17" light weight wheels !

AlienPrime said:
correct me if i'm wrong :)
Click to expand...

I will gladly oblige.

If wheels were forged steel, BBS and Volk must be doing some pretty insane things with quantum physics to achieve a sub 15lb wheel weight. I'll have to check with BBS to see if they've been using the particle collider at CERN to test new material matrices.

4340 Chromoly steel, a common alloy steel used in forging, has a density of approx 8.03g/cm³. 7075 Aluminum, a common aluminum used in forgings, has a density of approx 2.8g/cm³. That means forged steel wheels would weigh almost 3 times heavier (if we consider the material volume doesn't change). So those Gram Lights 57F wheels you've been drooling over weighing only 6.8kilos (~15lbs) would be around 19kg (~42lbs). I don't know about you, but for 17" wheels, I don't really want to have an additional 12kg (~26lbs) of unsprung mass at each corner...unless of course you want the handling of a loaded down dumptruck.

Most wheels are cast aluminum. High end wheels are forged aluminum. Steelies are stamped steel center with a spun steel barrel. Stamping is cheap, and so is steel...main reason why they are steel

Race wheels are usually 1pc forged aluminum (usually a proprietary alloy), or at the least have forged aluminum centers with a rolled (method of forging) aluminum barrel.

Dedicated racing wheels (centerlocks and such) are usually magnesium or an aluminum/magnesium matrix since aluminum/beryllium matrices are banned. Formula 1 wheels are magnesium, as are the wheels (BBS) used on the Audi LMP cars.

Although magnesium has a higher density than 7075 Aluminum, at approx 3.6g/cm³, it is less brittle, and has less plastic deformation than aluminum, and therefore more material can be machined away - therefore the wheel is lighter.



The end.
 
TheQuantumGuy said:
I will gladly oblige.

If wheels were forged steel, BBS and Volk must be doing some pretty insane things with quantum physics to achieve a sub 15lb wheel weight. I'll have to check with BBS to see if they've been using the particle collider at CERN to test new material matrices.

4340 Chromoly steel, a common alloy steel used in forging, has a density of approx 8.03g/cm³. 7075 Aluminum, a common aluminum used in forgings, has a density of approx 2.8g/cm³. That means forged steel wheels would weigh almost 3 times heavier (if we consider the material volume doesn't change). So those Gram Lights 57F wheels you've been drooling over weighing only 6.8kilos (~15lbs) would be around 19kg (~42lbs). I don't know about you, but for 17" wheels, I don't really want to have an additional 12kg (~26lbs) of unsprung mass at each corner...unless of course you want the handling of a loaded down dumptruck.

Most wheels are cast aluminum. High end wheels are forged aluminum. Steelies are stamped steel center with a spun steel barrel. Stamping is cheap, and so is steel...main reason why they are steel

Race wheels are usually 1pc forged aluminum (usually a proprietary alloy), or at the least have forged aluminum centers with a rolled (method of forging) aluminum barrel.

Dedicated racing wheels (centerlocks and such) are usually magnesium or an aluminum/magnesium matrix since aluminum/beryllium matrices are banned. Formula 1 wheels are magnesium, as are the wheels (BBS) used on the Audi LMP cars.

Although magnesium has a higher density than 7075 Aluminum, at approx 3.6g/cm³, it is less brittle, and has less plastic deformation than aluminum, and therefore more material can be machined away - therefore the wheel is lighter.



The end.
Click to expand...

:yeahthat: Well said.
 
TheQuantumGuy said:
I will gladly oblige.

If wheels were forged steel, BBS and Volk must be doing some pretty insane things with quantum physics to achieve a sub 15lb wheel weight. I'll have to check with BBS to see if they've been using the particle collider at CERN to test new material matrices.

4340 Chromoly steel, a common alloy steel used in forging, has a density of approx 8.03g/cm³. 7075 Aluminum, a common aluminum used in forgings, has a density of approx 2.8g/cm³. That means forged steel wheels would weigh almost 3 times heavier (if we consider the material volume doesn't change). So those Gram Lights 57F wheels you've been drooling over weighing only 6.8kilos (~15lbs) would be around 19kg (~42lbs). I don't know about you, but for 17" wheels, I don't really want to have an additional 12kg (~26lbs) of unsprung mass at each corner...unless of course you want the handling of a loaded down dumptruck.

Most wheels are cast aluminum. High end wheels are forged aluminum. Steelies are stamped steel center with a spun steel barrel. Stamping is cheap, and so is steel...main reason why they are steel

Race wheels are usually 1pc forged aluminum (usually a proprietary alloy), or at the least have forged aluminum centers with a rolled (method of forging) aluminum barrel.

Dedicated racing wheels (centerlocks and such) are usually magnesium or an aluminum/magnesium matrix since aluminum/beryllium matrices are banned. Formula 1 wheels are magnesium, as are the wheels (BBS) used on the Audi LMP cars.

Although magnesium has a higher density than 7075 Aluminum, at approx 3.6g/cm³, it is less brittle, and has less plastic deformation than aluminum, and therefore more material can be machined away - therefore the wheel is lighter.



The end.
Click to expand...
:clapping: :hail:
 
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:leghump:
 
Well I found them there in may of 2013. No idea if they're having web issues, or if they went out of business. Web archive says this is their info -

Shop Address
Auto Plus Sportzentrium
823 N. San Mateo Dr.
San Mateo, CA 94401

Customer Support
Phone: (650)347-7751
Fax: (650)347-7753
Sales@autoplussf.com

Store Hours Monday - Saturday
8:30am - 6:00pm
Closed Sunday

and they're obviously still around. Their fb page is active
https://www.facebook.com/pages/AutoPlus-Sportzentrium/45034848135
 
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