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How to repair exposed carbon fiber wheels.

Evolvd

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Thanks, a lot of effort and thought went into this. I couldn't share sooner because the moment I did, I would probably never see another CF wheel on ebay again.
Funny you say that because my very first thought after reading the initial post was “whelp, won’t be seeing any more damaged wheels on eBay” 🤣
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Tomster

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Funny you say that because my very first thought after reading the initial post was “whelp, won’t be seeing any more damaged wheels on eBay” 🤣
Yea, lol.

I'm working. When I get back early this week, I'll post some before/after shots.

Its worth the effort. The wheels I repaires look about like it never happened.
 

Evolvd

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I would not repair a cf wheel unless the OEM undertook it and certified it. This is not the same as repairing a large CF panel handling 1/10000th of the forces.

No wheel repair allowed in Germany for a reason. They have a weak point and a 170 mph failure on Autobahn is catastrophic.

F1 would never allow repair of the halo.

IMO CF wheels are pure eye candy except for those who can buy new one with out blinking.
We aren’t allowed to drive 170mph on our roads, and he’s talking about cosmetic damage, nothing at all to do with structural repair. A curbed edge has zero impact on wheel strength unless you actually crack the rim.
 

Evolvd

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There is no such thing as only cosmetic damage only on CF wheel with broken / sheared fibre strands. All integral to the structural integrity. The lip is subject to the greatest forces.

Curb a cf wheel shearing several layers of fibres over a few inch stretch and it's done for. Oppps there goes $6K.

Haha do it on a Ferrari and it's $12K alloy or $20K CF wheel. Damage the tub and it's a write off.

There's a reason no one in competition is allowed to run damaged again or repaired CF wheels at all. Risk of sudden failure is near certain.

CF is great but wheel application is super exotic and if meant to be repaired the first dealer would do it.

Just saying...hope it helps someone:)
Are you speaking from conjecture or experience? Because Carbon Revolutions who makes the wheel has already said there’s no worry about repairing a lip or or barrel leak. Spyder does repairs and doesn’t seem to have concerns.
So two authorities in this matter disagree with you so if you have some credentials to discredit them I’d like to hear them. Otherwise they could be liable for any damage or injuries that occur.
 

TxGT350-52

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Are you speaking from conjecture or experience? Because Carbon Revolutions who makes the wheel has already said there’s no worry about repairing a lip or or barrel leak. Spyder does repairs and doesn’t seem to have concerns.
So two authorities in this matter disagree with you so if you have some credentials to discredit them I’d like to hear them. Otherwise they could be liable for any damage or injuries that occur.
Waiting for Tomster to jump in here. 🍿🍿 He must be really busy...
 

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Tomster

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Are you speaking from conjecture or experience? Because Carbon Revolutions who makes the wheel has already said there’s no worry about repairing a lip or or barrel leak. Spyder does repairs and doesn’t seem to have concerns.
So two authorities in this matter disagree with you so if you have some credentials to discredit them I’d like to hear them. Otherwise they could be liable for any damage or injuries that occur.
Thank you. I know experts in this subject matter and they agree with your statement.

The carbon fiber weave is just a beauty coat. In fact the one wheel that i sent off to spyder is having portions of this cosmetic layer replaced to make it like brand new.

The other guy doesn't know what he's talking about.
 
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Tomster

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Waiting for Tomster to jump in here. 🍿🍿 He must be really busy...
Swamped.

Im not a composites engineer, but i do know people "in the know". Everything I have published has been blessed so to speak.

My background and experience is that of a technician. I have worked with various forms of composites, but I am not the end all of experts. I am applying what I know with a little bit of guidance from people who really do know what they are doing.
 
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Tomster

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No wheel repair allowed in Germany for a reason. They have a weak point and a 170 mph failure on Autobahn is catastrophic.
This isn't the fatherland and I put my money where my mouth was. Those wheels I repaired were repeatedly taken to 181 mph under load at the Daytona International Speedway on the Rolex 24 course.
 
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So I'm in the process of repairing another CF wheel.

The process is as straight forward as described above. here are some additional photos/videos.

I thought I would do a more detailed step by step.

First, prep the damaged area. Sand the general area and use an Xacto Knife to pick out any debris or any resin that was damaged and not adhering. If it doesn't look clear, then use the sharp edge and pick it away.

Initial damage to wheel
20210914_145135 (1).jpg



Broken resin that needs to be picked out
20210914_145515.jpg



A final quick sanding before cleaning and building the mold
20210914_145722.jpg










Build a mold using gorilla tape.
20210914_150630.jpg



20210914_150715.jpg


Note: The mold is constructed of Gorilla tape and lined with blue painters tape for ease of use.
20210914_151252.jpg



Mix the epoxy. 1 part resin to 1 part hardener
Resin
20210914_152710.jpg



Hardener
20210914_152852.jpg


Dump 1:1 ratio of resin to hardener into a cup an mix thoroughly.
(sorry, I only have two hands, one to hold the cam and the other to stir)




You will notice lots of bubbles. Warm as instructed above and the bubbles will purge.
20210914_153220.jpg


I use my favorite coffee maker to warm the epoxy.
20210914_153243.jpg


Before you know it, its clear of air bubbles.
20210914_154247.jpg



Draw epoxy into syringe and inject into repair area mold





Let it sit!!! Wait at least 24 hours before you start messing with it. Monitor and make sure your mold didn't spring a leak. If you use Gorilla tape, you should be fine as long as you pressed down on all the edges.



More to follow as work commences.
 
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Strokerswild

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Good stuff.

I wish the Art Coat would have been a thing back when I owned my last Ducati, which had more than its share of CF....
 
 




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