Skip to main content

Volkswagen Group Testing Carbon Fiber Wheel Prototypes

Buried within a Press Release sent out to announce ThyssenKrupp and Maxion Wheels’ collaboration on Aluminum/Carbon Fiber Wheel development, the pair mentioned that prototypes were currently being testing by the Volkswagen Group vehicles.  In itself, the prospect of a Carbon Fiber wheel is certainly nothing new, but the technology being tested by the Volkswagen Group certainly is.

The group is currently at a very interesting spot in both the development of future hypercars aimed at replacing the now-deceased Porsche 918 Spyder and Bugatti Veyron, and unmatched efforts to increase fuel efficiency and develop hybrid drivetrains.  One tried and true method of achieving both goals would be lowering overall vehicle weight, more specifically reducing energy-draining rotational mass.  The extensive use of both Aluminum and Carbon Fiber panels have worked to help in this quest, so Carbon fiber wheels and a more widespread use of Carbon Ceramic brake rotors would be the next logical step.

Volkswagen certainly wouldn’t be the first to employ this technology on a road-going production vehicle, as Koenigsegg has been using Carbon wheels on their hypercars for the past few years, and Ford is including a Carbon wheel as standard equipment on the Shelby GT350R- a feature which is said to reduce unsprung weight by 13lbs per corner when compared to an aluminum equivalent.

As for a time frame for production availability, Thyssenkrupp and Maxion Wheels are still tight-lipped, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see them on the Veyron replacement, and slowing trickling their way to the more attainable models.

For more information, check out the full Press Release, here.

The post Volkswagen Group Testing Carbon Fiber Wheel Prototypes appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex http://ift.tt/1Ia2J15
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Saying Goodbye to the CC V6

For all its size and its global reach, Volkswagen is still, in many ways, a deeply human company. There was, for instance, the Bugatti Veyron an ego project if ever there was one. Then the purchase of Ducati, a move most called folly. And then there was the Phaeton, the Volkswagen that most folks can’t afford. Not only were these moves all strange, I’m sure that they made VW’s accountants furious. None of them made good business sense, but they were all deeply interesting and they all are evidence of the heart that beats at the center of VW. Among these follies is the CC, a car that everyone agrees is rakishly handsome, but that no one really wanted to buy. The car couldn’t last, but the world is brighter for its having been in it. With the approach debut of the Arteon, it seems like a good time to look back on its sadly departing predecessor. The version I drove, because I live in Canada, is a V6 Wolfsburg Edition, which apparently isn’t available in the States. Nor is the V6, not as...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan

Filed under: Government/Legal , Green , Mitsubishi , Fuel Efficiency , Japan Mitsubishi says its shady fuel-economy test practices may have been used on all vehicles it sells and has sold in Japan. Continue reading Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 May 2016 12:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/21X3bHv
Post a Comment
Read more

More 3.0-Liter TDI Settlement Details Expected by January 31

Volkswagen and the TDI Plaintiff’s Steering Committee were in court today for another status conference following the agreement in principal reached earlier this week. Little new information was given at the conference held before Judge Charles Breyer today, but the court ordered the parties to develop a formal settlement agreement, class action notices, and a class notice plan by January 31, 2017. For now, though, owners still don’t know how much to expect in compensation. Elizabeth Cabraser, lead Counsel for the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee reaffirmed in a statement today that the compensation would be “substantial.” The potential cost to Volkswagen is widely reported to exceed $1 billion, though, with an additional $225 million going into an environmental trust to help offset excess emissions. Buy back offers are still only expected for the oldest 20,000 of the roughly 80,000 VW Group vehicles sold in America with the 3.0-liter TDI engine. Those vehicles are mostly SUVs, like ...
Post a Comment
Read more