Hey guys, I got the blade wheels with the carbon on them etc


Does anyone know if they are glued/screwed on or how solid the carbon pieces are? Has anyone lost one etc?


I would like to know as I might do some autoX and with the power of this beast, I will probably whipe out more than one cone worried that the contact with the cone will knock off a carbon piece.


thx
sev

 

Hi Sev,

They don't appear to be screwed on. They appear to be just plastic pieces attached to the wheel. As to how solidly attached they are, tough to tell. But they seem pretty secure to me!

 

thx, been searching for a story of someone who has lost one. didn't find one... I wonder though if they will survive impacts with cones etc Hoping that somebody with experience autoXing with them will come forward...

 

I've had the blade wheels for a year now with no problems. No AutoX experience, but I did scrape one against a curb bad enough to scratch a carbon fiber panel. I was able to polish the scratch out of the panel with an orbital and the panel has been fine ever since with no loosening. I was actually surprised how easy it was to repair.

 

thx for the info. Did you scrape it while parking or driving?


btw, nice taste, our cars are very similar

 

I actually don't know how I did it. Just noticed it one day washing the car. Metal part of the wheel was untouched.

I think the CF panels will survive hitting a cone, even at speed, but maybe you should consider a separate set of inexpensive wheels for autoX, just to be safe. When I purchased my F-type I was considering one without the blade wheels and was told they are over $2k each when bought as a part, not as an option.

Have fun autocrossing your car. I would love to take mine on a track or autocrossing, but I just don't have the time (or driving skills!)

 

Looks like they are bolted on somehow. Here is a photo of a Blade wheels sans carbon fiber.

 

thx for the info guys. I ended up missing the last local autoX session. Old man winter is near so it will go to next year. At least, now I know that they shouldn't come off easy

 

Sorry to dig up a nearly three year old thread, but I have the Blade wheels on my F-Type and I was wondering if the carbon fibre inserts were real or fake.
I searched this forum and could not find an answer, so I decided to whip off one of the wheels and check it out myself.
Well it looks like they are real CF, here's a pic of the back side of the one I took off:



You can see the weave and it says carbon fibre, although it is made in Taiwan!

Edit - forgot to add - you need a 3 mm hex bit to undo the two mounting bolts.

 

Then why is the center console covered in that psuedo-carbon fiber?

 

Maybe because the Blade wheels are an expensive option but the centre console isn't?
The 2016 Oz F-Type catalogue shows the Blade wheels as an $8,500 AU option, yes, you read it right, $8.5k!!!. Over $2,000 per wheel on top of the stock wheels and tyres, what a joke. Of course there is no way that is mainly down to the CF inserts, it's just Jag charging a massive mark-up for a "desirable" option.
Luckily for me I bought the car used so I ended up paying almost nothing extra for these wheels, no way I would ever pay $8.5k new for them.

 

They are also 'Lightweight Forged' which I guess costs more to produce that standard Ally.
You wouldn't think they were lightweight though if you ever tried lifting one!

 

Where did you find they are forged? If so, I wonder if the handling difference is noticeable with these?

 

It was part of the Spec that I was after;




Also appears on the TOPIx build summary;






I was reliably informed that they saved approx. 7-8lb per corner. Not much I know, but every little helps.
Our previous car (V8S) had straight 20'' Cyclone alloys compared to the current V8R, so I cannot draw any useful comparisons personally as the R has more power over the S of course.

 

Just a comment, in case it's ever useful to anyone down the line . .

I lightly (thank goodness) curbed the front (right/passenger's side) blade rim on my V8 S the other day. It left a white mark/streak on one of the the carbon fiber pieces (about 2 inches long and .5 inches wide) starting right where the blade meets the outer rim.

Without even removing the wheel, I used plain old Turtle Wax rubbing compound and, with a bit of elbow grease, completely removed the scuff. I then applied Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and the piece looks good as new.

 

So basically they're easier to repair than my Gyrodynes...