This issue is very special.

On top of myself sharing about today's topic, we also will have our first guest ever, Peter Taylor, to talk about some wheel design and engineering details with his over 15 years of experience in the field.

Without further ado, let's get started.

Today's topics: Genres of car photography Let's talk about Wheel Photography One of my favourite things to photograph Some tips to get you started Special Guest Content: Peter Taylor Things to consider when engineering and designing a wheel Who is Peter Taylor? Cast and machined aluminium alloy wheels First steps Cars vs. Motorcycle wheels Rim machining Legal considerations and tests Some final questions

When we think of a car photography, what I shared above is definitely not the first thing that comes to mind.

What you think about is something like this:

The reason for this is that we want to see "the car".

We never stop to observe the car's details until later on.

And the thing is, sometimes, a car's details is what makes them who they are.

If I show you this:

I'm sure you don't need more to know which car this is.

And still, many don't think of car wheels as something as distinctive or special as some body details.

Except for Ant over at Bluesky.

​Ant does not mess around when recognizing cars from tiny details.

In this case, wheel specific details!

Genres of car photography

"Car Photography" is one of many photography genres.

And there are many sub-genres within it. For example:

• Full Car Photography
• Tracking or Car to Car Photography
• Panning Photography (And I gave tips for this kind here)
• Detail Photography

and many more.

Then, of course, you have "Wheel photography".

One could argue that it's a "sub-sub-genre", since it might fall under "Detail Photography" but it doesn't really matter how we define it, as long as we all understand the same.

​Estelle loves photographing lights. There are so many attention worthy details in cars. And each photography is a testament of what one sees.

Wheel photography might just be defined as a "sub-sub-genre" within "Detail Photography", but it doesn't matter as long as we are after the same.

Wheels are such an important part of the car, they can be the only subject in some art or merch you can get. Take this example from Marcus and these great coasters he created.

Let's talk about Wheel Photography

This is an underrated genre in the same way that Full Car Photography is a bit overrated.

When we think of "Car Photography" we probably default to Full Car Photography as mentioned in the beginning, something like:

This kind of pictures are a bit "predictable".

They are "the car".

Specifically, they are what "anyone" thinks about when they think about "that car".

But that a car is much more than "the whole". A car has so many details and nuances that makes it "that car" and none other. Those are the things I think are worth capturing.

And wheels are some of them.

Wheels are iconic

It's not hard to see a wheel and say "that's the wheel from <some specific car>" and that's what makes them special.

Have you noticed how complex and beautiful some wheel designs are?

And how simple but recognizable some others are?

Have you been paying attention?

One of my favourite things to photograph

Car wheels is one of my favourite things to photograph.

It's "kind of easy" to shoot

• They are all the same shape, different sizes, so not much consideration or adjustment between them.
• They are easy to photograph in crowded environments like a museum or an event full of people.
• You can get close enough and people mostly won't get in the way.
• One can develop "one style" and keep shooting that way.

The designs can vary tremendously

• Each brand can have its own design language.
• Even within one brand, different types or eras of cars can show vastly different wheels.

They "tell a story"

• They represent an era.
• They show a clear purpose.

Ultimately, they can make or break the look of a car.

This is of course, my opinion, but look how bad the original wheels on the Pagani Utopia looked like, and how much they can elevate the car with a better set.

Ugly wheels on a Pagani Utopia

Better wheels on a Pagani Utopia

Some tips to get you started

Wheel Photography, as most of Photography, is all about light and framing.

Here are some tips I always have in mind when approaching it.

• Avoid shooting in a garage or at night. Unless you have good artificial lighting that can make the details of the wheel pop.
• Get as close as possible. You don't want to say "look at this awesome wheel" when you are actually photographing the whole car. You can, of course, but it's not ideal if highlighting the wheel is your goal.
• Make it easy on you by shooting straight on. You can shoot wheels form an angle, or even "zoom into details" of the wheel itself, and that's fine. But a very easy way of getting a "Wheel Photography library" is to just shoot them straight on. But it's not the only way to shoot, as you will see below when I share the pictures from some of you.
• Shoot comfortably. Wheels are perfectly round. So it doesn't matter ultimately if you shoot landscape or portrait. You could always end up cropping it square 1:1 aspect ratio, for consistency, and it would be fine. Shoot in the way that's more comfortable for your situation.

So, now that we discussed all this and you have a newfound appreciation of car wheels, or a confirmation of what you've been thinking all along, I have two questions for you.

• What are your top 3 all time favourite wheel designs?
• Have you been able to photograph any of them? Show me!

I did ask this in Bluesky, and you guys shared oh so many things! Here are some:

And there were of course many more entries that you can see here.

But Julien's message right here is exactly what I meant with the email subject.

I love paying attention to these, and also love seeing others do the same.

We're the same kind of crazy and we are not alone.

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Things to consider when engineering and designing a wheel

As we established already, wheels in cars are key for the design and perceived look of the car.

But "as simple as a round thing" goes, they are miles away from being a "simple thing" to engineer.

While discussing this over Bluesky, my buddy Peter chimed in as you can see above, and mentioned he spent over 15 years working closely with wheel design and engineering.

I was naturally inclined to know more about it, so we got in touch via DM and he agreed to write a very insightful piece I am happy to share with you now. But first…

Who is Peter Taylor?

Peter is the Lead Project Engineer at Maeving Electric Motorcycles.

He has been doing so for the past 4 years, in charge of all structural components on the bikes.

