Wheel Differences...Street vs R??

[galaxy]

So it is my intent to NOT start another wheel thread, but I got a question about wheels that I couldn't clearly find.

I noticed most of the popular manufacturers make a "street" wheen and an R wheel in the same configuration...OZ has a forged magnesium in each, BST has a 5 spoke wheel in each, etc. And they for all practical purposes look the same.

So, what's the difference?? My guess is the R wheel is lighter for race applications, but therefore not designed to tackle the rigors of daily street use. The R wheel is probably not as strong (or is durable a better word?) as the street wheel??

Just curious.

[Chuckracer]

In general, that is correct. "Street" wheels usually incorporate some kind of cush drive as well, while the "Race" versions often don't, depending on manufacturer of course.

[moto]

Originally Posted by galaxy

So it is my intent to NOT start another wheel thread, but I got a question about wheels that I couldn't clearly find.

I noticed most of the popular manufacturers make a "street" wheen and an R wheel in the same configuration...OZ has a forged magnesium in each, BST has a 5 spoke wheel in each, etc. And they for all practical purposes look the same.

So, what's the difference?? My guess is the R wheel is lighter for race applications, but therefore not designed to tackle the rigors of daily street use. The R wheel is probably not as strong (or is durable a better word?) as the street wheel??

Just curious.

In the case of the OZ and BST wheels, the street wheel was submitted for DOT/TUV/JWL certification. The "race" wheels were not.

"Race" wheels are still built to rigerous standards set by certification companies but the street wheels exceed those standards by a greater margin.

Marchesini magnesium wheels are considered race wheels because they have not been submitted for certification - but like most other companies, the wheels they use in professional racing are nothing like what we can buy ourselves.

I've ridden for many years on the "race' version BST and Marchesini mag wheels on the street with no problems. Their race versions come with cush drives, speedo pick-ups ( if applicable).

-M