Wheels

[Karlo]

I know the Wheels are Corvette / GM pattern but I have yet to figure what brand they are? :hscratch:

[Karlo]

Fran told me they are Factory Z06 Wheels 17 x 9.5 on all wheels:cool3:

[Degeneerit]

Any idea what the weight or offset is?

[Nikolai]

Any idea what the weight or offset is?

I've read 20.5 lbs from a few sources. The choice of wheels are one of the few things I question about the SLR design. Even 15" wheels are fairly over-kill for such a light vehicle. A good 15" tire/wheel setup would reduce unsprung weight maybe 8 lbs per corner over the Z06 17's... That's huge savings on a car like this! Fran's answer to this question via email was something like "I assure you, every aspect of the car was designed with great care."... Which of course doesn't really answer my question: Why use wheels/tires meant for a 3,150 lbs car on a car less than half that weight? And changing them on my own would undoubtedly ruin aspects of the suspension geometry, so unless I want to build a car from scratch, I guess I should bite my lip and be willing to live with a few compromises huh? :drool:

[Fran Hall RCR]

Nikolai

One nice thing about being the owner and designer is that I can do as I want ....

I want 17 inch wheels with 225 45 17 tyres on MY car...so guess what ...thats what I installed....and designed around....

I had a very informative meeting with Kumho tyre designers today....

You are welcome to your opinion as much as I am mine.....as you have told me that you are years away from buying you have plenty of time to observe what others think of their cars once they actually drive them and report back....:clap:

Its only a compromise in your opinion at this time.....

[#Rotor]

The mass of the wheel is a valid concern, I however found that having a bigger rim to work in, with regards to suspension geometry(upright rod-ends) and space for stuff like calipers and large disks, is of immense value... 15" is the absolute smallest I will ever consider using for such a car...

[Fran Hall RCR]

One of the topics of discussion today with Kuhmo centered around another famous exo car that had also been tested ...the feedback was that the car needed a taller tyre...more sidewall as the suspension had too little travel and caused some pretty nasty characteristics...
Designing around a larger diameter package was my goal...and Kumho validated my approach today....I now have the freedom to have an asthetically pleasing large diameter rim for the customers that want a masculine looking and feeling car and wont exploit 100% of the cars capabilities and a taller tyre package on a smaller rim should someone want a more track Victoracer type tyre package....
If someone is so concerned about weight then Dymag makes some nice carbon wheels....but we are escaping the world of a budget performance package.....HHHMMM....back to my KISS. approach...dont lose sight of the 16k roller price tag either....

You cant please everyone all the time and EVERY single car on the road is a compromise to appease as many customers as possible.....:popcorn:

[Degeneerit]

The big wheels just plain look good to me. I was wondering the offset in case I come across a deal on wheels that are light and will still fit with the f1 panels. coming stock at 16k Im very happy with the c5 front rims.

[Karlo]

The big wheels just plain look good to me. I was wondering the offset in case I come across a deal on wheels that are light and will still fit with the f1 panels. coming stock at 16k Im very happy with the c5 front rims.


17 inch is the perfect size / look for me also.

This idea as Fran has always put forth is simple and rea$onable.

All of us might be premature in our conclusions, since the car is not out yet. I would imagine some might change things to suit their style including the wheels.

We have lots of options for this Car!!!!!!!

[Nikolai]

One of the topics of discussion today with Kuhmo centered around another famous exo car that had also been tested ...the feedback was that the car needed a taller tyre...more sidewall as the suspension had too little travel and caused some pretty nasty characteristics...
Designing around a larger diameter package was my goal...and Kumho validated my approach today...

