Wheeeels

[cyberface]

Assuming the A048Rs are still legal in the spring when I'll be taking off the winter tyres and putting the stickies on, and assuming I've got a couple of grand to spend, I'll be getting a new set of wheels to make swapping easier and reducing the risk of tyre damage from repeated removal/replacement on the same rims.

I've always loved the 240R wheel:


and I've always wanted to have them on my car. The plan was to have them on my yellow Exige, but I think they'd still suit the orange car (a new Exige S with the 4-pot AP brakes, so the wheels would need to clear the calipers).

Now unsprung weight loss is a lot more beneficial than other weight-saving measures, and as I've concluded, I'm not prepared to ruin the great road-car qualities of my Exige for the sake of a few kg. However if I'm buying new wheels because I'm running two sets of rims anyway (winter and summer), then I may as well get the lightest wheels I can buy!

IIRC the 240R wheel is actually meaningfully lighter than the 'standard' Exige wheel that I currently have on the car. But someone said there were two types, one a lot heavier than the others... so confusion has been introduced to what was going to be a straightforward decision.

The only other thing I'm *very* concerned about is wheel strength - the roads around Sevenoaks are lousy and full of potholes, and if I'm buying expensive wheels I don't want them to be more at risk of bending than the standard wheels. Presumably the lightest weight 'race' wheels should be strong, as racers often use the kerbs on track and that's not far off hitting a pothole on the road (correct me if I'm wrong).

So does anyone know exactly which version of the 240R wheel I should order in spring? Or does anyone have an alternative suggestion that is better - i.e. lighter and stronger. Only criteria are that the set of 4 wheels needs to cost less than £2000 and they have to be available painted black. If the weight difference is less than a kg per wheel then I'll choose based on looks - my favourite 'look' is the 240R wheel so if this is one of the light ones, then that's what I'll buy

Recommendations welcome, and if there's anything 'duff' about the 240R wheel I need to know about (weakness, corrosion etc.) then I'd appreciate the info. Are magnesium wheels road-legal or not worth bothering with for other reasons?

Thanks in advance!

[tertius]

I can't help with any of your technical questions but I can say I have the 240R wheels and they are ace and very light.

Certainly noticeably lighter than the equivalent size Porsche Cup 2 wheel, which you probably know is itself just about the lightest Porsche wheel you can get.

[Scuffers]

all I am going to say is why?

light wheels are all very well, but in the context of a road car they cost a fortune and are pointless.

fine if you like the look etc, but don;t try and convince yourself they are going to improve anything (on a road car)

[Herman Toothrot]

Why not just get some team dynamics 1.2's about £400? Probably lighter than the Lotus wheels.

[cyberface]

Scuffers said:

all I am going to say is why?

light wheels are all very well, but in the context of a road car they cost a fortune and are pointless.

fine if you like the look etc, but don;t try and convince yourself they are going to improve anything (on a road car)

Because I can?

Up till now, I've been swapping tyres on rims i.e. only owning one set of rims, and taking the winter tyres off, putting the A048Rs back on, then taking them off, putting the winter tyres on. I've been told that this isn't really very good for the bead of the tyre.

So I'll get another set of rims for the bare unused A048Rs that I was given with my car (I had my old winter tyres fitted before I picked it up).

And I really like the look of the 240R wheel, so in the absence of any argument as to why they're no good (or too heavy, or weak, or porous, or whatever) then I'll get these wheels.

Any performance enhancement is a bonus - as you point out it's unlikely to be felt by someone as incompetent as me, and irrelevant on the road. What *is* relevant on the road is the strength of the wheel, because of the vicious potholes round my way (I know where they all are and drive around them, but sometimes oncoming traffic or other factors prevents me from doing this).

I think you've read a bit too much into my post - I'm not after some 'serious racers only' wheels - they have to be strong and work on the road, but I don't want to buy a new set of wheels that are heavier than my current set, that's all.

Are the 240R wheels any good, is what I'm trying to say. The 'lightweight forged' alloys that Lotus offer as another alternative (with the 5 twin spindly spokes) look very fragile to me, and I much prefer the look of the 240R wheels.

it's just that someone said something about magnesium and road legality, so I just wanted to ask whether the '240R' shape wheels that I can order from my friendly local dealer for £1300 or so are actually the real deal, or a heavier version of what's listed in the SELOC Wiki (which says that the wheels are surprisingly light).

