888 wheels

[Peter_Maxwwell]

they are cast wheels... billet can be stronger, but they use a special type of casting process where by the magnesium is injected into the mould under pressure to give the metal almost forged type properties, forging being the strongest of all.... but I believe that F1 and some other open wheel categories are the only ones to use forged magnesium wheels due to the price tag...

I have also heard that the main reason for the wheel was simply more bling, and that is serious, although I would think that they would also try to get some other advantage out of a new design such as rigidity, toughness and better cooling/ brake dust disipation....

[johnh875]

Cast is not as strong as forged, but when it is almost a control part you can use heavier construction to achieve sufficient strength in what is a much cheaper manufacturing process.

To make a wheel from a billet block would be inefficient, imagine the amount of material that would be machined out of the block you start with!

$600 is a lot better than $1200 for each of the dozens of wheels the teams have in my book.

[Onlooker]

Good to see a new component coming out prior to it being a control item

[WebberForWDC]

So T8 get an advantage on their competitors JK.

Oh, they are nice novelty on T8 but on every car???? Yuck, they look like they are straight off the Lancer VR-X aren't they?

I wasn't keen at first, but HSVs & FPVs looks nice with 19" wheels, so if we go to a new wheel maybe the category should go to 19" wheels and tyres... They willl look more like super tourers though, but now these are T8 super tourers with tiny rims.

[dynamik gal]

I reckon they look good. And I also think they should ban black rims from the category, they look ghastly.

[aj_308]

I'll agree on the first one and disagree on the second.
I think the former John Faulkner VS looked lovely with black rims.

[StuiE]

Originally Posted by James63

The thing i like about them is they are crome.

umm...no they're not..

[Techo]

HRT (Harrop) & JFR ran spiggoted wheel nuts that with a bit of stiction (help) stayed in the wheel at the night Brock classic at calder 95'.

HRT ran nuts that where over the top of the wheel gun drive (allen key approach) at the opening round at Adelaide 2002, keeping the nut to the gun and spiggoted to slide into the wheel, keeping it all together to remove then replace the wheel and pick up the nut with gun and fire it on !
This also included a F1/Indy style wheel clip design, used by all teams now.

Various other teams scrabbled to catch up in this area, some where told there designs did not apply, and by Eastern creek 2002 the regs where changed at the meeting ! and the following year it was agreed to go to a controlled wheel nut which is captive and slides in the wheel.

Many teams had there own wheels made with different offsets and caliper clearance, with blueprint & with costs in mind it was going to be cheaper for everyone to use a common suppiler.