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GT350 Carbon Fiber vs. Aluminum Wheel Weight Difference

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Cloud9 and I were discussing the weight of the GT350 wheels and will the CF wheels really make a performance difference. Our premise is most won't use the CF wheels for track use and will instead buy lightweight AL wheels. So follow along for a minute.

GT350R CF wheels are supposed to weigh about 18 lbs each or 72 lbs a set.

GT350 AL wheels could weigh an average of 29 lbs each or 116 lbs a set.

Apex ARC-8 flow-formed AL wheels weigh 23 lbs each or 92 lbs a set. Apex is in the process of making more wheels with Mustang fitment so I'll use their wheels for our example even though the width is slightly narrow. More on that later...

By using the same wheels on both cars you equalize any positive or negative effect of the wheels. So the R gains 20 lbs and the 350 loses 24 lbs. This is weight where it really counts. So as cool as the CF wheels are they may not be much of a benefit on track.

@cloud9
@LS110
@fuhrius
@Grant 302
@jas427

http://www.apexraceparts.com/apex-products/ARC-8-Wheels/19x10-5-ET22-APEX-ARC-8-Wheel.html#.VZbxkqZk-wk

media.nl
 
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The peace of mind that good alloy wheels would provide would override any slight increase in performance I think. Coming from 20 years of sportbikes and seeing what happens to CF over time (exhausts, wheels, fenders, etc) does not give me any comfort in terms of CF wheels on a high performance car over the long term, much less in the very abusive world of trackdays and racing.

And still, those Apex wheels are significantly lighter than the OE GT350 wheels so it's a nice middle ground.
 
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I wonder if the stock 350R shock calibration have an adverse effect on handling due to the weight difference between the CF vs aluminum wheels? Might be better to get a TP if if switching wheels is the plan from the get go. Go even more basic at order time if you plan on changing out the shocks as well although this would be a less than ideal approach from the get go. All depends on you satisfaction of its out of the box track manners....
 
BigTaco said:
I wonder if the stock 350R shock calibration have an adverse effect on handling due to the weight difference between the CF vs aluminum wheels? Might be better to get a TP if if switching wheels is the plan from the get go. Go even more basic at order time if you plan on changing out the shocks as well although this would be a less than ideal approach from the get go. All depends on you satisfaction of its out of the box track manners....

Your are correct from what was discussed at the Mid America Ford meet last month. The magnetic ride is calibrated differently on the R model versus Track Pack and the wheel weight will have a negative effect on handling if you swap tire and wheel set up (if the weight is dramatically different). No mentions of where the tipping point is on the LBS
 
A 10.5 with 22mm backspace wont work as you know so what offset will they have and when would that happen?
I'd supose for a square setup if for track use...
 

TMSBOSS

Spending my pension on car parts and track fees.
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Not to take the conversation too far in another direction....but.

With the direction of performance suspensions clearly being electronic. Has the after market entered into "Tuning" for the suspension systems?

I have seen zero on the subject. To be honest I have not looked too hard either.
 
patrickshelby said:
A 10.5 with 22mm backspace wont work as you know so what offset will they have and when would that happen?
I'd supose for a square setup if for track use...
That's not the wheel for our car but I used that as a close size for the weight. Apex is going to make wider 18's for our cars very soon and then will make the 19's for the GT350. I already have a BMO members 2016 GT350R lined up for them to use for test fitment as they are local to me here in NorCal.
 
NFSBOSS said:
That's not the wheel for our car but I used that as a close size for the weight. Apex is going to make wider 18's for our cars very soon and then will make the 19's for the GT350. I already have a BMO members 2016 GT350R lined up for them to use for test fitment as they are local to me here in NorCal.
I am looking for lightweight 10x19 or 10.5x19 t a "reasonable" price.
That is why I asked.
Until I saw your post I was going for Forgestar in 10x19
I think their lightest wheel is the CF5V
 

Grant 302

basic and well known psychic
NFSBOSS said:
So if you have an R you're going to use the CF wheels for track and be constantly removing and installing new tires on them? How long until they get thrashed?

For me, and the mileage I put on...it's probably still going to last a long while. The typical Grant solution is to buy another set, then don't worry about it so much.

And like I mentioned in another thread, I've worked a bit with fiberglass and resin, so I wouldn't be opposed to doing minor/cosmetic touch up myself and repainting a 'user' set.
 
NFSBOSS said:
So if you have an R you're going to use the CF wheels for track and be constantly removing and installing new tires on them? How long until they get thrashed?

That would be a concern for me but if I bought a 60k track toy I could probably go with a set of forgelines and not worry so much about the additional 12lbs. Or so.
 
great article in autoblog

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/07/10/shelby-gt350r-offers-first-mass-produced-carbon-fiber-wheels/#slide-3544903

I'm becoming less and less concerned about tracking the carbon wheels the more I learn about them.
 

Grant 302

basic and well known psychic
fuhrius said:
great article in autoblog

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/07/10/shelby-gt350r-offers-first-mass-produced-carbon-fiber-wheels/#slide-3544903

I'm becoming less and less concerned about tracking the carbon wheels the more I learn about them.

Nicely put. It's also part of the reason why I'm considering an R over a Track Pack now.
 
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NFSBOSS said:
So if you have an R you're going to use the CF wheels for track and be constantly removing and installing new tires on them? How long until they get thrashed?

I'm not baller enough to have an R on order (so take this as you may), but if I did then I would track the car with the CF wheels. I paid the premium for the light wheels and I would want to get my money's worth out of them and enjoy it :)
 
So now that we know the wheels weigh 18 lbs and not 15 lbs there's even less of a loss using an AL wheel for the track. I'm not afraid to use the CF wheel on track but looking at my track wheels and how beat up they look will keep me from using the CF wheels as my dedicated track wheels. Now if the price is $4K for a set that would probably change my mind. ;)

Article on CF and AL wheels.

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1017073_aluminum-carbon-hybrid-a-more-affordable-alternative-to-pure-carbon-wheels

HRE's 19x11" flow form wheel that should work on the GT350.

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