Hollow Wheels in F1?

[ginsu]

I know BBS sponsors alot of teams, and there's always a trickle down technology from sponsors to their road products. Well BBS has mastered the art of making hollow wheels called 'BBS Air Inside'. Not only does this make the wheel lighter, but it also gives more air volume for the tyres, giving them more compliance.

The question is, are they doing this with their F1 wheels? I'm thinking they are.





Here's a link to the full article:

http://asia.vtec.net/Reviews/EibachBBS/index.html

[modbaraban]

Not sure if they are hollow, but they are so lightweight!!!

I’m just back for a Kyiv Motorshow 2007 where I had a possibility to try mechanic's job in pit stop practice for Toyota (TF103). My part was to put the wheel on. And the BBS rim with tire turned out to be so much lighter than I thought!

[ginsu]

That's really cool, I would die to know how much those wheels and tire combo weighs. I know they use forged magnesium, but if they also incorporated the air-inside technology, that would be truly revolutionary.

[Jersey Tom]

All I know is dealing with BBS motorsports is a pain in the ass. Same goes for a lot of wheel manufacturers actually.

[modbaraban]

All I know is dealing with BBS motorsports is a pain in the ass.

lol didn't feel any

[West]

All I know is dealing with BBS motorsports is a pain in the ass. Same goes for a lot of wheel manufacturers actually.

I dunno about BBS, but nearly all Volk Wheels are custom-made. They usually take 60-90 days to ship from Japan, but they are one of the top wheels in the world.

[DaveKillens]

Anyone upgrading to a larger rim/tire combo needs to understand that they are heavier. Not only that, but more of the mass is moved towards the rim, making acceleration and braking more difficult. In fact, whenever I see a large rim/tire combo with stock brakes, I sneer and chuckle because the owner obviously is not aware of the laws of inertia.
This new design by BBS is an attempt to address some of the drawbacks of these new large rims. Making parts of the rim and spokes hollow makes them lighter (and more expensive). But even with these new cool rims, acceleration and braking can not be as good as the stock setup.
So I suggest anyone wanting to get in line with this fashion trend also be prepared to upgrade the brakes and powertrain to regain performance.

[mini696]

[quote="DaveKillens"]Anyone upgrading to a larger rim/tire combo needs to understand that they are heavier. [quote]They are? I thought the rubber was heavier than the alloy.

[DaveKillens]

Most definitely. Let's compare stock rims and tires to a set with larger rims. Assume that final exterior diameter has remained the same.
The tire tread is basically identical, with just less sidewall. The tire bead is of larger diameter, so it has to weigh more. For the rim itself, the diameter is increased, and one of the more massive parts, where the tire attaches to the rim, since it is larger diameter, has to contain much more mass.
And that extra mass is now placed at one of the very worst locations, on the outer part of a spinning wheel. It would thus take more power to spin that wheel up (acceleration) or slow it down (braking).

[ds.raikkonen]

And the BBS rim with tire turned out to be so much lighter than I thought!

Now theyre using OZ wheels right? How do they stack up against BBS?

[modbaraban]

And the BBS rim with tire turned out to be so much lighter than I thought!

Now theyre using OZ wheels right? How do they stack up against BBS?

Oh I never thought of that. Really wierd cos there was a combo of BBS+Bridgestone.

[ginsu]

Most definitely. Let's compare stock rims and tires to a set with larger rims. Assume that final exterior diameter has remained the same.
The tire tread is basically identical, with just less sidewall. The tire bead is of larger diameter, so it has to weigh more. For the rim itself, the diameter is increased, and one of the more massive parts, where the tire attaches to the rim, since it is larger diameter, has to contain much more mass.
And that extra mass is now placed at one of the very worst locations, on the outer part of a spinning wheel. It would thus take more power to spin that wheel up (acceleration) or slow it down (braking).

Don't know if any of you guys read the article I linked in my first post, but they were able to shave 5.3kg! (11.66lbs) per wheel. That would dramaticaly reduce the MOI, especially if most of that weight is in the rim portion.

Personally, BBS are far too expensive for my tastes, but finally they have a reason to buy them other than being exclusive and good looking.

[pyry]

actually davekillens, its funny you only mentioned the weight factor. a bigger wheel is heavier and has more mass to accelerate and decelerate, but also the driving chracteristic are vastly chaged as the profile drops. the tyre doesnt twist or give in nearly as much on a 40 profile than a 55 or 65, as you must know. the rigity of the tyre and the the contact area are preserved much better especially during cornering. the feedback is also much more precise. weight isnt everything that matters

[Jersey Tom]

A lot of wheel manufactures do make rims etc one at a time, but even trying to get cast 1-piece BBS centerlocks is very difficult, at least at the FSAE level.

[West]

I remember reading how somebody upgraded from stock 18x8 and 18x8.5 to 19x9.5 and 19x10.5 rims, and the car felt much more comfortable. Even w/ the upgrade in size, the wheel still weighed around five pounds less than the stock wheel. A change of tires from Bridgestone to Michelin saved an additional pound for wheel. This was for a 350Z, and the manufacturer is Volk, supplier to Williams.

Of course, a 19in wheel w/ the same width dimensions as an 18in will be heavier, but a good company will give you larger wheels that are relatively light. As for the BBS article... that's super light, but I would probably have to rob a bank to afford a set.