Carbon Fiber Rims

[sillydriver]

20-PIECES M14x1.5mm TITANIUM LUG / WHEEL NUTS


Specifically designed and engineered to reduce rotating mass for race vehicles. Suits all vehicles with a 60deg. seat angle and M14x1.5mm threads.

These are not regular billet machined 6-point Ti nuts, but our own high-strength 100T forging of 6AL-4V Titanium with a 19mm 12-point head. Fully CNC machined after forging to ensure high accuracy threads and concentric seats.

Clearly, at only $169 per full set on Ebay, these are a MUST BUY accouterment for carbon wheels!

Also, the way the add says these are better than the usual "billet machined 6-point Ti nuts" implies that titanium lug nuts are not my friend's one-off crazy idea: they are a REAL THING!

Edit -- listening to the Carbon Revolution video, I think they said their wheels come with Ti nuts.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

You guys are killing me with the Carbon Fiber wheel porn! These have to be stronger than the stock lug nuts on that come with the Tesla. They don't stand up well to air tools. Might just be the 130 FT LBS of torque that is causing the wear.

 

[garwood]

Went on the titanium lug nut website out of curiosity and the fitment calculator said this product will not work with the Model S.

 

[snellenr]

How well would these rims handle road rash? Are minor scuffs repairable, and how much damage can they handle before delamination becomes an issue (if at all)?

 

[jerry33]

How well would these rims handle road rash? Are minor scuffs repairable, and how much damage can they handle before delamination becomes an issue (if at all)?

More importantly, what happens in a rally and the rotors start glowing red?

 

[EarlyAdopter]

More importantly, what happens in a rally and the rotors start glowing red?

No, seriously I'm sure they'll hold up fine. The best performing brake rotors are made from carbon fiber. CF gets stronger as it heats up. That video (which I find _hilarious_) shows what happens when your lug nuts aren't proper.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

More importantly, what happens in a rally and the rotors start glowing red?

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE RESISTANCE

The E1 is built with a unique thermal insulation not found in any other wheel. This insulating technology guards the interior of the rim and makes the E1 one of the most heat resistant wheel the high temperatures given off by your brakes won't be an issue.​

- - - Updated - - -

Not sure - I plan to PVD Black Chrome the wheels. Checking with the manufacturer to see if this an option to help protect the rims.

How well would these rims handle road rash? Are minor scuffs repairable, and how much damage can they handle before delamination becomes an issue (if at all)?

 

[jerry33]

No, seriously I'm sure they'll hold up fine. The best performing brake rotors are made from carbon fiber. CF gets stronger as it heats up.

Great! Thanks for the info.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

No, seriously I'm sure they'll hold up fine. The best performing brake rotors are made from carbon fiber. CF gets stronger as it heats up. That video (which I find _hilarious_) shows what happens when your lug nuts aren't proper.

Wow that looks like a couple thousand in damage (exhaust, rotors, and probably seared off a couple of studs. I actually had one wheel come off on my FJ Cruiser when the dealer forgot to torque down the front wheel. Lost three studs and damage the rim - fortunately I felt the front end vibrating and went off an exit ramp when it finally seared off (at 15 MPH). Watching a 33" rim with NITTO off road tires rolling into a ditch was not fun... just glad no one was hurt.

 

[FlatSix911]

You guys are killing me with the Carbon Fiber wheel porn! These have to be stronger than the stock lug nuts on that come with the Tesla.
They don't stand up well to air tools. Might just be the 130 FT LBS of torque that is causing the wear.

Went on the titanium lug nut website out of curiosity and the fitment calculator said this product will not work with the Model S.

The referenced Ti lug nuts fit perfectly on the Model S

 

[linkster]

Should have these by January based on email today.

Please shoot me a pm if you're ever headed down to Glen Allen as I would like to see these featherweights in person. Thanks.

 

[bxr140]

It will put your suspension components at risk of a hard hit from a pot hole. Metal wheels act as a circuit breaker for your suspension components - they are designed to crumple and absorb the energy of a bad hit before that energy is transferred to your suspension components..

In the interest of not perpetuating well thought out but completely incorrect supposition, no, wheels are not designed to 'protect' suspension components. That they crack/bend before suspension components is a function of the fact that they are the thing that makes direct contact with sharp edges on the road (like potholes).

If if there is any theoretical higher risk to other parts of the vehicle because of carbon composite wheels over cast aluminum, it is completely irrelevant in reality as that event would be so massive that it would destroy the other parts of the car either way.

Its analagous to the difference between getting shot point blank in the temple with a 9mm handgun vs a 50 cal rifle.

 

[Bulletproof]

I'd highly recommend looking into actual strength testing numbers whenever purchasing aftermarket wheels for a Tesla.

The Tesla has special load requirements as its a 2+ ton vehicle. Many manufacturers don't factor that into the equation.

The BBS wheels we use on our Teslas are rated withstand over 1 ton per wheel but that is well above and beyond the industry standard.

Please err on the side of caution when purchasing new technology carbon fiber wheels or aftermarket wheels in general.

There are many high quality strength tested options out there.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

I had the same concern until I saw the testing data. Most Aluminum wheels don't even get close to 3850 lbs per axle like the carbon wheels. Even the highest rated TUV are only rated to 2200 lbs per axle. 3850 lbs per axle is equivalent to a fully loaded BMW X5 which weights between 4700 - 5200 lbs depending on config - just like the Tesla. The ESE Carbon Wheels have a theoretical load carrying capacity of over 15,000 lbs - that's 3 Teslas stacked!