That's all - as I said, I'm not making a fuss over weight any more, but I *can* feel the difference in unsprung weight with heavy wheels and tyres versus light wheels and tyres (winter tyres are heavy).

[cyberface]

tertius said:

I can't help with any of your technical questions but I can say I have the 240R wheels and they are ace and very light.

Certainly noticeably lighter than the equivalent size Porsche Cup 2 wheel, which you probably know is itself just about the lightest Porsche wheel you can get.

Hi mate - that's good news - have you had any trouble with potholes and then needing a lot of balancing afterwards?

Re: the porker wheels - I found that the 5-spoke 2000 Carrera Anniversary 996 wheels were the lightest of the 'stock' wheels, I put a set on my last 993 and whilst they looked lovely, they were also noticeably lighter (it was something silly like 4 kg per wheel)... I know the Cup wheels on the 993 RS were really light but they were magnesium and corroded to buggery, IIRC?

Anyway I'm back in the Lotus fold now, no more Porsches for me

[tertius]

cyberface said:

tertius said:

I can't help with any of your technical questions but I can say I have the 240R wheels and they are ace and very light.

Certainly noticeably lighter than the equivalent size Porsche Cup 2 wheel, which you probably know is itself just about the lightest Porsche wheel you can get.

Hi mate - that's good news - have you had any trouble with potholes and then needing a lot of balancing afterwards?

Re: the porker wheels - I found that the 5-spoke 2000 Carrera Anniversary 996 wheels were the lightest of the 'stock' wheels, I put a set on my last 993 and whilst they looked lovely, they were also noticeably lighter (it was something silly like 4 kg per wheel)... I know the Cup wheels on the 993 RS were really light but they were magnesium and corroded to buggery, IIRC?

Anyway I'm back in the Lotus fold now, no more Porsches for me

You mean these?:



I have a set of those as well for my 993 (road wheels above) and I agree they are extremely light but a) they are 18s so not really a fair comparison with the 17" Cup 2; and b) they are just a little bit heavier.

Anyway the 240R (rear at 17x8) is noticeably lighter than the Porsche Cup 2 (front at 17x7). The tyres are conveniently the same size and I swapped them over a while ago so had the chance to compare the wheels directly.

Regarding the 240R wheels, my car is 90% a track car so apart from driving to/from the circuit it doesn't really see a lot of road use, however, that said I have had no problems at all. My only concern with them is that they are so expensive I'm a bit nervous of kerbing them or something.

FYI according to the TechWiki they are also nearly 2kg/wheel lighter than the Team Dynamics 1.2.

Edited by tertius on Friday 8th January 10:46

[Boggy]

My Favourite wheel for the Elise, however I’m hanging on till next year or the year after and buying the Elise S3.

Not spending any more Money on my currant Elise other than servicing etc.

Boggy

[Herman Toothrot]

tertius said:

FYI according to the TechWiki they are also nearly 2kg/wheel lighter than the Team Dynamics 1.2.

Thats light then even for a forged wheel. I know the TD's are cheap cast wheels but 7.3kg front 16" and 8kg rear 17" is quite light, getting the fronts to only 5.3kg and rears 6kg is impressive.

[tertius]

Herman Toothrot said:

tertius said:

FYI according to the TechWiki they are also nearly 2kg/wheel lighter than the Team Dynamics 1.2.

Thats light then even for a forged wheel. I know the TD's are cheap cast wheels but 7.3kg front 16" and 8kg rear 17" is quite light, getting the fronts to only 5.3kg and rears 6kg is impressive.

Well my only source for this was the TeckWiki, and I have no idea on the accuracy (I haven't weighed my own wheels) but it quotes:

Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2S: 16x7 8kg; 17x8 9.9kg

240R: 16x7 6.1kg, 17x8 8.1kg

[Herman Toothrot]

tertius said:

Herman Toothrot said:

tertius said:

FYI according to the TechWiki they are also nearly 2kg/wheel lighter than the Team Dynamics 1.2.

Thats light then even for a forged wheel. I know the TD's are cheap cast wheels but 7.3kg front 16" and 8kg rear 17" is quite light, getting the fronts to only 5.3kg and rears 6kg is impressive.

