Talk:Lotus 16

Formula One Low‑importance

This article is part of WikiProject Formula One, an attempt to improve and standardize articles related to Formula One, including drivers, teams and constructors, events and history. Feel free to join the project and help with any of the tasks or consult the project page for further information.

View the task list
Discuss the project
Help out with Portal:Formula OneFormula OneWikipedia:WikiProject Formula OneTemplate:WikiProject Formula OneFormula One articles

Low

This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

"Wobbly web" wheels

You describe the iconic wheels as being cast alloy, which confuses me because I though the point of the wobbly web wheels was that while everyone else used heavy cast rims, Chapman's wobbly web wheels were pressed from sheet metal (they certainly look like they were), with the shape providing strength while saving weight. It may be that they were cast, with just the die being made from pressed sheet metal, but I think it's unlikely. I'll see what I can find. Great article though! Spiderlounge 04:28, 29 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The references which I have all state that they were cast, and if you get close to a set you can see small casting flaws through the paint on the older versions. The web design was to reduce the amount of metal used for a given strength, and was little to do with the manufacturing process. Added to that, I, personally, wouldn't feel at all comfortable running on a pressed alloy wheel. The wheels would have to be very carefully heat treated to remove manufacturing fatigue. Pyrop e 08:32, 29 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I seem to remember Stirling Moss came a cropper on account of a Lotus wheel falling off!!! Anyway that sounds plausible, so at least I've learnt something. Spiderlounge 16:38, 29 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The wheel's web is conceptually a hollow cylinder of material that's been closed in at one end. Think of a bag with a drawstring closure. Chapman could've achieved the material distribution by simply tapering a disc as a web, but the corrugations improve rigidity in the same way that box-sections enclosing volume do. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.44.32.205 (talk) 16:18, 12 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]