Z06 Convex + Concave = WIDEx5.R2 … a WeaponX production (with a sprinkle of soul)
05-24-2015, 09:04 PM
#1
Alcoholics Unanimous
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St. Jude Donor '15-'16
Z06 Convex + Concave = WIDEx5.R2 … a WeaponX production (with a sprinkle of soul)
Back in the olden days of October 2014, I bought a unicorn called a Z/28. It was an incredible vehicle that I loved owning and driving. Three months later the opportunity came up to trade up to a Z07, and despite my affection for the 28 I could not pass up the chance to get into the C7Z.
Yet one visual aspect of the Z/28 could not escape my desire, and that was its wheel design. I have owned so many cars over the years, many exotics included, most of them with aftermarket wheels, and no wheel design ever cought my eye as the OEM Z/28 wheel did … it is no hyperbole to say that it was my favorite wheel design of all time.
So when I bought the Vette I looked everywhere one could look to see if such a design existed in the aftermarket world. What I found out is that 5 Y spoke wheels are everywhere, every high (and low) end manufacturer makes an almost identical version of them. Be they PUR4, Mesh5, HRE 101 series, they are the most common wheel design out there. And for good reason, especially in exotics because their clean, classic, and elegant design shows off the huge discs and hardware behind the wheel.
Now the Z/28 5 Y spoke wheel had a subtle yet very significant (to my eye) variation on the theme. They were the only ones I had seen that has the V part of the Y spokes angling at each other as they went to the lip. This created a much more aggressive hollow star effect that I could net get out of my mind.
I contacted several high end forged wheel manufacturers to see if they could duplicate this look but in Z06 specs, and although they managed to generate it on CAD, there was something missing. What was missing was the concavity. The Z/28 has a completely different offset which pushes the wheels way past the fenders, including the fender extensions Chevy put on there. This allows it to have huge concavity. The Z06 natural offsets don’t allow for that, so all the designs we could come up with looked ok straight on, but just like all the other aftermarket wheels on the market we could get very little concavity into them retaining offsets that kept the edges flush to the fenders.
Not sure if that all made sense, but just take a look at aftermarket C7 wheels and you’ll see minimal concavity angle compared to what can be had on other sport cars.
Enter Ben@WeaponX.
I had given up on the idea of getting the Z/28 look on my Z06, and had started discussing other wheel options with him … in fact I pulled the trigger on a design I liked. Then one day whilst we were shooting the poop I told him of my failed endeavor in regards to replicating the Z/28 wheel on my C7Z. It turns out he had been thinking along similar lines and was already in the process of launching his own wheel line. This precipitated me canceling my standing wheel order, and a collaboration between Ben and myself to try to create this special wheel design. After much back and forth, we agreed on a design, and I decided to guinea pig it.
Let me say the following: All I had was a design in my head and no other wheel company could make it come to life. The only reason it did is because of Ben’s creativity which led to creating a convex angle from the lip, bending the spokes mid V (as opposed to where the V meets the I) which resolved to this insanely beautiful wheel design with concavity unseen (at least to me) in a C7.
The pictures which are about to follow don’t represent the finished product. The center caps will be different, the lugs will be painted to match, and the car will be lowered for street use … what is pictured below is just a test fitting.
The final specs will be:
- 2 piece custom forged
- Painted Carbon Flash
- 20” front with 295 P Zero
- 21” rear with 375 P Zero
- Hidden hardware
- Colormatched center caps
- Colormatched lug nuts
I will post additional and better pics when everything is complete … but for now here’s some 'first look' wheel ****:
Yet one visual aspect of the Z/28 could not escape my desire, and that was its wheel design. I have owned so many cars over the years, many exotics included, most of them with aftermarket wheels, and no wheel design ever cought my eye as the OEM Z/28 wheel did … it is no hyperbole to say that it was my favorite wheel design of all time.
So when I bought the Vette I looked everywhere one could look to see if such a design existed in the aftermarket world. What I found out is that 5 Y spoke wheels are everywhere, every high (and low) end manufacturer makes an almost identical version of them. Be they PUR4, Mesh5, HRE 101 series, they are the most common wheel design out there. And for good reason, especially in exotics because their clean, classic, and elegant design shows off the huge discs and hardware behind the wheel.
