IMO the next Hypercar Breakthrough

This is a massive improvement. Anyone who rides bicycles can tell you one of the absolute best upgrades to do is to lighten your wheelset for this very reason. The performance improvements are Formidable.

 

carbon wheels have been around for a while. whats new here? better quality and one-piece maybe? lighter is better when it comes to wheels for sure, but durability is a concern too. wouldnt want to loose a wheel at speed....any race teams use them?
and what about mounting tires, any special concerns?

 

IIRC, 1st hypercar to offer carbonfiber wheels was the Koenigsegg Agera.

 

I would be interested to know this as well. Especially on a race car with the higher levels of stress. Did people ever have issues with Dymags?

 

It's been in the works for a while but there a lot of issues with using carbon wheels for cars. First, they still need to have metal inserts or some sort of metal skeleton to support certain aspects of overall wheel design (bolt seats, abrasion heavy areas, etc.) and those pieces cannot be made from aluminum. Secondly, how many times can you mount and dismount tires before you start shredding the lip of the carbon rim - same goes for curbing. Also, carbon doesn't dissipate heat like metal. If the rims get substantially hot for whatever reason, like hear transfer from the brakes, you can see tires blow off the rim (that happens all the time on bicycles on descents with carbon clincher wheels). Lastly, under a hard impact there is no way to know how much damage a carbon structure like a carbon car wheel has incurred without ex ray assistance. With a metal rim, you see where it's bent. With carbon, it breaks. But it doesn't always break on the outside.

It will be a while before they figure out this technology.

 

I'm still a skeptic about carbon fiber wheels.

I saw a set made by Weds Sport at TAS 2008. They were beautiful, but I'm curious about shelf life and longevity.

Weds Sport Full Carbon Fiber Wheel | Carbon Fiber Gear

 

So do the wheels for the Veyron but you have to replace the wheels for the Veyron every 2 or 3 tire changes. I am sure they work. That's not the question. The question is the durability given the design parameters that need to be in place for them to function properly. I don't know how they hold up to repeated use, tire changes, etc. I am sure they are great for a while, but I wasn't really questioning that. The biggest hurdle in short term use is heat dissipation, which can be factored into the design with some sort of boundary implement.

 

Citroen SM had carbon fibre wheels in 1970.

 

BST carbon wheels on my motorcycle since 2007. Biggest change by far. Love to see cars start getting them.

 

Why? They're forged aluminum.

 

But the Germans seem to think they're just fine because they pass their "legal standards."



Look, I am all for using carbon fiber to reduce weight while maintaining strength but as someone who helps develop carbon fiber products in load bearing environments, I know first hand what the risks are and furthermore, I know that carbon fiber isn't right for everything. I am sure that these will be okay someday but for now, all I will say is that just because you could, it doesn't necessarily mean you should.

 

I'll never set foot in the Boeing 787................but I'd be OK with carbon wheels.

 

F1 doesn't use carbon fibre wheels so IMO they are not suited for racing and practical road use.

The only rider who died on a Britten motorcycle died because the carbon fibre wheel apparently failed ... before or after the initial accident is up for debate.

Carbon shatters when it fails, not a good properly for a wheel (or a plane wing IMO) and the problem with wheels is that a point load is very possible. Heck I've broken alloy spokes on Alfa Sud wheels by aggressively using kerbs on a race track
Pete

 

I spoke with reps from that manufacturer at SEMA and asked about the wheels breaking. They said the the wheels are so strong that you are more likely to see a failure of other vehicle components before the wheel has a problem. So, chances are if you hit something hard enough to damage the wheel the rest of the car would probably be undriveable.

 

I certainly wouldn't expect the rep to say anything less! : )

 

Re: the safety/approval of carbon wheels--

Doubtful that a company making top level tech wheels for six figure automobiles would go to the lengths required of a seven year development process, obtain DOT approvals, and then be left selling a product with questionable quality. To be sure, all marketing strategies will be overly optimistic when given the opportunity, but it seems the risk of repercussion after failure of a DOT approved wheel set costing $15K would lend the company to develop their product well enough.

Re: the weight reduction potential--

Amazing. Where is 360trev? Surely 10lbs a wheel would leave him foaming at the mouth, even though he's already invested in a center locking Challenge conversion for his Stradale. Would love to hear his thoughts on this development.

 

If I remember reading something in a racing journal recently center locks are HEAVIER than standard bolt ons. Reason being the extended hub assembly. Center locks were never designed for weight reduction but merely quick change ability for pit stops.

 

But the weight is all central, making them more agile

I think CF would be fantastic with advanced torque vectoring systems as in the SLS electric drive

 

How much more lighter are they than magnesium wheels if anything at all?

They both have their bad properties though; I imagine if you curb your carbon wheel and drive on it'll go unnoticed right up until the moment it shatters at 200kp/h+, whilst an aluminium wheel will give a warning via wobble.

Magnesium is a nice weight but when it's on fire...goodbye car. it burns way too hot to put out....

 

This topic came up the other night at the bar and this was the same conclusion that my friends and I came to as well