It is my understanding that it would shatter unless I am missing some technical detail that differentiates the "aircore" (is that its name?) wheel from other carbon fiber wheels. Hence why they are rarely used and the big names (Mclaren, Ferrari, Lamborghini) have steered clear of them. Even Pagani with Horacios industry leading knowledge of carbon fiber (and furthermore his carbo-titanium weave) hasn't used them in the Huayra.

 

So basically you are saying they are dangerous then.....

 

If the carbon fiber is created in a similar way to other manufacturers carbon fiber then yes.

However, I wouldn't put it past Mr Von Koenigsegg to have found an innovative solution to the problem. I wonder if it is possible to make a denser type of CF? But then that would negate the weight saving and would therefore just be a gimmick.

 

I was being inflammatory with my comment. But with the best will in the world and the highest respect for koenigsegg's engineering integrity personally I would never drive a car with carbon wheels. The amazing qualities of carbon I feel just do not match what a wheel is required to do or the possible damage that it could suffer.

Now if Koenigsegg have a unique solution to this then I want to hear it. But as you say no other high performance manufacturer has attempted to put carbon wheels on fast road car. What do they know that Koenigsegg don’t?

 

Also if I remember correctly there was quite a buzz 5 or 6 years ago about a Ducati using carbon fiber rims that exploded in a local GP meet - I think it was on speedzilla if you google it.

I highly doubt that Koenigsegg has the resources to be able to re-engineer CF so that it is suitable in this application but I hope that I am wrong...

 

Hi everyone. We do understand the skepticism regarding carbon wheels as virtually no one else are doing them at the moment.

We can go into many details on why it is a really good idea to make wheels out of carbon and why our Aircore wheels are perfectly safe.

But before doing that there happens to be a great source on the internet already explaining carbon wheels – so in order to get good answers to you as quickly as possible I invite you to this webpage that clearly points out the functionality and safety aspects of a carbon car wheel. If you spend 20 minutes on this webpage most of your questions should be answered.

Enjoy, and have a good weekend everyone!

Carbon Revolution

 

Extremely informative Jens and it made for an interesting read during a conference. However (and I will admit I may have overlooked this section although I couldn't find it) my main question in regards to shattering still remains. Although the carbon fiber wheel has been proven to be more durable, it still remains that an aluminium wheel will be slowly "fatigued" and bent until it is no longer usable but from my understanding of the situation,they have done nothing to remove the threat of catastrophic shattering during usage. And although it is extremely impressive that you can effectively drive on the rims up to 60mph - if that shatters then you are well and truly up shit creak. So if you will excuse my rambling I would just like to ask - Do they still shatter? If not then why?

Have a good one.

 

I am not an engineer, I'm in sales. Still I will have a go at answering your question.

What I have had explained to me is that a carbon wheel with the characteristics of our Aircore wheel, or the Carbon Revolution wheel for that matter, can stay intact and still keep the air, when being hit much harder and more severe than even a forged aluminum wheel ever can sustain.

An aluminum wheel will first deform before it shatter, that is correct. While the carbon wheel will not deform. Again this is an advantage, not a drawback. For example -no flat spots.

-Can the carbon wheel eventually shatter, if the impact is just way to large? Yes of course. All wheels will, even aluminum wheels.

-Will an aluminum or magnesium wheel shatter at lower forces than a proper carbon wheel? Yes they will.

-Will a properly design carbon wheel stay intact way beyond the critical failure point of the best performing aluminium wheel in similar circumstances? Yes it will.

Given the above it is not a question if a carbon wheel will shatter or not. That it is not the point.

A properly designed carbon wheel will always be safer than any aluminum or magnesium wheel, as it will stay drivable at higher shockloads or even after sharper impacts than its counterparts. It is as simple as that.

Another important points is that carbon does not fatigue like aluminium or Magnesium. So, over time, if the carbon wheel is intact, it is always ready for extreme driving. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for aluminium or magnesium wheels. This is a very important safety advantage when it comes to carbon wheels, as non visible fatigue is much more treacherous than visible damage. This is the reason why for example Bugatti owners are asked to change their wheels quite frequently.

Finally, it is common knowledge that a properly designed carbon monocoque is safer that their aluminium counterparts in racing cars. For sure, also here, shattering is of great concern when it comes protecting the car´s occupant. Still carbon stand supreme when it comes to safety, as the carbon monocoque can stay intact at much higher shock loads, even when considering crashing into sharp objects, compared to any other chassis material. -So why not carbon roll cages? Banned. Due to cost and more difficult for race organization to judge the viability of the construction. For the same reason many racing classes ban carbon fiber monocouqes, regardless of their safety superiority.

Just because a wheel is turning does not make it obide to different physical laws than the monocoque described above.

Carbon is always the strongest, lightest, most optimal(apart from cost!), commercially available material to construct load carrying structure out of.

Given the above, we feel the wheel also deserves the best material there is. That is why our top of the line wheels are made of carbon fiber.

Hope you are happy with my answer.

 

Thanks for your explanation, but why do I still feel uncomfortable about the idea of carbon wheels????

I think it comes from the fact that in the UK at the moment we are suffering from major pot hole problems with many cars being damaged as a consequence. Of the damaged wheels I have seen the rim of the wheel has buckled but the wheel has stayed intact and allowed the car to stop.

A carbon wheel if hit hard enough will break, and that’s my fear. Maybe I'm over thinking this but you have to wonder why, no other top end manufacturer where the cost of these wheels would not be significant, has not adopted them.

 

What I got from the explanation....


If you hit a pot hole and it shatters for CF rim, it would have destroyed your aluminum counter part anyway.

If you get into a situation where you ruin a rim, your probably going to need a replacement either way. Nothing is indestructible. It's not if it can fail, but what extreme situation gets it there that is more important.


All of this assuming the only way to ruin one is with a high impact. This does not include a wheel breaking on its own as someone referenced with GP I believe