Mexican Media Brands
Australian Firm Debuts One-Piece Carbon-Fiber Wheels
Carbon Revolution says its pioneering one-piece carbon-fiber road wheels are stronger and weigh half as much as aluminum wheels of the same size.
#aluminum
Share
Carbon Revolution says its pioneering one-piece carbon-fiber road wheels are stronger and weigh half as much as aluminum wheels of the same size.
The Australian company's first product, the CR-9, is designed specifically for Porsche 911 sports cars. The 19-inch wheels (8.5 inches wide for the front and 12 inches wide for the rear) weigh only 15.2 lbs and 17.8 lbs, respectively.
Lighter wheels reduce unsprung weight, which helps improve vehicle handling. The company claims a car fitted with CR-9 wheels will accelerate faster, brake better and deliver a "huge gain" in fuel economy, presumably because of the weight savings.
Carbon Revolution makes its one-piece wheels with continuous carbon fibers using an aerospace-inspired process it has been developing for more than seven years.
The technology doesn't come cheap: A set of the CR-9s retails for a breathtaking $15,000.
Carbon Revolution, which aims to make 3,000-6,000 of the wheels in the first year of production, says other sizes and fitments are being developed. The company plans to open a plant in Australia late next year with annual capacity to make 250,000 wheels.
RELATED CONTENT
-
On French Concept, Inclusive Mobility, Nissan Frontier, and More
French conceptual mobility vehicles, VW addresses mobility for the disabled, a look at the 2022 Nissan Frontier, MINI surveys people about EVs, engineering the Sportster S engine, Honda’s avatar robot, and a driver shortage addressed
-
On Propulsion, Security, Sustainability and more
MAHLE sees hybrids continuing, Dodge has software to protect SRT models, Jenson Button is developing vehicles at a race track in Arizona, Audi is using green aluminum, BMW is investing in green steel, Mercedes is reducing its production emissions footprint, Bentley builds its 200,000th, and Sonata N Line impressions
-
Jeep Goes Gladiator
According to Tim Kuniskis, Head of Jeep Brand-North America, Jeep is the most-recognized vehicle on the planet, and while he is probably more than somewhat biased in this assessment, he is also probably right.