Carrozzeria
Wheels - Details and Specifications
Forged
rims have many advantages over stock or aftermarket
cast wheels
Carrozzeria
Forged Rims are made from wrought 6151-T6 which
has an inherently better “grain” structure
and is not only stronger then cast wheels, but
more uniform and consistent in quality. To illustrate
I have compared the strength of the material used
in Carrozzeria forged rims with the strongest
casting alloys listed in an engineering text.
As I do not know what material is used in stock
or aftermarket cast wheels I listed the highest
strength cast alloys listed. In reality the difference
may actually be greater than shown. Also cast
wheels are much more likely to have internal defects
which will reduce the properties even more.
Material
Tensile Strength Yield Strength Elongation Product
6151-T6 44 ksi 37 ksi 10% Carrozzeria Rims
A356-T6 41 ksi 30 ksi 10% Hi-Strength aluminum
casting alloy
355-T6 42 ksi 27 ksi 4% Typical aluminum casting
alloy
ZK61A-T6 45 ksi 28 ksi 10% Strongest magnesium
casting alloy listed
Source: Metals Handbook Desk Edition Published
by American Society for Metals
Carrozzeria
rims will not crack like cast magnesium wheels
and will provide superior durability to the stock
wheel.
Carrozzeria
Forged Rims are 20–40% lighter than stock,
depending on model. Reducing weight on a motorcycle
will always make it accelerate, corner and brake
better, but some weight reductions are much more
valuable then others. Motorcycle weight can be
classified in two ways; sprung or unsprung and
rotating or non-rotating. Wheel weight is both
rotating and unsprung, which as you will read
is the most significant weight to remove.
Sprung
weight is everything that suspension holds up,
unsprung weight is the wheel, sprocket, caliper,
disks, axle and a percentage of the shock and
swing arm. Unsprung weight is the nemesis of the
suspension in the war to maintain tire contact
with the tarmac. The less unsprung weight the
more effectively the suspension and ultimately
the tires can do their jobs. To explain this lets
pretend you had a job in which you had to raise
and lower a hammer as moving obstacles came by
on some sort of moving conveyor belt. First you
had a hammer with a 1 pound head. As the conveyor
belt moved faster at some point it would become
impossible to move quickly enough and the hammer
would be hit be an obstacle. If you used a hammer
with a ½ pound head you would be able to
negotiate the moving obstacles at a greater speed.
Now imagine the hammerhead is the wheel, your
wrist is the suspension system and the moving
conveyor with obstacles is the bumpy tarmac. This
is why most cars have independent suspensions.
Reducing unsprung weight will improve the traction
especially in bumpy corners.
Rotating
weight on a motorcycle counts twice every time
you accelerate or brake. The reason for this is
the engine must increase both the wheels’
linear velocity as well as their rotational velocity.
It is a little more complicated in reality, but
each pound you remove from the wheels is equal
to approximately 2 or more pounds removed from
the chassis. Reducing the weight of you wheels
will allow your bike to not only accelerate faster,
but brake better as well.
An
additional benefit to reducing rotating weight
it the reduction in gyro effect of the wheels.
The easiest way to understand this is to conduct
an experiment at home. Get the front wheel off
your bicycle. Hold the axle with your hands and
have a partner spin the wheel at a moderate speed.
As the wheel spins pretend you are the forks and
“turn” the wheel. You now have a feel
for gyroscopic forces. Now imagine what a motorcycle
wheel with much greater weight and speed goes
through when you attempt to change directions
quickly in a in a series of turns.
Carrozzeria
rims enhance acceleration, braking and handling
making them dollar-for-dollar one of the best
performance modifications you can make without
the jetting, noise and reliability problems associated
with engine modifications.
Carrozzeria
Forged rims are JWL, the Japanese equivalent to
DOT, approved for use on street vehicles, so you
can be sure the wheels are safe for street use.
Many other aftermarket rims are not approved for
street use.
Carrozzeria
rims are either anodized or Hi Gloss Polish for
a durable long lasting finish, especially when
compared to the stock painted wheel. Carrozzeria
rims will look good for a long time.
Carrozzeria
rims are stylish. Give your bike a distinctive
look.
Rear
wheels use Kawasaki Bolt Pattern sprockets
520 = ZX-6R (2003 to Current)
525 = ZX-10R (2003 to Current)
530 = ZX-12R (2002 to 2006)
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