Notes

A vehicle’s sprung weight is supported by springs of one kind of or another (coiled springs, air springs, Belleville springs).
. Unsprung weight moves up and down with the wheels as they travel over bumps, potholes, and other obstructions.
Unsprung weight includes the wheels, tires, brake assemblies, differential, solid drive axles, hub motors, and anything directly connected to the wheels is unsprung mass.
sprung weight—the chassis, motor, transmission, body, and interior, as well as the passengers and cargo.
Sprung weight is shielded from the shocks and vibrations that the wheels experience as they travel over every bump and pothole. This makes for a more comfortable ride and protects the sprung components from destructive and life-shortening shocks and vibrations.
Unsprung weight must be designed to be tough enough to survive the constant shocks and vibrations.
It’s best to have a high ratio of sprung-to-unsprung weight. A higher proportion of sprung weight can then push down on the wheels and tires with more force, keeping them in contact with the pavement or whatever surface they are traveling across. Maintaining contact with the roadway improves handling and traction, and this becomes more of an issue for off-roading and traveling over rough roads.
Designers try to minimize unsprung weight to improve handling and steering.
Alloy wheels —to reduce the unsprung weight and make steering more precise.
It is more difficult to accelerate rotating mass than non-rotating mass. This means those lighter tires and wheels also take less force to accelerate them forward.