Porsche says it is the first manufacturer to offer lightweight wheels fashioned from braided carbon-fibre.
Available as an option for the Porsche 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series from next year, the new wheels don’t come cheap. The price in Germany? A whopping €15 232, which translates to about R237 000 (or around the price of a Hyundai i20 1,2 Fluid).
The German automaker says the fancy wheels weigh around 8,5 kg less than standard alloy wheels, which represents a reduction of some 20%. The brand furthermore claims that the wheels are 20% stronger.
They will be offered in the dimensions of 9 J x 20 for the front axle and 11.5 J x 20 for the rear axle.
“With a reduced unsprung weight, the tyres trail the surface of the road better and are perfectly optimised for absorbing longitudinal and lateral forces. Lower rotating masses mean more spontaneity both in acceleration and braking. The result is increased driving dynamics and driving pleasure,” Porsche says.
Manufactured entirely from carbon-fibre reinforced polymer, each wheel comprises two components. The wheel centre is made from carbon-fibre fabric. The second component is the rim base made from braided carbon-fibre. The wheel centre is then braided into the rim base.
Next, the assembled wheel is impregnated with resin and pre-hardened at high pressure and high temperatures. The finished wheel is hardened at high temperatures followed by a long cooling process. The central lock is then inserted into the finished wheel and the wheel is protected with clear lacquer. Each new wheel is made from eight square metres of carbon-fibre fabric.
