The Return of Magnesium Wheels

Remember when mag wheels were all the rage?

Well, they’re back, and Bill Koenig, executive vice president of MKW Alloy Inc., compares bolting a set onto your vehicle to getting the sort of power boost you would by supercharging your vehicle’s engine, without all the plumbing and other work beneath the hood.

Because of the reduced weight at each of a car’s four corners, “It’s like increasing power without a supercharger,” Koenig says of his company’s RSR line of forged magnesium wheels.

Based in Southern California, MKW Alloy launched in 1995 to export large-diameter chrome automotive wheels from the United States to South Korea and three years later began selling those wheels in the U.S. as well. It claims to have been the first, in 2004, to introduce a 26-inch wheel for sport utility vehicles.

Since its launch, MKW has grown into four separate divisions producing primarily cast aluminum wheels for niche and upscale applications.

RSR is one of MKW’s four divisions. RSR is short for Road+Street+Race. Another brand, Hostile, offers off-road wheels with names like Moab, Knuckles, Havoc, Hammered, Exile, Switchblade and Zombie. Avenue is another of the company’s on-pavement lines.

RSR launched in 2014 but added many more styles last fall.

“We’d been chasing magnesium wheels for 10 years,” Koenig said.

Koenig said the price of mag wheels had always been “ridiculous.” The solution, he said, was the cost-effective technology of forged wheels rather than cast. Not only did it bring down prices, but the wheels are stronger and more durable, he said.

Production is done in Japan. “The factory has proprietary magnesium alloy and 800,000 tons of pressure that pushes out the blank,” Koenig said, adding that the same factory produces the wheels for eight Formula One racing teams as well as for other high-end racers and for some high-end original-equipment automakers.

Continue reading on The Detroit News.

Big Brake, Flow Form and Magnesium Forged Wheels

With a full line of wheel brands to support every enthusiast need, California-based RSR wheels company enters the SEMA show with new and exciting performance-based wheels to fit and enhance vehicles from trucks and SUVs to over-the-top exotic luxury and performance cars like Porsche and Lamborghini – sporting innovative designs and setting new standards for wheel technology and lightweight performance. Project cars, ranging from a light weight Porsche GT3 to a redefining 12” lifted Chevy 2500 HD truck, will be the center of attention at RSR's booth #46097 in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center throughout the entire SEMA show, beginning November 3, 2015, and supporting the individual wheel brands of RSR and Hostile.

As an example, and according to Bill Koenig, executive vice president for RSR Wheels and parent company MKW Alloy, while the market continues to demand high strength, yet lower weight wheel design, MKW’s luxury wheel division California-based RSR (Road, Street, Race) is meeting and exceeding this demand with their all-new 900 series wheels – a “one-piece” forged magnesium alloy that makes an enormous difference in the overall performance of the car while providing less exertion to the engine. The Race 900 series line will be aimed at performance vehicles such as the Porsche GT3, giving track day and race customers a competitive advantage.

Koenig notes that lightness is what makes magnesium wheels so heavily sought after. “Saving weight is the number one priority,” said Koenig, “and pushing less rotating mass gives a car a competitive advantage against a similar equipped car with heavier wheels.”

RSR magnesium wheels are 30% percent lighter than aluminum and the bonus of magnesium specifically provides decreased rotational weight, allowing drivers to get up-to-speed faster and maintain speed longer with less stress on the engine. Koenig contends that magnesium has the highest vibration dampening rate of any of the structural metals, including aluminum, titanium or steel and helps to absorb road shock while creating a more consistent contact patch for the tires – resulting in a smooth ride and more traction for better accelerating and cornering.

From an environmental perspective, Koenig concludes that magnesium use within the transportation industries is growing alongside the demand for fuel efficient vehicles, and RSR is working to be on the forefront of the competition in regard to using lightweight exotic materials. “In an increasingly environmentally conscious world, the full recyclability of magnesium additionally makes our wheels a very suitable selection.” Light-weight vehicles are able to run on lower fuel levels which aid in lowering greenhouse emissions. The reduced weight of the vehicle can also increase performance and durability allowing for an increased lifespan.

Read the rest of the article at MultiVu.

Magnesium Wheels

Forging Ahead: Magnesium Road Wheels

Just a few years ago, Bill Koenig was Carbon Revolution’s Director of Sales and Marketing. In that position, he brought the carbon fiber road wheel maker to such prominence it is now the factory wheel for the Mustang GT 350. Now the self-described “lightweight freak” and long-time Porsche owner has a new career as Executive Vice President of California-based MKW Alloy Wheels, where he is on another lightweight wheel quest. Only this time, he’s trading fiber for an exotic (for road cars) alloy.

Koenig was able to convince “a Japanese company that builds forged magnesium wheels for multiple Formula 1 teams” to build a forged magnesium design “optimized for both street and track.” That’s not a bad selling point for a set of wheels that will have real world benefits as well as snob appeal.

Porsche’s 911 is the target vehicle for the first production run as these owners are not only well-heeled, they also are rabid about using them at track days. Wheels for the 911 GT3, for example, come in a 19-in. diameter and widths of nine inches (front) and 12 in. (rear). However, unlike the $15,000 Carbon Revolution wheels, the forged magnesium rims — which sit between the factory alloys and composite wheels in terms of stiffness and heat dissipation — cost a relatively inexpensive $8,800. That’s just $700 more, for example, than the carbon composite brake package on a BMW M4.

MKW’s forged magnesium wheels are part of its RSR (“Road, Street, Race”) line. Road rims are exemplified by cast-aluminum wheels. Street wheels use flow-form casting that spins the heated form in order to get the aluminum to flow and bind together. This creates a wheel stronger than a cast design, but with a thinner cross-section. The Race units are the forged magnesium wheels. Eyeing the success of Carbon Revolution’s design with Ford, Koenig is quick to point out: “We are open to new projects and vehicles other than Porsche.” He and the folks at MKW Alloy Wheels may not have long to wait before an ambitious automaker comes knocking.

Read the entire story at The Virtual Driver.

Introducing a New Magnesium Forged Porsche Wheel

Off-road racer, Arie Luyendyk, Jr. (Hostile Wheels) and Bill Koenig (Vice President, MKW Alloy, Inc.) join Alan Taylor and Jeff Allen on the Shell Pioneering Performance Stage and talk about Porsche, the debut of MKW Alloy's new super-lightweight magnesium one-piece wheels (RSR) and how Arie, Jr. got started in off-road racing.