Original AW11 Wheels - Magnesium?

[arctophile]

Hi all,

I've looked for some confirmation of this but to no avail so far.

I have some of the original "triangle" style Toyota mags for my AW11. I was changing wheels the other day and noticed just how much lighter they are than my new 15" Speedys - more than you'd expect for 1" smaller.

Now there's a curious stylised "M" symbol near the edge of each Toyota rim - can anyone confirm whether this stands for magnesium? They are suspiciously light - I'm thinking of tarting them up and whacking them back on once I can afford some new springs...otherwise with 50-profile tyres there's a nasty wheelarch gap

Of course I could be looking at it upside down in which case it'd say "JII" or "JU" - see below.



//Adam F

[CrUZida]

I think thats actually a JWL (you have it upsidedown).

And from memory its just a standard of alloy that Japan has.

[JustCallMeOrlando]

That is the Japan Lightweight Alloy Logo.

[river]

Hi,

I don't think pure magnesium wheels would be appropriate for normal driving?

seeyuzz
river

[arctophile]

Nah not pure magnesium, but a magnesium alloy is often better than an aluminium one in terms of both strength and lightness IIRC. Costs more tho....

Cruzida and JCMF - cheers.


//Adam F

[Mr Revhead]

however it also deterioates over time

just ask anyone whos restored old sports/f1 racers!

[Starfire]

The problem with magnesium alloys is that they suffer from fatigue really easilly and therefore tend to crack. On a race car this is no real big deal as most parts are considered consumables with a life expectancy.

On a road car people tend to get a bit upset when their expensive wheels break

Lots of aftermarket alloy wheels really are quite heavy. Believe it or not a fair amount of design work went in to every part of the AW11, including the wheels.

If you want my advice sell the speedys and get yourself a set of racing sparco or similar lightweight alloys

[CLG]

Magnesium alloy wheels also corrode from moisture build up, which is why most wheels are best stroed without tyres on them, unfortunately, most aren't!