Carbon Fiber Rims

[Xenoilphobe]

Found and just ordered these black Porsche Ball Seat Open End lug nuts, 14X1.5

View attachment 112718
They're $2.99 each. Made of steel and a pretty low profile. Seem ideal for the ESE wheels.

I bought the same ones several weeks back! Mine are Plex-Alloy an came highly recommended of the Porsche racing forums.

 

[artsci]

I bought the same ones several weeks back! Mine are Plex-Alloy an came highly recommended of the Porsche racing forums.

Just heard from Victor at ESE -- the lug nuts for our wheels will be conical seating not ball. I think I'll hang on to ball ones just in case.

 

[artsci]

Here's a crude attempt to show what a red car would look like with the ESE wheels. As I said, crude Need to add caliper and rotor detail but my Photoshop skills are quite limited.

 

[EcoHeliGuy]

Just the right guy.
Normally we have to ship the EC135 blades back to Europe to be CT'd as there is really no good inter layer examination NDT available locally. I've got a sample rim coming from ESE and would like to look at the layup structure and cloth density at the spoke to rim intersection. Eco, are you aware of an industrial CD in the South East or other NDT technique that will yield the information I'm looking for? My only other option is to go to Atlanta and see if I can observe mold loading.

Sorry I live north of Trumptopia.

FYI: Also if you are shipping blades to Europe, are you aware of eurocopter Canada ( sorry can't use Airbus Helicopters new name) in Fort Erie Ontario? Just across the water from Buffalo New York. Their Blade guy is a god.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Here's a crude attempt to show what a red car would look like with the ESE wheels. As I said, crude Need to add caliper and rotor detail but my Photoshop skills are quite limited.

View attachment 112822

Did Victor call you? They decided to go with the ball R14 style after all. I spoke with him about ten minutes ago.

Here are some technical details for you engineering types:'Race Studs 101'
It is essential that you select the correct size nut or stud for your application. If you are unsure of what you need please consult an expert familiar with your application and the components you have on your car. The following are some of the dimensions and parameters that you need to understand about your specific application before you purchase wheel fasteners from ACS.

Type: Stud & Nut or Wheel Bolt.
Most racing and performance applications use studs and nuts. To facilitate faster & easier wheel changes at the track or autocross, many are switching from their OE wheel bolts to stronger, more convenient studs & nuts. If you plan to install wheel spacer, stronger wheel studs are an absolute must. Additionally some car clubs now require that you use steel nuts and steel studs if you are going to track your car.

Seat: Taper, Radius or Flat.
There are generally 3 types of seats found on OE, aftermarket and racing wheels. Tapered/Conical, Radius/Ball or Flat.
Tapered seats are common on afermarket wheels and US & Japanese cars. These seats are usually a 60* conical seat. This is the only angled type seat we currently manufacture.
Radiused or Ball seats are, as the name suggests, ground on a specific radius suitable only for wheels with that exact same radius seat. This type of seat is common on OE German wheels. Mercedes often use a 12mm radiused seat, VW/Audi use a 13mm seat and Porsche uses a 14mm radius seat.

Thread:
Wheel bolt or stud diameter and thread pitch are the most important factors to selecting the proper studs and nuts. A hub with an M12 x 1.5mm theaded hole with accept ONLY a stud with a 12mm diameter shaft and a 1.5mm thread pitch.

Understanding thread dimensional nomenclature:
Often you will see studs and nuts listed with a dimension such as M12x1.5
The "M12" means that the stud or bolt shaft outer diameter (O.D.) is 12mm
The "1.5" designates the thread pitch, which is the distance between threads.
This is vehicle specific and must be checked.

Length:
For ACS "Track-Studs", length is defined as the total length of the stud shaft which includes the total length of both threaded and blank areas on the shaft.
The length is usually the dimension that give people the most difficulty. This is because there are many factors which will factor into determining the optimum stud length for your application. Some of these factors include, wheel center design, use of wheel spacers, nut depth, wheel center thickness, etc.

Hex or "Wrench Head" :
The size of the wrench you will need to use to fasten the nut or bolt. We make and sell the most common 17, 19 and 21mm styles.

Misc.:
Note, please be aware of any other specifics such as open or closed ended nut, surface finish, alloy, installation socket, rounded "bullet nose" etc.

Remember:
The fitting of after market racing wheels can require a different style of nut or bolt in terms of seat, shaft length (due to the wheel being thicker/thinner where the bolt goes through) and sometimes a narrow head depending on the type of wheel. eg: Porsche/Audi/VW OE wheel use a spherical seat wheel, while common aftermarket wheels such as BBS often require a conical seat bolt or nut. Please make sure you are aware of your wheel's requirements beore placing an order.

The list to the right is a guide only, always check the specification of your application to confirm.

 

[artsci]

Did Victor call you? They decided to go with the ball R14 style after all. I spoke with him about ten minutes ago.

Yes he called me at about 5:30 last evening. The customer service from ESE is fantastic largely I think because of Victor's interest in meeting our needs.

 

[bhzmark]

Here's a crude attempt to show what a red car would look like with the ESE wheels. As I said, crude Need to add caliper and rotor detail but my Photoshop skills are quite limited.

