Corvette pays a visit to Aussie wheel manufacturer

THE first first factory right-hook example of Chevrolet’s tarmac-tearing Corvette Z06 in Australia halted production at Carbon Revolution’s factory in Waurn Ponds near Geelong as excited personnel took their first opportunity to view the American supercar bearing the biggest, toughest wheels yet made for an OEM by the pioneering Victorian manufacturer.

On a tour of Australia for publicity, customer preview and local validation duties ahead of its late-2023 local launch, the promotional Corvette Z06 features an optional Z07 package that includes a raft of cosmetic, comfort and performance upgrades – including the ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre wheels made Down Under by Carbon Revolution.

The preview car was brought to Australia earlier this year by local importer General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) which performs right hand drive conversions to various Chevrolet Silverado pick-up trucks, with the potential for other models in the future including the Chevy Tahoe SUV.

Carbon Revolution CEO Jake Dingle and his colleagues were delighted to host the Z06 at its facility.

“It’s exciting for our engineering and production teams to see the fruits of our collaboration with GM, which dates back to 2016,” he said.

“Our team is extremely proud of the wheel – it genuinely enhances the Z06’s performance and it looks superb on the vehicle.”

During the Carbon Revolution factory visit, GMSV personnel were shown through the production facility, including the new Mega-line, which is currently commissioning new equipment while producing Corvette Z06 and other OEM wheels.

GMSV director Greg Rowe said he was impressed with the Carbon Revolution facility.

“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-fibre products,” he said.

“Their carbon-fibre wheel provides enhanced performance of the Z06 thanks to a weight saving advantage and also complements the overall appearance of the new model.”

Carbon Revolution also manufactures carbon-fibre wheels to suit a number of other high performance vehicles such as the Ferrari F8 Tributo, Ford Shelby Mustang and even the Renault Megane RS Trophy.

Development of carbon-fibre wheels for a range of heavy electric vehicles including SUVs is underway at Carbon Revolution, spurred by rapid transport electrification uptake globally and the benefits lightweight wheels may have in weight reduction.

Compared to similar-sized forged alloy rims, the carbon-fibre wheels are up to 50 per cent lighter and stronger with accompanying benefits to performance and handling.

Engineers at General Motors in the United States said the optional five-spoke carbon-fibre wheels save 18kg of unsprung, rotational mass compared to the standard Z06’s forged aluminium wheels and generate faster lap times in the Corvette, all other factors being equal.

The staggered size wheels are 20×10 inches at the front and 21×13 inches at the rear – the latter being the world’s widest OEM carbon-fibre wheel, which also has the highest load capacity of any wheel yet produced by Carbon Revolution.

Carbon Revolution wheels debuted on the C8 Corvette Z06 – powered by Chevrolet’s new naturally aspirated LT6 5.5-litre V8 engine with flat plane crankshaft design and thunderous 8600rpm redline – in late 2021 

The Victorian company will also supply carbon-fibre wheels for the upcoming 2024 C8 Corvette E-Ray, the first electrified Corvette, although this model has not yet been confirmed for Australia.