Ultra-light weight carbon fiber wheel weighs only 5.2 kg The ESE Carbon Company produces ultra-light weight carbon fiber wheels for the automotive aftermarket, which weigh in at less than 5.2 kg (11.5 lbs) and are rated for a maximum axle load of 1,746 kg (3,850 lbs). With an unmatched strength and stiffness to weight ratio, these carbon fiber composite wheels are structurally optimized for the required loading while minimizing weight. Reducing the weight of vehicle wheels yields better handling, a quieter and smoother ride, faster acceleration, quicker deceleration, and improved fuel efficiency. Best part is they are bulletproof!

 

[wiztecy]

The referenced Ti lug nuts fit perfectly on the Model S

I hope you guys did your research on the Ti nuts / Lugs before moving forward. Titanium does not like other metals, let alone titanium. It binds and eventually will lock/seize on the threads. So then people throw anti-seize on them to prevent that. Well now you're over-torquing your lugs and risk snapping them off.

I've done this research and running ti lugs on my Roadster. I found aviation anti-seize that's specifically developed to preserve the original torque settings. However there's lots of room for mistakes and to over-torque. Too much of the anti-seize and it acts a a lubricant. It took me about 3 times (mount/dismount) to finally find the right amount to put on. Also you REALLY need to have a digital or good torque wrench so your torque settings are right on the money. I do all my maintenance and pull my wheels off when I have the need for a tire swap so I'm the only one who has their hands on my car.

Honestly, this area is not for the novice user even an experienced one. It can be quite dangerous if done wrong. And you can't just take your car into a shop to have them swap out your tires, they'll for sure over-torque things and not be delicate nor pay attention to the details the way they need to be.

Just putting that out there so people know what they're really getting into.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

I didn't know that! I might have to PM you. I need to know more about the aviation grade anti-seize. What torque wrench did you go with?

 

[ERP]

Wiztecy - I've had the opposite experience with titanium wheel studs/nuts on my Elise. I have been using them for 3-4 years now, they have been very easy to work with and there has been no sticking issues, and I do not use anti-seize. But to be clear, I am using titanium studs and nuts, so the thread material being torqued together is the same. Occasionally I will remove a titanium stud from the steel hub to inspect it. They have never been difficult to remove, but require significantly less torque than the nuts. I typically torque the nuts to 60-70 ft-lbs and swap between street and track wheels every month or two. They have not had any sticking, binding or galling issues. They've worked great for me.

 

[DoctorJJ]

I hope you guys did your research on the Ti nuts / Lugs before moving forward. Titanium does not like other metals, let alone titanium. It binds and eventually will lock/seize on the threads. So then people throw anti-seize on them to prevent that. Well now you're over-torquing your lugs and risk snapping them off.

I've done this research and running ti lugs on my Roadster. I found aviation anti-seize that's specifically developed to preserve the original torque settings. However there's lots of room for mistakes and to over-torque. Too much of the anti-seize and it acts a a lubricant. It took me about 3 times (mount/dismount) to finally find the right amount to put on. Also you REALLY need to have a digital or good torque wrench so your torque settings are right on the money. I do all my maintenance and pull my wheels off when I have the need for a tire swap so I'm the only one who has their hands on my car.

Honestly, this area is not for the novice user even an experienced one. It can be quite dangerous if done wrong. And you can't just take your car into a shop to have them swap out your tires, they'll for sure over-torque things and not be delicate nor pay attention to the details the way they need to be.

Just putting that out there so people know what they're really getting into.

I seriously doubt that Tesla specs the lug nuts to be torqued dry. Certainly the coefficient of friction of anti-seize may be different that a typical moly lube, and it typically will result in greater bolt strain for a given torque when used. Trying to use a certain amount to get enough anti-sieze affect without having too much to over torque is, basically, impossible. Simply reduce the torque by approx 25% and go with it. If someone can verify that the original torque specs of our lug nuts is supposed to be dry, then you would need to reduce then torque spec by 40% when using anti-seize.

 

[artsci]

I had the same concern until I saw the testing data. Most Aluminum wheels don't even get close to 3850 lbs per axle like the carbon wheels. Even the highest rated TUV are only rated to 2200 lbs per axle. 3850 lbs per axle is equivalent to a fully loaded BMW X5 which weights between 4700 - 5200 lbs depending on config - just like the Tesla. The ESE Carbon Wheels have a theoretical load carrying capacity of over 15,000 lbs - that's 3 Teslas stacked!

Ultra-light weight carbon fiber wheel weighs only 5.2 kg The ESE Carbon Company produces ultra-light weight carbon fiber wheels for the automotive aftermarket, which weigh in at less than 5.2 kg (11.5 lbs) and are rated for a maximum axle load of 1,746 kg (3,850 lbs). With an unmatched strength and stiffness to weight ratio, these carbon fiber composite wheels are structurally optimized for the required loading while minimizing weight. Reducing the weight of vehicle wheels yields better handling, a quieter and smoother ride, faster acceleration, quicker deceleration, and improved fuel efficiency. Best part is they are bulletproof!

So better than aluminum in nearly every respect!

 

[sillydriver]

For those who are really going to go for carbon wheels, what set-up do you plan to get? My P85D was delivered non-staggered, but I suppose I would want staggered Michelin PSS 245/40-20 front, 275/35-20 rear; however I'm not sure what wheel widths and offsets, etc., are correct. Also, are ESE wheels the consensus favorite? (I assume because of lower cost)