[Fraxum]

I read a side bar article about the new Carbon Fiber wheels on the GT350R. Was it C&D or R&T? At the moment I cannot find it.

It compared the performance difference between the CF and the aluminum wheels. The time differences were significant and more of a difference than expected. So it seems to me the CF wheels are the next big thing. I might wager we will see them on high end ZL1s and Z06s.

Anyone know the drawbacks besides cost?

I posted this thread here as I also read Ford had to tune the suspension for the 350R CF wheels. Say if CF wheels become available and I am sure they will, what would that possible suspension tune look like on the CA6?

I am interested in modding my new SS once I get it. And I see adding much more power as a waste of time, been there done that. Boltons that payoff for me only. So far LTs look like only a small benefit on the LT1 just like on 5.0s.

This improvement on the SS or any CA6 seems to be significant and in the spirit of the new Camaro.

[drivingagain]

Well one downside is they damage easier on curbs. If you are super careful with your wheels then just need to watch the clear coat. Need to make sure you keep the wheel coated to prevent UV yellowing.

[Eric SS]

Originally Posted by drivingagain

Well one downside is they damage easier on curbs. If you are super careful with your wheels then just need to watch the clear coat. Need to make sure you keep the wheel coated to prevent UV yellowing.

Yeah, one curb check or big pot hole and you've basically got a ritz cracker with a little chip taken out of it. We all know how that ends. The structural integrity of the whole cracker makes it turn to dust. Good luck trying to scoop peanut butter with a curb checked ritz! :rantover:

At least that's how it used to be. I'm not sure if newer manufacturing processes have fixed that issues. (they haven't for the Ritz)

[Blacksapphire]

Originally Posted by Eric SS

Yeah, one curb check or big pot hole and you've basically got a ritz cracker with a little chip taken out of it. We all know how that ends. The structural integrity of the whole cracker makes it turn to dust. Good luck trying to scoop peanut butter with a curb checked ritz! :rantover:

At least that's how it used to be. I'm not sure if newer manufacturing processes have fixed that issues. (they haven't for the Ritz)

[Fraxum]

So I guess I should keep an eye on the GT350 forums to see how that is turning out. If the wheels are that delicate would Ford put them on thier flagship car? Could be a disaster.

Ford seems to have anticipated this objection:

https://media.ford.com/content/fordm...er-wheels.html

The Ford CF Company below. I contacted them about the Camaro.

http://www.carbonrev.com/

Possible pricing? Wow, but I doubt those numbers.

http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28887

Others:

https://esecarbon.com/


http://www.vitesseaudessus.com/

On a Porsche:

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1...er-performance

Looking for real world expereince, but very few GT350Rs out there. And many being bought by collectors. Some of these Mustangs apparently have gone for over $100K. It does sound like a great car. But then so is the new Camaro. Much easier to buy. It will be interesting to see how a CA6 NA motorsports Camaro would do against the GT350. I'll bet Chevy knows right now. CF wheels would certainly help the cause.

[Fraxum]

Okay here is the C&D article I was thinking of. Impressive gains! But what about the cost? Are they practical? How would you tune a suspension to take advantage of such light wheels? If you started with a base no option M6 1SS and did CF wheels and addeed a few other light weight tricks could you get a LT1 under 3,600 pounds?

[Fraxum]

CarbonRev has looked at this thread. They must be disapponted. No plans for Camaro wheels so far.

[FlowForm_Wheels]

We are still working out the details to bring these back if anyone is interested, but seeing that it's relevant, here was our carbon series when we premiered it a few years back.

[MIAMI2SSRS]

They look really good!!

[crankaholic]

Originally Posted by Fraxum

Okay here is the C&D article I was thinking of. Impressive gains! But what about the cost? Are they practical? How would you tune a suspension to take advantage of such light wheels? If you started with a base no option M6 1SS and did CF wheels and addeed a few other light weight tricks could you get a LT1 under 3,600 pounds?

I'm planning on reducing the mass of rotating components in my 2SS... those 30lbs stock wheels will be the first to go. Although I'm not sure if I'm prepared to part with 3k per wheel... I wonder if the aluminum wheels they compared were as light as they could have been - is a good set of forged aluminum wheels closer in weight to the CF set or the factor alloys?

