One-Piece Carbon Composite Wheel Drives Cars

"One-Piece Carbon Composite Wheel Drives Cars"

'Drives' cars? What does this mean?

To some idiots they will think they can just put the cruise control on and take their hands off the steering wheel now.

You asked: 'Drives' cars? What does this mean?

It's autonomous.

The real test is how it holds up in the environment.

Carbon fiber has issues with delimitation and clear coating cracking in the sun and heat. Then there is the issue of caustic brake dust.

However, that low unsprung weight is a great idea. That would probably take 40 pounds off my car at a critical point.

I agree with your points.

I see this being an application more for car racing as opposed to high performance personal vehicles for exactly those points. These wheels may very well pay off in faster lap times, thus the expense (not mentioned, but I imagine it to be a very large A$ number) of the wheels lasting only one race can be better tolerated.

Not just the heat. Even wonder composites, like this, are subject to fracture due to exposure to extreme cold, too.

Then there's thremal shock. Even in the winter the brake rotor will keep the wheels hot and then when you run through that salt water that's at 15° you might just get a surprise.

My bet is that they will be seen on expensive cars soon enough. That means that I'll never have to worry about plastic wheel failure on any vehicles I drive.

They mentioned 'aircraft' wheels, too.

You can imagine the temperature extremes and mechanical shock they undergo in normal service. These are either very good or somebody's gonna be in deep doo-doo. I'm sure they know that, too.

"That would probably take 40 pounds off my car at a critical point."

Probably at the wheels.

I smell a Mensa genius. :)

I need some good beachside wheels, mine keep corroding...

Call me pedantic if you want but...
"all-carbon fiber composite"
Is a contradiction in terms...
Errr, and it says...
"A patented bolted joint system is used to attach composites to the CR-9's metal hardware"
So it has metal hardware that isn't carbon fibre.
Presumably the floppy carbon fibre is held together by some form of epoxy/adhesive/plastic etc, too?
Del

Non-technical people won't notice.

I couldn't find any information on the metal portion of this wheel.

Less Wow-factor if it's metal reinforced.

Not exactly news Folks......

The final CSX was 1989's CSX-VNT. This would also be the final Shelby Dodge, and marked two notable technological advances: the introduction of a Garrett variable-nozzle turbo and the application of composite wheels. Designed by Shelby and produced by Motor Wheel Corporation,known as "Fiberrides" lighter than contemporary wheels. No metal included and have undergone 20 years of real world testing.

The "Fiberrides" were I believe, fiberglass-reinforced plastic...and faded from existence rather quickly...

Yep, they were true composite wheels. Still only slighly lighter than magnesium but much stronger. Other than those produce for the car mentioned, the rest (not many either due to expense) were used for racing in the early 90's before the explosion in wheel size rendered the 15" wheel obsolete. Attempts to make larger diameters ran into flexing problems. The other draw back that doomed them as you can see by the picture, they were not well ventilated (structural strength) and the composite material did not help cool the larger more aggressive brakes being developed like aluminum and magnesium wheels do. Still, as an engineering exercise or test bed for the then relatively new field of consumer composites they were stunning in the 80's.

Point being, this has already been done. Maybe not with carbon fiber (overrated in my book btw) but still "been there done that" and this is a true comp wheel not carbon fiber "bolted" to the actual wheel structure.