Wheel Design Preferences

Do you have an opinion about basic wheel design elements? It would be interesting to see what opinions there are about the following issues:

1. I like to see either the same number of spokes or an integer multiple number of spokes as wheel bolts although I might make an exception for something symmetrical, like 6-spoke 4-bolt wheels.

2. Four-spoke wheels simply leave too much unsupported rim space unless the spokes are wide. There are a number of 3-spoke styles that have the worst of all worlds - hefty weight and poor strength due to the unsupported rim, although the rim is usually stronger than the spokes.

3. Some manufacturers machine two separate diameter bolt patterns on a wheel, typically 4" and 100 mm or 4.5" (or other sizes). One-size-fits-all wheels look pretty chintzy and may have strength issues. You see them all the time on Hondas. But I have seen them on a Porsche Carrera and it looks ghetto.

4. My own preference is to have the spokes remain well inside the rim. The Neeper-style wheels with the spokes going to the edge of the rim are terribly nouveau-riche. Fortunately, they seem to be getting the reputation as being ricer wheels.

5. Straight spokes are better than twisted spokes because they look the same on both sides of the car and are equally strong under braking and acceleration loads on either side of the car. Fortunately, the twisted spoke look is becoming passé.

6. Some designs have obvious structural issues such as long thin spoke sections that look like they would buckle under the first speed bump they encounter.

7. Some designs have a ring of bolts around the outside to mimic the three-piece wheels that have a separate centre, inboard and outboard rim sections (or to mimic wheels that are screwed to the tires for low-pressure tires such as sand dragsters).

8. Unstressed wheel elements like spikes that go inward from the rim but not to the centre or out from the centre but not to the rim so they are just excess mass.

9. Spinners. The owner of a car with spinners can probably sell you some illegal white powder.

Some of my all-time favourites are the original Lamborghini Miura wheels which looked nice (5-spoke on a 5-bolt pattern) and were functional in the sense that they pumped air out of the brake rotors. Minilites look good on a 4-bolt pattern but not on a 5-bolt pattern like the Legacy.

Some manufacturers offer copies of existing wheel designs, but as far as copies are concerned, there is no patent on wheels unless the manufacturer introduces something new that performs a function differently. It is possible to register a design or trademark, but the protection is not great and it is unlikely that manufacturers in Kerplunkistan honour intellectual property agreements or laws anyway.

Of course, Ronal had to come up with these (which I have seen on a Mercedes 450SL):

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i243/Boomenstein/bear.jpg

Some people with the Ronal teddy bear wheels paint the bear black with red eyes to make them look sinister. Gangsta bear wheels anyone?

Then there are some works of art in the motorcycle world that should never actually turn:

http://bp1.blogger.com/_7gYNb3GSh4M/SDbYtY6E7OI/AAAAAAAAEOg/t1LCKcHM-9c/s400/planetary+gear+wheel.jpg

And a similar design shown installed:

http://bp3.blogger.com/_7gYNb3GSh4M/SDbYx46E7PI/AAAAAAAAEOo/dsgS5UKkjOg/s400/involution_wheel.jpg

If you added a few clutch packs, you could have a transmission built into the wheel and maybe get a super overdrive or a stump-puller low. But don't. Just don't.

what's your point?

and it's wheels, not rims

look up the differences

WTF is this thread about ?

Here are some new, equally interesting THREAD ideas :

1) TV personality Doctor OZ is not a Doctor and designs OZ wheels - Discuss

2) Nice wheels reduce your insurance premiums - Discuss

3) The "Denver Omelet" is actually named after John Denver - Discuss

p.s. - I am fairly sure the "Denver Omelet" is named after John Denver

Tough room!

I have 7-spoke 5-bolt wheels on the Legacy and 5-spoke 4-bolt wheels on the Miata and they look just... weird. At least the wheels on both cars are better than the wheels on the 93 Impreza I had - the castings were so rough on that, they shredded a J-cloth every time I cleaned them.

The worst wheels are here:

http://jalopnik.com/the-ten-ugliest-wheels-ever-made-510080852