Dane Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Do you think it would be possible to lighten a stock wheel without sacrificing too much strength? The mod I had in mind would be to drill holes and then use a dimple die to flute the holes to maintain strength. Own of my concerns is that I've seen this technique used on flat pieces of sheet metal...but not on curved pieces. Maybe if the holes were kept small to minimize curvature you could still get a decent flare in the surface. The oval holes in the stock wheels aren't fluted at all and they're obviously strong enough...its just that since more material is being removed than the design originally intended...it would be good to do whatever was possible to maintain strength. This is obviously a very "budget conscious" idea...and simply buying lighter wheels would be the standard way to go. I just figured that maybe this wouldn't get tossed in the trash with all the other "bad decisions made because of budget constraints". Hence...I'm asking for opinions first. Maybe I could take two identical wheels...perform the mod to one of them...and then have the wheels "crush tested" somewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devil-Z Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Do you think it would be possible to lighten a stock wheel without sacrificing too much strength? The mod I had in mind would be to drill holes and then use a dimple die to flute the holes to maintain strength. Own of my concerns is that I've seen this technique used on flat pieces of sheet metal...but not on curved pieces. Maybe if the holes were kept small to minimize curvature you could still get a decent flare in the surface. The oval holes in the stock wheels aren't fluted at all and they're obviously strong enough...its just that since more material is being removed than the design originally intended...it would be good to do whatever was possible to maintain strength. This is obviously a very "budget conscious" idea...and simply buying lighter wheels would be the standard way to go. I just figured that maybe this wouldn't get tossed in the trash with all the other "bad decisions made because of budget constraints". Hence...I'm asking for opinions first. Maybe I could take two identical wheels...perform the mod to one of them...and then have the wheels "crush tested" somewhere? Which wheels are you talking about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted January 30, 2008 Author Share Posted January 30, 2008 I'm talking about the stock steel rims on a '71 240Z. I'm not sure if these changed between Z's of different years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsun40146 Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Cool idea, but we need to know what wheels you want to use. The 71 240z had many different wheels and we don't know if your still has the same wheels that were with the car when it was new. We need you to describe your wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted January 30, 2008 Author Share Posted January 30, 2008 Cool idea, but we need to know what wheels you want to use. The 71 240z had many different wheels and we don't know if your still has the same wheels that were with the car when it was new. We need you to describe your wheels. Ok...I understand...I'll try to get some pictures as soon as I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted January 30, 2008 Author Share Posted January 30, 2008 This is the inertially challenged (not to mention aesthetically challenged) abomination I have been referring to: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbesheer Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 I don't know anything about your question but I would imagine that it might cost roughly 100 dollars to do what your thinking right ? in which case it might be your best bet not to get "new" wheels but just some z car alloy rims. I got a set of four 15" swats for $100 bucks at a junk yard might be worth your time, they weighs 14lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted January 30, 2008 Author Share Posted January 30, 2008 Here are some ideas I came up with just playing with it with paint: Sorry it came out small...I'll try to fix that...but you get the idea. The black areas are the stock holes that would be enlarged (most likely with a grinder), the red areas are holes that would be drilled and then flared with the dimple die, and the blue areas are holes on little flat spots between the lugnut holes. One of my concerns is that the blue and red holes don't line up consistently (9 red vs 4 blue), so there might be some thin spots between them. It might be good to eliminate the blue holes all together...especially since they don't contribute to the inertia much with their short radius. As far as wheel balance is concerned...I could take careful measurements and scribe out the boundary marks where I can't grind any further. Then I could take the static balance by placing several scales under the tires along the edge and grinding to adjust the balast until I get consistent readings between the scales for all rotational positions (scale set-up consistency would be key). Then...if any tire shop will be willing to touch this monstrosity due to liability concerns...I could have them dynamically balance it. I could also paint it...you know...put a little lipstick on that pig after the liposuction treatment. