Nov 1 2007
Alcoa announced today that it will supply custom-designed forged aluminum wheels featuring the company’s patented Dura-Bright® technology surface treatment to Shelby Automobiles for the company’s 2008 Mustang King of the Road (KR) and Super Snake models. The wheels will be supplied from the company’s Cleveland (Ohio) Works.
“Alcoa Forged Wheels is a vital member of Team Shelby,” noted Gary Patterson, VP-Operations for Shelby Automobiles. “Both the KR and the Super Snake have really cool looking wheels. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be Shelby.”
Alcoa was the first to fabricate forged aluminum wheels for ground vehicles and has been producing them for heavy duty and light trucks and autos since 1948.
“Forged aluminum wheels have tested more than four times stronger than steel wheels,” according to Kevin Kramer, head of Alcoa Wheel Products. “In addition to pure strength, our forged, machined wheels offer a truer rotation and faster suspension response for improved driving dynamics.”
Patterson added that the forged aluminum wheel also gives Shelby the opportunity to reduce unsprung weight, which, in combination with their strength and durability, provides the KR and Super Snake with more responsive steering. One-piece forging production allows Alcoa to increase strength while reducing weight of a comparable cast aluminum wheel by over 20 percent.
Alcoa’s Dura-Bright® technology provides a wheel that is almost maintenance free. The proprietary treatment penetrates the aluminum surface to become an integral part of the wheel itself. Alcoa wheels with Dura-Bright® technology resist peeling, cracking and corrosion.
“Dura-Bright® technology is something that high-performance KR and Super Snake drivers will really appreciate,” Patterson believes. “After a day of demanding road course driving, the last thing you want to do is spend hours polishing your wheels. With Dura-Bright®, all you have to do is hit them with a hose, restore that good-as-new look and walk away.”
“Alcoa understands that Shelby Automobiles is all about performance and establishing the partnerships it takes to create new models that live up to the Shelby tradition. And Alcoa Wheel Products is very proud to a Team Shelby partner,” Kramer concluded.