Now the Z/28 5 Y spoke wheel had a subtle yet very significant (to my eye) variation on the theme. They were the only ones I had seen that has the V part of the Y spokes angling at each other as they went to the lip. This created a much more aggressive hollow star effect that I could net get out of my mind.
I contacted several high end forged wheel manufacturers to see if they could duplicate this look but in Z06 specs, and although they managed to generate it on CAD, there was something missing. What was missing was the concavity. The Z/28 has a completely different offset which pushes the wheels way past the fenders, including the fender extensions Chevy put on there. This allows it to have huge concavity. The Z06 natural offsets don’t allow for that, so all the designs we could come up with looked ok straight on, but just like all the other aftermarket wheels on the market we could get very little concavity into them retaining offsets that kept the edges flush to the fenders.
Not sure if that all made sense, but just take a look at aftermarket C7 wheels and you’ll see minimal concavity angle compared to what can be had on other sport cars.
Enter Ben@WeaponX.
I had given up on the idea of getting the Z/28 look on my Z06, and had started discussing other wheel options with him … in fact I pulled the trigger on a design I liked. Then one day whilst we were shooting the poop I told him of my failed endeavor in regards to replicating the Z/28 wheel on my C7Z. It turns out he had been thinking along similar lines and was already in the process of launching his own wheel line. This precipitated me canceling my standing wheel order, and a collaboration between Ben and myself to try to create this special wheel design. After much back and forth, we agreed on a design, and I decided to guinea pig it.
Let me say the following: All I had was a design in my head and no other wheel company could make it come to life. The only reason it did is because of Ben’s creativity which led to creating a convex angle from the lip, bending the spokes mid V (as opposed to where the V meets the I) which resolved to this insanely beautiful wheel design with concavity unseen (at least to me) in a C7.
The pictures which are about to follow don’t represent the finished product. The center caps will be different, the lugs will be painted to match, and the car will be lowered for street use … what is pictured below is just a test fitting.
The final specs will be:
- 2 piece custom forged
- Painted Carbon Flash
- 20” front with 295 P Zero
- 21” rear with 375 P Zero
- Hidden hardware
- Colormatched center caps
- Colormatched lug nuts
I will post additional and better pics when everything is complete … but for now here’s some 'first look' wheel ****:
Last edited by Steve Garrett; 05-25-2015 at 12:22 AM.
05-24-2015, 09:34 PM
#3
Safety Car
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St. Jude Donor '14
I have been staring at these pictures ALL... DAY... LONG! 
soulsea has been awesome to work with on this and I can't wait to have pics of the final product. For now the vision, sizes, and offsets look PERFECT!
soulsea has been awesome to work with on this and I can't wait to have pics of the final product. For now the vision, sizes, and offsets look PERFECT!
05-24-2015, 10:18 PM
#4
Racer
Z06 Convex + Concave = WIDEx5.R2 Â… a WeaponX production (with a sprinkle of soul)
FRIGGIN LOVE IT!!! 
Now make them in bronze or gold Ben. 
Now make them in bronze or gold Ben.
05-24-2015, 11:37 PM
#5
The Consigliere
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Damn - those are very cool. Great idea, and hat tip to Ben for "going for it".
And fantastic pics, Soul.
And fantastic pics, Soul.
05-25-2015, 12:21 AM
#9
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Location: Kansas City, Missouri
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CORVETTE TODAY Host
St. Jude Donor'15
Lookin' good!
05-25-2015, 12:46 AM
#10
Alcoholics Unanimous
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St. Jude Donor '15-'16
Thanks guys, I really do appreciate it.
Designing wheels is so much more complicated than it appears. So many zero sum equations that have to be accounted for where geometrically speaking you can't add anything without taking an equal amount away. Ben adding the convex element was the creative spark that created a new baseline, and from that point the design was able to unfold as desired.