You cant please everyone all the time and EVERY single car on the road is a compromise to appease as many customers as possible.....:popcorn:

Wonderful, that is the kind of answer I was looking for, and a good one at that. I definitely do prefer the aesthetics of the 17" package, just did not understand the technical reason for its choice, that's all. Thanks for sharing your discussion with Khumo on this, Fran. Don't remember telling you a purchase was several years off, but maybe I'm mistaken. However, I got the go-ahead from the significant other to pursue this, which I'm hoping will lead to a purchase actually sometime this summer if I can get some other finances in line first!:clap::clap::clap:

[B-T]

I have the same 225/45-17 tire size on my 99 Q45t. I got some really good Michelins, although they were a little pricey. They have good traction, ride, and quietness, but cost around $200 each.
Going to ink the deal on selling my AZ house this afternoon, so I am ready to roll on a purchase!:coolnana:
BT

[Fran Hall RCR]

B T .

well done on selling your house..:clap:

I hope to be hearing from you soon.

[B-T]

B T .

well done on selling your house..:clap:

I hope to be hearing from you soon.

You will be hearing from me when I return from AZ....
I'm going to be closing the sale 3/07, so expect a visit with a deposit shortly after that.:coolnana:
BT

[B-T]

I just ordered the Bridgestone Potenze RE-01R tires (2 size 225/45-17, and 2 245/45-17) from Tire Rack. They are listed as an extreme performance summer tire, but the reviews also state that they have excellent wet traction. The total with shipping was around $670. Not bad. I hope the wheels are dark in color like the rendering shows, but if not they can always be refinished...
BT

[StatGSR]

id have to go with Falken Azenis RT-615s for this car if i was picking one up. hard to beat that performance and they are under 150 a tire in 225/45/17s.

i love the 205/50/15s i have on my integra.

[Degeneerit]

Nitto NT-01 You wont have to worry about traction like you said BT. Most people report getting 8-10,000 miles out of these wheels in heavy cars so I assume you can get a lot out of them unless you are tracking them. I dont plan on driving in the rain so they are perfect!

[B-T]

Yeah, they will probably last me a decade or so...
I also considered noise, comfort, and reviews when selecting the tires. The Azenis look good from what I ahve read, but seem to be more geared toward auto-X, which I doubt I would be doing. My use should be regular road driving with as much mountain time as I can fit in. Nothing serious, but the tires I got should make the car grip much better than my other sports cars.
The tires on the Ferrari are about 5 years old, and have at least half of their tread left. They are Pirelli P Zero, and they have pretty weak traction IMHO.
BT

[Degeneerit]

Does anybody actually plan on driving in the rain? I don't know anything about waterproofing an engine but I would assume that on top of waterproofing the engine you would also need a shroud.

[Gage]

Having driven an Atom in Rain, Sleet, and Snow entirely by accident, I can testify that it is nerve wracking. It is also very very cold. The water pools in your seat and freezes your butt.. I could go on and on about the joys of it, frozen fingers, needing windshield wipers on your helmet, water running down your neck into your shirt... and so forth. =0)

I had fun as long as I could hold out. Grin


You'll never drive one of these cars in the rain on purpose. That's my two cents.

[B-T]

I agree that I would probably never intentionally drive one in the rain. In south Florida the weather changes by the hour so I am sure I will end up driving in the rain occasionally. You don't freeze in the rain here though! I just don't want a tire that turns into a ski in the rain. BTW, I am pretty sure I have a title method secured.:cool3:
BT

[Degeneerit]

Im telling you, you will get soo soo much more out of the car with real performance tires. JMO.

http://www.nittotire.com/#index%2Efeature%2Ecompetition

[Chadillac]

I know that Fran is saying the SL-R comes with factory Z06 wheels. However, on the prototype aren't those the base corvette wheels? I thought the Z06 wheels looked like the wheels on the SL-C. It really doesn't matter to me either way, just something I noticed.

[B-T]

I believe the wheels are supposed to be factory style (don't know if they are GM or copies) C5 vette wheels. A C5 standard wheel is pictured first below, and a Z06 wheel is next to it. On the superlitecars web site the images show the SLC with the Z06 wheels and the SL-R with the C5 wheels also. I think the C5 wheels would look better on the SL-R anyway. I just hope they are the charcoal color to match the powdercoat on the frame instead of a silver color like in the sample photos.
BT

[Karlo]

Chad & BT

I think your right about the wheels not being the OEM Z06!