View attachment 112822

Thanks. Very helpful. Looks good except sidewall seems super low aspect ratio. Looks like rubber bands to me, but i guess that is a matter of taste.. Is that a 20 or 21 based sidewall width?

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Victor is awesome! I like your photoshop! I'm headed up to Tysons today looks like they got five fully loaded P90D's in. Might have a new car to put these bad boys on!

 

[artsci]

Thanks. Very helpful. Looks good except sidewall seems super low aspect ratio. Looks like rubber bands to me, but i guess that is a matter of taste.. Is that a 20 or 21 based sidewall width?

That's a result of pasting a photo of the ESE Wheels on top of my 20". The sidewalls look much narrower. Just an artifact

 

[artsci]

Found a place 4 miles from my home with this equipment. The convenience couldn't be better.

This is the place. The have both the HUNTER Revolution touchless mounting system and the Hunter Road Force balancing system. They charge $45 a tire for both touchless mounting and road force balancing.

If you call to arrange a tire change or wheel balance ask for Tim.

Brooks-Huff Tire Co
909 York Rd
TOWSON MD, 21204
(410)-823-4000

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Nice. I did a test with the guys here in Virginia - I had them do the Hunter Road Force balance on my existing rims. They did a great job and I noticed an immediate improvement in ride quality. Now just waiting for the rims! Got the TPMS's from the Telsa SC in Tysons, have the lug nuts, and have the Michelin PSS's on order with Costco - they had the best price and you can't beat their road hazard warranty.

Also spoke to Victor - 4 Tesla owners have ordered the wheels and one guy with a model X is about to order as well.... so while we are early adopters -- there are some other folks we have been lurking and learning!

 

[lolachampcar]

We are a month on from the original evaluation sample rim delivery date and I've yet to receive a rim. I am hopeful this is not an indicator of production delivery promptness, especially given that I had the pleasure of paying for the rims three full months before delivery (which, when you think about it, is a bit odd - I'm trying not to think about it).

 

[artsci]

We are a month on from the original evaluation sample rim delivery date and I've yet to receive a rim. I am hopeful this is not an indicator of production delivery promptness, especially given that I had the pleasure of paying for the rims three full months before delivery (which, when you think about it, is a bit odd - I'm trying not to think about it).

Same here. When I placed my order I was surprised to see that I was charged for the full amount, not 50 percent as the web site indicated. But I let it ride largely because of the strong support from Victor.

- - - Updated - - -

Nice. I did a test with the guys here in Virginia - I had them do the Hunter Road Force balance on my existing rims. They did a great job and I noticed an immediate improvement in ride quality. Now just waiting for the rims! Got the TPMS's from the Telsa SC in Tysons, have the lug nuts, and have the Michelin PSS's on order with Costco - they had the best price and you can't beat their road hazard warranty.

Also spoke to Victor - 4 Tesla owners have ordered the wheels and one guy with a model X is about to order as well.... so while we are early adopters -- there are some other folks we have been lurking and learning!

Great idea to have the Road Force balance done on your current rims. I'm going to follow your lead and have Brooks-Huff do the balance on my current 20" wheels. I'm getting some minor vibration now and I'm curious to see if a road force balance eliminates it.

 

[artsci]

According to Victor ESE won't have carbon fiber center caps for their wheels until mid-summer. Being the obsessive person I am, I made my own last week. Here are a few photos. The Tesla T is 3D printed. They are not perfectly round but that will be fixed.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

I'm disappointed - no LED lights in the middle - driven by a micro-kinetic generator? :biggrin:

http://www.kinetron.eu/micro-generator-technology/

According to Victor ESE won't have carbon fiber center caps for their wheels until mid-summer. Being the obsessive person I am, I made my own last week. Here are a few photos. The Tesla T is 3D printed. They are not perfectly round but that will be fixed.

View attachment 114628

View attachment 114629

 

[Brightonuk]

A little of topic but they were Carbon Fiber Rims

Hope these work out better than my experience with a first generation all carbon fiber rim

Ya gotta be Mad to buy Mad Fiber | Bicycling Magazine Forums

 

[artsci]

I'm disappointed - no LED lights in the middle - driven by a micro-kinetic generator? :biggrin:

http://www.kinetron.eu/micro-generator-technology/

Don't give me any ideas

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Here is a cool article about some competition technology to Carbon Fiber rims - Magnesium Forged.... interesting Carbon Fiber Comes to Performance Wheels : Automotive Design & Production

 

[artsci]

Here is a cool article about some competition technology to Carbon Fiber rims - Magnesium Forged.... interesting Carbon Fiber Comes to Performance Wheels : Automotive Design & Production

Good find! Interesting that the magnesium forged wheels cost slightly more than the ESE carbon fiber wheels and weigh more.

 

[lolachampcar]

The RTM process has the potential to provide a very good value in a carbon wheel while still providing the manufacturer with good margins. Picking a percentage out of thin air, a 1/3 to 2/3rds resin to carbon ratio would indicate they are putting 8 lbs of carbon and 4 lbs if resin into each rim. Each is a little less given the metal hub portion. They have said the mold cycle time is 30 minutes which would bode well for labor costs.

The keys for me are (1) is the product well designed and engineered and (2) does the company do what they say they will do. I'm still hopeful.