Magnesium wheels
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Magnesium wheels are wheels
manufactured Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ran ...
from
alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductilit ...
s which contain mostly
magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ta ...
. Magnesium wheels are produced either by
casting (metalworking) In metalworking and jewelry making, casting is a process in which a liquid metal is delivered into a mold (usually by a crucible) that contains a negative impression (i.e., a three-dimensional negative image) of the intended shape. The metal is ...
(where
molten Melting, or fusion, is a physical process that results in the phase transition of a substance from a solid to a liquid. This occurs when the internal energy of the solid increases, typically by the application of heat or pressure, which inc ...
metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
is introduced into a mold, solidifying within the mold), or by forging (where a prefabricated bar is deformed mechanically).
Magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ta ...
has several key properties that make it an attractive base metal for wheels: lightness; a high damping capacity; and a high
specific strength The specific strength is a material's (or muscle's) strength (force per unit area at failure) divided by its density. It is also known as the strength-to-weight ratio or strength/weight ratio or strength-to-mass ratio. In fiber or textile applic ...
. Magnesium is the lightest metallic structural material available. It is 1.5 times less dense than
aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
, so magnesium wheels can be designed to be significantly lighter than
aluminium alloy An aluminium alloy (or aluminum alloy; see spelling differences) is an alloy in which aluminium (Al) is the predominant metal. The typical alloying elements are copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon, tin, nickel and zinc. There are two principa ...
wheels A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to b ...
, while exhibiting comparable strength. Many competitive racing wheels are made of magnesium alloy.


Cast magnesium wheels

Taking into account their generally inferior quality compared to forged wheels, the main advantage of cast wheels is the relatively low cost of production. And although cast wheels are more affordable than forged wheels, cast wheels are heavier than forged wheels for a given required load. Manufacturing defects found in cast wheels include cavities or porosity and a different metallurgical microstructure, entailing larger grain size. Cast wheels will tend to fracture upon overbearing high-speed impact, whereas forged wheels will tend to bend. Diecast wheels continued to be used in elite racing such as
Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
, IndyCar,
BTCC The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA. It was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and was renamed as ...
, MotoGP and
World Superbike Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a silhouette-class road racing series based on heavily modified production motorcycles, also known as superbike racing. The championship was founded in ...
until mid 1990s, when forged wheel technology became preferred.


Forged magnesium wheels

Forged magnesium wheels are manufactured by mechanically deforming ( forging) a prefabricated rod using a powerful forging press. Several somewhat different forging techniques exist, all of them comprising a multi-step process/operation. The resultant forging is subsequently machined (lathe-turned and milled) into the final shape of a wheel by removing excess metal from the forged blank. A forged magnesium wheel is 25 percent lighter than cast wheel. The main disadvantage of forged wheels is the high manufacturing cost. Owing to the typically high costs of finished wheels, forged wheels are still rarely purchased by non-professional drivers for regular road use. But since forged wheels can be designed to be lighter than cast wheels for a given load, forged wheels do offer fuel economy and other distinct advantages. The forging process allows alignment of the metal fibers and optimization of the directional pattern arrangement along the spokes of a wheel. This, along with the smaller grain size, results in superior mechanical properties and performance characteristics that make forged magnesium wheels widely popular both for motor racing and with knowledgeable driving enthusiasts.


History

The original cast magnesium wheels were made beginning in the 1930s and their production continues today. Some of the biggest brands producing magnesium wheels in the past include Halibrand, American Racing, Campagnolo, Cromodora, Ronal, Technomagnesio, and Watanabe. The popularity of magnesium wheels peaked in 1950 -1960. Magnesium wheels from the middle of 20th century are now considered classic and are highly sought by some classic car enthusiasts. However, those magnesium wheels proved to be impractical because they were prone to corrosion and they were mostly used in racing sports. After 1960's magnesium wheels were gradually replaced by aluminium alloy wheels on the mass market, but not from the competition wheels market. Many manufacturers of magnesium wheels are still operating. A lot of companies continued production after the 1960s, although in lower quantities. Modern scientific and engineering developments led to significant improvements in the quality of magnesium wheels, including high-tech anti-corrosion treatment that extends the lifecycle of a wheel to match or even exceed the life cycle of comparable aluminium alloy wheel. Forged magnesium started to displace sand and gravity die-cast magnesium wheels in the mid-1990s. Up to the end of the 90s Marchesini, DYMAG and Marvic we supplying cast wheels to the elite motorbike racing market. DYMAG also supplied all the Lola and Reynard Indycars until 1998.