But the amount of phone calls, stressing, and obsessing over CAD designs almost burned me out of the process, especially because I wasn't able to accurately visualize the real life result as it unfolded. I can't tell you the relief felt when I mounted them and they came out this beautiful and this close to what the original vision was ... forget the money spent, money can be replenished, it's the time and effort that was invested. I'm just so happy they came out this way.
We're not completely there yet ... but I think we're very close to what could be very special wheel design moving forward.
Designing wheels is so much more complicated than it appears. So many zero sum equations that have to be accounted for where geometrically speaking you can't add anything without taking an equal amount away. Ben adding the convex element was the creative spark that created a new baseline, and from that point the design was able to unfold as desired.
But the amount of phone calls, stressing, and obsessing over CAD designs almost burned me out of the process, especially because I wasn't able to accurately visualize the real life result as it unfolded. I can't tell you the relief felt when I mounted them and they came out this beautiful and this close to what the original vision was ... forget the money spent, money can be replenished, it's the time and effort that was invested. I'm just so happy they came out this way.
We're not completely there yet ... but I think we're very close to what could be very special wheel design moving forward.
05-25-2015, 01:13 AM
#11
Wow! That's is perfection!
05-25-2015, 02:03 AM
#13
Back in the olden days of October 2014, I bought a unicorn called a Z/28. It was an incredible vehicle that I loved owning and driving. Three months later the opportunity came up to trade up to a Z07, and despite my affection for the 28 I could not pass up the chance to get into the C7Z.
Yet one visual aspect of the Z/28 could not escape my desire, and that was its wheel design. I have owned so many cars over the years, many exotics included, most of them with aftermarket wheels, and no wheel design ever cought my eye as the OEM Z/28 wheel did … it is no hyperbole to say that it was my favorite wheel design of all time.
So when I bought the Vette I looked everywhere one could look to see if such a design existed in the aftermarket world. What I found out is that 5 Y spoke wheels are everywhere, every high (and low) end manufacturer makes an almost identical version of them. Be they PUR4, Mesh5, HRE 101 series, they are the most common wheel design out there. And for good reason, especially in exotics because their clean, classic, and elegant design shows off the huge discs and hardware behind the wheel.
Now the Z/28 5 Y spoke wheel had a subtle yet very significant (to my eye) variation on the theme. They were the only ones I had seen that has the V part of the Y spokes angling at each other as they went to the lip. This created a much more aggressive hollow star effect that I could net get out of my mind.
I contacted several high end forged wheel manufacturers to see if they could duplicate this look but in Z06 specs, and although they managed to generate it on CAD, there was something missing. What was missing was the concavity. The Z/28 has a completely different offset which pushes the wheels way past the fenders, including the fender extensions Chevy put on there. This allows it to have huge concavity. The Z06 natural offsets don’t allow for that, so all the designs we could come up with looked ok straight on, but just like all the other aftermarket wheels on the market we could get very little concavity into them retaining offsets that kept the edges flush to the fenders.
Not sure if that all made sense, but just take a look at aftermarket C7 wheels and you’ll see minimal concavity angle compared to what can be had on other sport cars.
Enter Ben@WeaponX.
I had given up on the idea of getting the Z/28 look on my Z06, and had started discussing other wheel options with him … in fact I pulled the trigger on a design I liked. Then one day whilst we were shooting the poop I told him of my failed endeavor in regards to replicating the Z/28 wheel on my C7Z. It turns out he had been thinking along similar lines and was already in the process of launching his own wheel line. This precipitated me canceling my standing wheel order, and a collaboration between Ben and myself to try to create this special wheel design. After much back and forth, we agreed on a design, and I decided to guinea pig it.
Let me say the following: All I had was a design in my head and no other wheel company could make it come to life. The only reason it did is because of Ben’s creativity which led to creating a convex angle from the lip, bending the spokes mid V (as opposed to where the V meets the I) which resolved to this insanely beautiful wheel design with concavity unseen (at least to me) in a C7.
The pictures which are about to follow don’t represent the finished product. The center caps will be different, the lugs will be painted to match, and the car will be lowered for street use … what is pictured below is just a test fitting.
