Postby MattR » Wed Jul 24, 2013 9:39 am
An interesting point on life-ing components, I have a guide to setting up Valiant Chargers from Leo Geoghan for racing in Production Touring Cars from 1971.
As well as how to prepare the engine for the rules and the exhaust to build and so on, in the suspension set up he mentions the wheels. The R/T Valiants had the W35 wheel option, 14x7 inch alloy wheels made by ROH in the classic Jelly Bean style of the early '70's.
These wheels were to be replaced every 6 race meetings. These wheels were one of the simplest and strongest designs of the time and yet they still were lifed at something like 600km of use.
Even today, race wheels are only used for a few race meetings before being replaced by the big boys. V8's only get about half a season out of a wheel if it isn't damaged before hand. For all the wheel failures that we have seen first hand how long were they used for on the track, what had they hit or been hit with in terms of ripple strips pot holes track edges and so on. On an old set of three piece wheels I had, the rims were re rounded at least once a year due to the hiding they copped on the track launching over ripple strips and so on.