Common issues

A notable disadvantage historically affecting magnesium wheels was susceptibility to
corrosion Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engi ...
. Recent improvements in magnesium surface treatment technology have largely resolved the corrosion issues—to the extent that some manufacturers today offer a 10-year warranty. A common misconception persists regarding the danger caused by magnesium's
flammability A combustible material is something that can burn (i.e., ''combust'') in air. A combustible material is flammable if it ignites easily at ambient temperatures. In other words, a combustible material ignites with some effort and a flammable mat ...
. But new improved alloys have been developed over the past fifty years, with no reportable incidents of magnesium wheels catching fire. In fact, the
U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...
has conducted wide-ranging tests over the past decade, concluding that the potential flammability of magnesium is no longer a concern—and even ruling to allow its use in
aircraft cabin An aircraft cabin is the section of an aircraft in which passengers travel. Most modern commercial aircraft are pressurized, as cruising altitudes are high enough such that the surrounding atmosphere is too thin for passengers and crew to bre ...
s. With many challenges solved by modern technological solutions, a number of companies—including Brembo (Marchesini),
BBS BBS may refer to: Ammunition * BBs, BB gun metal bullets * BBs, airsoft gun plastic pellets Computing and gaming * Bulletin board system, a computer server users dial into via dial-up or telnet; precursor to the Internet * BIOS Boot Specificat ...
, OZ, Taneisya, and
SMW Engineering SMW may refer to: * Semantic MediaWiki, an extension to MediaWiki that allows for annotating semantic data within wiki pages * Smara Airport, Western Sahara, IATA Airport Code * Smoky Mountain Wrestling, a professional wrestling promotion that held ...
—are now producing the next generation of reliable forged magnesium wheels. Additionally, several car and motorcycle manufacturers (
Original Equipment Manufacturers An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...
, or OEMs) have successfully
homologated Homologation (Greek ''homologeo'', ὁμολογέω, "to agree") is the granting of approval by an official authority. This may be a court of law, a government department, or an academic or professional body, any of which would normally work f ...
forged magnesium wheels for use as original equipment. Only a limited number of forgers in the world have the large presses required to manufacture the forgings, from which forged magnesium wheels are machined.


Aftermarket magnesium wheels


mbDESIGN

mbDESIGN in the middle of Germany present the fist aftermarket KBA homologated forged Magnesium wheel in May 2018. The Frist Design was calle
MF1
and weighs only 7,2 kg for a 8x19" wheel, a new Milestone for Ultralightwheels. The sizes start at 17 Inch up to 20 Inch in 2020. The new Design MF2 is again optimized and lighter as all wheels before. For Audi TT RS the wheel in 9x19" Et42 weighs only 6.3 kg, the Performance for all TTRs and RS3 is incredible. End of 2020 mbDESIGN designed a MF2 Centerlockwheel for an MCLaren 720 that weighs just 7.1 kg in 11.5x20 inches for rear axle and 8x19" with 5.8 kg for front axle.


DYMAG

DYMAG was founded as Competition Wheels Limited in mid-1970s. It was the first company to produce Gravity Diecast Magnesium wheels, which improved mechanical properties over sand cast magnesium wheels. Widely used in
Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
and GP500 (forerunner of MotoGP and
World Superbikes Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a silhouette-class road racing series based on heavily modified production motorcycles, also known as superbike racing. The championship was founded i ...
). The company changed its name to DYMAG Racing UK Limited during the 1980s. In the mid-1990s
forged Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which it ...
magnesium displaced die-cast magnesium wheels in elite motorsport.
BBS BBS may refer to: Ammunition * BBs, BB gun metal bullets * BBs, airsoft gun plastic pellets Computing and gaming * Bulletin board system, a computer server users dial into via dial-up or telnet; precursor to the Internet * BIOS Boot Specificat ...
(Washi Beam) and OZ (Tan Ei Sya) exclusively controlled the magnesium forging supply which caused DYMAG to start commercially developing the world's first
carbon composite Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
motorcycle wheels in 1995, and subsequently the first carbon composite auto wheels in 2004. The company was liquidated following the
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in 2009, and was restarted initially as CSA Performance Wheels Limited and renamed DYMAG GROUP LIMITED in 2014. Today DYMAG is a designer and manufacturer of carbon composite wheels for Auto and Moto OEM, racing and aftermarket applications, as well forged aluminium motorcycle racing wheels for BSB and
Isle of Man TT The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world ...
. Magnesium - and carbon - wheels have been largely banned on grounds of cost in World Superbike and many other race series including the IOM TT.


