NASCAR Cup series to run 18" alloy wheels in 2021

[TheJDMan]

I'm not sure if anyone here cares but I found this announcement interesting to us in the Pro-Touring scene in a couple of ways. Those of us who currently run 18" wheels will now have an endless supply of track day tires which is great for those of us on a budget. So now I figure I will have a set of street wheels and at least one set of track wheels. Also, along with the larger wheels comes the ability to run larger brake rotors so I expect to see a good supply of high end big brake kits available from the surplus NASCAR parts sources much like the Holley EFI systems that are currently available as surplus parts. At present the 18" wheels are limited to the top tier cup series which means that the lower tier NASCAR classes will not be able to take advantage of these tires or brakes at present which simply means there will be a limited demand for these surplus parts so prices should be very reasonable to us.

https://www.nascar.com/news-media/20...-next-gen-car/

[Sbeck09]

I might find myself more interested in NASCAR now! Thanks for sharing. I think I need a center nut conversion so I can have these wheels.

Also saw some stuff about a 6spd sequential transaxle which means IRS becomes standard. And a quick search says these wheels are 18x14?! So a 365 tire...and guys think they are cool on 335s. What a time to be alive!

[TheBandit]

Wow that's very interesting indeed. Can't wait to see what tire technology comes out of this. It's taken a loooong time for Nascar to catch up with this trend. I wonder if they will go electric in my lifetime.

[Sbeck09]

Wow that's very interesting indeed. Can't wait to see what tire technology comes out of this. It's taken a loooong time for Nascar to catch up with this trend. I wonder if they will go electric in my lifetime.

I keep seeing stuff pop up this year about full hybrid by 2022. I don't think I agree with that because the draw has been centered about the crazy small blocks they run, but it is nice to see them try to join the 21st century in a big way.

[TheJDMan]

The pictures I have seen of the test wheels are no where near 14" wide more like 9" or 9.5". There is a short video in this article and you can see one wheel/tire laying on the ground in the background. This was also a test of the five lug version of the 18" wheel. Apparently NASCAR has decided on a single nut vs a five lug design. It seems like NASCAR is moving toward an Austrailian V8 Supercar type design.

https://racer.com/2019/10/09/dillon-...r-at-richmond/

[Tsaints1115]

They've decided on the single lug wheel. I'm sure that some thought the outrage from the NASCAR "purists" was actually an earthquake.

[Shawn0331]

Pit stops are going to be ridiculous fast now.

[NOT A TA]

Pit stop times will probably be similar according to their press releases. Has something to do with the guns and center nut torque. They'll probably have a spec gun like they do now to keep teams on the same playing field. So since the guns will be determined by NASCAR they can have them set to a certain speed. Should save a lot of prep work for the teams because they won't have to glue all the nuts on all the wheels ahead of time.

I wonder if the tires will be run flats?

[Sbeck09]

Can they even make a full slick as a run flat? I can't see that happening.

[WallaceMFG]

Supposedly the reason for going to the centerlock wheel is to reduce issues with wheels coming loose on the car. They go from having 5 chances per wheel for a loose lug down to one. That should help keep the cars and racing on the track, not the pits. If the teams are allowed the same number of workers, then the pit stops could increase in speed. Just watch an F1 or Indy race, the impact guns don't need any more time to tighten the lug than normal.

I very much doubt they will be run flat tires. Most of the time a run flat tire has a very stiff sidewall since that is what supports the car when the tire pressure is lost. Stiff sidewalls don't do much for performance. There is a reason most people with Corvettes and other cars remove the run flat tires for track use.

[TUBED]

I'm not sure if anyone here cares but I found this announcement interesting to us in the Pro-Touring scene in a couple of ways. Those of us who currently run 18" wheels will now have an endless supply of track day tires which is great for those of us on a budget. So now I figure I will have a set of street wheels and at least one set of track wheels. Also, along with the larger wheels comes the ability to run larger brake rotors so I expect to see a good supply of high end big brake kits available from the surplus NASCAR parts sources much like the Holley EFI systems that are currently available as surplus parts. At present the 18" wheels are limited to the top tier cup series which means that the lower tier NASCAR classes will not be able to take advantage of these tires or brakes at present which simply means there will be a limited demand for these surplus parts so prices should be very reasonable to us.

https://www.nascar.com/news-media/20...-next-gen-car/

Who sells the Holley EFI systems surplus presently?

[BMR Sales]

[carbuff]

Unless they also change the fueling system for the cars they cannot perform a pitstop but so fast. As for it being safer, I don't know. If a single lug is loose now then they get a vibration and have to pit. I couldn't tell you the last time I saw a wheel/tire come off. But a loose center-nut seems like it could become disastrous quickly. Will be interesting to see...

[TheJDMan]

To be honest, the first thing that came to mind when I read the 18" wheel announcement was less about the effect it will have on NASCAR racing and more about the fact that there will be a huge supply of surplus and used 18" racing slicks available for track days.

[bertram1999]

Supposedly the reason for going to the centerlock wheel is to reduce issues with wheels coming loose on the car. They go from having 5 chances per wheel for a loose lug down to one. That should help keep the cars and racing on the track, not the pits. If the teams are allowed the same number of workers, then the pit stops could increase in auto clicker speed. Just watch an F1 or Indy race, the impact guns don't need any more time to tighten the lug than normal.

I very much doubt they will be run flat tires. Most of the time a run flat tire has a very stiff sidewall since that is what supports the car when the tire pressure is lost. Stiff sidewalls don't do much for performance. There is a reason most people with Corvettes and other cars remove the run flat tires for track use.

They go from having 5 chances per wheel for a loose lug down to one. That should help keep the cars and racing on the track, not the pits. If the teams are allowed the same number of workers, then the pit stops could increase in speed.

[Chad-1stGen]

Who sells the Holley EFI systems surplus presently?

That comment also caught my eye. Curious where people have picked these up and their experience with them?

[TheJDMan]

Who sells the Holley EFI systems surplus presently?

You will have to call and see if they have anything currently in stock. Since these are surplus parts outlets their inventory is always changing. I purchased my surplus 9" center section from SRI.

https://www.sriperformance.com/Used-...arts-s/108.htm

https://circletrackwarehouse.com/

https://www.circletracksupply.com/used-nascar-parts-and-used-race-parts

[mikedc]

I don't see this lug change making the racing any better. Faster pit stops won't do that any more than faster lap times would.

Safety? Whatever. The plate races on the biggest tracks are practically designed to cause 200-mph traffic jam pileups. The wheel lugs were not high on the list of problems AFAIK.

[Crazy Horse]

Subscribed!

[ICrombie]

This also should mean that there will be some trick brembo racing brake setups built around a larger diameter rotor floating around out there in the near future