Gibson Wheels Releases Their Lightest, Independently-Tested Road Race Wheel

PRLog (Press Release) – Sep 02, 2009 – Known industry-wide for their light-weight Pro Stock, Funny Car, and Top Fuel, SFI-approved racing wheels, Gibson Wheels has applied their unique engineering and manufacturing expertise to their new line of road race wheels.  The result is a reduction in un-sprung weight and rotating mass while increasing wheel size and strength.  The key benefit of this new design is quicker vehicle response to the driver’s steering, throttle, and braking inputs, as well as a quicker responding suspension, which results in a more persistent tire-to-road contact patch for greater agility and lower lap times.

“Decreasing a vehicle’s un-sprung weight and rotational moment of inertia, and increasing a tire’s contact patch are two very effective methods of improving performance,” said CEO Tim Gibson.  “Our wheel installations are typically larger than stock and designed to accept wider tires, yet they frequently weigh over 25% less.  This reduction in un-sprung weight and rotating mass alone results in dramatic performance improvements.  Add a wider, lower-profile tire, with a larger contact patch, and you will significantly improve overall performance and reduce your lap times at the track.”

The latest wheels from Gibson employ the newest technology in design, advanced precision CNC machining, and uncompromising material quality.  The purity of the design has resulted in a beautiful wheel with excellent weight-savings, additional strength, safety, and exacting fitment.  The three-piece construction allows the use of multiple types of aluminum alloys, with options in titanium and magnesium alloy for an even lighter setup.  A well-known, independent automotive test lab was used for the critical cornering-fatigue test.  Gibson’s wheels passed the test using specifications well beyond those required by the SAE and TUV, two organizations that set automotive test standards in the USA and Germany, respectively.

Amateur and professional drivers constantly seek ways to shave seconds, tenths, and hundredths of seconds by improving their vehicle’s acceleration, top speed, deceleration, and cornering.  Weight reductions, particularly in un-sprung weight and rotating mass, or improvements to the contact patch formed between the tire and the road’s surface, enhance the vehicle’s overall agility, resulting in cumulative time reductions.  Gibson Wheels facilitates both of these types of improvements.

Gibson Wheels products are available to OEM customers, race teams, distributors, retail dealers, and car owners.  Gibson Wheels is currently manufacturing wheel sets for the Porsche 911, Ferrari, BMW, Corvettes, and others.  Please contact Gibson Wheels to add your vehicle to the wheel development list.  Additional information is available at the website.

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With a background in aerospace structures and aerodynamics, and having held engineering positions with professional race teams such as Joe Gibbs Racing, John Force Racing, and Dan Gurney’s All American Racers, Tim Gibson is uniquely qualified to produce wheels for road racers and dragsters. Look for developments in other wheel applications in the future.

• The Very Shady Crummer