imolatt

I know I may sound stupid for asking this but how come they havent made a wheel out of Carbon fiber. Its very lightweight and supposed to be ultra strong. Are the rigors of driving too much for the make up of carbon?

ex-quattro PETE

It may be strong, but I don't think it's THAT strong.

JCJiffy

and split apart if you hit a pothole wrong. That's why you don't make wheels out of them. If wheels could be carbon fiber, it would have been done already.

meem

it has been tried ... always been a failure

mpwolf

It's also very stiff, I can't imagine it soaks up shock that well which probably leads to cracking.

moribundman

Carbon fiber can shatter

DeanChaTT

but the shock/stress induced by the weight of a car is another matter entirely.

-Dean

Eddie@Tirerack

I have seen this in archives before as well.

6sidua

are available for ducati racing bikes and have been used for years on bicycles.

i talked with a friend who owns a c-f fabrication company. they make a wide array of products, but no one has asked them to work on auto wheels. he says that with the current methods and materials, a light durable auto wheel could be made. he believes it would be just as strong as alloy and just as resistent to fatigue-most racing wheels are used for a short time anyway.

could be done for general usage too, but the biggest issue is color. not many people want black wheels for street use.
cheers

ex-quattro PETE

couldn't it be painted? people paint their CF hoods all the time.