CF Rising

Gone but not forgotten

There was a time when I believed that carbon fiber, and in the case of the Dymag wheel pictured above, carbon fiber with magnesium would combine to become the great light hope to save us all from an automotive future that involved cars that were too heavy.  That future is here now, but the wheels have not yet reported for widespread service.

Lightweight wheels are supposed to be the low hanging fruit in terms of performance enhancements.  Lighter wheels reduce a vehicle’s unsprung weight.  This provides increased steering response, suspension feedback, and improves the accelerative performance in all vectors.  There are no obvious downsides to super lightweight wheels other than cost—until you hit a curb and then fall into a giant pothole.

The problem is that adding lightness in general is expensive.  Magnesium wheels have been around for a long time, I’ve even driven a car equipped with a set of Dymag magnesium wheels, but I had believed that the introduction of CF would bring even lower weights and raise strength to an unprecedented level.  I think the weave hypnotized me.  These wheels helped to bolster a new era of fiscal irresponsibility when it came to automotive hobby spending.  This was a trivial matter for AcMo because we are able to pass along all of our costs to our clients, but it proved cost prohibitive for most of the market.

This dilemma has been brewing for years, but a few unrelated points occurred this week to bring it back into focus.  Data is nothing without context.  No data is even worse than contextually absent data.  The promise of exotic material wheels has been written about all across the web.  It is more difficult to stumble upon credible data that proves the performance advantage is tangible.

Some time around 2004, I received an email inquiry requesting a recommendation for wheel upgrade options.  During that time period I used to repurpose the AOL junk mail discs by changing the name to AcMo and adding our software to them.  That brought in a lot of unsolicited clients then, but marketing budgets have shifted and people’s appetite for junk discs has waned.

I agreed to assist because I didn’t realize it was Snob because he was using a different name and email address.  The application in question was for a daily driven vehicle so he needed to have something that would be available at a local shop if he encountered a flat tire or damaged wheel. I provided my expert opinion that the optimum wheel size for his vehicle was 18”.  This was based on the size, weight, price, and tire availability of 19” wheels.  I went out of my way to select a style and size that we had in stock.  He reluctantly agreed to purchase the set of BBS wheels I had been trying to get rid of for the past year.  I was happy because it was a 400% profit for AcMo.  It made my year (retroactively) when I learned yesterday that he was the purchaser of the wheels.  He’s now mad about the transaction because he sold the car long ago, but he still has the wheels and they won’t fit on anything else.  He believes (erroneously) that he should have purchased the 19” wheels.  I’ve already counseled him to buy back the car he had installed the wheels on, but he says this is not possible.

Every single time Snob hasn't listened to me, something bad has happened.  Most of the time he did listen to me, something bad happened.  The obvious conclusion is that he should always listen to everything I say and do exactly what I say.

As if by magic, this old Car and Driver article appeared just the other day: Effects of Upsized Wheels and Tires Tested.  It is years too late to influence my consultation with Snob on his wheel purchase, but it proves that I was correct.  This is a point Snob refuses to concede.  Because our Internet speeds are unpredictable, it sometimes takes longer for information to reach us than it should.  Automotive manufacturers are now selecting larger wheels and tires for their vehicles, so the opportunity for a light wheel manufacturer looks open in a world of stock 19-21” wheels.  In fact, Dymag has been kind enough to offer an investment opportunity.  I am performing the necessary due diligence before parking all of our client’s funds into Dymag shares.

The video linked below is from 2013, but it just arrived on my YouTube today because of the aforementioned Internet delays.  Back-to-back Wheel Comparison. Carbon Revolution CR9 One-piece Carbon Fiber VS. Factory Alloy

Where is the data to prove this great light hope is more than just hype and expensive materials?  The Carbon Revolution site has 0-60 and ¼ mi. data, but nothing except claims of improved braking distances.  I couldn’t find any published lap times.  The gains in acceleration are not trivial, but I’m not sure they are worth ~$15,000 for the non-professional consumer.  AcMo couldn’t function without data

I know Koenigsegg has been building their own CF wheels for a while, but I have no data on their performance or the advantage those wheels offer over traditional applications.  I also have no idea about failure rates.  At this time I can’t recommend purchasing them.

My choice for all AcMo clients is to go full CF wherever possible.  That means body panels, brakes, interior, windshield, chassis, and anything else the budget will allow.  None of my clients have listened to me yet, and none are ecstatic with the performance of their vehicles as a result.  I must blame the sales tools because it can’t be me.

I am beginning to lose my fascination with CF wheels.  However, the Scuderia AcMo F-One car needs a competitive advantage because our simulations are showing that the car is off the pace.  I had hoped that a CF wheel would be that advantage since none of the other teams are utilizing them.  So what that it is against the rules?  We can make the wheels look like normal metal, and we need all of the help available if we are going to win a few championships starting with our second season of competition.

All of these facts are forcing AcMo to discover new opportunities to add lightness and increase speed.  I just hope we can succeed before the season has started.  Our future success is dependent on our F-One affiliate performing well.  Then we’ll have enough data to prove that carbon fiber was the answer to every question.