Well I was bored the other day and decided to start a few detail projects for the RX8 (I have a long list of upgrades focusing on different areas...) so I ordered a stock lug bolt and picked it up today... Measured all the specs and ordered a custom set in titanium... This will further reduce un-sprung weight and also look really cool...

They will be here in about a week; here is a pic of the stock one (Heavy & Ugly)...

 

how much weight you think youll drop ?

 

I would think very carefully before using Titanium for this purpose.

Titanium is about 1/3 lighter than steel and about 2/3 heavier than aluminium. So yes you will lose weight But only a very small amount. BUT Titanium is more prone to fracture and having threads increases this problem. Also Titanium does not Torque well as it is more elastic than steel.

If you decided to continue anyway. Please first let me know what type of Titanium you plan to use so I can do the stress calculations for you.

Thank you,
mtwizard

 

This has already been done; I don't want to get into to many details at this point... It will be a very well engineered solution...

It is used all the time for wheel lugs especially in racing with very good results...

I will post weight comparisons next week, until then I have some other cool projects I am working on...

 

Here is a picture of another application...

 

well from my experience i have broken a few
either s/t racing,aftermarket wheels before on my rx7.
its best just to leave oem ones.
ive had to drive to judge ito shop on 2-3 studs
and one time had only 1 bolt at that time, just towed it.
but i use to be a maniac back then

 

Tried them on my supra.After 4 breaks i dumped em.I had 400lbs of torque with that to but point still remains.

 

hey dave
i didnt know you also joined the dark side before

 

Its talking to me again Kel.
The DEMONS make it stop.
If i dont find FI soon im returning.

 

Not all titanium bolts are created equal, I have used them before with very good results; have never had one break on me... If you use the right titanium alloy...

 

I am sorry titanium lugs are just silly.

$$$$$ to save a few oz per corner?

And who the hell sees the how ugly your stock lugs are? They are covered at all times.

Don't mean to be rude. But you would probably get better performance upgrade by removing the sun visors or something like that.

-Mr. Wigggles

 

With the new brakes and the other set of wheels I will be buying just for track use it will be a nice extra... And I am not concerned about $$$$$... Also it is more than a few oz...

 

The sun visors would not classify as unsprung weight. :D

 

You dont hear that a lot

 

I am curious which grade of Ti?

 

Speaking of Titanium alloys, has anyone heard of this crazy "Liquidmetal" stuff, titanium w/ the crystal structure of glass?

www.liquidmetal.com

Holy crap...2x the yield strength of titanium or stainless, with further improvements anticipated. Absolutely NOT brittle at all, in fact it would make an excellent spring material--check out the bouncing ball video! It can be cast with much more detail and accuracy than conventional metals, so for some parts you might not have to machine them. It can also apparently be used to make a metallic styrofoam!

The "holy grail" of their research is of course to achieve the same glassy crystal structure, only in steels and aluminum.




Hmm...if a regular 18" aluminum wheel is say...20 lbs., then I would imagine you could make LiquidMetal wheels that were 10 lbs. each :drools:...expensive yes, but you might not need any machining, they come out of the mold super shiny, and eventually the price is bound to drop.

 

Yeah I was reviewing this material for a product I was working on. My company tends to like proven technology and the price was too high. Cool stuff nonetheless.

Liquidmetal Discussion on forum

Suppose to "cast" like plastics. I wonder how thin of a wall you can make. The increase strength really allows for a thinner/lighter design.

 

We might use T4, and the torque specs would be 60-65fp...

 

There is nobody that appreciates weight reduction more than me. However, I am scared this project is doomed to fail when applied to a street vehicle. Grade 4 Titanium is not particularly strong and as stated earlier all titanium alloys are notch sensitive. Notch sensitive means that titanium has poor impact resistance if it has a groove or hole or any severe shape change. A wheel stud is threaded (bad notch) and is subject to significant impact loads from potholes and banging into curbs, etc.

Instead of the Ti wheel studs why don't you make the lug nuts of Ti? They are not subjected to the impact loads that the stud sees.

 

The lugs will work fine with my application...

 

So is it www.mettec.com that will make them?

 

Well the lugs are in production will have them in about a week... Will post pics and install as soon as they arrive...

 

i want liqid metal rotors and apex seals for my fd damn thats sweet stuff :D. i thougtht glass was goin to shatter the ball got so i pithced at the end.
joel

 

How easy are the bolts to remove as I've had to put 3mm spacers on to keep my rims away from the brake calipers. Bit concerned about the length of bolt that comes through the rim to screw the nuts into. Not too bad, as the nuts screws round 4-5 times, but would feel happier with longer blots. If they are easy to replace I may do it - but just normal steel!

 

which other wheels are you getting?