Filed under: Aftermarket, Sports/GTs, Supercars
Carbon fiber wheels coming to a tuner near you
The next logical progression in removing unsprung weight will finally be made available to U.S. enthusiasts. Rennworx Ltd., a company that imports a variety of top dollar rims and parts, has agreed to bring Dymag's full lineup of custom carbon fiber rollers. Their products have found their way into the wheel arches of some top dollar machines, including Ascari, Mosler and Koenigsegg.
Beyond the subdued bling factor, the new wheels provide a number of dynamic benefits, including improved acceleration, braking and steering feel, the ability to allow softer dampening settings and the capability of dissipating heat more efficiently than conventional forged or cast rims.
Cost? This is one of those instances that if you have to ask, well, you know the rest.
Click through for more pictures, including a nicely modded 4th generation Eclipse equipped with said wheels, and the full press release.
[Source: PR Newswire]
PRESS RELEASE
LOS ANGELES, July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- It was only a matter of time until race bred innovations brought the latest in Carbon Fiber technology to the street. That time has arrived. RENNWORX LTD. INC., the source for exclusive brands as WORK WHEELS, MANTHEY and other high performance brands is now the first and exclusive US distributor for the world's lightest STREET/RACE CARBON FIBER/MAGNESIUM wheels! Developed by DYMAG in the UK, and fit to the world's most exotic Super cars including, the Koenigsegg CCX, Ascari and Mosler, these wheels are the lightest, most sophisticated automotive wheels currently available. Each DYMAG wheel is made up of a carbon fiber barrel and forged magnesium center disc. Center disc and barrel are attached by specially coated titanium hardware.
Each carbon fiber rim is fabricated using a solid metal mold which ensures they are consistently made to a very close tolerance of accuracy straight from the tooling. This also gives a very high quality, durable finish which is resistant to brake dust, salt, ultra violet and the usual forms of corrosion. Carbon fiber in this form is not only very strong, but is also quite resistant to shock. It will not shatter as evidenced by its use in the construction of formula one chassis and aircraft wings.
The low weight but high stiffness of carbon fiber rims produces a very light weight rim to the wheel ratio, significantly reducing the moment of inertia and drastically reducing the amount of power required to turn the wheel. Consider that a standard Porsche 18" wheel weighs about 30.86lbs, the DYMAG CARBON FIBER/MAGNESIUM equivalent weighs around 13.23lbs for a total weight savings of approximately 70.55lbs per package!
The effect of carbon/magnesium wheels when fitted to the car is to reduce the gyroscope effect of the wheel and ultimately producing the following effects:
1. Improved acceleration
2. Improved braking, reduced stopping distance
3. Lighter, sharper steering
4. Allows for softer damper settings giving more tire contact & therefore
better grip.
5. Tire temperatures are more stable
6. Improved wheel & tire balancing
And let's not overlook the visual impact which is nothing short of stunning! Center discs can be color coded to match or contrast the vehicle's color.
In addition to fitments for Ferrari, Porsche Carrera GT and other high end vehicles, Rennworx will custom build the new CARBON FIBER/MAGNESIUM wheels in 18", 19" and 20" sizes to fit virtually any make and model.
For complete details, visit www.rennworx.com or call direct at 310-200-3881
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
JSFORBES 8:08PM (7/28/2006)
Why pay all that money for CF wheels and then stick it on a mitsubishi?
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Finished.Law.School 8:24PM (7/28/2006)
Too bad the engine in that Mitsu sucks...unless they dropped something better in it.
Mitsu has really dropped the ball with car designs and features lately...
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Tito Lux 8:30PM (7/28/2006)
To: JSFORBES
What's the point of all the hip hoppity wanna be's out there putting 24" Spinners on a Mustang GT? At least these CF are applicable and useful for the purpose of this tuned car? How do heavy, gawdy chrome monstrosities add to the sportiness of a GT? Just a thought.
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Typesbad 8:42PM (7/28/2006)
Out here in southern California I think I've long sensed stopped being stunned at the disproportional ratio of costly aftermarket items to the quality of the car they are added to. I'm sure I will be seing these things on Scion xB's in no time.
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Jaymez 8:48PM (7/28/2006)
Damn you, Autoblog. Get your damn terminology right. They are CF WHEELS, NOT RIMS! I *hate* when people call them rims. It's almost as bad as using the word Motor in place of Engine. Motors are electric, dammit.
