Is there a GRM way to get light-ish wheels for my GMT800 1/2 ton?

Currently have the (I assume) very heavy Z-71 wheels. Without considering appearance, is there a significantly lighter wheel out there that can be had cheaply?

Id even entertain 4 factory steel spare wheels if they were significantly lighter. 
 

(And like most threads here, please don't look into the logic or reasoning behind this pursuit.)

Some Bassett, Aero or Diamond steel racing wheels  might work. They'll be 15" diameter though, in 8 or 10" width. There should be a lightweight option where the hoops are spun up out of thinner steel than the road versions.

Edit" I didn't check, but this ASSumes your truck is a 5x5 bolt pattern.

Look on tirerack.com, you can sort by weight.  They have some oe size wheels that weigh 18 lbs each.  I would be curious what the factory ones weigh for comparison.

DeadSkunk (Warren) said:

 

Edit" I didn't check, but this ASSumes your truck is a 5x5 bolt pattern.

If it's older 4WD or newer 4WD or 2WD it should be 6x5.5 (139.7mm)

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

GMT800's (along with every GM 1/2 ton since the 70's are 6 lug.) Fords had the very popular 5x5.5.

I appreciate the contribution though. I'll check out those wheels and see if it leads anywhere.

Looks like my factory wheels weigh ~30 lbs each.

So what kind of a difference in seat of the pants feel would a 22lb wheel make compared to a 30lb wheel?

From experience on a 99 Z71 some 16s won't fit much less 15s. 

ebonyandivory said:

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

GMT800's (along with every GM 1/2 ton since the 70's are 6 lug.) Fords had the very popular 5x5.5.

I appreciate the contribution though. I'll check out those wheels and see if it leads anywhere.

 

*every half ton 4x4 gm.  2wd were 5x5 till the end of the gmt400 run

In reply to Patrick :

Thanks for that. I really need to make it clear that I'm referring to a 4x4 in the future.

Would an 8lb lighter wheel make for a more enjoyable driving experience in this case?

In reply to ebonyandivory :

I'm not sure the tires are much lighter than the wheels, so I don't think you'd feel an 8lb difference per corner on a truck that size.

What exactly is the issue you're trying to correct/improve? My first thought would be trying a good set of shocks to provide better control of your unsprung weight. 

ebonyandivory said:

In reply to Patrick :

Thanks for that. I really need to make it clear that I'm referring to a 4x4 in the future.

Would an 8lb lighter wheel make for a more enjoyable driving experience in this case?

In a Miata, maybe. In a half-ton 4x4, you won't notice a difference.

In reply to Pete Gossett :

I just put on four new Bilsteins. I thought I'd feel more on an improvement. I assumed reducing unsprung weight would help the driving experience.

I know how amazingly better walking feels when I take off my heavy boots and put on my lighter sneakers. I feel lighter and more athletic. I thought I could do the same for my truck.

Keeping the same size tires would equate an 8 lb loss per wheel.

https://www.evasivemotorsports.com/store/product/volk-racing-te37x-progressive-model-wheel-16x8-6x1397-offset-0/?gclid=CjwKCAiAgqDxBRBTEiwA59eENycl9qi26VoDqkbYX1mLcAx9EyEUcgCsM2yp-ut9ImNPdgIH7kNFdhoCOQsQAvD_BwE

In reply to white_fly :

Love those... but I wasn't trying to spend almost $3,000 on wheel!

What tires do you have on it? Get a good tire on your truck can improve. I put some nice Michelin tires on my f250 and it was drastically better than the Coopers on it.  They were $$

I'm pretty sure 4x4 toyota 6 lug wheels will fit your chevy. You could look there too and see if something lighter exists. Tacos, t100s, 4runners, 80-series land cruisers, etc. The offset gets weird in like 2005 so maybe look earlier than that. 

I can't imagine anything would help my GMT800 *less* than lighter wheels. They might look cool, but from a utility standpoint, are they going to do anything at all? The giant truck is still going to drive like a giant truck.

ebonyandivory said:

In reply to Pete Gossett :

I just put on four new Bilsteins. I thought I'd feel more on an improvement. I assumed reducing unsprung weight would help the driving experience.

I know how amazingly better walking feels when I take off my heavy boots and put on my lighter sneakers. I feel lighter and more athletic. I thought I could do the same for my truck.

Keeping the same size tires would equate an 8 lb loss per wheel.

I think unsprung weight is best expressed as a percentage of overall vehicle weight. In your case, with a very heavy vehicle, the percentage change with an 8 lb loss is awfully small.

A set of Fox shocks sure helped my Dodge 2500. I changed the wheels and kept the same tires and didn't notice any difference in driving. Don't remember the weight difference though.

Keith Tanner said:

I think unsprung weight is best expressed as a percentage of overall vehicle weight. In your case, with a very heavy vehicle, the percentage change with an 8 lb loss is awfully small.

There's, what, 200 pounds worth of unsprung weight in the axles on a 3/4 ton truck?  Probably more?  I don't see lighter wheels being noticable compared to that.

Somewhat relevant experience here as I own a 2017 Yukon and swap between the stock 22” wheel:tire setup and a 17” winter wheel/tire setup every fall and spring.   I haven’t actually weighed them both but my back dyno knows there is a difference during change overs.   Biggest difference I feel is in steering response and impact mitigation with the 17” setup.   I said somewhat relevant above as my bus has the magneto rheological shocks which I assume are adjusting for the changes in mass at some level.  

Also agree with Keith on the Dodge 2500 Fox shocks comment above.  I installed them on my Dodge and had a similar improvement.  

I agree with the tire comment above.  When I switched to a set of Michelin tires on my wife's armada it made for a big improvement in the ride over the oem Bridgestones.