Carbon Revolution Is 2023 Corvette Z06 Wheel Supplier
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The 2023 Chevy Corvette Z06 made its debut late in October of last year, ushering in a new go-faster model for the eighth-generation C8 dripping with high-performance good stuff, including optional carbon fiber wheels. Notably, the new lightweight wheels will be supplied by Carbon Revolution.
Founded in 2007, Carbon Revolution is based out of Australia, and supplies carbon fiber wheels to a selection of global automotive OEMs, such as Ford, Ferrari, and Renault.
With regard to the carbon wheels offered with the 2023 Corvette Z06, the new rollers are the product of a five-year collaboration between the Australian company and General Motors, resulting in the tallest and widest wheel that Carbon Revolution has ever produced.
Sized at 20 inches by 10 inches in front and 21 inches by 13 inches in the rear, the carbon fiber wheels offered with the 2023 Corvette Z06 are available with the optional Z07 package, which includes larger carbon ceramic brakes, stickier Michelin Sport Cup 2 R ZP tires, and unique FE7 suspension with Z07-specific Magnetic Ride Control damper calibration, as well as a full carbon fiber aerodynamics package with an aero package that adds a larger front splitter, front-corner dive planes, a rear wing, and an underbody strake.
The carbon fiber wheels are significantly lighter than the aluminum components which they replace, reducing unsprung mass by a whopping 41 pounds.
“There’s actually lap time associated with putting carbon wheels on your car,” said Corvette Executive Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter. According to Juechter, the lightweight carbon fiber wheels would be good for reducing a 2-minute lap by 1 to 1.5 seconds, which is “equivalent to a fair horsepower increase.”
What’s more, Juechter says that the Corvette Z06’s carbon wheels are “much, much stronger” than an aluminum wheel.
The new carbon rollers will be manufactured at Carbon Revolution’s facility in Waurn Ponds, Australia, and assembled in the U.S.
As a reminder, the 2023 Chevy Corvette Z06 features the naturally aspirated 5.5L V8 LT6 gasoline engine, rated at 670 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. Redline is set at a sky-high 8,600 rpm. Under the chiseled body panels, the new Z06 rides on the Y2 platform, while production will take place at the GM Bowling Green plant in Kentucky.
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Hopefully in the future gm gets a supplier in china for the wheels. It would help lower the cost significantly and be made better.
You’re not wrong, per se. People cry and stomp their feet for American made products and American jobs, and support high wage low education and low skilled jobs, but when it comes time to pay for all of that it’s the end of the world.
This so called war on illegal immigrants in the US is a joke too, the US NEEDS them and it’s unfortunate, not for the US citizen, but for those migrants who get the jobs no one else wants. Argument they steal American jobs, lol ok, no one wants those jobs and give them to an American and the wage triples, who pays for that wage?
Politicians manipulate and the people voting are the ones who pay and hurt themselves.
Exactly people give me crap for saying that but don’t realize not everything made in china means cheap Walmart quality. gm ford any automaker has the same standards for things made in china as they do here.
As the owner of both a 5th Gen Camaro SS and C7 GS, I beg to differ. I am a member of local Camaro and Vette clubs. Unfortunately, several other club members attempted to save money and purchased aftermarket Chinese parts (headers and CAI’s). There were five owners in total. All five had fitment and quality issues. The header flanges did not match up to the exhaust ports on the block and the bends on the CAI’s were inaccurate. When it was all said and done, all five guys sent the parts back and purchased American made parts. Kooks headers and Rotofab or Vararam intakes.
Pay a little bit more and do it right the first time. Just my $.02. 🙂
That’s aftermarket, not OEM. Not comparable.
Of course. OEM and aftermarket are two completely different animals. I was simply chiming in with that example.
As far as OEM, manufacturers have standards to maintain. Most tolerances are very minute. As far as hiring cheap labor, having manufacturing plants outside of the US is paramount. In the US, the labor unions get their members paid big money to install a windshield (for example). $25/hr. is the average assembly line worker wage. In Mexico, they are lucky to make 1/4 of that. China is the same. It is a Communist nation and if you make ~$20,000 per year, that is considered “good”.
