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I'll give you an easy 60lbs-Carbon rims. GT350R and M3 GTS have these. This would be an easy way to lose unsprung weight and is definitely in the pipeline.
I'm not expert in CF however Porsche is currently working on CF wheels from a level 19 source . I was lucky to have been a invited guest of Porsche Motorsports for Daytona testing and in talking to some of the Porsche Motorsports personnel at Daytona I brought up the very subject of wheel technology and specifically some of the recent production offerings with CF wheels. Biggest concern up until a few years ago for production cars has been the inconsistent endurance fatigue and potential for catastrophic failures at speed once the CF reached its end life. They have a different process that was developed (from F1) to strengthen (and acceptable life span) the CF to levels that will support the wheel applications but it's all about trying to get manufacturing costs down to level that make them reasonable to add on. I would assume that Ford/BMW have figured out a way to do this or are just living with the current high cost to produce but either way we will see CF wheels soon from Porsche.
I would assume that Ford/BMW have figured out a way to do this or are just living with the current high cost to produce but either way we will see CF wheels soon from Porsche.
Ford uses the CR wheels. I suspect BMW does not. Production will have to ramp up an awful lot before prices drop...and even then they may all look pretty much the same as current CR offerings for a long time. Any (lack of) style you want so long as it has nine flat spokes and a massive price tag.
Ford uses the CR wheels. I suspect BMW does not. Production will have to ramp up an awful lot before prices drop...and even then they may all look pretty much the same as current CR offerings for a long time. Any (lack of) style you want so long as it has nine flat spokes and a massive price tag.
The problem isn't going to be solved if they "ramp up" production for lots of volume like traditional parts to reduce avg cost per unit because they can't "ramp up", production is capped based on time. The problem Carbon Revolution currently has is the required slower process to manufacture CF wheels with needed strength vs how quickly traditional wheels can be produced. They will find a way to speed up times and then "mass' produce the CF wheels and that will eventually reduce production costs but for now they are restricted in amounts they can produce so you will only see roll outs in lower production cars. With almost 50% of the weight reduction from GT350 to GT350R attributed to the CF wheels you can bet it has the auto world eyes to see if any issues pop up. CF wheels have been on the industry radar for over a decade now but something we will finally start seeing more regularly.
Carbon Fiber tub is the next major weight loss, might be good for 200-300 lbs. Things like lithium battery. Lighter wheels from factory. Less electronics
I used CF Rims ( Dymag) on my 993 Cup RSR race car for a season. When I weighed the wheel they were almost the same weight as a race BBS wheel, seems only part of the rim is CF. Also they were prone to damage and scruffs more than the other wheels.
I think CF hood is approximately 1/2 the weight of aluminum unit.
CF would not save much if any weight for front and rear bumper "covers" (if that's what you meant)...they are already made of lightweight urethane. The actually bolt on impact assembly I don't think would hold up in either crash test or 5 mph test well if made in CF.
This is not true a lot of cars have carbon bumpers like P1, La Ferrari to name a few
This is not true a lot of cars have carbon bumpers like P1, La Ferrari to name a few
I'm approximating weight savings if Porsche were to switch but again my example is specific to front aerodynamic covers, but sure if they use them on the quoted cars for structural members then ok but slightly different price points.
I'm not expert in CF however Porsche is currently working on CF wheels from a level 19 source . I was lucky to have been a invited guest of Porsche Motorsports for Daytona testing and in talking to some of the Porsche Motorsports personnel at Daytona I brought up the very subject of wheel technology and specifically some of the recent production offerings with CF wheels. Biggest concern up until a few years ago for production cars has been the inconsistent endurance fatigue and potential for catastrophic failures at speed once the CF reached its end life. They have a different process that was developed (from F1) to strengthen (and acceptable life span) the CF to levels that will support the wheel applications but it's all about trying to get manufacturing costs down to level that make them reasonable to add on. I would assume that Ford/BMW have figured out a way to do this or are just living with the current high cost to produce but either way we will see CF wheels soon from Porsche.
Carbon Revolution has an OEM-validated wheel (15lb) for Porsche and the capacity to produce 250K wheels/year...
Brett Gass, Executive Director at CR. His exact words were, "a production setup that can build 250,000 wheels per year". I guess you could say that is different from actual capacity.
Brett Gass, Executive Director at CR. His exact words were, "a production setup that can build 250,000 wheels per year". I guess you could say that is different from actual capacity.
CR is currently the leader in CF wheels at the moment but hoping/planning and currently doing now are very 2 very different realities. However, I fully expect them to be the first to produce CF wheels at those production levels at some point in not so distant future.
01-15-2016, 08:42 AM
. I was lucky to have been a invited guest of Porsche Motorsports for Daytona testing and in talking to some of the Porsche Motorsports personnel at Daytona I brought up the very subject of wheel technology and specifically some of the recent production offerings with CF wheels. Biggest concern up until a few years ago for production cars has been the inconsistent endurance fatigue and potential for catastrophic failures at speed once the CF reached its end life. They have a different process that was developed (from F1) to strengthen (and acceptable life span) the CF to levels that will support the wheel applications but it's all about trying to get manufacturing costs down to level that make them reasonable to add on. I would assume that Ford/BMW have figured out a way to do this or are just living with the current high cost to produce but either way we will see CF wheels soon from Porsche.
