SSR's - Tech Info, Pricing & Club Race

[RFKoby@xxxxxxx]

Hello everyone, (sorry for the cross posts)
I instructed at Putnam park this weekend, it was very hot, but still had a 
blast.
FYI on the Club Race and the Top Runners / Finishers:
Two E36 M3's, one with Euro motor and Porsche brakes and the other a LTW 
finished one and two in the 30 minute sprint race on Saturday and again in 
the one hour Enduro on Sunday.
Both cars were running the Speed Star Racing (SSR) wheels - 17" x 9"
and both clearly showed the dominant advantage of the LANDSHARK.

I am a Mechanical Enginner graduate from Notre Dame and have had some 
background in Material Science Engineering.  I did some research to help 
people understand the semi-solid forging process of the SSR wheels.  I do 
some work as an independent designer for BMW motorsport applications and that 
makes me a high tech fanatic for BMW stuff and although there are reams of 
technical data about this very specialized Semi solid forging (SSF) process 
that SSR uses,  here are some of the high lites:

In early 1970 MIT studied aluminum alloy microstructures while researching 
new methods of forming aluminum alloy. Research uncovered that mechanically 
agitating (stirring/mixing) an alloy during the solidification process 
changes the original microstructure of the alloy from a branch-like structure 
to a global granular structure. Aluminum alloy when conventionally cast has a 
branch like microstructure which is susceptible to breakage along its weak 
points by applied force. This brittle nature is typical of cast products. The 
granular microstructure is denser, providing more shear strength and less 
inclination to breakage.  ALUMAX further developed the process and developed 
a stirring/filtering process called "Magneto Hydro Dynamics (MHD)"   which 
creates consistent alloy, free of non-metals, gasses and other impurities. 
The end product is in cylindrical form is called MHD billet. This high 
quality alloy has excellent characteristics of strength and stiffness.  In a 
specialized process perfected by Alumax, these uniquely STRUCTURED alloy 
billets are heated to a semi solid state (consistency of soft butter) and 
molded in a specifically engineered forging press. This ultra high tech 
forging technology creates very strong and light weight products and has been 
selected for use in hi stress applications throughout the auto industry.

Upon further research I discovered that through an exclusive contract with 
Alumax, SSR has further developed this technology and is the only 
manufacturer in the world today producing SSF alloy wheels. 

After making some calls to the TireRack,
I found out that they are exclusive importer for SSR.
Here is what they have for E36 fitments:

16x8  ET40    16.5#  $297
17x8   ET40    17.5#  $309
17x9   ET45    18.0#  $339
18x8   ET40               $379
18x9   ET45               $389

they also have fitments for E30, E34, E39
and a hard to find fitment for the E30 325iX  16x7 ET38

and 18x9 ET19 $389
for E31, E32, E34, E38

I am bolting on the 17 x 9's with BFG G-Force R1 tonight!

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