Carbon Fiber Wheels

I have not done it but have looked into it a bit. Worth it? I suppose that is up to you.

I believe the wheels you are looking at are around 35k a set and weigh "as little as 13.2lbs for a 20" wheel"

Factory 458 wheels are 22.8lb fron 25.3lb rear as far as I can tell.

So, on a front wheel you would save 9.6lbs ea.

Thing is, the tire is going have a greater influence on rotational inertia and that is 22lbs front 33lbs rear for PSS in stock sizes.

Honestly I don't think the money spent could justify the performance gain, but they are very neat!

 

I think you also have to consider the stock electromagnetic shocks are setup for a certain expected range of mass/ force from the stock wheels. I'm sure they allow for some variance, hence many can swap to other aftermarket wheels. I wonder if these being so light could be outside that range. Although I am not very well versed on CF used for wheels, I would worry that CF likely would crack upon impact vs metal bending. Neither being good but I would take bending over breaking when on the road. Their website shows some gorgeous pictures though. Looks like top notch work.

Vitesse | AuDessus - Bespoke Handcrafted Carbon Fiber Exteriors, Interiors, Components and Monocoques

 

One of the best changes ever for a motorcycle. For a road car? Can't see it but haven't ever driven a car with them so can't say.

 

What are you trying to achieve? Faster laps? Different steering feel on the street? More bling?

What is your goal by dropping weight?

 

Hmmm. I don't know. The figures posted above suggest a maximum weight savings of less than 10 pounds per wheel. So while that would make a difference in unsprung weight for suspension response, and a difference in rotating mass for acceleration, I'm not convinced the difference would be noticeable for street use. For track use, perhaps.

However, having said that, carbon fiber can be very brittle, and as already noted will crack or shatter rather than bend if met with something like a curb or a pothole.

I would also have to ask myself why racing teams in F1 and LeMans prototypes who spend millions and millions of dollars developing their cars as close to the edge as possible, and finding weight savings measured in ounces and not pounds wouldn't choose carbon fiber wheels. That alone tells me the weight savings vs the fragility is not an acceptable trade off to them.

I guess it comes down to aesthetics and personal taste. If you like them, go for it. But it doesn't strike me as a good performance choice.

 

Street or track? Ask yourself what you have found lacking in the car.

Driving courses taken? Could you improve performance more with driver track time or parts?

 

Interesting. Thanks for sharing that.

 

When I investigated this a couple 3 years ago, there were a couple of companies making thee wheels. There were more than a couple of bad reports on the durability of the wheels. Several companies had CF spokes bolted to aluminum rims to deal with durabity issues.

F1 cars use forged magnesium wheels--even though the expense of CF wheels would be "a low cost adder" to them. Why? Durability. FM wheels can take an off track excursion and get the car back to the pits. CF wheels are not yet ready for this kind of activity.

I think we are still a few years away from practicality.

 

They'll be very very pretty. And you'll look like a total prat when you're lapped at the track by someone in a cheap car.

But they'll be very very pretty.

 

I read up on it a few years back, one of the draw backs was weight distribution with carbon wheels is not very good, the lightness is in the wrong side (i.e. the center of the wheel is very light, but comparatively a lot of weight is placed on the outer edges, which at higher speeds wasn't where you want to feel the weight).

I'll have to find it where I read it. Might have a few important points missing.

This.

For an F1 team, it's peanuts. If it buys them .05 they would do it. They stick with Magnesium for a reason...

Just the wheel or the entire car if it's written off due to a wheel defect?

 

Ha! Exactly! I still laugh about the time I was passed at PBIR - me in my track prepped car with harness, roll cage, adjustable dampers, passed by a Pro driver ( no need to mention names ) in a stock BMW 3 series... With passengers.

 

I was such a badass on the bike with my knee down railing through turn 1 at VIR until an instructor passed me on the outside one handed looking back at me giving me hand signals with his free hand.

Driver training best mod to car/bike ever.

I don't want to knock the OP. I bet the wheels are awesome. When I was younger ibwould not have been talked out of them.

We all love bling and there's nothing wrong with it!!! But performance is realistically down on the list of excuses for it.

 

I'm with you, Chris.

To the OP, hey, if you like them, go for it and enjoy! They will look awesome! I just don't know that performance gains are enough of a justification on their own.

But again, if you like them (and they do look very cool), go for it!

 

Haha. who was it? A friend made a comment once as to why he never started racing: I'd passed him with my wife on the back of the bike (1970 Honda 750), in a ditch while riding out to Stinson Beach on the Sunday Morning ride. There is a huge difference between looking good and going fast.


art

 

New shelby has them so I would wait year and see what the experience is there before buying.