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z302/landfalcon/DSC02999Small.jpg

[B-T]

I'm hoping those are the exact wheels that will be with the car I ordered.
:)
BT

[Chadillac]

I agree with BT. I'd rather have the stock C5 wheels powder coated charcoal.

[Nikolai]

Any weight penalty for the base wheels?

[Chadillac]

This is what I was able to find on a corvette forum:

17 lbs, front; 20 lbs, rear - 00 OEM standard, thin spoke, painted, no sensors or centercaps - Src

19.6 lbs, front; 21.4 lbs, rear - 01 Z06 forged - Src
19.2 lbs, front; 21 lbs, rear - 02-04 Z06 cast/spun - Src, Src

[B-T]

I read 17x8.5 Z06 wheels are about 17.5 lbs, 18x9.5 Z06 are 20.0 pounds each and 17" C5 stock wheels are around 20 pounds each, so no real big differences.
BT

[Gage]

Those wheels look even better in person.

[Degeneerit]

I'm hoping those are the exact wheels that will be with the car I ordered.
:)
BT

I can't believe you guys don't know what you bought lol. I think they are the stock front wheels off the front of the c5 the 225s. I think they are all the same width which would be nice for tire rotations but not so nice for traction with less wide tires in the rear. I'm sure they will be pleanty wide for this light of a car but Fran could clear this up quickly. Also didn't you send him tires so you should know the width?:huh:

[B-T]

I can't believe you guys don't know what you bought lol. I think they are the stock front wheels off the front of the c5 the 225s. I think they are all the same width which would be nice for tire rotations but not so nice for traction with less wide tires in the rear. I'm sure they will be pleanty wide for this light of a car but Fran could clear this up quickly. Also didn't you send him tires so you should know the width?:huh:

I know I bought 225/45-17 front tires and 245/45-17 rears. I don't know if those are all going to be mounted on the same size wheel, or if the rear wheels are wider. It is a jump of faith going the route of being an early order, but I'm much more excited than worried.
:awais:
BT

[Nikolai]

Surprised that the non z06 units could be a tad less given they are not forged units but agreed they look better anyhow. Just about any tire is going to last a good while on the SL-R due to the lower weight, and I don't ever think I'll be driving in the wet, so an extreme performance DOT legal summer tire will be my preference as well.

[Craig – Absolute PACE]

The wheels supplied with the kits are exactly the same style and color as those in photos already supplied by Fran.

Sizing is 17 x 9.5 front and rear.

I think they are a terrific choice in wheels.

BT has sized his tyres perfectly in my books.

[B-T]

The wheels supplied with the kits are exactly the same style and color as those in photos already supplied by Fran.
....

Yippee!!!:cool3: but I just ordered what size Fran recommended, so I only get credit for doing as told...
I have the color scheme in my mind, and the dark 5 spoke wheels work best with it!:thumb2:
BT

[Craig – Absolute PACE]

Just an update that 18" wheels will be available as an option.

They are a different design to the 17" wheels, but still a 5 spoke design I believe.

Not sure on the final pricing, but they MAY be included for no extra cost. I will need to confirm with Fran.

One of the reasons for offering 18" wheels is there is a greater range of slicks available in 18" sizing.

Our first SL-R order for Aus will have 18" wheels for this reason.

[scraejtp]

Just an update that 18" wheels will be available as an option.

They are a different design to the 17" wheels, but still a 5 spoke design I believe.

Not sure on the final pricing, but they MAY be included for no extra cost. I will need to confirm with Fran.

One of the reasons for offering 18" wheels is there is a greater range of slicks available in 18" sizing.

Our first SL-R order for Aus will have 18" wheels for this reason.

Do you know the width on the 18" wheels?

