[DeTomaso] Wheel weight
JDeRyke at aol.com
JDeRyke at aol.com
Fri Nov 6 14:35:07 EST 2009
In a message dated 11/6/09 6:16:08 AM, julian_kift at hotmail.com writes:
> just because there are documented cases of Hall Ultra Wheels cracking it
> doesn't call for sweeping across the board statements. When were Hall Ultra
> wheels made? In the 80's probably, we are now 2 decades on, no one's doing
> stress calcs on the back of envelopes anymore.
>
Hall Ultra 2 wheels aren't the only brand that has failed on the street;
there are several others. Street car owners by and large do NOT rigorously
maintain their cars like racing machines. So noting that truth, bolt-together
3-piece wheels on street cars are generally a bad idea. Sure, Hall wheels
were built in the mid-'80s- and some are still on street cars today, which only
proves my point. In the case of the Hall wheels, we don't even know the
alloy used- the actual manufacturer has passed away as has the seller, Gary
Hall. I seriously doubt if ANY stress analysis was ever done but we'll never
know.
Work hardening, stress cracks, bolts or rivits loosening, centers cracking-
most 3-piece problems are not noticed until air pressures start dropping.
The most common result of loss of air pressure? GLUEING the rim halves
together so it doesn't prevent the car from being driven. In the Ultra 2 case
described in my post, ONE rim-half out of a set of 8 failed. In racing, that's
entirely acceptible, but not on the street.
Bottom line: these are RACING wheels and should be treated as such; not
doing so is ultimately at the owner's risk. Most 3-piece wheels made today come
stamped 'For Racing Use Only' and I find that significant. I'm as lazy as
anyone else in regard to routine maintenence, so for me the risk is just too
high, the financial hit of discarding them after a short period of use is
too much, so I feel that warning non-engineer street car owners of the hidden
costs of some adapted racing parts is responsible reporting.
On your personal cars, I assume you will be carefully watching your modular
wheels for potential problems, and posting any problems you find. They
might or might not show up right away so keep your harnesses tight (also
something some street-car owners still don't do). Good luck- J Deryke
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