If you’re into racing, as in time attack, GT300, GT500, and other racing series, then you’ve probably heard of WedsSport. More specifically, you’ve probably heard of the WedsSport TC series. This series of wheel began back in 1993, and it was designed to be lightweight and strong without breaking the bank. The current generation TC series wheel, TC105N, has been a great success in racing and tons of enthusiasts choose this wheel for track toys and daily drivers. The latest evolution of the TC series will be arriving in summer 2018. This new TC105X is designed around modern cars which are not only heavier than cars of the past but also have significantly more power.
Like the current TC105N, the TC105X had a ton of R&D time in Japan’s SuperGT racing series. The data that WedsSport collected from this racing series was vital to the development and helped them design a wheel that could withstand extreme stresses without being too heavy. Compared to the TC105N, the TC105X has six fundamental changes that make it stronger. These changes don’t alter the visual appearance on the wheel, so it still has that 10-spoke design that so many enthusiasts love.
Revised N-Frame
The first change that WedsSport employed was revising the N-Frame structure. The N-frame of the TC105N was designed to improve spoke rigidity and improve impact dispersion. By making the N-frame slightly taller on the TC105X, WedsSport was able to improve spoke rigidity even further. As you can tell from the photos below, the N-Frame is somewhat larger on the new model, but unless you were specifically looking for this difference, you probably wouldn’t notice it.
Spoke Side Cuts
WedsSport has used this design in their previous wheels and found great success with it, so they are applying it to the new TC105X. By having large cuts in the sides of the spokes, a ton of weight was shed without affecting strength, since the cut increases the spoke’s surface area, creating better load dispersion. The outgoing TC105N uses flat spokes on the opposite side of the spokes with the n-frame. It’s pretty easy to see the difference in the photos.
Barrel Profile
The barrel of the wheel is one of the most critical parts, as it connects the face and the rear of the wheel. A weak barrel is much more likely to break for an impact, so it’s crucial that the barrel uses a strong design. Of course, the barrel is quite large, so using too much material results in a very heavy wheel. The TC105X features a drop-center which WedsSport uses in some of their other wheels. The drop-center acts as a reinforcement for the face of the wheel and improves overall wheel strength.
Modified Flanges
The flanges of the wheels are the furthest out part of the wheel and undergo a lot of abuse. For the TC105X, WedsSport flatted out the front flange and thickened the rear lip. This slightly improves strength overall and makes the rim of the wheel less likely to break.
Behind Spoke Cuts
Further reducing weight are small cuts on the backside of the spokes. On the outgoing TC105N, the back of the spokes are entirely flat, but WedsSport found that a small amount of material can be removed without effecting spoke strength. So, the TC105X features small cuts on the back of the spokes. It might not be a substantial weight saving, but in an already lightweight wheel, minor changes matter.
Reinforced Center
The final change for the TC105X is the center area, which has been slightly modified to increase total surface area, improving load distribution. This is a minor change, but as we mentioned above, the smallest differences matter when improving an already great wheel.
Should You Upgrade?
If you currently have a set of TC105N wheels, you might be wondering if you should upgrade. If you love going to the track and having the lightest and strongest possible wheel is important to you, then you should upgrade. If you use your car as a daily driver, you can upgrade if you want, but it’s not necessary. The TC105X is an evolution of the TC series, not a revolution. The changes are small, but add up to an overall improved wheel compared to the TC105N.
If you have any questions about WedsSport Wheels or would like to purchase parts for your car, please do not hesitate to contact us. We can be reached by phone at 1.480.966.3040 or via email at sales@vividracing.com.
Looking at the weds sport released spec list on the TC105X, it seems like the new version is about 200grams heavier than the N version, across all sizes… 🙁
For the 17″ sizes, the TC105N is slightly heavier like you stated above, but that’s not the case for every single size TC105X. For most of the 18″ sizes the TC105X is slightly lighter than the TC105N. Across all sizes, however, the TC105X will be stronger.