Weds creates a 6.1-pound full carbon fiber wheel

[Fobio]

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/29/weds-creates-a-6-1-pound-full-carbon-fiber-wheel/


http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/08/weds_carbon_wheel.jpg

Weds Sports, a Japanese wheel-maker, has created a full carbon fiber wheel -- rims, spokes, hub, everything -- that weighs 2.76 kg. Coming out to about 6.1 pounds, that's about half the weight of the Dymag carbon fiber wheel with a magnesium rim that you'll find on a Callaway Corvette, and just over a pound more than Dymag's all-carbon race-specific front wheel for a motorcycle.

According to a rough translation of Weds' literature, they use a dry carbon fiber process that makes the wheels strong enough for... well, we're not really sure. While the rims look absolutely ace, we can't find any other company that makes an entire wheel out of carbon fiber, and Weds apparently hasn't yet put them in production, which leads us to think that these babies were meant only for the scales at the Tokyo Auto Salon. But if you have $12,000 for a set of four, and you live in an area with no potholes and no curbs, these could be the rims for you.

[Source: Carbon Fiber Gear]

[She_Prime]

Holy craziness Batman! 12k and you basically cannot drive them any place but the track... Hmm seems not worth it in my opinion

[midnightfxgt]

I put a deposit on them, so when they come into Production, I get Set #1!! :)


*Time to wake up*

[ElegantGremlin]

You could buy a car for that kind of dough!... maybe even 2 cars if you cheap out..

[stealthman12]

that is awesome!

[Notorious MS3]

That is just beautiful, looks like they come in 5/114.3 also.

[Thrizzl3]

6 pound wheels? who knows what our MPG would be with those

[JashiK]

SICK. Absolutely SICK. I gotta go poopie now.

[Nextmod]

saw the real thing in Tokyo, it was really light, but I am pretty sure you cant use it in Markham lol

[chinsterr]

SICK. Absolutely SICK. I gotta go poopie now.

hahaha wtf?

[-cj-]

I once read somewhere that roughly every 20 pounds you shed, you "gain" 1-hp... (Very rough estimate), so these wheels are good for 4-hp increase and less spinning mass?

[JashiK]

Mista... I dunno LOL

CJ I also read somewhere that for every 100 lbs you shed you shave off a hundreth of a second from your quarter mile times...

[RallyPlaya]

These Have Got to be the most expensive rims you can possibly buy, only way to spend more is if you gold plate your rims lol

[JSI]

I once read somewhere that roughly every 20 pounds you shed, you "gain" 1-hp... (Very rough estimate), so these wheels are good for 4-hp increase and less spinning mass?


Wheels are unsprung weight, much much more gain than reducing weight carried by the suspension.

Jeremy

[-cj-]

Not bad. I wonder how fragile the wheels are though. These might be worth it for any serious track whore. :)

[Fobio]

Not bad. I wonder how fragile the wheels are though. These might be worth it for any serious track whore. :)

the only track these will survive in Canada is Calabogie...maybe Tramblant. No track within a 3hr radius is even remotely smooth enough for these.

And there are likely other problems with these at a track...side-loading/lateral forces may rip them apart...coupled with the heat generated by braking, I can't see these lasting 1 lap with a STREET car...on a light race car that's under 2000lbs? maybe...

correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't carbon-fibre cure @ 60 - 100*C?

[p-o-g-i]

$12k!?!?!?! Damn!!!! Forget that.... don't get me wrong, the rims look pretty sweet... but that's insanity to pay $12k

[-cj-]

the only track these will survive in Canada is Calabogie...maybe Tramblant. No track within a 3hr radius is even remotely smooth enough for these.

And there are likely other problems with these at a track...side-loading/lateral forces may rip them apart...coupled with the heat generated by braking, I can't see these lasting 1 lap with a STREET car...on a light race car that's under 2000lbs? maybe...

correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't carbon-fibre cure @ 60 - 100*C?


".... The second method for curing the pre-preg laminate employs the same vacuum bag compaction as the first, but adds the extra force of the autoclave to "pressure cook" the laminate. In both instances, the cure temperature will also be the maximum allowable temperature of the cured laminate with a continuous service temperature slightly lower. This temperature generally resides between 250 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit."

So, around 120-175C... What was that temperature reading you got off a certain person's rotors while we were watching the lapping events? ;)

[Fobio]

".... The second method for curing the pre-preg laminate employs the same vacuum bag compaction as the first, but adds the extra force of the autoclave to "pressure cook" the laminate. In both instances, the cure temperature will also be the maximum allowable temperature of the cured laminate with a continuous service temperature slightly lower. This temperature generally resides between 250 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit."

So, around 120-175C... What was that temperature reading you got off a certain person's rotors while we were watching the lapping events? ;)

we hit well over 320*C at the hub/rotors....wanna see what $12G worth of melted carbon fibre looks like?...lol...

[bunchi]

saw the real thing in Tokyo, it was really light, but I am pretty sure you cant use it in Markham lol

or use it in Markham, but don't cross Steeles to go to scarborough lol

[Dave_The_BMXER]

Not to say this would happen but.

These wheels with so so tires = omega wheel spin?

[Darkfrosty7]

beautiful

[dentinger]

I once read somewhere that roughly every 20 pounds you shed, you "gain" 1-hp... (Very rough estimate), so these wheels are good for 4-hp increase and less spinning mass?


i heard similar.
1 lb of rotational mass = 10lb of gross mass.

so ditching 20 pounds of rotational mass is like shedding 200 lbs of body mass.

oh, and 12k isnt THAT expensive when you think of the costs of 24 or 26 inch rims.
even 19 inch HREs are in the 3k+ range.