A global economy has changed the game.
Man, the curb rash
A dealership in Northern Louisiana, (Red River Chevrolet in Bossier City ) is sending out letters to C8 Z06 personnel whom has put down a $1000 deposit and tell them that ,
“ Due to the supply and demand and imbalance on the Chevrolet Z06 to begin production later this year we have made a decision to price these cars in line with the market. If you are uncomfortable with the market price adjustment, we will happily return your deposit. We will still place orders for the vehicles in the ordered the deposit on the Z06 were received and the market price adjustment will be disclosed prior to placing the order with GM.
Shame on the General Manager ( Alvin Olsan ) at Red River Chevrolet in Bossier City, Louisiana.
What will GM HQ do to Red River for trying to gouge their customers?
Free country free market shame on you for wanting that to change.
(GM fan), We all take Orders from someone……it’s only a free country because people like me have served and provide the blanket of FREEDOM ..IMHO, I’m ok with $1k or $1500 ADM but some dealerships are adding on $10k, $20, and up to $50,000.00 make up. Dealers already make enough profit when they purchase the vehicle from GM, plus they have you for life with high maintenance charges. If they sell or gouge above msrp when they have received a memo from GM President ( Steve Carlisle ) , they need their allocations taken. 25 years in military, orders are orders.
Thank you for your service. Unfortunately, I don’t think GM has the teeth or appetite to really take on the dealers that are adding the obscene mark ups.
JRF, I pray that GM HQ higher echelons, have the intestinal fortitude to stand up to the small number of dealers that are engaging in far exceeding MSRP. My father has worked his entire life to provide for a family of six including himself. IMHO……I believe that anyone who have sacrificed so much and saved every penny to purchase an American Dream Car, deserved the right to be able to buy an economy car or supercar without getting taken advantage of by a dealership.
you are right. It is a free market for most items in this county. It is driven by supply-and-demand. The only way it will change is when people refuse to pay unreasonable prices for goods that are not necessary for the sustainability of life. A Corvette is a luxury item that only the privileged can afford, and many of the privileged don’t care about anyone but themselves, and are willing to pay whatever for what they want irrespective of how it affects other.
JOE, I can tell you, not all people trying to purchasing a c8 z06 are in the privileged class. My Pop is very frugal and try to be a “Made in American man” as much as possible. He has been saving for this for decades……..I just don’t want him being taken advantage of by the Red River Chevrolet dealership here in Bossier City, Louisiana.
Ok. I understand your point. The real point of my note that did not come through as well as I wish it did, and I hope it will now is that there are a sufficient number of people with means that can buy almost any car they want are the ones who are sending the message to GM dealers that they can charge almost any amount they want for a high demand car because the number of those people will exceed their allocation, so screw the guy who has been saving a life time to buy his dream car. I feel for your dad. It took me 45 years for me to buy me C7 Grand Sport. I believe that the letter GM sent to their dealers was nothing more than a PR stunt to make them look good. In my heart-of-hearts, I don’t believe that GM is going to do anything to the dealers that charge a “market fee”. The one thing that I have learned in my 70+ years is that “money talks”. I don’t like it, but that is the way it is when it comes to the C8 Corvette, and other high demand items. One last piece of advice for your dad. Have him consider the price of doing the maintenance on that C8 as part of his decision.( I have taught my kids that if you can’t afford the maintenance for something, you can’t afford the item.) I have seen that the cost of the transmission filter for the C8, itself, is $150. May be a good, used C7 Z06 would be a better option. Tanks for your time….
Well said.
Joe, thanks for being concerned and honest, I will talk to my Pop’s about the maintenance issue. I know for sure it won’t get a tremendous amount of the road hours. He has a 2003 Cadillac Deville that has just went over 70k mileage. If he decided to go ahead and get the c8 Z06, it will probably be donated to one of my brothers or me.
