H20NOO

Mounted last night. Initial driving impressions are very favorable. Steering feels lighter and the brakes are very sensitive, especially at slow speeds. Acceleration is better, also more evident in lower gears and slower speeds.

More feedback will follow after a couple hundred miles.

MC

MyEmily

I notice you belong to the 11-99 foundation. My application is in and waiting. Urban Legend: Does it let you get away w/ you know what? Do CHP drive by and salute? Hehehe, My lawyer swear by it. Responses are greatly appreciated....

H20NOO

I think it can help unless you are doing something really stupid. Then, all bets are off.

MC

E55AMG

I love those. someone on 6speed had ordered them but were defective and is awaiting another set.

I know CF is supposed to be strong but did you do any research on how they will handle everyday driving on crappy roads? I guess the other problem is it will be difficult if not impossible to fix a curbed wheel?

Alan Smithee

Good looking wheels. How much do they weigh? Are they 18s or 19s?

MyEmily, I'm an 11-99 member as well, and have been pulled over three times without a ticket (I don't have frames on my cars). However, all three times I was barely speeding, wasn't driving the Porsche, and may have only received a warning anyway. I agree with H20NOO that it can help, but it's not a get-out-of-jail-free card.

nkhalidi

Those look great. I look forward to reading your thoughts in a few days.

H20NOO

I contacted DyMag directly before ordering. They answered my questions (below). The carbon fiber hoops appear to be about 1/4" thick and very strong. Having looked them over carefully, I have no concerns about the carbon fiber breaking or cracking from pot holes if the tires are properly inflated. Like early fiberglass boats, it looks to me like they may have actually made them thicker than necessary. They also have the DOT stamp on them so I think they are U.S. road legal in addition to meeting the very stringent German TUV standards.

Curbing would be a problem but thankfully I'm not prone to it and the Michelins have nice rim protection - where the tire extends out over the lip by about 3/8".

Here's the Q&A from DyMag:

Dear Matthew,

Thank you for your enquiry, please find below the answers you need plus attached is a brief explanation of how the wheels work on the car.


Q. Are they durable enough for daily use on California roads with the typical potholes, expansion joints, small stones and debris?

A. Yes, they resist impact better than even magnesium, debris is less good to be honest, but a good tyre bead protector, such as on the Michelin Pilot SP or Yokohama work very well. You are not rallying the car I guess?

Q. Do they generate a resonant noise or “roar” that is transmitted into the vehicle?

A. No, carbon is very good noise insulator (carbon bicycle frames are very"quiet"), but you may find that the shock absorbers need to be softened as the reduced weight creates more grip.

Q. Are they UV protected?

A. Yes, the material itself is very stable in UV, GM have tested the wheels in the USA and showed that it was significantly better then painted wheels.

Q. Can they be rebuilt?

A. Yes, but only at Dymag, we do not allow rebuild by anyone else as yet.

Q. Are they a 2-pc or 3-pc wheel?

A. 2 piece, magnesium hub, carbon fibre rim.

Q. How is the hub mounted to the rim? Bonded? Bolted?

A. Bonded and bolted with a specially designed fastening system to allow for expansion within the wheel's temperature range.

Q. What is the factory warranty?

A. 2 years, but lifetime for manufacturing defects.

Q. Will a local tire shop, even a very good one, be able or WILLING to mount a set of tires?

A. Tyre fitting is no more difficult than any other lightweight wheel. Some care must be taken with the fitting table clamps and to ensure that tyre levers do not dig into the material. Trained tyre fitters have no problems at all.

Please let me know if you need further information,

With thanks and best regards,

Bevis Musk, Dymag

MrBonus

Love 'em. Great choice.

gmoney99

I would be paranoid about getting tires mounted!

carrering

I noticed you have PCCB's. what size wheel and offset?

Dro

...also what is the weight savings compared to the stock S wheel (lobsters).
And dare I ask the price?

erv

looks great. wondering about price as well.

D.D.

Yikes.....IT'S A-LOT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just to get me through the price to tell the wife!!

E55AMG

I thought I read about 16-18 lbs. ea. and have heard anywhere from $7,000-12,000 for the set. I also understand they will make them in any color you want

H20NOO

Stock Lobsters are VERY light but still weigh in at exactly 100lbs for a set of 4.

The Dymags are lighter yet. When they arrived at Wheelenhancement for tires, they weighed them for me. The front wheel weight is 15 pounds, 12 ounces, the rear wheel weight is 18 pounds, 5 ounces. So the combined weight is 68lbs, 2oz, for a savings of 31lbs, 14oz. As you might imagine, that unsprung, rotating weight reduction combined with the roughly 35lbs saved with PCCB makes the car much more responsive and can be felt in acceleration, braking, suspension movement and in the steering (less gyroscopic effect when turning). Imagine having a 15lb bag of sand attached to each wheel on your car and what that might do to the driving dynamic.

The wheels are available in 18" and 19" sizes. I ordered 18's for several reasons.

1. Lighter weight
2. Better ride quality
3. More tire choices
4. I like a bit of sidewall!

They are 18x8.5 and 18x11 with factory offsets. I have 235/40/18 and 315/30/18 Michelin PS2's mounted and as you can see, the rear tires now fill the fenders perfectly. I'm not using spacers.

They are expensive but I negotiated a nice discount with the distributor back in June as one of the first N. American customers. I don't know if discounts are offered anymore since Dymag has a growing order backlog and limited production capacity. I placed my order the first week of September and they arrived from England in December.

MC