19's are also available but imagine they would be slightly heavier than the 18's.

 

thats some bad *** wheels dudue

 

I have the HRE Comp21s and they are very light, high quality, and specifically built for the track. I like'em. Check out their web site.
K.

 

Technically speaking, our new 18 inch wheels for the 997 are the world's lightest. Just under 7kg for the front and 8.65 kg for the rears, anodized.

 

A lot of good information in this thread but a key factor is missing. LOAD RATING. It is very good to see manufacturers stepping up their approach and, due to the developing competitive nature of the wheel industry, offer a product that is very light in weight. How about strength?

Why don't we take the list that we have been developing and see what their load rating/testing standards are. I can make a 19x8.5" wheel weigh 12lbs but at what cost? How much am I willing to sacrifice strength?

Let's see what is the recommended load rating for the 997 and what are manufacturers using. Mike, care to share?

 

Great question. We custom engineer each wheel for a specific application.
We strictly use the German TUV load rating for each. For example, the front wheels for the 997 GT3 have a different (lower) TUV load rating than the front wheels for the 997 Turbo. We never deviate from these standards. Each wheel is built for the intended vehicle.
The TUV test loads are similar to the SAE standards except in one area-cornering loads. The Germans use a cornering (or bending) load almost 50% higher than SAE.
Therefore, the wheel must be stronger (and slightly heavier) to pass the TUV standard compared to the SAE J2530 standard.

 

Thank you very much for the quick and informative reply.

I understand that each vehicle has different load ratings. But I was under the impression that the TUV has no specific load rating standards per specific vehicles. In other words, from my understanding the TUV has a set of testing that the wheel has to conform to and as long as the wheel conform to those standards then the specific load rating is not important.

The TUV testing standards are as follows:

1. Cornering Fatigue Test - Short
(200,000 cycles with 75% of Mbmax)

2. Cornering Fatigue Test - Long
(1,800,000 cycles with 50% of Mbmax)

3. Rim Rolling Fatigue Test
(2000 km with factor of 2.5 wheel load)

4. Impact Test
(According to ISO7141. One Impact at valve hole. One Impact between spokes)

The SAE standards are as follows (Based on 2 samples):

1. Dynamic Cornering Fatigue
(95,000 Cycles at a Factor of 2)

2. Dynamic Radial Fatigue
(1,850,000 Cycles at a factor of 2)

In other words, Neither SAE or TUV have a guideline that specifies that the Porsche GT3 must have a load rating of ex. 620kg per corner, or do they? I understood that the load rating was a value specified by the manufacturer. Only VIA/JWL has a guideline for the required load rating of the wheel. Correct me if am wrong.

If there is a guideline that TUV uses for recommended load ratings per vehicle, where do we find it? Does SAE have one? What about VIA/JWL?

Also, you say that the Porsche GT3 and the Turbo (Wide Body) have different load ratings but on your website the front wheel for both models show a weight of 7.6 kg. Isn't the load rating directly affected by the mass of the wheel? Can the same exact wheel have two different load ratings but weight the same?

It`ll be interesting to compare the rated loads of the top wheels we have found so far. Any confirmed load rating values for any of these wheels? If so, please provide an official source or testing report to validate the value. I`m sure the load rating of the BBS FI will fairly low since the wheel is restricted to road use only. Mike, Champion, HRE, any inputs?

Dymags - Load Rating: Front: , Rear:
Certifications:

HRE CF40 - Load Rating: Front: , Rear:
Certifications:

BBS FI - Load Rating: Front: , Rear:
Certifications:

OZ Ultraleggera - Load Rating: Front: , Rear:
Certifications:

Tech1 - Load Rating: Front: , Rear:
Certifications:

PES GP7 - Load Rating: Front: , Rear:
Certifications:

Champion RG5 - Load Rating: Front: , Rear:
Certifications:

FORZA FORGED F97 - Load Rating: Front: , Rear:
Certifications:

 

You are incorrect. For example, the TUV publishes a list of every Porsche model (and thousands of other vehicles) and the TUV approved load rating for each, for both front and rear axle. This data is provided only to TUV customers and is copyrighted.
When you first certify a wheel, you are issued a "Gutachten" which certifies that the wheel will survive a specified load. When you want to homologate that wheel for a specific vehicle, you pay another fee and are issued a "Teile Gutachten" which certifies that the wheel is approved for use on a specific vehicle.
All of our wheels are built to the TUV rated load for that specific vehicle. None has ever failed in service.

