While walking the show floor one last time, we came across this 2013 Volt wearing a set of unique wheels. The optional 17-inch rims (that look like they are straight off an Opel Ampera) feature five spokes that end in wide tips — and they would look oh so stunning on Chevy’s extended-range EV were it not for the black inserts that accompany the alloys. The plastic inserts, unfortunately, make the wheels look rather awkward to us. How about you?
For reference, the wheels carry the RPO code “RVF” and have the “Sport” designation.
Comments
They’re the Ampera wheel.
Why, yes they are!
The Ampera wheel option just looks cheap in person, IMO. There was a lot
of talk during Volt’s early days re: how Volt’s bladed alloy wheels
were designed to exit tumbling air out from under the car. These
wheels don’t seem to have that function. Where GM’s engineer-speak
lost me was when they didn’t make the wheels direction-specific.
So how does the FLAT end of the blad on the other side of the car
work? – It seems to have the OPPOSITE effect! So these are the
compromises they make when cars are mass produced and bean-
counters rule the roost.
The painted-in liftgate/hatch rear doesn’t do it for me. I liked the black
with the black roof – but I understand improvements were made
for All Electric Range to the ’13s as well as MyLilnk options, etc.
Cost cutting has to come someplace, and so the black roof and
black rear goes away.
Cross-equipping Ampera parts on Volt’s is an easy way to get a
trim change for another model year. Look back to the white
Z-Spec Volt concept GM showed at 2010 S.E.M.A.. Basically a
hot look was achieved by placing the chrome trim Ampera hatch
with tailights on a Volt with a chevy bowtie logo attached! The
look was fantastic. Hope they do this for 2014 – Easy-breezy as
they already manufacture all the parts right there.
I’ve never seen a direction specific rim, tyre yes, rim no. The idea with the ‘blade’ is for air to flow over the rim down the side of the car. The underside of the Volt is one of it’s key aero components so it wont have turbulent flow like a typical car does. These rims are similar to the idea behind wheel well skirts, like those on the original Honda Insight or anyone who has gone to great extremes for hyper-miling.
My old Dodge Stealth R/T TT had directional wheels…designed to pump air over the brakes.
Ya I spoke too soon lol, way too soon, wish I could edit on GMA!
Andrew — we’re working on implementing that functionality soon. Hang in there!
Close up look like Alloys, but from afar look like plastic wheel trims…..
Hmmmm.
This rim is featured on the Chevy website as an option, or go to the build your own and it is seen as a $700 option
http://www.chevrolet.com/volt-electric-car.html
Most that I have seen on the road have these rims
Ick
That is already on sale.. I have seen it on the street
@ Andrew –
Direction-specific wheels can be found on racecars and exotics.
Most manufacturers, names like Porsche and Bentley – produce aero
functional wheels for various duties. Many engineering hours of wind tunnel testing have been spent to move air over the blades of the rim – sometimes to reduce, or remove the buildup of brake dust.
GM engineers specified the design features of Volt’s wheels to
exit the air that does tumble under the car. You acknowledge
the infamous issue Volt owners have of the rubbing rubber
airdam — It invoked GM to offer an optional higher airdam,
which slightly decreases AER and gas mileage, but doesn’t
scrape on every curb, driveway curb cut and speed bump.
Many Volt owners just live with scraping rubber in front to
achieve the highest efficiency which is why they purchased
the car in the first place.
If you may think GM’s engineers were smoking something
when they spoke of the Volt’s wheel design – then you may
not have a clear understanding of aerodynamics. According
to your words, you seem to feel NO AIR gets under the
Volt at speed due to it’s airdam. There is no car on a track or
road that does not get air underneath, and many hours and
years have been spent determining how to manage it for
varous purposes. In race cars, to suck the car to the ground
as groundforce, and for passenger vehicles, to keep as
little turbulence underneat as possible, increasing mileage.
Thus the house of wind tunnel testing re: Volt’s wheels.
If you do understand aerodynamics, look at the Volt’s wheels.
the blades slice into the wind like the Porsche Boxsters iconic
wheels from the early 2000s. The design works well, like
Porsches, but like Porsche, the whole theory gets tossed
out the window when you reverse the blades because of
budgets. Thus, the blade is reversed – now sucking air
IN instead of wisking it OUT. For this reason, MOST rim
designs are NUETRAL neither forcing air in, or exiting it
out.
I feel the results are nominal, thus the hype GM engineers
communicated around the wheel design were just that –
more hype than good. That said, the wheels that do not
lead with the flat side to exit air out from under the car. My
previous point was that the reverse is true on the other side
where the FLAT side leads into the air first.
If you understand airflow, you’ll see my point when you
examine the wheels, and on each side of the car.
Where exactly in my wording do I say zero air flows under the car? I understand fluid dynamics, I simply misspoke in regards to directional rims, as I already pointed out, two comment down from the comment you are addressing.
It’s all good Andrew –
Blogs like this are a forum for car guys to share
what they know, and their passion for automotive
tech.
I think we’re all interested in the same things
and bring different knowledge bases and
perspectives to the conversation.
Sorry for the typos – “hours of wind tunnel testing”…
When can we have an edit feature here????
James — this year! This year will be the year of many things and improvement here 🙂
Appreciate your patience!
Alex
and james likes to write allot…