General Motors reveals third Corvette model to feature the Company’s carbon fibre wheels
Carbon Revolution today announced that it will supply the carbon fibre wheels available on the just-revealed Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.
“It has been a great honour to work with General Motors (GM) again. This will be the third Corvette to feature our carbon fibre wheels,” said Carbon Revolution CEO Jake Dingle. “Our team harnessed its extensive engineering and manufacturing experience to come up with a wheel befitting of the highest-performance Corvette we’ve ever seen.”
Carbon Revolution’s one-piece carbon fibre wheels are significantly lighter than the aluminium option, reducing the Corvette ZR1’s rotating, unsprung mass by 42.8 lbs. (19.4kg) across the vehicle. The outcome: carbon fibre wheel technology with the design flexibility and a unique aesthetic sought by GM for its new halo car.
Dingle said the wheel’s performance in testing highlighted the talent and experience of Carbon Revolution’s Product & Manufacturing Engineering teams in meeting GM’s weight, durability, strength and aesthetic standards.
“The thin, split-spoke design of our wheels for GM highlights what is possible with carbon fibre. When you compare to some of our earliest designs, coupled with the highest load rating yet for a performance car, you can see how much we have progressed with our world-leading technology. The final product is one that our team is very proud of that enhances the Corvette ZR1’s performance,” said Dingle.
Faced with complex load paths in the wheel’s hub geometry and around the bolted joint, the Carbon Revolution team developed a unique internal fibre architecture, which, together with Carbon Revolution’s patent-pending Diamond Weave Technology™, were essential to meet GM’s high targets for strength, weight and durability in a thin, split five-spoke design.
The front wheels are 20 inches tall and 10 inches wide while the rear wheels are 21 inches tall and 13 inches wide. The rear wheels are the world’s widest carbon fibre wheels, alongside Carbon Revolution’s rear wheel for the eighth-generation Corvette Z06 and the E-Ray.
Carbon Revolution has designed the wheel for production at scale on the Company’s Mega-line.
Today’s news follows Carbon Revolution’s wins at the 2024 Automotive News Pace Awards, which recognize automotive suppliers for superior innovation, technological advancement, and business performance. These wins included a PACE Partner Award for Carbon Revolution’s collaboration with GM on its carbon fibre wheel for the C8 Corvette Z06 and E-Ray.