However, he started as a Design Engineer at Formula One Management as a graduate in 2000, and worked there for 3 years ensuring all the trackside equipment for timing and TV was maintained and working.

He then worked for Triumph Motorcycles for over 17 years where he was involved in many vehicles, ending up as the wheel specialist for over 12 years.

He designed wheels for all the modern classics and was responsible for overseeing all wheel designs at Triumph.

On top of this, he ended up being the Lead Chassis Engineer on the Daytona 765 Moto2 Limited Edition.

He was responsible for the entire bike from design through to production.

The following words in italics are written by Peter. He shares a bit of information through expertise, in a way that we will be able to understand.

How many things are considered that many times go "under the radar"?

Cast and machined aluminium alloy wheels

First steps

There are 2 starting points for wheel design:

• Engineering constraints: Diameter, width, offset, brake disc and caliper clearance.
• Styling.

As a Design Engineer, you will take these constraints and aim to develop a wheel which:

• Meets the engineering constraints.
• Meets the styling constraints.
• Meets the strength and durability requirements.
• Minimises mass and inertia.

Cars vs. Motorcycle wheels

There are a lot of similarities between car and motorcycle wheels.

However, motorcycle wheels are visible on both sides.

This means you cannot easily remove mass from the design as all surfaces are cosmetic.

To remove mass from a motorcycle wheel, the spokes and hub of the wheel will be hollow. This is done by creating a sand core for the wheel which is held in place in the casting tool by support features around the hub and at the ends of the spokes, as far as the core reaches.

Generally, the wall thickness of the cast aluminium material will be in the region of 4-4.5mm.

There will be a lot of back-and-forth discussions with the stylist in the initial development to ensure that the design of the wheel is meeting the styling requirements while ensuring that the engineering considerations are met.

This can mean that there is some level of compromise with the styling.

However, the aim is always to minimise this.

Rim machining

The rim of the wheel is often machined on both the tyre and non tyre sides to a constant wall thickness.

This can be as thin as 3-3.5mm on a wheel which is intended for a sports bike so lightness and minimal rotational inertia are required and up to 5mm on an adventure bike which is expected to tackle dirt roads and deal with more bumps.

Cast car wheels can be the same, however, it is becoming more normal for car wheel rims to be flow formed.

This is where the wheel is spun and a tool is used to form the rim, a bit like a potter making an item on a potter’s wheel.

This allows a change in the grain flow, making the rim stronger, so it can be thinner than before. You can watch this video for more information about this.

Legal considerations and tests

There are certain markings which are a legal requirement, such as

• Wheel size.
• Wheel material.
• Wheel manufacturer logo.

For the Japanese market, there is also the JWL logo requirement.

This is a sign that the wheel has passed certain fatigue and overload tests, either based on loads specifically for that vehicle, or, on aftermarket wheels for a maximum load which would be specified in the wheel literature.

These tests include:

• An impact test: Replicating a kerb strike.
• Radial fatigue: Load applied to the wheel while it rotates for a length of time.
• Torsional fatigue: Replicating the acceleration or braking loads which go through a wheel.
• Bending fatigue: Replicating cornering forces.

Motorcycle wheels will also have mounts for the brake discs integrated along with the wheel bearings as part of the hub. Unless it is a rear wheel on a single sided swingarm, then it is much more like a car wheel.

Some final questions

I have also asked Peter some questions out of my own curiosity, that I think have very interesting answers, and are reproduced below.

How much of design seems like "looks" but it's actually engineering?

Pretty much all of it! The only obviously engineered areas are the rim, which is to a standard to ensure that the tyres fit correctly and the hub area where it mounts to the vehicle.

Everything in between is about making it look as intended while making sure it is strong enough.

Are there designs that are impossible to do due to some core structural/engineering constraints?

There is a minimum thickness that spokes can be.

This is determined by the flow of the material during the casting process. The less spokes there are, the thicker they need to be.

However, there is a minimum thickness where, no matter how many spokes you have, the spokes still need to be a minimum of around 4-4.5mm thick to ensure the material can flow during casting.

What is something that is needed and usually disguised?

The legally required text that is on a wheel is generally hidden where possible, but some text must be visible while on the vehicle and so will be placed in as discreet a place as possible.

Is there something that people take for granted and is actually hard to achieve and should be appreciated more?

The most difficult areas to get right are where the spokes meet the rim and the hub.

These are the 2 most highly stressed areas and so need to be very well designed to prevent them looking bulky and heavy, while dealing with the stresses.

The smoother that features run into each other, the better, so sharp features are difficult to do successfully.

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And that, my friends, marks the end of our first guest appearance.

Peter has been fantastic to have here, and I learned a lot. I hope you have as well.

I like wheels so much, that I even spent oh so many hours, illustrating some, and they are some of my favourite artworks ever!

I should definitely do some more! Which is your favourite?

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Loved these illustrations and you want to learn how to illustrate digitally?

I have a FREE course for absolute beginners. No previous experience needed.

I compressed over 6 years of learning into an easy to follow 5 step system called: "0-100: How to illustrate a car from reference".

You can check it out for free, here.

Let's keep in touch! Inquiry or suggestion? creatinglightly@gmail.com​ Daily interaction? Follow me on: ​​Bluesky​ 👈 I'm mostly here​ (not on Twitter anymore) ​Instagram​

That's it for today. If you enjoyed it, let me know! See you on the next one.

All the best,

Juanma from Creating Lightly