Tuning Mak XLRs - Anyone used them?

[mj2k]

Rather than this getting mixed up with my existing slightly rambling 'rescue thread', I thought I might as well start a separate one for the wheels, in case they're of any use to the wider community.

I was looking for some new wheels which fit over the Brembos without having to spend a fortune on a new set of Ozs, Comp wheels or Ferrari Tributos, and came across the Mak XLR in 7Jx17 size, Fiat 500 fitting:

They weigh in at 7.9kg including centre cap, which I think is about 2.1kg less than the standard Turismo 17 inchers, and unlike the Turismo fit over Brembos without needing spacers:

Aside from looking rather blingy in gold (though this suits a black Abarth quite nicely, reminiscent of the JPS Lotus Esprit in the 70s, though somewhat less wedgy) they seem like a good, lightweight, cost-effective solution to using Brembos without breaking the bank.

Anyone had any experience, either good or bad, with Mak XLRs before?

 

[Ralf S.]

I had some MAK.. not this model.. and they were okay quality.

Watch out for lightweight wheels on the speed humps and potholes though.. I had some very impressive Mille Miglia alloys on my old Alfa 155 once and they got slaughtered to the point that the menders didn't know where to press to get the buckles out.

Since then I've used OE alloys (or even steel wheels) in the dark months.. they're smaller so less sexah... but more tyre sidewall and a generally more "industrial" construction means they can survive when I hit some unseen obstacle in the dark. They're a bloody menace round here, those cyclists..


Ralf S.

 

[mj2k]

I had some MAK.. not this model.. and they were okay quality.

Watch out for lightweight wheels on the speed humps and potholes though.. I had some very impressive Mille Miglia alloys on my old Alfa 155 once and they got slaughtered to the point that the menders didn't know where to press to get the buckles out.

Since then I've used OE alloys (or even steel wheels) in the dark months.. they're smaller so less sexah... but more tyre sidewall and a generally more "industrial" construction means they can survive when I hit some unseen obstacle in the dark. They're a bloody menace round here, those cyclists..


Ralf S.

I know what you mean, that annoying lycra stuff they wear gets wrapped around the exhaust too, and it's a nightmare scraping that off

I was tempted to get a set of 16 inchers and stick winter tyres on them, but as far as I know nothing in 16" will fit over Brembos even with spacers, and the lure of those Brembos is just a bit too much to resist...

I'm not going any lower profile or wider than the existing turismo rims so hopefully I'll avoid a lot of the kerbing / pothole fun though, esp if I stick to tyres with a fairly solid sidewall and a decent 'kerbing buffer' on the outside.

 

[A3jeroen]

The gold will bring a bit of WRX to the Abarth as well.

gr J

 

[mj2k]

The gold will bring a bit of WRX to the Abarth as well.

gr J

Ha ha, actually I do seem to have a bit of a 'thing' for gold wheels on my Subarus

 

[mj2k]

Quick update on this - the Pirelli P0 weigh 9.5kg which is a pretty good weight for a modern tyre (the Eagle weighs in at 10.3), and the Turismo alloys with centre cap weigh 11kg, which is pretty heavy...

So I'm actually saving 2.3kg in rotational mass / unsprung weight per corner, which is nice, and explains why the car feels much more sprightly on the new wheels; that's the equivalent of around 30kg sprung weight saved for a start