Carrozzeria Wheels - Details and Specifications

RACING CONNECTION is proud to be a dealer for Carrozzeria forged rims.

Forged rims have many advantages over stock or aftermarket cast wheels

• Carrozzeria Forged Rims are made from wrought 6151-T6 which  has an inherently better “grain” structure and is not only stronger then cast wheels, but more uniform and consistent in quality.  To illustrate I have compared the strength of the material used in Carrozzeria forged rims with the strongest casting alloys listed in an engineering text.  As I do not know what material is used in stock or aftermarket cast wheels I listed the highest strength cast alloys listed.  In reality the difference may actually be greater than shown.  Also cast wheels are much more likely to have internal defects which will reduce the properties even more.

Source:  Metals Handbook Desk Edition Published by American Society for Metals

• Carrozzeria rims will not crack like cast magnesium wheels and will provide superior durability to the stock wheel.

• Carrozzeria Forged Rims are 20–40% lighter than stock, depending on model. Reducing weight on a motorcycle will always make it accelerate, corner and brake better, but some weight reductions are much more valuable then others. Motorcycle weight can be classified in two ways; sprung or unsprung and rotating or non-rotating.  Wheel weight is both rotating and unsprung, which as you will read is the most significant weight to remove.

• Sprung weight is everything that suspension holds up, unsprung weight is the wheel, sprocket, caliper, disks, axle and a percentage of the shock and swing arm.  Unsprung weight is the nemesis of the suspension in the war to maintain tire contact with the tarmac.  The less unsprung weight the more effectively the suspension and ultimately the tires can do their jobs. To explain this lets pretend you had a job in which you had to raise and lower a hammer as moving obstacles came by on some sort of moving conveyor belt. First you had a hammer with a 1 pound head. As the conveyor belt moved faster at some point it would become impossible to move quickly enough and the hammer would be hit be an obstacle.  If you used a hammer with a ½ pound head you would be able to negotiate the moving obstacles at a greater speed.  Now imagine the hammerhead is the wheel, your wrist is the suspension system and the moving conveyor with obstacles is the bumpy tarmac. This is why most cars have independent suspensions.  Reducing unsprung weight will improve the traction especially in bumpy corners.

• Rotating weight on a motorcycle counts twice every time you accelerate or brake.  The reason for this is the engine must increase both the wheels’ linear velocity as well as their rotational velocity.  It is a little more complicated in reality, but each pound you remove from the wheels is equal to approximately 2 or more pounds removed from the chassis. Reducing the weight of you wheels will allow your bike to not only accelerate faster, but brake better as well.  

• An additional benefit to reducing rotating weight it the reduction in gyro effect of the wheels.  The easiest way to understand this is to conduct an experiment at home. Get the front wheel off your bicycle.  Hold the axle with your hands and have a partner spin the wheel at a moderate speed. As the wheel spins pretend you are the forks and “turn” the wheel.  You now have a feel for gyroscopic forces.  Now imagine what a motorcycle wheel with much greater weight and speed goes through when you attempt to change directions quickly in a in a series of turns.

• Carrozzeria rims enhance acceleration, braking and handling making them dollar-for-dollar one of the best performance modifications you can make without the jetting, noise and reliability problems associated with engine modifications.

• Carrozzeria Forged rims are JWL, the Japanese equivalent to DOT, approved for use on street vehicles, so you can be sure the wheels are safe for street use. Many other aftermarket rims are not approved for street use. 

• Carrozzeria rims are either anodized or Nickel Chrome plated for a durable long lasting finish, especially when compared to the stock painted wheel. Carrozzeria rims will look good for a long time. 

• Carrozzeria rims are stylish.  Give your bike a distinctive look.