Welcome
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Small wheel rims
-
I've been banned from doing much to our car this year, which has the unusual benefit of allowing me to start the design, procurement and construction of our 2013 car.
Initial CFD says to go loooow - lower than a 349mm wheel would allow. I can find 349mm and 305mm rims (SJS cycles, watch out for the 349s - see other threads on the topic) but would like to go smaller still. Has anyone tried? Does anyone have a source for smaller wheel rims? 254mm would be good as I can find sensible-ish tyres, I think 203mm tyres are only suitable for buggies unfortunately and would be very close to the 300mm minimum wheel diameter.
Or shall I try designing my own?! We're at the point where a rough-cut piece of ally plate is machinable...
Thanks -
Re the 349 wheel problem, I'm guessing this is the fact that tyres are well nigh impossible to fit/remove? Well, if you use the folding type of tyre instead of the hard wired type, you won't have the problem. But they do cost more. Having totally destroyed two brand new hard wired Kojaks (the expensive HP ones) it was an expensive lesson.
CC -
Very good Ashley!
Although this would add some weight it would let us use even lower friction (and larger) bearings. I worry about balancing too especially if they're CNC'd then finished on the lathe - it's very easy to get it slightly out and end up unbalanced.
I can only find kiddies' bike rims at 254mm though and given we want to go in for F24+ I'm not going to run at 40mph with mickey mouse rims. The spokes will have to be custom made too at that length - just over 100mm.
349mm problems with wired Kojaks are overcome either with thin inner tubes and tape, or by speaking nicely to sponsors and replacing them with Brompton rims...