That`s the question I was after. How flammable are they. Or how explosive. I was at the drags this past weekend. The subject of A guy with a stack of them piled to the ceiling in his basement, told the fire department to clear a 4 block area around his house in all directions if he were to have a fire. A true fact. The guy died a couple years ago for other reasons. .
When magnesium is in its metal form, it burns very easily in air. When the magnesium burns, it reacts with the oxygen to form magnesium oxide. ... When magnesium interacts with water, it will form a hydrogen gas that ignites violently due to the excessive heat and oxygen supply. Don't ever look directly at a white magnesium flame. It can damage your eyes/ retinas up to and including blinding you.
Magnesium, when purchased from someone who insists firmly that is aluminum, when re-sold, can fund 1/3rd of building another car.
You didn't learn that in 8th grade science class..! Yes, shaved, or magnesium filings will light quickly and burn hard, with little to extinguish the flame. A solid piece of magnesium, like a wheel will take much longer to light, but again, will not stop until all of the metal is ash. I've also got several sets of Halibrand and American magnesium wheels in both of my garages. One connected to my house, one out back. One set of American 12 spokes in my bed room. Thinking about selling some...before I die, and someone throws them in the trash after I'm gone..! Mike
Magnesium is approximately 33% lighter then aluminum and approximately 75% lighter then steel. Magnesium is not as hard or strong as aluminum typically having less tensile strength, yield and elongation. Magnesium corrodes very easily forming a gray film. To prevent corrosion Magnesium is often treated with a chemical conversion process such as Dow 7 or Alodine which imparts a dull gold color.
Don't ever buy a magnesium wheel, because if you do, you will only want more. They are the meth of wheels. Before you know it, you'll be spending your kid's college money just to squirrel more of them away in places your wife will never find. And in your mind you'll justify that it's fine and normal to spend 1000's of dollars on some crusty old wheels that don't even shine.
Well I really don’t see the attraction of true magnesium alloy wheels especially for a street car other then something possibly to brag about. They tend to be twice or more the cost of aluminum wheels, are hard to maintain, more susceptible to damage from potholes and other road hazards then aluminum wheels. For street use and straight line acceleration they don’t offer any performance advantages. Now for a race car my answer would change if for no other reason then weight savings. This is especially true for race cars that are used on road courses. The lighter weight then allows for less unsprung weight which allows the suspension to work more efficiently. Just my opinion your mileage may vary.
When my sibs and I were kids my dad was a mold maker in an investment casting shop. We could get mag shavings anytime we had a hankering for a pyrotechnic show. It was fairly safe to burn on the gravel parking patch away from the house and anything else. You can light shavings with a match and it takes a few seconds to spread to the whole pile while you step back 7 or 8 feet. It can sputter a bit..... especially if you squirt it with a water pistol. The light weight of mag wheels has a double benefit. It doesn't sap as much horsepower to spin 'em up, and the shocks have greater control not having to fight as big of a "bouncing ball" so the proximity of rubber to pavement is improved. There's also a third benefit of less effort and a potentially quicker tire change, if that's important to you.
What was the cubic inch of the 6 cylinder GMC engine that we hopped up in the Fifties. 261 or 292? Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I’ll argue that there is no advantage in a straight line, less weight makes everything faster and less weight to get spinning Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Sorry in wrong forum. Where should I post this question? Moderator please? Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
chrysler engineers found out 15 lbs of rotating weight was worth a tenth a of a second. thats very easy to get when compared to aluminum wheels. when polished mag will out shine aluminum any day. some of the coolest wheels were cast in mag only. i have polished mag wheels on my car and i drive it all the time both street and strip. i have never had any damage to them street driving. i use flitz polish on them for a great shine. they offer a sealant to help protect them from corrosion. it works great. when ordering online enter code 3169 at check out to receive a 20 percent discount.
Which is why they are even more effective on a street car...... I had a set of magnesium Minilite wheels on one of my cars many years ago, and they made a noticeable difference in street driving due to the reduced unsprung weight. I'd love a set of vintage mags for my 32......
Almost bought these last week for a small fortune but still a good deal. Then I read the fine print. Both the same size but different off set. Then found these 5 spoke mags but again the wrong size! I guess I’ll keep searching! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
All I know is that I wish I would have kept the magnesium set of 15x4 5-spokes with a 5 on 5-1/2” pattern I bought about 30 years ago with wide whites for $50 instead of selling them for $100 thinking I made a killing...
Locally a guy had a set. He would pull them out and told you to hold them up with a finger and said they were rare. Winter was coming so he need some money for propane for winter heat. So he listed a matching set of 4 on E bay with a minimum of $2200. So a guy calls him up and asks if he`ll take $15,000. No, but he says he`ll take $18,000. The guy says O K and off to California they went. The numbers are actually a bit higher but can`t recall the exact amount.
^^^^^^^^ Sure you got your zeros correct ? BIG difference between 2,200 hundred dollars and 15 - 18 THOUSAND DOLLARS