Wheel STIFFNESS matters! -We test Carbon Revolution's Carbon Fiber GT350R wheels vs AL wheels.

[Austinj427]

@BillyJRacing when do you think aftermarket will start catching on? Will some of the "old dogs" get into the game or do you think it'll take some new boys with new age thinking to bring them to the common folk?

Yes.

I spoke with a company years back at SEMA that had something in the works. Not sure where they are now with it, hopefully they didn't give up on the idea.

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[oldbmwfan]

The last point BIlly makes is really good. The first time I lifted a bare carbon wheel I almost hit myself in the face with it, literally. My mind knows how hard I have to lift a similarly-sized aluminum wheel, and I knew the CF would be lighter, but it's shocking how much lighter and easier to handle because a huge share of the weight is the aluminum reinforcement and bolt plate in the hub. The spokes and rim have almost no weight and therefore the gyroscopic effect of the wheel is much lower.

 

[Austinj427]

Wheel weight seems to have a rather significant impact on mpg as well. My testing isn't exact, but given the situation the results are relatively conclusive. 2018 Fiesta ST.

My wife's commute is like 40 miles or so, on her light wheels she has a set of Hankook RS4s and on her factory wheels she has a set of Michelin AS3s. The tire diameter measures .6% difference between the two, but the RS4 is a wider tire (by 10mm).

Over about 6 tanks of fuel, her hand calculated mpg is 38 (+ or - .2) with the light wheels and the wider RS4.

Over the last 3 tanks on the stock wheels with the Michelins, the best tank so far has been 36.5. I'll have more measurements in the future as we just recently swapped them, the RS4s do not play well in heavy rain.

Unless we've heat cycled the RS4s and they are rock hard (doesn't feel like it, they still grip right up with minimal effort), they should be a bit stickier. For what it's worth, the RS4 is the taller tire as well, but the calculated difference on a 450 mile tank is only 2.7 miles so I'd call it within the noise. I'm not sure on the weight differences as I've never weighed them, but for reference, the oem wheels/tires are a "jesus why are these tiny things so damn heavy?" and the aftermarket cheap aluminum wheels are "wow these are so much nicer to carry."

 

[BillyJRacing]

it's shocking how much lighter and easier to handle because a huge share of the weight is the aluminum reinforcement and bolt plate in the hub. The spokes and rim have almost no weight and therefore the gyroscopic effect of the wheel is much lower.

"Aluminum reinforcement" is a bit incorrect, as it implies aluminum is stronger than carbon (it is not). The aluminum interface is there for the steel studs, lug nuts, and wheel hub 'interface' and not really to strengthen the center of the wheel. Everything else you said is spot on.

 

[spiralbevel]

Used a novel method of Carbon Fiber rim manufacturing. Better stiffness, less weight, and lower cost. The surface appearance is very different from the traditional CF Twill.

 

[meterman]

I can't wait to test my CF wheels on the track. Even before reading all of this I bought a 2nd set of CF wheels. I got an incredible deal on used CF wheels for $6500. The determining factor was when I called the Ford Performance Group to ask how switching to a 24 lb wheel on the track, I didn't care about the street, would affect the handling of my GT350R. They said they'd discuss with the suspension division and get back to me. The answer is it would definitely make a difference to how it handled and that it would affect the MagnaRide performance negatively on the track. The MagnaRide is dialed in for the weight of the wheel and it would not handle as well as it would with the CF wheels. I'm now stocking up on Cup 2's since I have 10 track days scheduled.

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