Alcoa unveils industry's lightest weight 14" and 9" wheels

Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products, a business unit of Alcoa Inc., announced that its 14” wide base and 9” wheels are again the lightest in the industry. Utilizing the proprietary LvL One wheel manufacturing process of light weighting coupled with proven 6061 alloy, Alcoa’s 22.5" by 14" wide base wheels are now 54 lbs. per wheel and the 22.5" by 9" wheels are now 51 or 59 lbs (dependent on fitment).  
 
"We continue to pursue ways to help our customers benefit from state-of-the-art technology," said Merrick Murphy, vice president and general manager, Alcoa Commercial Vehicle Wheels. "Alcoa’s lighter 14" wide base and 9" wheels are another breakthrough for the industry and one more example of Alcoa’s leadership in innovation." 
 
Alcoa unveiled the new wheels at the Technology & Maintenance Council’s Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition in Nashville. As before, Alcoa’s 14" wide base wheels replace dual wheels and reduce overall vehicle weight for improved productivity or increased fuel economy. Alcoa’s new 14" wide base wheels drop another 4 lbs. from their previous 58 lb. to their new 54 lb. weight, further improving freight efficiency.  In fact, simply switching from dual steel 22.5" by 8.25" wheels and tires to Alcoa 14" wide base wheels and tires reduces the weight of an 18-wheeler by more than 1,400 lbs. cutting annual fuel costs or increasing payload.  
 
Alcoa’s new 9" wheels are now 3 lbs. lighter than their previous version and again the lightest in their class. Switching from a comparable steel wheel to Alcoa aluminum 9" wheels saves more than 50 lbs. per wheel to improve productivity or fuel efficiency without sacrificing load rating. With a class-leading load rating of 10,000 lbs., these heavy-load wheels are ideal for refuse collection, logging, mining and other heavy haul applications. 
 
Alcoa 14" wide base and 9" wheels, now remarkably lighter, still run cooler, extend tire durability and improve productivity.  No other component on a truck is as simple to swap out, offering immediate benefits to both the environment and the bottom line.  
 
Each wheel is offered in popular Alcoa surface options including clean buff, mirror polish, Dura-Bright and Dura-Flange. Orders are now being accepted for Alcoa LvL One 14" wide base and 9" wheels.    
 
For more information on Alcoa’s new wheels, to contact a distributor and/or additional information on Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products, visit www.alcoawheels.com.