BST Carbon Wheels

Just bought a set of 5 spoke BST carbon wheels. Can still phone up and say I no longer want them. Saw a few guys on here had bought them and just wondering whats your thoughts on them, Are they worth the 2.5k? Is there much point in me getting if I havnt touched my forks or suspension yet?

Cheers

for track there great but no need for road apart from the bling factor. i put them on my road K5 thou and yes it made it handle like a 600 but i lost stability on bumpy highway surfaces. the bike never felt so planted after i put the oe wheels back on when getting ready to sell it.lol.

r25sti said:

for track there great but no need for road apart from the bling factor. i put them on my road K5 thou and yes it made it handle like a 600 but i lost stability on bumpy highway surfaces. the bike never felt so planted after i put the oe wheels back on when getting ready to sell it.lol.

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Are they really much lighter than stock s1k wheels? Havn't really researched just a rush buy >.<

Felix said:

Are they really much lighter than stock s1k wheels? Havn't really researched just a rush buy >.<

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they were a few kg's lighter than my k5 wheels but i dont know about the beemer oe wheels. the k5 turned so fast with the bst's, i was very surprised just how fast the bike flip flopped.

I've sent you a pm Felix

Im pretty sure ryan and/ or alex have weighed the wheels and posted the results for bst, forged and standard. Cant find it just this minute.

Not BST but I've found the results before.
It's not the weight but the where the weight is. MOI - Moment Of Inertia is the key thing. Because the majority of the carbon wheel weight is towards the hub instead of the rim it makes it far more flick-able. Which is awesome on track.

Now if we had nice flowing, well maintained, roads I'd say that carbon wheels would have no draw backs but as that's not the case I expect the above experience would be true for most on the road. Because the lack of weight means the wheel is susceptible to being 'kicked' by the road imperfections easier than a heavier wheel, leading to skittishness.

Here's the article on it. http://www.brocksperformance.com/brocknm/templates/bpp1.aspx?articleid=588&zoneid=8

BST Carbon Fibre Wheels

I weighed both my BST and HP wheels when I bought mine a couple of seasons ago and the weight comparison is below. The difference isn't that great and would probably be more significant if comparing them with the standard cast OEM wheels. That said BMW's OEM wheels are apparently very good when compared to the weight of those from other manufacturers.

BST Carbon Fibre Wheels*

Front: 2.480 Kg
Rear: 4.002 Kg

HP Forged Wheels*

Front: 3.083 Kg
Rear: 4.333 Kg

* Measured without brake discs, sprocket carrier, spacers, sensor rings etc.

Overall the weight saving of nearly 1 Kg is beneficial as any reduction in unsprung weight is always a good thing. What it really does illustrate is just how much of a worthwhile investment the HP wheels are when buying a new BMW S1000RR especially if you intend on using the bike on track.

The BST wheels do make a noticeable and positive difference to the BMW's handling. Steering is even more responsive and if anything direction changes are easier and require less physical effort. At tracks where the surface isn't as smooth as it should be, bumps are transmitted through the suspension much more noticeably with the BST wheels fitted. This is more so when compared to the HP wheels and it does impact upon suspension setup especially at faster tracks.

For me they are certainly a hugely worthwhile investment as a second set of wheels to compliment the HP offering that came fitted to my BMW. Whilst marginally better, what the BST wheels do highlight is just how good the HP wheels actually are.

In my opinion, if your buying a set of wheels for a road bike, which may see the occasional trackday, then forged wheels (any brand) are the way to go. For track use only then the BST wheels make complete sense. You will also find that forged wheels are considerably cheaper and don't forgot to budget for a second set of brake discs and sensor rings etc.

Suspension Setup

Felix said:

I havnt touched my forks or suspension yet

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Forget buying anything else for the bike as you've overlooked the singularly most important modification you can make - suspension set up! You would probably benefit far more from a well set up bike in terms of handling than you would from buying a set of carbon fibre wheels. Unless it's just aesthetics that you are going for.

Indeed as you're keen to spend ???'s get a full Ohlins, K-Tech, Bitubo setup done

alex said:

Indeed as you're keen to spend ???'s get a full Ohlins, K-Tech, Bitubo setup done

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There was some discussion about electronic v traditional suspension at the seminar the other week. The Ohlins guy made the point that motogp use electronic, and infact electronic is superior to traditional suspension thats why its is used at the pinnacle of racing. The problem people have with the feel of electronic suspension is setup and understanding. Removing it and going back to shims is a backwards step.

Indeed, but the MotoGP stuff is lightyears ahead and probably magnetorheological too, unless that's banned? The problem with the EC Suspension implementations is a lack of user control/explanation of what X value means. Is +4 in race the same as +7 in sport? No idea. It's all too vague when suspension should be exact. It gets removed from track bikes because it's changing parameters when they don't want it to, reducing feel as you say. There's no doubt its the future/present, on bikes and cars. But the implementations have to improve to help end users/race teams.

But this is about BST's on the road...

So back on topic slightly. @Felix, have you considered Titax rims? I have a set, in blue, they took ages to turn up - it's well documented in my 2012 Blue/Black Showroom thread. However, they are superb, light, and cheap. They are an alloy rather than carbon. They would cost about €1500 for a set. You'd need a sprocket and brake rotors on top.

I've got a ohlins TTX GP suspension on the way and NXT forks. Being all out on early next year

?hlins

Perhaps a little pointless if you've never even touched the standard suspension or been on track?!?

Re: ?hlins

NXT forks? Do you mean a NIX cartridge kit? Who's setting it up for your weight? Are they supplying with the correct springs?

Re: ?hlins

alex said:

NXT forks? Do you mean a NIX cartridge kit? Who's setting it up for your weight? Are they supplying with the correct springs?

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NIX sorry. Mct are doing and supplying. They said it's the best for road and track whatever I choose to do. Will do tracks next year and might even just have it as a track bike soon and buy a beautiful R6 again.

You're in good hands with MCT. The suspension won't adapt to the road like it did but it will be plush and easy to adjust.

Mo thank you ive already purchased

Darren at MCT is simply brilliant, he has tweaked all of my bikes for Track and road, most recently my new s1rr, and replaced fork springs and changed oil and set up the electronics, do be honest with him as to your ability and intended use as road and Track setup will be a compromise unless you are willing to reset for Track use, he is proper fast too, good luck with the Gucci kit!