Wheels

When it comes to the world of luxury SUVs, one vehicle stands near the top of the heap – the Bentley Bentayga. Bentley has announced that it has developed 22-inch carbon fiber wheels for the SUV via its Mulliner division.

The Bloodhound LSR team continues to get closer to their goal of breaking the land speed record in their jet-powered car, recently exceeding 1000 kmh (~628 mph), and closing in nicely on the 763 mph record that was set back in 1997.

You can get a lot of sweet performance cars for $100,000. Spend the money right, and you might even get two for that price. But with $100,000 in hand, the only thing you’ll get from Bugatti is a set of rims and tires.

Carbon fiber wheels have been around for a while, but until now, all of the wheels of the market have been pre-impregnated with resin, then molded into shape. Porsche has now developed the first ever production wheels to be created directly from braided carbon fiber.

If there’s one major part of most cars that gets neglected in the regular washing process, it’s the area under the hood. It’s kind of crazy when you think about it. We’re fastidious about the exterior appearance of our cars, but the critical components that keep your vehicle driving are subject to dirt, dust, and grime for months or even years without cleaning.

I recently got my hands on a bottle of Spray Nine Heavy Duty Cleaner/Degreaser to see what it could do with tough automotive grease and grime. My subject of choice? The wheels on our two family vehicles – both of which I let get nice and dirty after I skipped car washes for about a month beforehand.

Inventor William Liddiard has created a set of wheels and tires that can be bolted onto a car, allowing it to do some really strange things. The tires rotate sideways on the rims and take the car with it.

Ford is the first major automaker to take advantage of lightweight and very strong carbon fiber wheels. Ford offers the wheels on its performance cars including the Ford GT and the Shelby GT350R. According to a report from GM Authority, the automaker has revealed that it is eyeing the use of carbon fiber wheels in the future for itself.

One of the cool things about the Shelby GT350R is that it comes with carbon fiber wheels. While they get the weight benefits, the one downside was that its wheels were painted black so you couldn’t see the carbon fiber.

Last year, professional Swedish skier Jon Olsson collaborated with Audi to create a limited-edition Audi A4 Avant quattro based on Olsson’s unique camo design. Now Olsson is looking to refit his own personal RS6 Avant with a new set of wheels and has opened up the decision to his fans for help.

One of the biggest safety risks to drivers is the potential for a tire blowout. While today’s tires are more durable than ever, they still can fail catastrophically if they hit a sharp object in the road.