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted January 30, 2008 Author Share Posted January 30, 2008 Yeah...it might cost me more than $100. I still need to buy the dimple dies, the scales for static balancing, and possibly the labor charges for dynamic balancing. I've been looking around for used alloy wheels (mostly on the net)...cheapest I've seen that I liked where in the high 200's/low 300's. Definitely not a bad price. It seems like a lot of the wheels out there don't offer that great of a weight reduction over my current wheels though (35 lb wheel and tire combo stock). If I were to simply lighten my current set-up...I would without a doubt reduce inertia since I would be just removing material...as opposed to a completely different wheel with a completely different weight distribution from center to rim...which might reduce inertia but might not depending on total weight and weight distriubution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsun40146 Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 I didn't know you were messing with steel wheels that changes everything. What do those wheels weight right now? Reguardless I would replace those with a set of alumnium z car wheels. There are some of the stock wheels that are quite light. You will be much more ahead in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 whats the point. if you were to take off some material to keep them original, but have a performance improvement to them, sure... but if you're just cutting them up to save weight and change their look........ then go for a nice forged wheel. LOL. CNC'ng that out will cost quite a bit, especially for 4 wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devil-Z Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Man I would'nt bother with the stock steel wheels. Get a set of the 14" 6 spoke ZX wheels. They're light and cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbesheer Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Honestly don't buy your wheels from someone go to the junkyard. The wheels are going to be ~$20.00 each and if you get the 280ZX 6 spokes they weigh 13lbs. and the yard is most likely going to charge for the tires on them too so what I do is I destroy the tires and then i got them for free (The tires). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLave Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Personally I would go for a set of diamond racing wheels. The loads put on a wheel, especially with sticky tires are huge and call me a sissy but I would be a bit scared to drive on swiss cheesed stockers. No facts to back that up just my gut feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 +1 On the junkyard wheels. I see the S130 rims all the time at the yards. Very light rims, and you won't beat the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 If this is purely being done to get a light wheel within a tight budget, then I think the 6 spoke ZX wheel is the best answer. They are extremely light and if you don't buy a set that someone has polished to a mirror, they can be had VERY cheap. I've seen a set of 4 sell for $50. Diamond Racing Wheels sells a 14x7 which weighs 17 lbs for $61 per wheel, just for comparison's sake. It's a cheap wheel, but not nearly as cheap as a set of 6 spoke ZX wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 Thanks for the replies guys. The more I thought about...the more I realized how time consuming it would be to do this kind of thing anyways...not to mention the potential problems with wheel balance. I think I'll just look around for something cheap and light...those 6 spoke ZX wheels sound nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clindayag1 Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Here are some ideas I came up with just playing with it with paint: Sorry it came out small...I'll try to fix that...but you get the idea. The black areas are the stock holes that would be enlarged (most likely with a grinder), the red areas are holes that would be drilled and then flared with the dimple die, and the blue areas are holes on little flat spots between the lugnut holes. One of my concerns is that the blue and red holes don't line up consistently (9 red vs 4 blue), so there might be some thin spots between them. It might be good to eliminate the blue holes all together...especially since they don't contribute to the inertia much with their short radius. As far as wheel balance is concerned...I could take careful measurements and scribe out the boundary marks where I can't grind any further. Then I could take the static balance by placing several scales under the tires along the edge and grinding to adjust the balast until I get consistent readings between the scales for all rotational positions (scale set-up consistency would be key). Then...if any tire shop will be willing to touch this monstrosity due to liability concerns...I could have them dynamically balance it. I could also paint it...you know...put a little lipstick on that pig after the liposuction treatment. Any thoughts? that looks alot like these too bad they were already sold here: http://www.classiczcars.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=2493&cat=4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armand Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 FYI that isn't an option of wheels from the factory. That is the original spare wheel that came with the '71 240z's. I have that original spare in my 71 and I know what you are talking about. They are HEAVY. Go with the swastikas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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