You are welcome. If your Dad does decide to go with a C8 Z06, you can get some insights to the cost of maintenance by looking at websites that sell OEM parts, and aftermarket parts (be careful on aftermarket parts; some are very good, and some are not.) You can expect to pay between $150 and $250/hr. for labor at a dealership. If you and/or your brothers are “mechanically inclined”, consider buying the service manual for the car, and doing the work yourselves. It will be expensive; the service manual for my C7 can be found from anywhere from $350 – $500. I do all the service work on my C7 myself. Also, you may consider getting involved with the local Corvette club. Typically, they will provide help with getting work done on the car, and know local, quality independent mechanics that can do the work for a reasonable price. Good luck.
I will stick by my comment. If you are able to buy a Corvette, you are privileged, no matter how you were able to accumulate to money to purchase one. I believe there are some people who would love to own a corvette ,new or used, and will never be able to purchase one no matter how hard and/or long they work. Yes, I believe I am privileged to be able to own a corvette.
That dealer should of been straight up about that from the beginning. And they wonder why people don’t like stealerships.
Let hope GM keep their word and not ship any allocation to that dealership.
GM needs to have new contracts to dealers, no dealer should exceed the MSRP period
I for one will not buy from dealers that put greed ahead of customer relations.
Dealers survive on returning customers
JMHO, dealers should be permitted to charge whatever they choose. We live in a free market society. With that being said, we consumers have the right to leave these dealerships’ vehicles sit on their lots until the tires are dry-rotted and flat.
My Dad bought a brand new ’12 ZL1 as a retirement gift to himself. He went to 5-6 GM dealerships near his house and every one wanted $8-10k OVER sticker. He let them sit and traveled ~5 hours to buy one from a dealer that sold him a Z at $500 UNDER sticker. There are honest dealerships out there! When you find one, stick with them. I only buy my Corvettes from one GM dealership because they have always treated me good and never charge over MSRP. Everyone is different and that is what makes the world go around, but for these people that need to have the latest and greatest, no matter the cost, I don’t get it. They’re losing money right off of the bat. No thanks.
I don’t get it either. I guess that some people have so much money that it does not matter what it costs; they have to have it.
I just bumped my aluminum front wheel and ruined it. Can’t imagine what that would do to a carbon fiber wheel. But they look so cool.
For only a 1-1/12 sec savings in a 2 min lap, makes me pause. The money saved using aluminum wheels is more than $10k. Jeuchter is a great corvette guy. He commented that despite the weight loss on all 4 wheels (w/carbon fiber), the car doesn’t ride harsher than stock. So they left spring rates alone.
We don’t know yet how the ZO6 will ride (w/Z51) until someone tests it. Regardless, I still want one! Just look at that wide rear, fat tires and air scoops. What a car.
I’d be concerned about parking that car in any unprotected area. I think those carbon wheels will attract loads of attention from thieves.
Stay away from curbs and carbs, ha ha Ha
Several comments here drew my attention, so several unrelated comments in response to those:
* i have no issue with something Australian-made, but Chinese-made anything is garbage to me…I generally believe in buying American made when that’s an option…when it’s not, I prioritize by who’s an ally if the US. I happily pay more for non-China-made products and believe that’s best for USA in the long run.
* I hate the word privileged and wish it was removed from our language. My reason is because people today that call others privileged typically are implying there’s something unjust about the fact that some have more means than others. Then we all start getting put into groups. To those that dislike others with more means, I would say 2 things: 1) focus on making yourself better, and stop being a jealous, victim of society, and you might actually see better things come your way; 2) life is not fair…grow up and get used to it
* Thanks to all who served their country.
* The current dealer model is increasingly becoming antiquated in this modern world…direct sales increasingly makes sense to me, with dealers remaining relevant only as delivery showrooms and service centers. In the meantime, GM can and should employ some controls on their dealers regarding ADMs.
Now, to the actual topic of the carbon wheels, I understand that these require different tuning for the anti-lock brakes…I don’t like the idea of never being able to use non-carbon wheels…if that is the case.
Tony,
That’s a great point and I had no idea that might be the case!
If I’m unable to interchange aluminum with CF wheels
That will make my decision for me and will elect to not order my Z07 with the CF wheels.
Now I just need more reservations ahead of me to drop
Off the list from Ciocca.