Yes they are a mesh design wheel, but they are VERY different from CSL style wheels as Larry pointed out. The center area and the spoke angle are the biggest aesthetic differentiator.
The most important thing to note is that there are
NO CSL style wheels out there that are light. They are all cheap cast wheels for show only. These ARC-8 wheels are semi forged so you're cutting about 6lbs. of weight off of even the CSL reps. And most of this weight is from the barrel which effects rotational inertia the most. So even if they were the same weight, they would behave like a lighter wheel under acceleration and braking. Over all for track use these are more practical. CSL wheels don't have an open center area, they have recessed lugs. Besides the metal/weight savings, you have fast easy access to all your lugs with room for a heavy duty impact socket without scraping the paint off your wheels.
Why are they this design? Because this is what we were already producing in 7+ other fitments and only the rear is custom for the 1 series. The fronts already exist, so we don't have to reinvent the wheel there. It's the easiest way of handling the unique fitment. Pricing would double if both front and rear were created from scratch for this fitment.
ARC-8 wheel
CSL wheel
