Heavy-Duty But Not Heavy
Alcoa recently rolled out what it calls the world’s lightest heavy-duty truck wheel. Called the Ultra One, it will help trucks shed pounds for increased payload and fuel efficiency. A lot of pounds.
Alcoa says the new 40-lb wheel is 47% lighter than steel wheels of the same size. That means a potential saving up to 1400 lb per rig.
To take five pounds out of its lightest heavy-duty truck wheel, Alcoa’s engineers invented the new, patent-pending MagnaForce alloy. It’s on average 17% stronger than the industry standard, Alcoa’s 6061 alloy, in similar applications, the company says.
In an era when ‘lightweighting’ is becoming a buzzword, the conversion to aluminum wheels helps offset the weight of necessary pollution-control equipment. Lighter wheels also improve fuel economy, Alcoa notes, adding that trading steel for aluminum on an 18-wheeler offsets the annual carbon footprint of an average American family of four.
The Ultra One wheel with MagnaForce alloy is available in the industry standard 22.5 x 8.25 size for heavy-duty trucks and is being readied in all OEM customer databooks. The wheels are available in all popular Alcoa finish options.
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