Carbon fiber alloy hybrid wheel also in development
BMW reportedly has serious plans to introduce a full carbon fiber wheel within the next 24 months.
It was less than a week ago when BMW revealed plans to expand its carbon fiber factory in Moses Lake, Washington and now British media is reporting the Bavarian marque is getting ready to launch a full carbon fiber wheel expected to come within the next two years. Recent BMW carbon fiber developments include a steering wheel, one-piece propeller shaft and a carbon-plastic compound.
Not only are they working on a full carbon fiber wheel, but BMW is also creating a carbon fiber / alloy hybrid wheel which will feature alloy spokes and a carbon fiber rim. The company's lightweight construction manager Franz Storkenmaier says the hybrid wheel is 25 percent lighter than a conventional alloy wheel while a full carbon fiber wheel sheds 35 percent of the weight of a regular alloy wheel.
Storkenmaier also mentioned these wheels are very damage resistant and in fact resist better to damages than an alloy wheel since "the damage polishes out really easily." As for the aforementioned carbon fiber steering wheel, this needs the European Union approval and unlike previous carbon fiber applications on steering wheels it has a carbon skeleton and frame while current versions have a metallic skeleton.
As a side note, a carbon fiber wheel is not entirely a novelity since Koenigsegg has been offering a full carbon fiber wheel (with metal tire valve) since 2012 for the Agera R.
Source: autoexpress.co.uk
