August 3, 2011 - There's no real reason for this picture.
The car was out for a photo shoot and it just looks cool.
An update on the white wheels. It turns out that powdercoating a set of alloys like this is a bad idea. The heat of the powdercoating process affects the heat treating of the aluminum, weakening them. There are numerous discussions on various forums, but I confirmed by contacting some wheel engineers at the Tire Rack. 949Racing also warns against it.
If I was just running this car on the street, I'd probably continue to use them. But these wheels will take particular abuse in an event that does not allow for weakness or failure.
Emilio at 949Racing has been really good to deal with. He's treating me better than he has any reason to, and he's ensured that I will have full strength wheels for the race despite my blunder. I've always had a lot of respect for both his level of knowledge and the way he does business, and now I have even more. He may be a competitor of Flyin' Miata, but he's the sort of competitor that we like to have. There's a reason I'm running his parts on an FM car.
You have to admit the wheels look good in white, though. This is the set that was painted with a rattle can. These will be repainted along with the new set in proper automotive paint, the same color used on the body of the car. That should ensure it survives the brake dust while the wheels survive the Newfoundland roads. A learning process for me!
tags: wheels |
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