Wheels are tough. They have to be to withstand a daily assault of centrifugal forces, potholes, and other nasty road maladies. Steel and alloy are common wheel materials, and even they aren’t immune from damage. So, building a tire out of epoxy may seem like an odd choice. However, for one DIYer, it made the perfect capstone to his all-wheel-drive Oldsmobile Cutlass build.
The video starts with a wheel mold before any epoxy is used . However, once the mold is ready, the wheel slowly comes together. First, the barrel is formed before crafting the inner and outer rims. The wheel doesn’t have traditional spokes. Instead, the center is capped with epoxy with the hub attached. epoxy resin crystal clear
It’s clear from the video this took a ton of time and effort to complete. How is it better than the wheel that was on the Oldsmobile before? Well, during the build process, the builder installed light-changing LEDs. This allows the wheel to change colors while the vehicle is in motion. It may seem a bit tacky and loud to some, but it’s an ingenious way to make one’s car stand out from the crowd.
Now, no new wheel is complete without a proper test, and the video does not disappoint. However, his neighbors may not be enthralled with his vehicular hobby. Once the tire is mounted, the owner pulls the cutlass into the driveway – it’s chained to the vehicle lift in the garage – and lights up all four tires with ease. The epoxy wheel and its bright lights survive the torture test. The tires don't fare as well.
While the wheel did withstand a brutal test, it’s not clear if the wheel is really roadworthy. It may be fine to trot out to events, but we wouldn’t want to meet even a mild pothole on a sunny day. Then again, in Michigan, potholes aren’t an issue when they’re big enough to swallow an entire car.
Source: AWD Cutlass via YouTube
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