Just read in the Enthusuaist's Companion that the stock alloys are FUNCTIONAL as well as attractive. They are designed to cool exposed brake calipers. Cool. Don't the Japs just think of everything !!

 

Think I'll stick with me stock ones and just get them reconditioned !!

 

Anyone know of a good wheel reconditioner in the Northwest ?

hi,

i know someone in the north east(barnsley)

that recons em for about £30 per wheel or you can have the same done as i did,dark chrome looks well cool(i think)some people saw them at billing!

all this for £50 per wheel

 

--hth--

--neil--

 

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[This message has been edited by neil (edited 09-09-2002).]

don't they also keep your tyres nice and circular as well as keeping you from scraping the bottom of the car on all that nasty tarmac? lol

they might have a cooling function, but i very much doubt you would ever get any use out of it at road speeds, personally id go for some stylish wheels, screw brake cooling!

 

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Of course they will have an effect at normal road speeds !! Have you ever felt your wheels after lots of braking ? Very HOT !!

 

They work like a fan, because if you look at them they have a unidirectioonal pattern and spokes are thinner at the outer extremes.

 

PS. I'm not angry. Honest ! ;-)

Originally posted by Nelson MainFella:

Of course they will have an effect at normal road speeds !! Have you ever felt your wheels after lots of braking ? Very HOT !!

 

 

exactly my point, they dont work!

 

 

 

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That's proves nothing - if you break a lot while travelling slow like down country lanes, they will get hot, but faster driving should cool them a lot.

 

Neway, you should be in bed, Clarkey ! Isn't it school tomorrow ?!

They only work if you put them on the right way round!

Fast driving will cool them whatever wheels you have fitted!

 

Bob

Originally posted by Nelson MainFella:

That's proves nothing - if you break a lot while travelling slow like down country lanes, they will get hot, but faster driving should cool them a lot.

 

Neway, you should be in bed, Clarkey ! Isn't it school tomorrow ?!

 

BWahahahahahaaha!!!!!!!

 

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Originally posted by Gio:

don't they also keep your tyres nice and circular as well as keeping you from scraping the bottom of the car on all that nasty tarmac? lol

 

ROFL!!!

 

Fcuking class mate!

 

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What Banzai said is right. If they are put on the wrong way round they wont do anything.

They are designed to suck air from the brake out and not blow air on them.

 

Also if you look under the nose cone, you may see a vent on the undercarage right under the intercoolers. If you follow these vents you will see that the are channeled at the brakes.

 

Stuart

So next time I get stopped for speeding I'll say "I was only cooling the brakes down"

 

The brake disc area helps as a heat sync. The wheels are mounted almost on top of the brake disks, and also conduct heat. Bigger wheels can conduct more heat, thus more effective that smaller ones like stock... heh heh... only kidding... but when you think about it many things effect how hot the brakes get including how you drive and using the gears to brake (which also puts a lot of wear on the gearbox)... don't think too much

You couldn't put them on the 'wrong way' ?!

OK whose got pics to show young Nelson the right and wrong way to fit the wheels. You have much to learn grasshopper!

Not only can you put them on the wrong side you can also put them on the wrong axle, i.e. front and rear!

 

Where is Timmy Turbo when you need him?

 

Tim

I obviously wouldn't put front on back or vice versa, but worng way round ? Which is the right way ?! My rears are the opposite way to my fronts. The difference is only cosmetic.

Nelson,

no-one would 'obviously' put the rears on the front & vice-versa.

Hang on a sec though, I think we know someone who has

Dave

 

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Originally posted by Nelson MainFella:

I obviously wouldn't put front on back or vice versa, but worng way round ? Which is the right way ?! My rears are the opposite way to my fronts. The difference is only cosmetic.

 

The wheels are handed. Look on the casting by the part number, there is an L or R as appropriate.

Originally posted by SRRAE:

What Banzai said is right. If they are put on the wrong way round they wont do anything.

They are designed to suck air from the brake out and not blow air on them.

 

Stuart

 

You are partly right. If you put them on the wrong way round, they will probably still pull air out from the brake disks/calipers but not nearly as well. This is because the long and deeper scoop should be facing the direction of motion/rotation in order to'scoop' out air and send it away from the car. I guess one disadvatage of this directionality is that the movement of air causes turbulence. Larger alloys will have the advantage of greater surface area for cooling and probably greater area of exposed brake disks to the air (although v. marginal).

 

Originally posted by Nelson MainFella:

You are partly right. If you put them on the wrong way round, they will probably still pull air out from the brake disks/calipers but not nearly as well. .

 

I doubt it. The following side of the alloy is flat and would just cause the air to split and not flow one direction causing low pressure where the brakes and sucking the air to equal the pressures.

 

If you want better cooling, get bigger brakes. Larger surface area = quicker cooling.

 

Stuart

I don't get why people think the stock brakes are crap -I find they are fine. They are much better than those on most cars, but maybe for a very high performance car they are average/below average. Still for a car in general, surely they have good brakes ?!!

I am running stock disks and stock pads. However, I have just had my calipers rebuilt cus I found one was sticking and JESUS, what a difference.

 

You dont need R33 calipers - just get them rebuilt.

 

If you want better breaking at a budget

- get some green stuff or red stuff pads, stainless pipes and a master cylinder brace. That should be all you need unless you are looking to cook them on a track.

Originally posted by Nelson MainFella:

I don't get why people think the stock brakes are crap -I find they are fine.

 

Running at stock boost they are,as long as you don't try and slam on at 130mph+.

 

Give the car around 400 bhp and CRAP is not the word!

 

 

 

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KEEP IT SIDEWAYS;).

Good point MAC !

Had mine in for two new tres the other day and they pointed out to me that i had the left wheels on the back and rge right on the front, when i asked what difference it made they told me it was like wearing gloves on your feet and socks on your hands! So i got them to put em on right, funny ive had the car about 3 months and i knew about the directional wheels, and i never even noticed!

 

B19RKS