Guest jjohart Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 I'm sorry to re-post on a prev. issue, but can someone tell me why wire wheels have so much unsprung weight? I mean, racing bicycles always have the same general spoken wheels? Can someone tell me why a well designed, like forged alloy, wire wheel, wouldn't work well for our sporty Z-types? John-83 ZXT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted November 7, 2003 Share Posted November 7, 2003 The racing bicycles you're referring to like 10 speed style, have rim brakes. Racing wheels for bikes with disc brakes like mountain bikes are much heavier because you are trying to stop the hub, and the spokes have to hang on to the rim while all of that braking torque is being put on them from the hub, but all of the traction comes from the tire. That big difference in weight in rim brake wheels to disc brake wheels is on a bike that with a rider might weigh 200 or 250 lbs. The huge 26" or 29" diameter of a bicycle wheel and the light weight of the bike and the rider make spokes a better idea than an aluminum wheel, simply because of the amount of aluminum needed to make such a wheel, but there have been several attempts to make carbon wheels. The carbon fiber wheels were supposedly pretty fragile, although I can't say for sure because I'm not a roadie and have never ridden on them. On a car that weighs even just 2000 lbs, you need much stronger spokes, and you have way more lateral load on the rim as well from turning with 4 wheels on the ground instead of 2, not to mention the braking forces that the spokes have to endure in a car wheel. I'm sure someone could come up with an aluminum hub, aluminum rim, titanium spoked car wheel like you see on bikes, but the expense involved would make it too expensive to be worth the effort, especially when most people prefer the aluminum wheels already available. You don't have to service an aluminum, steel, or magnesium wheel either, so they're less costly in that regard. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jjohart Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 I'm still wondering why some of the world's most gorgeous cars use wire wheels, like the old Ferrari Daytonas etc? Was the rest of their suspension so kick-arse that it didn't matter about the wheels anyway?!!? John-My Z is a poor man's E type! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dot Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Hey John: I agree with jmortensen. The wires you refer too are probably Boranni (sp) wire wheels. They have a magnesium hub an rim. Very light but they usually look like crap a day after you polish them. Expect to pay large for them. Jag knock offs have problems as well. On the rear wheels, the splines wear and they begin to click every time you accelerate and brake. This motion causes the spinner to back off with predictable results. Then there is the matter of tuning these wheels after they have been torqued too many times by a high horse power motor and start to warble. The wire wheels on my Z weigh 15 lbs more (each) than my Cheviot 5 spokes. Like you, I had to have ‘em but at a cost of handling and performance. Cheers…:::Glenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jjohart Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 Hmm, sounds like the Ferraris might be a decent wheel. Anyone know a source for rebuilt, used and the like, and how in the name of Bologna could I ever make them fit on an 83 280ZXT? What size and offset (jeesh, this could be an Italian festival quiz contest!!) There are some really cheesy wire wheels that spin (no I don't mean spinners) on Ebay, that are 7 inch round. I know most of you with taste would never touch them, but I'm wondering....WHO DOES? I mean, I'd love to see a mpeg just to see what they look like in motion. I remember in the 80's, Pirelli was experimenting with a dual tire system for high performance cars...now how's that for matching SUV cool with hooker chic...I notice we don't see them around anyway!! More seriously, if there's a better backed, better built wire wheel, I'll buy it (less than 2grand though!). Otherwise, I'm starting to look at BBS and others that have that forged metal wire look (basketweave?!). Does anyone know what size of tire wheel combination I could use in that to get staggered 18" set up...would it even work, and would my kidneys need to be parked at the side of the road?!!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dot Posted November 16, 2003 Share Posted November 16, 2003 This is a Dayton 18X8. They go up to 20" Try browsing through Dayton’s catalogue. The prices are not all that bad. http://www.heartbeat-detector-avian.com/Dayton_Wire/cheap.shtml Cheers…:::Glenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jjohart Posted November 16, 2003 Share Posted November 16, 2003 No, Daytons to fit a Z have to be custom made, from $450 each. I would hope the Italian Borannis might be lighter on the car, if not the wallet, as the Daytons will be heavy, heavy wheels! Thanks though John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted November 16, 2003 Share Posted November 16, 2003 Funny to see this string. Today at the gas station, while filling up, I noticed the car next to me had these wheels (Dayton) on it. As I was examining them, I thought to myself "SCARY!" The important thing in transfering torque from the axle to the rim is spokes that run off a tangent from the hub, paired in opposite directions, out to the rim. This places the spokes in a tension mode to support the torque. On the wheel above (Dayton), no such spoke configuration exists. Though there are many more spokes, the problem I see in this design is all the spokes exit the hub radially. Obviously, these wheels are tested for strength and durability, but the design scares me. I wonder how much distance there is between the inner and outer row of spokes that keeps the wheel from collapsing under high side loading. If you compare this design to the example of the Ferrari wheel, you'll see a larger hub size, to rim size ratio, as well as the tangentially oriented spokes (seen as a strong crossing of the spokes). IMHO, this wheel above was meant for beauty and not much else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted November 16, 2003 Share Posted November 16, 2003 The reason they do that is to withstand hydraulics. Better to have them located radially when you're bouncing the front end 4 feet off the ground. At least that's what I've heard... Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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