Our published weights are averages and vary based upon requested offset and desired finish.

Attached is a picture of a forged monoblock wheel that failed the "real world" cornering fatigue test recently at Sebring, Florida. Powerful car, very rough track, catastrophic failure. Not one of ours.
This picture exemplifies your concern. Lightweight is the goal, but strength and safety are mandatory.

 

Or is it, "monoblok"...?

In all seriousness, that is certainly the picture of "catastrophic wheel failure" - yikes.

 

Outstanding reply. Taking so much for taking the time on a weekend to answer our questions.

That's pretty terrifying. I plan on tracking my 997 this summer and while lightweight is key I choose safety first.That's my fear with the BBS FI. Is that a P40 wheel btw?

What is the load rating for the Porsche Turbo? Also how do TUV load ratings compare to the load ratings established by VIA/JWL?

 

Not sure about the brand of wheel that broke. Shouldn't be hard to find out if it is important to you. Race tracks are very hard on wheels.

I don't recall the exact TUV load data for the 997 Turbo but I think the front load is about 425 kg and the rear is about 650 kg. In contrast, the 997 GT3 front is 380 Kg. So, under TUV rules, if you build a wheel for the GT3, and weight optimize and certify it for that vehicle (Teile Gutachten), it CANNOT be used on the 997 Turbo. Every vehicle must have its own Teile Gutachten or the German car owner cannot legally install the wheels on that vehicle.
The Japanese JWL ratings are similar to TUV. VIA is a separate Japanese entity that certifies compliance to the JWL standard.

 

Mike, I took my car to a Porche driving today. I got so many compliments for the wheels . Thank you for that. Today was the first time I drove my car fast threw corners, after installing my Tech1 207. I could not believe how much difference the wheels made to the response of the car, especially when cornering.

Thank you Mike

 

I had a set of those wheels as well, very light and very strong. I weighed them at 19.1# fr and 21.41# rear. I do not believe Tony is making them anymore. Might check with him at PES, they probably have a few sets around.
The only reason I parted with them was the special 17mm headed bolts that have to be used, just became a hassle.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tech1_Mike

Not sure about the brand of wheel that broke. Shouldn't be hard to find out if it is important to you. Race tracks are very hard on wheels.

HRE Chosen as Official Wheel of West Racing ALMS Lamborghini Team

San Diego, Calif. (February 8, 2011) - Less than six months after Yokohama and West Racing announced they would field a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 racecar in the highly-competitive American Le Mans Series GT class, the car has been unveiled wearing new custom forged HRE wheels. The San Diego based performance wheel manufacturer agreed to work with the team after West Racing requested an ultra-lightweight Monoblok wheel rugged enough for motorsport competition.

“It’s a perfect fit and we’re thrilled to be involved with such a groundbreaking program,” said HRE President Alan Peltier. “At our core, we are a company of designers and engineers. We thrive on motorsport: last year’s Grand Am and Formula D champions ran HRE wheels. Factor in that we make a wide range of wheels for Lamborghini street cars, and the prospect of building a motorsport wheel for a Lamborghini ALMS team was an exciting opportunity. We look forward to working with Yokohama and the entire West Racing team throughout 2011 and beyond.”

“We chose to work with HRE Wheels because of its reputation for quality, performance and precision engineering,” said West Racing’s owner Eduardo Espindola, a Mexico City businessman. “We needed a wheel that’s totally unique for the West Racing Team Lamborghini – lightweight, strong, engineered for endurance racing but also beautiful. HRE delivered, and the Monobloks paired with Yokohama ADVAN race tires are a fantastic combination. I can’t wait to see them in competition.”


Sebrins Race Update

Then at 10:52 Nicky Pastorelli parked his West Racing Lamborghini at the side of the road. The Dutchman’s Lamborghini suffered a rear wheel failure and Pastorelli decided to park his car for safety reasons – after it was returned to the pit it went behind the wall and was retired from the race. The stranded car caused a full course caution…but Loïc Duval still came into the pit, only to be held at the end of the pit lane after passing his pit box.

As unfortunate as it is I`m afraid the wheel in question is in fact an HRE wheel.

 

Thanks one more time for such a detailed explanation. Those numbers are scary low! I wouldn't think the load rating would be so low. I would figure a load rating so low would make for a very weak wheel.