Well my only source for this was the TeckWiki, and I have no idea on the accuracy (I haven't weighed my own wheels) but it quotes:

Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2S: 16x7 8kg; 17x8 9.9kg

240R: 16x7 6.1kg, 17x8 8.1kg

Interesting, maybe its the stud pattern making the difference, the weights I quoted were 5 stud as for the VX which put the rears the same weight but the 240R front a good kg lighter.

[Gooby]

The lotus wheels for the Sport racer (and used on other models) are very light and robust. They use a new technique developed by lotus and a russian firm. I think they are prettier than the 240r wheels but not as light.
On your 'zige the 240 wheels will look the dogs danglies.

[doggydave]

I have been looking at getting the same wheels for my Cup 260. Someone on SELOC told me that SW Lotus sometimes refurbish these wheels and then sell them at approx £1000 a set. He said they are like new. This is only second hand info but I thought you might be interested. Dave.

[cyberface]

240R wheels it is then. Either refurbished or brand new, I'm having 'em.

Thanks all!!

[tertius]

cyberface said:

240R wheels it is then. Either refurbished or brand new, I'm having 'em.

Thanks all!!

[cyberface]

Herman Toothrot said:

Why not just get some team dynamics 1.2's about £400? Probably lighter than the Lotus wheels.

You mean like these?




Already had some on my old VXT. I think they suit the angular VX220 shape better than the curvy Exige, IMO.

[Mister K]

where do you get team dynamics 1.2's for £400 from?

[Herman Toothrot]

cyberface said:

Herman Toothrot said:

Why not just get some team dynamics 1.2's about £400? Probably lighter than the Lotus wheels.

You mean like these?




Already had some on my old VXT. I think they suit the angular VX220 shape better than the curvy Exige, IMO.

Yep, I've got them on my VX, was my 1st mod

[Herman Toothrot]

Mister K said:

where do you get team dynamics 1.2's for £400 from?

billy boy tyres on ebay, took forever but ended up something like £700 delivered with tyres, think it was something like £452 for rims only delivered.

[aelord]

cyberface said:

Assuming the A048Rs are still legal in the spring when I'll be taking off the winter tyres and putting the stickies on, and assuming I've got a couple of grand to spend, I'll be getting a new set of wheels to make swapping easier and reducing the risk of tyre damage from repeated removal/replacement on the same rims.

I've always loved the 240R wheel:


and I've always wanted to have them on my car. The plan was to have them on my yellow Exige, but I think they'd still suit the orange car (a new Exige S with the 4-pot AP brakes, so the wheels would need to clear the calipers).

Now unsprung weight loss is a lot more beneficial than other weight-saving measures, and as I've concluded, I'm not prepared to ruin the great road-car qualities of my Exige for the sake of a few kg. However if I'm buying new wheels because I'm running two sets of rims anyway (winter and summer), then I may as well get the lightest wheels I can buy!

IIRC the 240R wheel is actually meaningfully lighter than the 'standard' Exige wheel that I currently have on the car. But someone said there were two types, one a lot heavier than the others... so confusion has been introduced to what was going to be a straightforward decision.

The only other thing I'm *very* concerned about is wheel strength - the roads around Sevenoaks are lousy and full of potholes, and if I'm buying expensive wheels I don't want them to be more at risk of bending than the standard wheels. Presumably the lightest weight 'race' wheels should be strong, as racers often use the kerbs on track and that's not far off hitting a pothole on the road (correct me if I'm wrong).

So does anyone know exactly which version of the 240R wheel I should order in spring? Or does anyone have an alternative suggestion that is better - i.e. lighter and stronger. Only criteria are that the set of 4 wheels needs to cost less than £2000 and they have to be available painted black. If the weight difference is less than a kg per wheel then I'll choose based on looks - my favourite 'look' is the 240R wheel so if this is one of the light ones, then that's what I'll buy

Recommendations welcome, and if there's anything 'duff' about the 240R wheel I need to know about (weakness, corrosion etc.) then I'd appreciate the info. Are magnesium wheels road-legal or not worth bothering with for other reasons?

Thanks in advance!

Lotussport now do some ultralight wheels even lighter than the 240 R ones - check the website and downlaod the pdf catlaogue.

They don't look quite as good and are horrifically expensive though...