I actually took out almost 100lbs from the driveline in my CTS-V1 (although it wasn't that difficult when it used a bar weight for a flywheel and an actual bench-press bar for a drive shaft ). That made an unbelievable difference in the way the car drove... very different from any bolt-ons or forced induction - there was jarring immediacy in how power was transferred to the ground, people couldn't believe I didn't add any power to the car (except whatever power that silly "CAI" added/removed).

I doubt the gen6 has a 48lbs flywheel to replace with a 12lbs billet part... but I'm sure that driveshaft is steel with some incredibly heavy u-joints, those 30lbs wheels need to be replaced with 19" forged units (probably 20lbs in 19x10) and a set of floating rear rotors (-5lbs per rotor). Assuming a CF driveshaft is 20lbs lighter, that's a 50lbs (rotating) weight loss right there.

[Fraxum]

Originally Posted by FlowForm_Wheels

We are still working out the details to bring these back if anyone is interested, but seeing that it's relevant, here was our carbon series when we premiered it a few years back.

Very relevent. I never heard of these. They are good looking and different. These are the Camaro bolt pattern and offsets? Maybe with the GT500R now there may be more interest in CF wheels and driveshafts. Are there other components possible?

[6LE Designs]

Originally Posted by FlowForm_Wheels

We are still working out the details to bring these back if anyone is interested, but seeing that it's relevant, here was our carbon series when we premiered it a few years back.

Wow. Just wow. Those are GORGEOUS (even without the CF)! Please bring them back lol! We'd rock the crap out of those on our SEMA build...

Back on topic, the talk of CF rims being easily curbed and potholes destroying them is a falsehood ASSUMING the quality of the build.

Yeah, cheap CF stuff most are accustomed to you'd have those issues as they probably aren't full CF and definitely aren't vacuumed

When done right, it would be as strong and durable as, if not more than, cast wheels most cars roll on.

Hoods for example. Most are used to "Carbon Fiber Hoods" that are just a top layer CF, bottom FG (or worse, stuff from overseas that's just a joke but has become such a norm the public doesn't seem to know any better).

These are your $1500-$2500 hoods...

HOWEVER, when done right, you use pure CF, perfect the weave and all the molds are vacuum bagged. This makes an incredibly thin carbon fiber hood that is RIDICULOUSLY light weight that you can jump up and down on and is generally more strong than it's steel counterparts.

Of course you're paying anywhere from $10k to $50k for the hood (depending on if it's already produced or you're starting from scratch).

Any auto manufacturer would be using the latter method (hence it being only on very expensive cars) and honestly none of the "brittle" issues brought up would be issues at all...

[jdpickering]

http://blog.caranddriver.com/tested-...-fiber-wheels/

There is the blog talking about the CF wheels. One thing to note about everyone saying a Pot hole or Curb would destroy the CF rim.

How They’re Made
GT350R wheelmaker Carbon Revolution starts with carbon-fiber tow (thousands of twisted strands each 1/10th the thickness of a human hair) long enough to lap Earth twice. It places fiber preforms and woven fabric inside a mold with foam cores to fill the spokes, then injects resin, applies a vacuum, and cures the composite in a pressurized oven. Center, lug, and valve-stem holes are drilled, followed by a second cure and painting. Finally, CR fits anodized-aluminum center and lug-seat inserts.

Curb impacts and pothole strikes can destroy steel wheels. While even a small crack in an aluminum wheel can grow during continued use, carbon-fiber wheels are not susceptible to fatigue failure. Minor surface rash can be repaired with standard painting methods. Replacement wheel costs for the wheels are $3433 each for the fronts and $4053 each for the rears.

[HumanWiki]

Originally Posted by jdpickering

Replacement wheel costs for the wheels are $3433 each for the fronts and $4053 each for the rears.

That's a big ol' NOPE.. As much as they'd be nice to have.. No way I'd pay $14,972.00 for wheels alone. I guess some people can drop that kind of money on them, but that's way outside my price point.