Carbon Fiber Rims

[Xenoilphobe]

ESE Carbon Customers having Carbon Fiber Wheel Patience

ESE Carbon Fiber engineering team on lunch break... WTF they growing the carbon or smoking it? Communication please...

 

[lolachampcar]

Super promising info from ESE.........
maybe a but cautious

 

[artsci]

Emailed Victor today to find out how the second SAE test went. No response yet, but will report back when he replies.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

 

[artsci]

No response from Victor to my email about whether they have passed the second SAE test. So I assume the test hasn't been completed or they failed. If the latter, these guys will have to go back to the drawing board or go out of business.

 

[GatorGuy]

No response from Victor to my email about whether they have passed the second SAE test. So I assume the test hasn't been completed or they failed. If the latter, these guys will have to go back to the drawing board or go out of business.

I read this entire thread. This was not the ending I was hoping for.

I really want 12 lb CF rims.

 

[artsci]

I read this entire thread. This was not the ending I was hoping for.

I really want 12 lb CF rims.

I think many of us have the same feeling. Let’s hope that the 2nd test has not been completed.

 

[artsci]

Over the past several minutes I’ve been exchanging text messages with Victor Calvo. We have good reasons to be optimistic. Here’s what he’s told me:

Hi Rick, thank you for your enthusiasm to order once we have passed SAE independent lab tests at 3,850 lbs per axle. We have currently passed the lab tests at 1,950 lbs per axle and we are passing in-house at 3,850 lbs per axle with the exception of the cornering fatigue test. When it comes to cornering fatigue, our goal is to withstand over 50,000 cycles of the test without the E1 wheel experiencing more than 20% stiffness and strength degradation. We are currently passing at around 18,000 - 20,000 cycles and our team seems confident that we will fix this last issue and commence shipping before September 2018. This cornering fatigue test will allow us to move forward with our Lifetime Structural Warranty. I can keep you updated the moment I have more information as to when we receive final SAE certification if you would like?

So if they meet these expectations looks like they’ll be shipping in the fall. I’m encouraged by the fact that they’re being open about where things stand. I’ll post when Victor lets me know about SAE certification.

 

[GatorGuy]

Thanks for the update. I usually wait about a year before I change out rims. So they have about 10 months before I decide between forged arachnids, or BMW rims, or their E1's if they've produced any at that point.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

I'm afraid to be optimistic, but this would be totally cool..... 1900 lbs is good enough for my S.. GVW is only 5,732 to 5,997 lbs depending on configuration, even grossly overloaded - it would have to be ~2000 lbs over GVW to hit 1900 lbs per corner.

 

[MP3Mike]

I'm afraid to be optimistic, but this would be totally cool..... 1900 lbs is good enough for my S.. GVW is only 5,732 to 5,997 lbs depending on configuration, even grossly overloaded - it would have to be ~2000 lbs over GVW to hit 1900 lbs per corner.

Take a closer look:

we are passing in-house at 3,850 lbs per axle

They are quoting a per axle load. So that is 1,925 lbs per wheel.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

MP3Mike@ good catch....I total screwed that one up... so they need to achieve >3000 lbs per axle to be viable on a Model S.

 

[lolachampcar]

Yea, but if all u want them for is a Mac..........

 

[GatorGuy]

Buy em and test em for us.

 

[artsci]

Buy em and test em for us.

I think Xenoilphobe has first dibs

 

[GatorGuy]

Does he have a car under 4k lbs GVW?

I wouldn't want anyone putting them on a Tesla.

 

[artsci]

Does he have a car under 4k lbs GVW?

I wouldn't want anyone putting them on a Tesla.

Not until they pass SAE at 3850 per axle, which will provide considerable overhead. Then they do I’ll be more than pleased to be the first.

 

[Naonak]

Would that even be considerable overhead though? That weight is constant weight, yes? What about momentary weight, such as going over a hump fairly quickly and having the force of the car come down on the wheels/axel. That could easily exceed 3850lbs of momentary force.

I don't know how wheel testing works at all, so maybe that's factored in? But with such a heavy car as a Tesla, it would seem you'd need more than that.

 

[bxr140]

That’s the point of the test. Dynamic loading of something most easily quantified as a static mass...

 

[artsci]

I assume SAE tests all wheels using the same procedures. There are a lot of aluminum wheels that meet the weight standards with similar overhead, or less. Why should carbon fiber be any different?