iPE

iPE launched its first
Forged Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which it ...
Magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ta ...
racing wheels (MFR-01) for the Porsche GT Series ( 991 GT2 RS, 991 GT3 RS,
992 Year 992 ( CMXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Worldwide * Winter – A superflare from the sun causes an Aurora Borealis, with visibility as fa ...
GT3) in March, 2022. iPE forged magnesium racing wheels went through rigorous tests under the standards. For instance, TÜV certified (a handful of TÜV-certified magnesium alloy wheels). With the engineering design process and technology, the MFR-01 manages to weigh in at only 15.2 lbs/ 6.9kg for 20 x 9.5 inches. It offers ~35% weight reduction over aluminum factory wheels and it’s also lighter than Porsche OEM magnesium wheels. The benefit of lightweight wheels is to reduce unsprung mass and improve vehicles' performance capability, and it is able to reduce weight without sacrificing its strength and safety. Magnesium wheels are usually applied to race cars, and it can reduce unsprung mass, shorter braking distance, faster acceleration, and improve overall performance. It’s designed especially for the
race track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...
and manufactured with the highest standards.


Minilite magnesium wheels

Minilite wheels are 8-spoke design wheels, developed in 1962 for
BMC Mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
. Magnesium alloy was chosen for weight savings, and Minilite wheels quickly became a popular choice for racing and road use. Designed initially for a specific vehicle, the original 8-spoke pattern was subsequently extended to various sizing dimensions to accommodate a range of vehicles. Used by race teams in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
and the
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, Minilite was one of the most popular competition wheels of the 1960s and 1970s. Small-scale production of magnesium alloy Minilite wheels continues today. As of Oct 15, 2020 Magnesium Minilite wheels NLA ex factory.


Speedline wheels

Speedline is a brand of light alloy wheels for OEMs, racing (single-seater and
rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event Sport ...
), and aftermarket. Some racing wheel models are made from cast magnesium alloy.


Marvic

Marvic is an Italian manufacturer of alloy wheels for motorcycles, including racing team cycles. With its own in-house magnesium foundry, Marvic makes cast and forged magnesium wheels (as well as forged aluminium). The company also offers wheels for vintage motorcycles and cars, including replicas of historic models, and replica Campagnolo and other wheels in original magnesium alloy.


Washi Beam

Washi Beam Co. is a Japanese manufacturer specializing in forged automotive wheels. Founded in 1971, the company began forging aluminium road wheels in 1984 and magnesium racing wheels in 1992. The company claims to have forged more than 24,000 wheels for Formula 1 teams. The wheels for Formula 1 cars produced by Washi Beam are distributed under BBS trademark. Washi Beam also supplies numerous automotive original equipment manufacturers.


Tan-ey-sya

Tan-ei-sya Co. is a Japanese manufacturer of automotive alloy wheels, reportedly having an in-house forging facility. Production of magnesium forged wheels began in 1990, and the company began supplying forgings for manufacturing Formula 1 magnesium wheels in 1993. TWS Forged brand was launched in 2010 to establish the manufacturer's presence in the aftermarket. Single-part and multi-part forged magnesium wheels are available.


SMW

SMW Group (dba SMW Wheels) is a manufacturer of forged magnesium wheels and wheel forgings (semi-finished). SMW supplies its wheels under private label, along with aluminium forgings to various automobile and motorcycle wheels manufacturers and many motorsports teams, including MotoGP and Formula 1. The company uses a special coating process and offers a long warranty on its products. SMW is also involved in forging jet parts and aircraft components.


See also

*
Alloy wheel In the automotive industry, alloy wheels are wheels that are made from an alloy of aluminium or magnesium. Alloys are mixtures of a metal and other elements. They generally provide greater strength over pure metals, which are usually much soft ...
s


References

{{Reflist Automobile wheels