Going Down Under to Get Carbon Fiber Wheels

1. Going Down Under to Get Carbon Fiber Wheels An Australian company known as Carbon Revolution has the distinction of being the main supplier of carbon fiber wheels for the automotive industry. They are responsible for manufacturing those slick wheels featured on the Ford Shelby Mustang GT350. Well, it turns out things are about to get a lot better for Carbon Revolution. Figure 1- Source: CarBuzz.com Expansion plans now in the works prove that that Ford, Ferrari, and others are not afraid to go Down Under to get the carbon fiber wheels they want for new models. Carbon Revolution has announced a new project that will increase its Geelong, Australia warehouse space, staff, and production capacity. The company will triple its current workforce by adding 500 new jobs. They will increase annual capacity from 10,000 wheels to more than 150,000. According to Car Buzz, that is enough wheels to fit 37,500 cars. Rest assured that Ford isn't making that many GT350s. There are other car builders in play here. Ford and Ferrari as Customers Ford and Ferrari are the two names most associated with Carbon Revolution's carbon fiber wheels. Where Ford is concerned, they were the first to put the company's wheels on a production car – the GT350R. That decision has proved to be a good one. They now plan to equip the new GT with the same single-piece, carbon fiber wheels. Carbon Revolution says Ferrari has announced plans to use the wheels on the new 488 Pista as well. We assume that a warm reception among buyers will lead Ferrari to expand their use of the wheels. It is not beyond the realm of possibility for carbon fiber wheels to become the default for Ferrari at some point down the road.

2. All of that said, understand that all the cars being fitted with these space-age wheels are expensive, high performance vehicles. These are not the affordable family sedans being sold down at the corner lot. Carbon fiber wheels are not practical for most cars in the typical consumer space because they are just too expensive. If our industry ever figures out a way to bring the cost of carbon fiber down, we could see the wheels being put on less expensive cars as well. But until that time comes, you have to be able to afford a Shelby Mustang GT350 or a Ferrari 488 Pista in order to get your hands on a set of these wheels. The Fuss about Carbon Fiber Wheels You may be asking yourself whether the extra expense is worth it or not. Indeed, what is all the fuss about? It boils down to two things: unsprung mass and total weight. Both are important to selling high-performance vehicles. Unsprung mass is essentially the total mass of a car positioned below the springs. Because they are positioned below the suspension, wheels are subject to all sorts of bumps, jolts, and vibrations. Carbon fiber wheels offer a more comfortable ride because they reduce what you feel sitting in the driver's seat. In terms of weight, less of it means better control in a high-performance setting. It also means better fuel efficiency. A GT350 fitted with carbon fiber wheels handles better on the road and uses less fuel at the same time. Carbon Revolution has not said exactly who they will be selling 140,000 additional wheels to. But there's speculation that many of those wheels will be somehow involved in electric car production. That makes sense. The lower weight of carbon fiber can go a long way toward helping electric carmakers get vehicle weight where it needs to be to maximize battery capacity.