With new emissions systems and the addition of components aimed at helping meet fuel economy targets, vehicle weights are on the rise. For fleets, that means continuing to look for weight savings, including new opportunities in wheel choices.
“We’re continually refining our designs and manufacturing processes to remove weight from our steel and aluminum wheel offerings,” says Rick Dauch, president and CEO of Accuride Corp. “Our newest products are just the beginning as we continue our R&D in design engineering and metallurgy to provide the lightest wheels possible.”
Two lightweight aluminum wheels were added to Accuride’s product line earlier this year. Re-engineered to reduce weight by 5 to 7%, the new wheels are 22.5- x 9-in. designs that cut weight by 3 or 4 lbs. each depending on the model chosen.
Alcoa also announced an expansion of its family of Ultra ONE wheels with MagnaForce alloy by adding 24.5 x 8.25 in., 22.5 x 14.9 in. and 22.5 x 9 in. sizes. Ultra ONE was previously offered only in a 22.5- x 8.25-in. version.
“The MagnaForce alloy is on average 17% stronger than Alcoa’s 6061 alloy in similar applications,” relates Brian Thomas, marketing communications manager, Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products. “The material opened the door for lighter weight wheels at increased strength than previous products.”
The Alcoa Ultra ONE 24.5- x 8.25-in. wheel with MagnaForce alloy weighs 3 lbs. less than its predecessor, the LvL ONE. The Ultra ONE 22.5- x 14-in. wheel with MagnaForce alloy offers an additional 2-lb. reduction.
Steel wheels are also getting upgrades. Maxion Wheels, for example, reports initiatives to reduce wheel weight without sacrificing load-carrying capacity. Denny Weisend, director of commercial wheel sales at Maxion, says the company already makes use of lightweight steel materials and employs test equipment to ensure there are no known low pressure leaks in its products as well as disc machining technology to improve runout and balance characteristics.
Recently, Maxion also introduced a five-year standard warranty on its MaxCoat Extra multi-layer finish on hub-piloted single and wide-base tubeless steel disc wheels sold in North America. MaxCoat Extra includes E-coat and powder coating and a finish that protects wheels from road and environmental conditions.
“Corrosion remains the largest concern of our fleet and OEM customers,” Weisend says. “With MaxCoat Extra and capital investments to remove troublesome weld silicates, Maxion has a paint finish that is now guaranteed to last five years or we will reimburse the fleet for the cost to repaint the wheel.”
Also warranted against corrosion for five years is the EverSteel wheel introduced by Accuride in early 2016. According to the manufacturer, in independent cyclic corrosion testing, EverSteel demonstrated six times longer life than North American and offshore competitors and double the operational life of its Steel Armor steel wheels.
EverSteel technology is available initially on two Accuride 22.5- x 8.25-in. steel wheels (two hand hole and five hand hole). It employs a four-step process that includes a surface treatment applied to the bare steel followed by a zinc phosphate pretreatment that prepares the metal for adhesion. Next, a cathodic epoxy electrocoat is applied followed by Accuride’s Steel Armor powder top coat.
“Corrosion is an ongoing and costly issue for fleets working in harsh operating environments across North America,” says Rick Dauch. “The corrosion-fighting properties in EverSteel’s coating process delay the onset of corrosion and extend the usable life of the wheel prior to initial refinishing.”
