Functional Fiber
Make your new Ford GT faster with the optional lightweight wheels
By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of Ford Motor Company
As if you needed another reason to lust after the new Ford GT supercar, this high-tech ride is available with optional carbon fiber wheels. Ford debuted this production option on the 2015 Shelby GT350R after partnering with Carbon Revolution to develop these lightweight wheels for a production application.
When it comes to performance, we know that lighter is always better—especially if lighter is just as strong. That is the benefit of these carbon fiber wheels, which can hasten acceleration and braking. The reduction in unsprung weight allows the suspension to react sooner, which improves traction and feel. It even has the side effect of improving ride quality.
“Ford was the innovator as the first to offer a mass-produced carbon fiber wheels as a standard offering on Shelby GT350R Mustang,” Ford Performance global director, Dave Pericak, said. “Now, Ford GT will offer the next generation in carbon fiber wheels, with an advanced resin and fiber technology that gives our designers more freedom, while also showcasing the structure of the material’s weave.”
For a refresher on how Carbon Revolution builds these type of wheels watch this video…
[video=youtube;1uN9tRAyJVk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uN9tRAyJVk[/video]
If you are lucky enough to score one of the 500 Ford GTs built in the first two years of the supercar’s production run, you can order 20-inch carbon fiber wheels, measuring 20x8.5 inches in front and 20x11.5 inches in back. These wheels are actually stiffer than the forged standard wheels, which are already pretty light. The optional carbon fiber wheels save 2 pounds of unsprung weight per wheel resulting in a 25 percent reduction in inertia.
Not only do these wheels improve the performance of Ford’s ultimate performance car, but they also look outstanding. While the GT350R wheels are painted black, the GT wheels let the raw carbon fiber weave show through as the performance gods intended it. Better yet, you can order them with either a matte or glossy clearcoat to match the optional exposed-carbon sills fascia and extractor available on the car.
If you didn’t get your application submitted last week, you won’t be able to order up a set of these amazing wheels on your new Ford GT. However, you can still keep dreaming of one and run through all the possible variations over on the car’s official site.
The new Ford GT is available with optional, 20-inch carbon fiber wheels, which offer improved performance and stunning good looks.
Like the Shelby GT350R’s carbon-fiber wheels, Carbon Revolution builds the optional Ford GT carbon fiber wheels. Besides their performance benefits and good looks, these wheels are even said to improve NVH, as they don’t resonate like metal wheels.
Measuring 20x8.5 inches in the front and 20x11.5 inches in the rear, the optional Ford GT carbon fiber wheels are the same size as the standard forged-aluminum, 10-spoke wheels, but they save 2 pounds per wheel.
