Carbon Fiber Rims

[u00mem9]

I'm interested in that sharp angle where the spoke meets the hub. CRPs do not like such stress risers.

Yes, very odd. It looks like a shape that was at the limit of a junior CAD trainee's modeling skills. One of the benefits of the material/ manufacturing method is freedom to make that shape / transition avoid stress concentrations. Even if you are convinced this effort will someday succeed, surely it is obvious now where they are on the learning curve... I'm pretty sure that's not what was understood at the beginning of this year.

Failure at spoke to center section is my expectation for test result.

 

[Diosol]

Hey!

I'm also in the making of carbon wheels for passenger cars. I'm mechanical and materials engineer and my co-founder is structural engineer in our two man startup. I've been passionately researching this subject since I first made my first carbon fiber wheel for Shell Eco-Marathon vehicle in 2010 in Tampere University of Technology. For two years now I've put a huge amount of time for making Formula SAE wheels and now I've switched to full sized vehicles. My goal is to next year test my wheels with two Finnish Time Attack cars, 1400 hp Audi R8 and 800 hp Lotus Exige to have the most demanding test environment possible. I've done a lot of material testing to verify simulations and manufacturability. Our specialty is to be more resistant to abuse than others for example in situations where you use sledgehammer to break wheel free from jammed hub.

I now have molds in the way for 8.5Jx19" ET35 specially for the Model S. My main priority is safety as this is very novel technology and there are still a lot of unknowns in ageing. We're now searching interested beta testers for next year and to have them upgraded to final versions that satisfies our goals that exceed NHTSA and TUV requirements. Send me a PM if you're interested.

Antti Jalomäki
Jalomaki Wheels / www.jalomaki.com

 

[Tech_Guy]

One more shot found this one on social media from SEMA

 

[lolachampcar]

That makes a lot more sense. The layers are continuous and there is a small radius at the spoke to flange face.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Just ship them already!!!!!

 

[Xenoilphobe]

These guys were at sema too. Hybrid aluminum alloy with carbon fiber barrel. Rated at 750 kilos static and 1900 kilos dynamic load.
Dymag | Performance Racing Wheels 20 X 9 fitment. Just like ordered with ESE

 

[shokunin]

I'm interested in that sharp angle where the spoke meets the hub. CRPs do not like such stress risers.

The design and poor lay up of the carbon fiber makes me question their background in advanced composite manufacturing and design. Just because they've done FEA on the current design means jack if you structurally can't lay carbon correctly.

 

[lolachampcar]

I'm not as worried as others seem to be about the ascetics of how the cloth lays out. I've seen many a carbon tub and it is not uncommon to see loading stress pulling the cloth one way or the other. A slight orientation issue with one of many layers will not have a great affect.

The above assumes the issues are cosmetic in nature and not an indication of poor quality control.

I've got a plane that was constructed using "Torrey" or a similarly named weave. It would be interesting to see if a wheel manufacturer would give this stuff a try as the autoclaved components (spar and the like) are second to none in appearance.

Now if McLaren would just get around to making wheels Their carbon tubs are a work of art.

 

[u00mem9]

Toray is a Japanese supplier of carbon composite materials. One of the largest. I think they had the contract to supply Boeing for the carbon fuselage

 

[lolachampcar]

The weave is a thing of beauty....

 

[u00mem9]

Lola- in an odd case of coincidence, I worked for one of the teams running Lola champ cars in the late 90's. Be glad you don't have a 97

 

[lolachampcar]

Had one.... Firestone refinished to Visteon. Never ran it.
I did run a Coyne 96 tub updated to 99 aero and suspension. It was sublime

 

[ShotgunF15E]

Hello There,

I am new to this thread...but I am now on my second Tesla S.
I currently Drive a P85D with ludicrous Upgrade !
I call it the Batmobile since I had everything blacked out.
I ,l ike many others on this thread, wanted to reduce unsprung weight for performance and range.
After looking at several options and a lot of research: I decided to go with Fondmetal Wheels ( The company used to build F1 wheels).

I Specifically chose to the FONDMETAL® - 9RR Titanium (19" x 8.5", 5x120.65 Bolt Pattern, 72.62mm Hub) that fits the Tesla S !
9R-ACE Titanium / Fondmetal

Fondmetal Website
Catalogs / Fondmetal S.p.A.

Here are the OEM Weights.