[Craig – Absolute PACE]

18 x 9.5

[B-T]

Won't the car have to have different fenders with the larger wheels? I saw the front fender laid over the tire I bought (225/45-17) and it was a good fit. I don't think that fender will work with an 18" wheel / tire unless you get something super-low profile.
BT

[Conquest351]

As far as tires, you guys should look at Firestone Wide Ovals, Bridgestone RE01-R's, or the Bridgestone RE750's. I use to work at Firestone and they held training classes every 3 months or so to teach us features of the newest tires coming out. All these tires are AWESOME performance tires with all weather capability. I have the Wide Ovals on my daily driver, and it cuts through the rain with NO problem at all. It also really helped out the handling of the car, I drive a 2000 Crown Vic Police Car daily and boy did those tires wake that thing up. (It's a detective's car, not a junked out patrol car) Michelin makes awesome tires, no doubt! I worked at NTB years ago and we did extensive training on the Michelin tires as well. They're just really REALLY proud of their tires, get my drift? ($$$$) Anyway, take my advice for what it's worth, I'm more in the idea that cheap tires are going to be great as long as they work because face it, this thing is going to ROAST them. I don't wanna be spending $200 per tire to replace them every month or 2.

Laters,

Brian

[B-T]

I ordered Bridgestone Potenza Re-01R's for my car. The full set of four cost about $700. I read reviews indicating they lasted about 8-10k miles which is about 5-7 years of weekend use for me.
BT

[Chadillac]

Also, you're only going to have to replace the rear tires. With the car being so light I think the front tires and all of the brake pads are going to last a very long time. Overall, I think this car will be much cheaper to maintain that any other "street-legal racecar."

[Conquest351]

The RE01R's are absolutely killer tires. I love the tread design and the technology that went into them. That big fat center rib on them is a high grip rubber that's also under the rubber exposed right now. What that does is it increases your traction as the sipes dissappear. Now this is only in dry situations, the sipes are what gets the water out from under the tire. If you look on the tires also, you'll see little ridges on the inside of the sipes along the wall of the ribs, those are hydroevacuation grooves that prevent a boundary layer of water to stick to the tire, thus increasing the efficiency of evacuating the water from under the tire. Really awesome stuff!! Anyways, enough tire nerd stuff from me.

[Degeneerit]

Ha ha you guys really plan on driving in the rain. CRAZY! I wouldn't take it out if I saw a rain cloud a hundred miles away.

[Conquest351]

Ha ha you guys really plan on driving in the rain. CRAZY! I wouldn't take it out if I saw a rain cloud a hundred miles away.

HAHAHA
No, I won't take it out in the rain. But you have to have DOT tires to get it inspected in TX as well as when you're driving because the police like to stop "random" cars and do mobile inspections. Running on slicks would definitely get you cited or get the car impounded.

[B-T]

Ha ha you guys really plan on driving in the rain. CRAZY! I wouldn't take it out if I saw a rain cloud a hundred miles away.

If I did that I could only drive the car maybe 2-3 days per year. "Sunny" Florida has lots of clouds, and rain. We had 67 inches of rain last year (during what has been called a drought) IIRC.
BT

[Degeneerit]

If I did that I could only drive the car maybe 2-3 days per year. "Sunny" Florida has lots of clouds, and rain. We had 67 inches of rain last year (during what has been called a drought) IIRC.
BT

Ha ha yeah I know what your talking about. I just got back from Hawaii, you never knew when it was going to rain.

[Craig – Absolute PACE]

Yeah, I expect the 18's will need to be a lower profile, so overall tyre diameter stays the same.

The main reason I can see here for 18's is the greater range of race slicks in that size.

I expect all the track cars here will be running 18" wheels.

Won't the car have to have different fenders with the larger wheels? I saw the front fender laid over the tire I bought (225/45-17) and it was a good fit. I don't think that fender will work with an 18" wheel / tire unless you get something super-low profile.
BT

[Craig – Absolute PACE]

We received our first set of 17" SL-R wheels.

Well built, light weight and exactly the same style as we have previously been shown.

They are actually 17 x 8.5", not 17 x 9.5" as previously detailed.

By my calculations 17 x 8.5" are much better sizing for this car. Perfect rim width for 225/45/17 front & 245/45/17 rears.

[Karlo]

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z302/landfalcon/www%20ExoCars%20net/www%20ExoCars%20net%20SLR/IMG_0881.jpg