When the C8 Corvette first debuted, Hennessey Performance Engineering laid out some extremely ambitious plans it had for the car. The Sealy, Texas-based tuning shop was to develop a 1,200-horsepower tuning program for the C8 Corvette that would feature a twin-turbocharged version of the sports coupe’s 6.2-liter LT2 V8 engine with forged internals. However, GM’s encrypted ECU has put projects like these on the backburner, with code crackers unable to break through the car’s firewall to make the necessary fuel and air adjustments.
As such, Hennessey has been focusing on other ways it can improve the C8 Corvette beyond engine upgrades. It started out with its stainless steel exhaust kit for the car, which is not only louder than the stock exhaust, but also lighter. Now the company has debuted its new set of lightweight forged alloy wheels designed specifically for the new mid-engine Corvette as well, which it says are “guaranteed to distinguish your C8 from the crowd.” These new wheels offer 22 less pounds of rotational mass than the stock wheels, improving handling feel and responsiveness.
The Hennessey C8 Corvette wheels will mount the OEM Michelin tires that come with the car, allowing it to retain the same grip and ride quality that Chevrolet intended from the factory. As we reported previously, the base tire on the C8 Corvette is the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4, while models with the Z51 performance package come with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer-only rubber.
With both the Hennessey stainless steel exhaust and Hennessey lightweight forged alloy wheels, customers can strip a little bit of weight out of their C8 Corvette without having to make any irreversible modifications that will void the warranty. Check out the video embedded below to learn more about the new forged wheelset.
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Comments
The Henessey wheels are nice; but given that they’re made of forged alloy means that this will add weight to the C8 Corvette and reduce performance; a better choice would be something like VOSSEN® – M-X3 Custom Finish which are made from a composite material because every ounce counts until Hennessey is able to develop a higher performance twin-turbo C8.
The article above says “These new wheels offer 22 less pounds of rotational mass than the stock wheels, improving handling feel and responsiveness”
It’s a nice looking wheel, but how much? It’s still early in what may come down the line as alternatives to the various factory wheels. I’m sure other tuners and wheel makers are working on their hot, new models, some racier, some lighter, and some less expensive. If I was looking to buy new wheels for a C8, I think I’d wait until there’s more from which to choose.
Compared to Forgeline’s offerings, I’ll pass. It’s a boring straight spoke design with no “pop”.