Weights:

19" Wheels: 13.74kg ~30lbs each (according to a Tesla engineer)
19" All Season Tires: 27lbs each (according to Tire Rack for Eagle RS-A2 245/45 19")

21" Wheels: 35lbs
21" Continental ExtremeContact DW Tires: 26lbs"


My P85D came with the 21" wheels so my weight savings are as follows:

OEM 21” Wheels: 35.0 lbs.
OEM Tires 21” 26.0 lbs. (21” Continental Extreme Contact DW Tires)
OEM Total Weight 61.0 lbs

My new Setup :

Fondmetal 9RR 19’ x 8.5 21.1 lbs
Pirelli P7 30.0 lbs
Total Weight 19" 51.1 lbs.



To sum up I saved 9.9 lbs per wheel + tires…. or a Total of : 39.6 lbs.


I soon plan to change tires and go with the :

GOODYEAR EAGLE TOURING

• 245/45R19
• TO Tesla, SoundComfort Tech
• Sidewall Style: Blackwall
• Serv. Desc: 98W Tire Weight 25lb

And save an additional 5lbs. per wheel... or additional 20 lbs on the car.


To recap From Stock 21" wheels.. I changed to 19" FondMetal 9RR... and with the new tires I will save

59.6 lbs of Unsprung Weight on the Model S.


I almost went with the Carbon wheels but because of the unfortunate problems in production that I have read on this ( Terrific) forum, I went with 19" 9RR Fondmetal Wheels and Pirelly P7 tires (Comfort)...a less expensive option.
I am very happy with my choice... And the car drives much better in all aspects of acceleration, braking, and range.

I hope some of you choose this setup.
Please let me know your thoughts.

Best,
U00mem9

Thanks for the info, but what does "much better...acceleration" mean? Take it to the track and give us a before and after 1/4 mile time; or some descent 0-60 comparisons.

 

[FlatSix911]

Has anyone seen these wheels in action? I may have to visit the Santa Clara location ...
Tesla Model S Koncept Carbon Fiber Wheels - Super 52 19" | eBay
Tesla Model S Koncept Carbon Fiber Wheels - Super 52 20" | eBay

KonceptCars.com | Custom Car & Parts Koncept CF Super 52
Santa Clara, California // 408.839.2003 WHEELS | BRAKES | SUSPENSION | CARBON FIBER

This listing is for a set of new Koncept CF Super 52 20" wheels for the Tesla Model S

• 20" x 9" Front ET 32 and 20" x 10" Rear ET 35
  
• Front Tire Size: 245/40R20, Rear Tires Size: 285/35R20
  
• These are 2-piece wheels with a 100% carbon fiber barrel and aluminum forged center.
  
• Please allow 3 to 4 weeks for build and delivery time.

Available in 19” - 20"

• 20" x 10" Koncept Carbon Fiber Wheels = 18.75 lbs
• 20" x 10" Forged Alloy Wheels = 23 lbs
• 20" x 10" Cast Alloy Wheels = 28 lbs
• Finishes: We offer 5 in-house standard finishes as well as unlimited custom options

 

[azdryheat]

What do Tesla 19 inch wheels weigh?

 

[Xenoilphobe]

What do Tesla 19 inch wheels weigh?

33 lbs, before, TPMS, Center Cap and Tires. The 21's are 35 lbs before TPMS, CC and Tires.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

$7500 for the Koncept Super 52's

 

[lolachampcar]

As a simple rule of thumb, going with something like the Nurburgings on my car buys you 10lbs per corner weight reduction while the ESE solution, when/if delivered, would get you to a 20 lb per corner reduction. These are round numbers but clearly show why I'm rooting for ESE.

It is also important to note that most of that weight reduction is in the rim section which has a disproportionate reduction in rim moment of inertia (about the rotational axis). This improves acceleration and braking beyond the obvious straight line reduction in absolute weight.

 

[azdryheat]

As a simple rule of thumb, going with something like the Nurburgings on my car buys you 10lbs per corner weight reduction while the ESE solution, when/if delivered, would get you to a 20 lb per corner reduction. These are round numbers but clearly show why I'm rooting for ESE.

It is also important to note that most of that weight reduction is in the rim section which has a disproportionate reduction in rim moment of inertia (about the rotational axis). This improves acceleration and braking beyond the obvious straight line reduction in absolute weight.

All I know about ESE is from reading this forum.
They don't seem to give me any confidence that they are legitimate. From what I read, nobody has seen these wheels even after many false promises. So I have little hope for any wheels, let alone the claims on weight savings/distribution.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

They had their wheels on display at SEMA this year. I am waiting for them to get their product out. I am even more sold on them after spending the weekend at Summit Point Raceway - racing my MX-5 Track car for the first time - I spoke with several of the instructors who have been doing this for years and they said this would make a huge difference in braking ability, acceleration and general control. I met a couple guys who have worked with www.jalopnik.com in the past. They want to do some testing with them once I do get them and offered to do the photo/video shoot at summit point showing the impact. They are more excited about the wheels than I am!!!!