Production of the 2023 Corvette Z06 officially commenced back in September 2022, kick-starting the Bow Tie brand’s track-focused weapon. In a nod to some of the technologies that make the C8 Z06 a high-performance machine, General Motors recently took a 2023 Corvette Z06 to Australia to honor the factory where its carbon fiber wheels are made.
General Motors Specially Vehicles (GMSV) brought a right-hand-drive Z06 equipped with the Z07 performance package to Carbon Revolution, where the Corvette’s optional carbon fiber wheels are manufactured.
“The Carbon Revolution wheel is a testament to the talent of Australian engineers who have been able to design and manufacture one of the world’s most complex carbon fiber products,” GMSV Director Gregory Rowe was quoted as saying. “Their carbon fiber wheel provides enhanced performance of the Z06 thanks to a weight savings advantage and also compliments the overall appearance of the new model. We’re all thrilled that the Z06 benefits from such an advanced efficiency technology which comes from Australia”
There are two variants of the carbon fiber wheels manufactured at Carbon Revolutions, including (relevant RPO code in parenthesis):
- 20-inch front and 21-inch rear Carbon Flash-painted carbon fiber wheels (ROY)
- 20-inch front and 21-inch rear visible carbon fiber wheels (ROZ)
It’s worth noting that the ROY wheels cost $9,995, while the ROZ wheels cost $11,995. In addition, the visible carbon fiber wheels require choosing the $8,495 carbon ceramic brake (J57) option.
General Motors claims that the carbon fiber wheels save 41 pounds of unsprung weight as compared to the Z06’s standard aluminum wheels. These weight savings serve to improve the Vette’s lap times by as much as one to two seconds over a two-minute lap, assuming all other factors are equal.
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Comments
Why can’t we have carbon fiber wheels manufactured in the US? I have nothing against Australia however it’s a single point of failure and the shipping costs from down under contribute to the high cost of the wheels. GM should consider a second US manufacturer not only as a supplier but as a backup as well.
Probably because the technology was pretty much invented in Australia. There aren’t many companies which can do this kind of thing in America or anywhere, let alone at the scale GM needs. Plus as Rob said, the AUD is very low against USD so it’s favorable for cost.
One $AU gets you US 66 cents.