The final specs will be:
- 2 piece custom forged
- Painted Carbon Flash
- 20” front with 295 P Zero
- 21” rear with 375 P Zero
- Hidden hardware
- Colormatched center caps
- Colormatched lug nuts
I will post additional and better pics when everything is complete … but for now here’s some 'first look' wheel ****:
Yet one visual aspect of the Z/28 could not escape my desire, and that was its wheel design. I have owned so many cars over the years, many exotics included, most of them with aftermarket wheels, and no wheel design ever cought my eye as the OEM Z/28 wheel did … it is no hyperbole to say that it was my favorite wheel design of all time.
So when I bought the Vette I looked everywhere one could look to see if such a design existed in the aftermarket world. What I found out is that 5 Y spoke wheels are everywhere, every high (and low) end manufacturer makes an almost identical version of them. Be they PUR4, Mesh5, HRE 101 series, they are the most common wheel design out there. And for good reason, especially in exotics because their clean, classic, and elegant design shows off the huge discs and hardware behind the wheel.
Now the Z/28 5 Y spoke wheel had a subtle yet very significant (to my eye) variation on the theme. They were the only ones I had seen that has the V part of the Y spokes angling at each other as they went to the lip. This created a much more aggressive hollow star effect that I could net get out of my mind.
I contacted several high end forged wheel manufacturers to see if they could duplicate this look but in Z06 specs, and although they managed to generate it on CAD, there was something missing. What was missing was the concavity. The Z/28 has a completely different offset which pushes the wheels way past the fenders, including the fender extensions Chevy put on there. This allows it to have huge concavity. The Z06 natural offsets don’t allow for that, so all the designs we could come up with looked ok straight on, but just like all the other aftermarket wheels on the market we could get very little concavity into them retaining offsets that kept the edges flush to the fenders.
Not sure if that all made sense, but just take a look at aftermarket C7 wheels and you’ll see minimal concavity angle compared to what can be had on other sport cars.
Enter Ben@WeaponX.
I had given up on the idea of getting the Z/28 look on my Z06, and had started discussing other wheel options with him … in fact I pulled the trigger on a design I liked. Then one day whilst we were shooting the poop I told him of my failed endeavor in regards to replicating the Z/28 wheel on my C7Z. It turns out he had been thinking along similar lines and was already in the process of launching his own wheel line. This precipitated me canceling my standing wheel order, and a collaboration between Ben and myself to try to create this special wheel design. After much back and forth, we agreed on a design, and I decided to guinea pig it.
Let me say the following: All I had was a design in my head and no other wheel company could make it come to life. The only reason it did is because of Ben’s creativity which led to creating a convex angle from the lip, bending the spokes mid V (as opposed to where the V meets the I) which resolved to this insanely beautiful wheel design with concavity unseen (at least to me) in a C7.
The pictures which are about to follow don’t represent the finished product. The center caps will be different, the lugs will be painted to match, and the car will be lowered for street use … what is pictured below is just a test fitting.
The final specs will be:
- 2 piece custom forged
- Painted Carbon Flash
- 20” front with 295 P Zero
- 21” rear with 375 P Zero
- Hidden hardware
- Colormatched center caps
- Colormatched lug nuts
I will post additional and better pics when everything is complete … but for now here’s some 'first look' wheel ****:
05-25-2015, 08:23 AM
#17
Burning Brakes
This set will sell like hot cakes if Ben can also make them in 19s or 18's especially for the track day junkies.
Colors to consider Gunmetal and Hyper silver...
Please get these JWL/VIA tested. These wheels will need to take a beating.
Colors to consider Gunmetal and Hyper silver...
Please get these JWL/VIA tested. These wheels will need to take a beating.
05-25-2015, 08:49 AM
#18
Melting Slicks
These look really good! Nice job!
05-25-2015, 09:34 AM
#19
Le Mans Master
The design would look nice in silver as it draws your eye to it. The single most important design element to a fun car are the wheels. These in silver, chrome, gold etc, would really "make" the Z06.
