Autoblog

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]

Where 20-inch rims seemed gigantic just a couple of years ago, the massive surge in 22s, 24s, 26s and the like mean 30s are becoming commonplace. No self-respecting donk would be caught rollin' on anything less than 30s these days, and last week at SEMA we even saw 32s, 34s and a pair of 42s (!) floating around the show floor, as well. We also spotted a few creative solutions to dealing with these new monster rims, like cutting out a car's fenderwells completely and a whole new tire mounting apparatus to handle these behemoths. You've already seen a couple of these megarims in some of our previous SEMA posts, but below is a gallery of some of the most egregious examples we could find. And lest you think size is all that matters, we've also included some colorful and fanciful offerings, as well as random shots of collections, sport rims, retro rollers and even a couple of monster truck tires we spotted that might portend the zenith of the tall tire trend. Enjoy.

That's an 11-inch lip on these wheels! These rims from Royalty Luxury Alloys are called the Masterpiece and according to the signage, they feature the world's first 11-inch lip. The look is a bit deceiving, because the spokes are set in the middle, but bow far back into the rim to create the world's only 11-inch lip. Custom rims are all about getting noticed, so if deep lips are your thing, it looks like you'll now have to crank it up to 11 to stand out from the crowd.

Click for a mini gallery of some of this year's clear rims

Last year "clear" was very in at SEMA: Clear wheels, clear hoods, clear heels, even clear engine blocks. This year a few wheel companies are keeping the trend alive with more on the clear front. While there was a set of massive 30-something-inchers on a particularly clean Riviera, we also saw some slightly more tame sizes on display as well. The big ones on the Riv were from Rimshot, but Dub had some out there, too, on a nearby Benz. The Dubs didn't capitalize on the all-clear concept quite as well, but they seem a bit more realistic in some odd way. Still kind of ridiculous for anything other than display, they at least LOOKED somewhat usable.

Click for a couple of larger images of this fun roulette wheel from Las Vegas

This one is pure Vegas. A roulette wheel seems so obvious we wonder why nobody has tried it before now. In fact we don't know whether or not someone else HAS offered one before, but it was the first time we had seen it and we loved it, right down to its Louis Vuitton leather center. We were a little disappointed that this Lenso designed rim wasn't shown in 30-plus inch glory, but even at its modest measurements it was a winner worthy of a spot in our SEMA highlight reel. For goodness sakes, the company logo was even done up in rhinestones!

Who says size doesn't matter? We've all had it happen to us. You roll up to an event in your pimped out ride, DUBBED to the fender wells, with every eye on you. You step out and notice to your chagrin, that your admirers are squinting rather than smiling. Your massive wheels are obviously attracting a lot of attention, but the crowd is stumped. They can tell you've supersized your rims, but they can't tell exactly HOW big they are. They all wanna know what you're packing. Are they 20s? 22s? Bigger? Let's not keep them guessing. Why not advertise your investment? Sure it's stamped on the sidewall, but why not announce your measurements in style? Enter Rimblem.

Created by Christopher Harrell, the Rimblem is a tasteful badge you can affix to your fender to let everybody know at a glance what size rims you're running. Starting at $75.00 a pair, the stylish Rimblems come in your choice of chrome, gold, or black pearl finish. Rimblem Inc. is based in Weston, Florida, and offers the Rimblems for wheel sizes 19", 20", 22", 24", 26", and 28". We're fairly certain they'll add larger sizes as they hit the market. Maybe even a 34 for those massive Lexanis we saw at SEMA. While we can appreciate a filled wheel opening as much as the next guy, this trend towards bigger and bigger rims is getting out of hand. Definitely a matter of form over function, we can see the day when the Rimblems will read "stupid big," "satellite dish," and "F@#! unsprung weight."

[Source: Rimblem via Winding Road]

Every year at SEMA I look for the largest wheel I can find, and every year the diameters get a little larger. This year I found a 34-inch Lexani rim in the Asanti booth. It's so big that any vehicle shod with a set will be resigned to forever travelling in a straight line.



These giant wheels are so impractical that we've often wondered what people do when they pop one of their pretty low-profile tires. Thanks to Asani, now we know. Unfortunately, the tailgate-mounted spare probably exceeds the H2's maximum payload, which means throwing some groceries in the back might bend the frame.

Follow the jump for some more shots of Asanti's booth.

Obscene, you have a new ride: the HUMMER GT. German tuning house GeigerCars.de GmbH has managed to take the most outlandish and vulgar vehicle on the market and make it even more so with a host of visual and performance enhancements that altogether manage to scream "look at me" louder than a sorority girl at Mardis Gras.

First the good stuff: GeigerCars has upgraded the 6.0L V8 with a supercharger, added a new ECU and piped in a new stainless steel exhaust system, bringing the magic numbers up to 556 horsepower and 564 lb-ft of torque.

GeigerCars also upgraded the suspension, dropping the ride height by 100 millimeters and adding new anti-roll bars. The most obvious addition, though, are the rims. Forget about dinner plates, this sick puppy rides on freakin' flying saucers: giant chrome 30-inch rims, 10 inches wide at all four corners. The mammoth wheels are shod with 315/30R 30 Pirelli Scorpion Zero tires. The wheel and tire package alone costs €28,000, but GeigerCars also offers packages with 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28-inch rims. (Remember when 18 inches were considered big?) Bringing all that heft to a stop, GeigerCars have outfitted the HUMMER GT with a €10,000 brake system with 15-inch cross-drilled discs with 8-pot calipers up front.

Inside the cabin, GeigerCars outfitted the truck with faux carbon trim and a full multimedia sytem with sat-nav, DVD player and television receiver showing on twin LCDs. Finally, outside, the HUMMER GT was painted in the baby blue and orange livery of the classic Porsche 917 of McQueen LeMans fame, complete with Gulf logos above the rear fender. The party piece, though (as if the blingtastic sport-ute needed more), are the front doors that can be opened normally or upwards, scissor-style.

With all the do-dads and bolt-ons listed here, the HUMMER GT sells for a jaw-dropping €133,900, and will propel itself to sixty in 7.9 second flat. This HUMMER really is "like nothing else", and if all that flash won't get you noticed, nothing will.

(More images after the jump.)

[Source: Babez.de]

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]