Are Carbon Fiber Wheels Coming to the C8 Corvette ZR1? Signs Point to Yes!

Chevrolet’s first foray into offering carbon fiber wheels came about as a result with GM’s new partnership with Carbon Revolution, an Australian manufacturer of lightweight composite wheels. The wheels arrived with the introduction of the 2023 Corvette Z06 and the partnership was further extended with those same wheels being made available for the 2024 Corvette E-Ray, Chevy’s first performance hybrid sports car.

This morning, we caught a press release on Yahoo Finance from Carbon Revolution touting the fact that online website The Drive had selected the 2024 Corvette E-Ray equipped with Carbon Revolution’s carbon fiber wheels as their Best Performance Car of 2023. It’s nice to see vendors being excited about the cars with their equipment on it, and the award by The Drive was a great way to tout their partnership with GM.

Photo Credit: Carbon Revolution / Instagram

Switching gears, I’d like to think we are pretty adept here at connecting the dots to future products. After all GM is a public company that makes many pronouncements as do some of the vendors, and occasionally we get tidbits on future products. Within this press release is a quote from the CEO of Carbon Revolution, Jack Dingle on the ZR1 which we know is still very much hush, hush:

“The General Motors Corvette Z06 and ZR1 have been some of Carbon Revolution’s most successful high-volume programs. We expect that given the recent performance awards for the E-Ray, this program will continue the trend of success,” said Jake Dingle, CEO of Carbon Revolution.

As we all know, the ZR1 has yet to be revealed to the public and so far all the public photos have shown the C8 ZR1s riding on aluminum alloy wheels. Even with the ZR1 prototypes were running the Nurburgring last October, all examples appeared to be wearing alloy wheels instead of the lightweight composite wheels.

With Jack’s quote above, I think it’s a no-brainer that the estimated 850-hp ZR1 will be optioned with Carbon Revolution’s visible Carbon Fiber wheel for the next supercar from Chevrolet. The real question is will these be the same five-spoke design available for the Z06/E-Ray, or will we see the ZR1 with their own exclusive wheel design? The other point about Jack’s comment has to do with quantities. He would have insight on how many ZR1s that GM is expecting to manufacture, and we think it’s good news to hear the ZR1 described as a “high-volume” program.

Carbon Revolution’s carbon fiber wheels help cut 41 pounds of unsprung weight from the Corvettes. The wheels can weigh in somewhere between 40% to 50% less than comparable aluminum wheels. GM engineers say the composite wheels can reduce lap times by 1.5 seconds over a 2-minute lap compared with the standard aluminum wheels.

Carbon Revolution is working with six global OEMs including GM, Ford, Ferrari, Jaguar Land Rover, Renault and new major German automaker that will soon be revealed.

The entire Carbon Revolution press release is below:

Corvette E-Ray with Carbon Revolution Wheels Wins The Drive’s Best Performance Car of 2023 Award
Carbon Revolution Limited

Award Recognizes One of Carbon Revolution’s Most Successful Vehicle Platforms

GEELONG, Australia, March 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Carbon Revolution plc (Nasdaq: CREV) (the “Company”), a Tier 1 OEM supplier and the leading global manufacturer of lightweight advanced technology automotive carbon fiber wheels, is pleased to announce that the 2024 C8 Chevrolet E-Ray, optionally equipped with Carbon Revolution’s lightweight carbon fiber wheels, won The Drive’s Best Performance Car of 2023.

The 2024 E-Ray marks the first time a General Motors hybrid electric product has used Carbon Revolution’s class-leading carbon fiber wheels.

“The General Motors Corvette Z06 and ZR1 have been some of Carbon Revolution’s most successful high-volume programs. We expect that given the recent performance awards for the E-Ray, this program will continue the trend of success,” said Jake Dingle, CEO of Carbon Revolution.

Carbon Revolution has been awarded 181 programs with six global OEMs, including Ford, Ferrari, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Renault, and a major German automaker program announced in December, as demand grows among global automakers for its disruptive weight-reduction and efficiency technology.

“E-Ray brings technology and pace once reserved for seven-figure hypercars down to the relative masses,” wrote Peter Holderith of The Drive, who praised the trickle-down of technology into North America’s most popular sports car.

The E-Ray’s optional five-spoke carbon fiber wheels, made by Carbon Revolution, cut 41 pounds from the Corvette’s unsprung, rotational curb weight compared with the forged aluminum option.

“Wearing its summer tires on optional carbon-fiber wheels, the E-Ray enjoys high limits. Its stable handling, ample grip, and faultless brakes make it easy to channel your inner Max Verstappen,” wrote Car & Driver’s Rich Ceppos after testing the E-Ray on Pikes Peak International Circuit.

In testing, General Motors engineers found Carbon Revolution’s carbon fiber wheels reduced the Corvette’s lap time by 1.5 seconds over a 2-minute lap compared with the standard aluminum wheels, all other factors being the same.

The E-Ray’s carbon fiber wheels – the widest Carbon Revolution has produced to date – are also available on the 2024 Corvette Z06.

Driving on track, journalists immediately noticed superior control, improved braking performance, and a sharper turn-in, thanks to reduced unsprung rotational mass.

MotorTrend writer Scott Evans said the improved steering and braking feel was noticeable when swapping to a Z06 with the lighter carbon fiber wheel option: “If the base Z06 feels like it’ll stop right now, the Z07 feels like it already stopped yesterday … The steering response is immediate and pinpoint precise.”

Carbon Revolution wheels weigh up to 40% to 50% less than comparable aluminum wheels and can provide an increase to EV vehicle range of up to 5%-10%.2 Carbon Revolution’s wheels significantly reduce unsprung mass, which greatly improves efficiency while also helping leading global automakers comply with the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) targets set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

As the global automotive industry shifts to electric power and other sustainable alternatives to fossil-fuel-based engines, Carbon Revolution is well positioned to capture OEM demand for weight-saving efficiency technologies.

Source:
Yahoo Finance

Related:
[VIDEO] On-Track Action with the Turbocharged C8 Corvette ZR1 at the Nurburgring
All it Does is Win: Corvette E-Ray Named 2024’s Best Performance Car by The Drive
First 2023 Corvette Z06 in Australia Visits with its Wheel Makers at Carbon Revolution

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