Hey guys,

Any good lightweight options out there?

Just a thought,
-007-

 

Have you looked at the Prodrive wheels? They advertise them as being 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) lighter at EACH CORNER than the stock setup, and they are relatively cheap. They are under $4000 for a set of wheels with P Zero Corsas or around $2500 for just the wheels. And they look good.

 

Another pic...I think it's one of the best-looking wheels for the car and I was going to go with them before I decided I needed to go larger for the supercharger. If I was going to stay naturally-aspirated I would have gotten these wheels.

 

There was a thread a while back about wheel weights. From what I recall, the weights of the stock wheels (not the "lightweight" '09 wheels), as well as the stock tires, were really high. I hear you about the location of the weight, but my recollection is that the weight difference between stock and some of the aftermarket wheels was so large that it almost had to make a difference.

 

Yeah, this is what I remembered (i.e., a huge weight difference). Is there a model name or number for the Prodrive wheels? They do look nice.

 

Well, you could buy some OZ Ultraleggera wheels @ 19.6 lbs each @ $360 each from Tirerack. But they are 18x9. That's what quite a few guys use for the track...light and cheaper rubber to boot.

 

OZ an 'import' wheel? I don't agree with that. You can't get more 'euro' than an OZ, considering they are used on all the DTM cars and other racing series. And they look just as 'right' on a Vantage as the OEM wheels. Plus they are a very high quality wheel.

 

The OZ Ultraleggera wheels at 18 inches are significantly lighter than the 19 inch wheels, and you do have more tire options. Yet if you get serious about the track, the 18 inchers prevent you from upgrading your brakes, which is probably one of the most cost effective track upgrades you can do. There are all these trade offs you need to consider when you are looking at these modifications. I plan to stick with my 19 inch wheels, and I have found nothing that is significantly lighter that is not ridiculously expensive ( particularly for track use where broken wheels do occur.)

 

How about the OEM ones found on the sports pack? Are supposed to be lighter... Don't know by what margin though...

 

I too looked to reducing the wheel weights of my '07 7 spokers. Evaluating the significant cost of new forged wheels vs. the loss of what I considered the excellent 7 spoke appearance I instead had the wheels stripped and powdercoated satin black. The tech who blasted them complained of his difficult task. He had to remove the thick, durable OE finish, probably 4 or 5 coats, probably urethane. The new coating, a sprayed on plastic powder, melts into the surface. It's thin, but provides outstanding coverage and durability. No doubt there is a weight save, but it's minimal, 1/2# or less a wheel. Bonus features included a solution to our brake dust problem (the dust is still there, but you can't see it) and I like the "race" look. To my mind the car appears tougher, more masculine. A picture will be attached shortly.

 

Have you contacted RAC/Champion Motorsports?

They can usually make a wheel/design if you can get enough interested parties to justify the manufacturing of a wheel.

 

Yes please! I have the 7 spokers for my winter tyres (lightweight ones for summer) and I would have loved to coat them dark grey. I was afraid to ruin the design of the car though and also was worried about the durability...

 

As promised, here is the wheel picture. Durability is not an issue with powdercoating. I have darkened 3 sets of wheels,one paint, two powdercoat. Paint chips, powdercoat does not, nor does it fade. The oldest powdercoat set I have is now 12 yrs old and has been handed down to a second car. Total mileage, about 70,000, yet they clean up easily despite their complex lacy spoke design and experiences of a dozen Michigan winters. The Vantage wheels were powdercoated 2 years and 7,000 miles ago. When viewed in person the dark wheels appear to make the car's handsome,tight design even more concise.