
08-02-2009, 01:47 PM
You may be able to cut the excess from the rear of the deflector. A good glass man could probably do that for you with minimal cost. I believe those deflectors are made of fiberglass.
#14
08-02-2009, 02:09 PM
I thought about that. I have a good friend that manufactures fiberglass bodies for race cars who has everything imaginable to work with glass. He could also paint it for me.
#15
08-02-2009, 02:44 PM
As I'm getting ready to pick up my stepdeck, I'm thinking of how I can make the truck lighter. I'm going to remove the full size air fairing from the roof (400 lbs) and am flirting with the idea of changing my rear STEEL rims to used aluminum. Salespeople say you save roughly 25 lbs on one wheel. I can get one used rim here for Cnd$150. Since my front ones are aluminum, I figure I can decrease the truck's weight by 200 lbs if I get rid of the 8 steel rims on the drive axles. Can someone tell me if that can make a difference in terms of freight availability? I mean, can I beat other stepdeck guys if I can take 200 lbs more than they?
 I don't care too much how the truck looks. My steel rims still look good (I painted the wheel hubs in my truck's color - yellow - and it looks great).A good rule of thumb is that when the wheels are mounted and the lug nuts fully tightened there must be a minimum of 3 stud threads exposed past the nut. If the studs are too short, replace them with the longer ones, don't take chances!
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#17
08-02-2009, 08:04 PM
You are correct.
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#18
08-03-2009, 02:24 AM
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,316
I asked my truck salesman and he said the weight was close to 400 lbs. Also, when I was getting it installed at a shop in US, I remember trying to lift one corner as the deflector was sitting on the ground and I wasn't able to move it. If it was 100 lbs, I'd move it. It was definitely way more. Okay, maybe not 400 lbs, but 300 for sure. I put it on eBay but noone seems to be interested
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#19
08-03-2009, 02:26 AM
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,316
If your truck came from the factory with steel wheels, then the wheel studs are likely too short for aluminum wheels. A good rule of thumb is that when the wheels are mounted and the lug nuts fully tightened there must be a minimum of 3 stud threads exposed past the nut. If the studs are too short, replace them with the longer ones, don't take chances!
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#20
08-03-2009, 02:47 AM
You want to save some weight? throw the mufflers away, throw out the passenger seat and dont fill your tanks to the tippy top. Carrying 200 gallons as compared to 300 gallons is almost 800 pounds difference. My flat top Freightliner and 48'x102" full of fuel and all my junk weighs in at 27,700 pounds or 12,590 kilos for our friends north of the border. You want me to scale a 50,000 pound load, no problem.
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