Would you run Magnesium wheels on the street?
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I'd like to see proof Chevy used true magnesium for a production wheel on a car made in that kind of quantity. I don't know (doubt) if this is accurate. I seriously doubt Chevy would spring for the tooling it took to make them, but that's opinion. Remember, people have a habit of referring to cast alloy wheels as "mags", but that does not mean they are constructed of magnesium. The only true production magnesium wheel I know of was for the Carrera GT, at 8k a pop. There may be more, but if so they would be for very expensive, very exclusive cars. The stuff is just too expensive, and too hard and dangerous to work with.
FWIW, GM has been outsourcing some wheel manufacturing on the Corvette for some time. The 2001 Z06 wheels were forged by Alcoa, and 2002-2004 Z06 are spun cast by Speedline. I do not know of the manufacturer of the magnesium wheels, but I would bet they were made by somebody else.
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Well, I was WRONG on this.....
I did a bit of digging and they did if fact have an optional magnesium wheel. I asked a guy I work with who is very familiar with the cars and he did confirm if it was in fact ALL magnesium, not just terminology. Interesting fact: They had to have a hard plastic insert between it and the hub to keep it from corroding itself to the car.
Made by Speedline, here it is.
I did a bit of digging and they did if fact have an optional magnesium wheel. I asked a guy I work with who is very familiar with the cars and he did confirm if it was in fact ALL magnesium, not just terminology. Interesting fact: They had to have a hard plastic insert between it and the hub to keep it from corroding itself to the car.
Made by Speedline, here it is.
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I've run Champion mags on our GT2 for years with no issue.. Both on street and on track.
BBS 1 piece Mags have had issue with cracking at times due to the thin barrel design.
http://www.gmgracing.com/images/gmggt24big.jpg
BBS 1 piece Mags have had issue with cracking at times due to the thin barrel design.
http://www.gmgracing.com/images/gmggt24big.jpg
Last edited by Fabryce@GMGRacing; Feb 15, 2010 at 02:21 PM.
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Magnesium is favored by race teams because it is 33% lighter than aluminum (raw). Magnesium is a highly flammable metal, but while it is easy to ignite when powdered or shaved into thin strips, it is difficult to ignite in mass or bulk. A ribbon of it ignites at about 1200 degrees, and a solid wheel would need to be over 3000 degrees to burn. Remember, aluminum burns, too. It just has to be hotter to do it.
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damon@tirerack.com
877-522-8473 ext. 4643
574-287-2345 ext. 4643
**Don't forget to add my name to online orders!**
Or use this link:
http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=BH1&url=index.jsp
damon@tirerack.com
877-522-8473 ext. 4643
574-287-2345 ext. 4643
**Don't forget to add my name to online orders!**
Or use this link:
http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=BH1&url=index.jsp
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