Why the silver wheels appear larger...

[eclat2emira]

Hi, you may have heard Russell Carr and others mention this but wondered what they mean or why this happens? Is it because the silver is simply brighter than black (and the dual-tone diamond cut) so appears larger? Well there is probably a small element of this going on; when light hits the silver it will glow slightly and anything that glows - think of the sun or a light bulb - appears larger.

So that is the main reason when the silver is compared to the black - but not when it comes to the diamond cut.

I've shown below in a side-by-side comparison why the silver wheel appears larger than the diamond cut wheel: It's because the height of the silver area on the diamond cut wheel, when measured across the rim at the mid-point of a silver section to the mid-point of opposite black section actually is smaller than the wheel's diameter, giving the impression the entire wheel diamond cut wheel is smaller. This varies slightly depending which part of the wheel you measure the diameter across - but it's the main reason for the silver wheels appearing larger. If this was a mystery to you - now it's solved!

 

[Leonard]

The diamond cut would be better for having a dull diamond cut rim in my humble opinion

 

[TomE]

Interesting insight.

What you say is correct when both silver- and diamond-shod cars are stationary. In motion you will see the silver outer rim section of the diamonds blurring across the dark sections and so they’ll appear mostly silver and a similar size to the silver ones.

 

[TomE]

The diamond cut would be better for having a dull diamond cut rim in my humble opinion

I think the silver surface of the diamond cuts is a more matte silver than the silver of the silver-only wheels. The dark section is definitely matte.

 

[eclat2emira]

Interesting insight.

What you say is correct when both silver- and diamond-shod cars are stationary. In motion you will see the silver outer rim section of the diamonds blurring across the dark sections and so they’ll appear mostly silver and a similar size to the silver ones.

Spot on Tom, apparent size when moving will be the same.

 

[eclat2emira]

I think the silver surface of the diamond cuts is a more matte silver than the silver of the silver-only wheels. The dark section is definitely matte.

View attachment 1108

Yes, it's completely different to the powdercoated silver and unlike most diamond cut surfaces it has a nice dull, engineered silver finish rather than a highly polished "blingy" finish.

 

[Pegasi]

Interesting insight.

What you say is correct when both silver- and diamond-shod cars are stationary. In motion you will see the silver outer rim section of the diamonds blurring across the dark sections and so they’ll appear mostly silver and a similar size to the silver ones.

Excellent. I get a chance to post this video again. Nobody responded the first time! This video is a CARTOON so I don't know how real it is. This video makes me seriously consider the diamonds if this is what they look like in motion. Too cool.

Skip to 5:53 and wait and couple of seconds

 

[TomE]

Excellent. I get a chance to post this video again. Nobody responded the first time! This video is a CARTOON so I don't know how real it is. This video makes me seriously consider the diamonds if this is what they look like in motion. Too cool.

Skip to 5:53 and wait and couple of seconds

Interesting. You get this sometimes when filming in real life, due to a strobing effect between rotation speed and the frame rate of the camera. It's called the wagon wheel effect:

Wagon-wheel effect - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It's usually only visible in film/video but some people do say they can see it in real life, which is a different effect believed to be visual cortex confusion.

I assume the animators have included it to make the film seem more realistic.

(and yes, I know I need to get out more!)

 

[TomE]

Yes, it's completely different to the powdercoated silver and unlike most diamond cut surfaces it has a nice dull, engineered silver finish rather than a highly polished "blingy" finish.

The bright surface looks very similar to the diamond cut wheels on my Evora. They look really good (OK I’m biased!)

 

[Pegasi]

Interesting. You get this sometimes when filming in real life, due to a strobing effect between rotation speed and the frame rate of the camera. It's called the wagon wheel effect:

Wagon-wheel effect - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It's usually only visible in film/video but some people do say they can see it in real life, which is a different effect believed to be visual cortex confusion.

I assume the animators have included it to make the film seem more realistic.

(and yes, I know I need to get out more!)

Very interesting! Wagon Wheel errr, Visual cortex confusion has made my day.

 

[EspritGuy]

I think the silver surface of the diamond cuts is a more matte silver than the silver of the silver-only wheels. The dark section is definitely matte.

View attachment 1108

Interesting how this is more attractive as a close-up than when viewed at a distance. However it seems to create a nice effect when in motion, fleeting as that moment will be.

 

[eclat2emira]

Interesting. You get this sometimes when filming in real life, due to a strobing effect between rotation speed and the frame rate of the camera. It's called the wagon wheel effect:

Wagon-wheel effect - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It's usually only visible in film/video but some people do say they can see it in real life, which is a different effect believed to be visual cortex confusion.

I assume the animators have included it to make the film seem more realistic.

(and yes, I know I need to get out more!)

Quite an enjoyable video and some good moving images of the car even if they are not real! I wonder if the wagon wheel effect in the video is not a creation of the animators but a factor of the screen refresh rate?

 

[Nova]

It's usually only visible in film/video but some people do say they can see it in real life, which is a different effect believed to be visual cortex confusion.

This happens when people are viewing a car in artificial light conditions. Fluorescent lighting is the most common, although LED lights will also strobe if the duty cycle is used to control apparent brightness. Anyone seeing this effect in natural light... may need medical attention.

 

[Pegasi]

This happens when people are viewing a car in artificial light conditions. Fluorescent lighting is the most common, although LED lights will also strobe if the duty cycle is used to control apparent brightness. Anyone seeing this effect in natural light... may need medical attention.

Well its confirmed then. Diamond cuts wheels are no longer being considered! To me, the diamond cut wheels give the car the most 'unique' look.

However, I will be waiting the rest of my life to try and use "wagon wheel effect" in an actual conversation while speaking to somebody.