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ocnj179 9:12PM (7/28/2006)
To #3:
Seriously have you ever seen 24" rims on a Mustang GT?
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Cameron Ing 9:30PM (7/28/2006)
How long will it be until someone works out how to satisfy the pathetic DUB brigade by chroming these wheels?
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James 9:39PM (7/28/2006)
i wonder how these would handle some of the DC,NY potholes...
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Lucas 9:44PM (7/28/2006)
to #1....
thats a photoshop of a car. its way too sharp to be an actual photo.
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Chris 9:49PM (7/28/2006)
"Damn you, Autoblog. Get your damn terminology right. They are CF WHEELS, NOT RIMS! I *hate* when people call them rims. It's almost as bad as using the word Motor in place of Engine. Motors are electric, dammit."
actually, to call them carbon fiber RIMS would be correct since only the RIM is of cf, not the entire wheel.
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Robert Brodrecht 10:08PM (7/28/2006)
I've been waiting for CF wheels. I've seen them on motorcycles. But I've been told no viable option was available for cars. I always wanted the lightest weight wheels (aluminum or magnesium) even thought I knew they could be lighter. If only these Rennworx wheels looked a little less like throwing stars... I'd love to grab a set of normal-looking CF wheels with a "5-star" design. Hell, I might even give in to their passe design. CF wheels = nice.
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Tito Lux 10:58PM (7/28/2006)
To: #6 (ocnj179)
Yes, I have seen 24" spinners on a Mustang GT. At least that's what the (pathetic) chrome sticker on the B pillar said. And, it's wasn't a new GT, either, it was a '95-ish. You have to understand that I live in Tennessee where Rednecks drunkenly roam and Confederate flag license plates are proudly displayed on Japanese-made cars. This is not the place to make sense when "tuning" a car.
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chris 11:05PM (7/28/2006)
Wonder it that's that Eclipse with the full Evo swap (motor AND drivetrain)....rumors, rumors...Supposedly a SEMA car...??
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Sam Jackson 11:08PM (7/28/2006)
Jaymez:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/motor
Open mouth, insert foot.
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naggs 11:12PM (7/28/2006)
its a real car, it the eclipse rally art. it has the engine and drivetrain from an evo
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That One Person 12:02AM (7/29/2006)
I wonder how those things would handle Michigan potholes...
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David 12:29AM (7/29/2006)
I for one am sick and tired of these people in here on their high horses talking about the hip hop crowd putting 24" rims on cheap cars. I bet you had never even seen 24" rims until this hip hop crowd popularized them but putting them on everything from a honda civic to an escalade. A site like autoblog would probably not even be aroud without the help of this hip hop crowd putting the modded cars in their videos and rapping about their whips. I suppose you only want to see these types of rims sorry "Wheels" on a Ferrari? How many people have you seen driving one of those lately except for in hip hop videos? Probably one or two. So for all you guys putting down the crowd who would put these wheels on an eclipse please remember how and why it is that you are seeing images like these in the first place. And it's not because Garth Brooks was showing off his car in the video for "Dixie Chicken".
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bgdc 3:11AM (7/29/2006)
David, I see dubs and higher daily in San Diego. In so cal 20s, 22s, 24s, etc are all common place. There's a tool down the street from me who owns an H2 (that alone makes him a moron) with chrome 24s.
Orange County is the birthplace of the ricer world. Yes, I said it. It's not hip hop. The hip hop wannabes co-opted what the spoiled asian kids of so cal created 15-20 years ago. They started tricking out worthless cars to make them look "fast" and "cool". suddenly a civic was dope if it sported dubs, a lime green paint job and a spoiler 2 feet high. The hip hop/professional ball player world caught on only about 6-7 years ago.
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Gordy 5:06AM (7/29/2006)
That's a Ralliart Eclipse it's has a 400 horsepower version of the evo engine built by Ralliart. And I believe they knocked a couple hundred pounds off of the bloated eclipse that it's based on. That should be what Mitsubishi is selling.
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Sarcastic Bastard 5:25AM (7/29/2006)
Yeah, everybody knows motorcycles only run on electricity. Hardly anyone drives an enginecycle these days.
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