i wounderd what you all think about the new http://www.hiper-technology.com/ carbon fiber wheels. Can it flex with out breaking?

 

It depends on what our definition of breaking is. Let me explain. If a current aluminum wheel is impacted to the point where the material yields, then it permanently bends, or in other words is permanently broken. On the other hand, if we look at breakage as brittle failure or the material fracturing and separating under load, then we must get a little more technical to answer the question. Aluminum wheels will not exhibit brittle failure, but they do tend to bend with very little ability to flex and return back to their original shape. Our Modular Carbon Fiber Wheels can exhibit brittle failure, but are able to flex to extreme points before failure is reached. The answer lies in how much energy or load input each type of wheel would take before it breaks or is rendered useless. In comparing apples to apples, our 10x9” single bead lock carbon fiber MX rim compared to an aluminum .190” Single Beadlock 8x8” with an inner reinforcement ring can absorb more than twice the impact energy of the aluminum wheel. Therefore it is twice as strong. But that is only half the story. The impact it would take for our rim to reach this limit would have to be so severe that the quad and rider attached to the wheel would be severely damaged. Also remember that our wheels are modular therefore broken components are able to be replaced without discarding the wheel.

PS
Apples to Apples? – I’m sure you are asking yourself how a 10x9 rim can be compared to an 8x8 rim. It has long been understood by most racing teams that a 10” rim would have an advantage on an MX track due to the shorter sidewall not allowing the tire to roll over during hard cornering. The advantages in handling would be significant, but as MX riders jumped higher and higher there was no 10” rim that would be strong enough without building one that weighed a ton. In addition, the sidewall of the 8” tires made for softer landings. These things contributed to making the 8” rim the standard for MX. As MX became a more popular and suspensions became highly sophisticated, riders discovered that the lower stance of the 18” tall tires worked best on the track. They compromised by giving up a little bit of tire sidewall for a lower center of gravity. Tire manufactures followed suite by developing a wide range of 18”tall tires for 8”rims. See where we’re going? Our 10” carbon fiber rims are more that strong enough for MX racing and lighter than the comparable 8”x8” rim mentioned above. They also flex, eliminating the need for all of that sidewall on those gnarly 15ft high jumps. With less sidewall they handle better and more consistently which is were most of the time is made up on the race track. All that’s missing from this equation are tires, and ITP has handled that for us with the release of their new 18x11x10 MX Holeshot (which we stock). Other tire manufactures are soon to follow. As any industry’s technology advances, things will change. When was the last time you saw cars with wooden wheels at Indy? Yet, wooden wheels were the standard for years. We did not release an 8” rim because we know our 10”MX rim is a better technology. As the motor builders build faster motors, and the chassis builders build better suspensions, we want to be know for building a better wheel.

 

thanks i do have one more thing to ask that is how much are they gona cost?

 

The prices are listed on our web site www.hiper-technology.com
Our next ad is posted on the front page. The prices are listed in the detail boxes. The costs range from $165 - $185 /pc.

 

Will you be producing wheels for 4x4 quads in stock sizes or big wheel kits?

 

12x7 and a 12x10 rims have already been designed. These rim designs include dual beadlocks for easy tire mounting and removal along with an integrated wheel spacer if desired. They will sell for around $185 for the 12x7 and $205 for the 12x10. If our sales are strong, you should see these rims by June 2001. We have a feeling that these rims may be too expensive for the market. Let us know what you think.

 

I would be willing to outfit my two quads with them. Like they say "the bigger the boys the more expensive the toys".

Waiting for June.

 

That is a little steep. How about making the 12x7" wheel in a rear off set also? What about non bead lock wheels? How about offering different bolt in wheel centers so you can have the same set of carbonfiber wheels but on quads with different bolt patterns?

 

All of the center sections will be interchangable, therefore the 10X10 offset hubs could be ordered with the 10x7 rim. Almost all 4x4 atvs run a 4x110mm pattern, but since all of our center sections interchange, you're more than welcome to order a set of 12 inchers for your Banshee. Unfortunately the cost and the beadlock rings are non-negotiable. 550lb rock climbing machines need beadlocks, ask all of the guys trashing their $125/pc. aluminum brand-X rims after a day of riding, and ask the guys attempting to mount and dismount those mudder tires. Our rims will be 4lbs lighter than those even with the beadlocks.

 

Sorry to jump in on your post guys...
Just another question on these carbon rims.

I know that my mountain bike has a carbon fiber frame.... with time and exposer to sun...the frame generally gets weaker. Will the same apply to the rims? especially you guys that spend the summer in the sand and sun.

Other than that they look attractive and not extremly overpriced.

This may or may not be a valid concern...But I know I would not want my mountain bike cracking(again) when flying down a single track trail.