Bentley to offer largest-ever carbon-fibre wheels

Bentley has made a new addition to the Bentayga SUV’s option list, in the form of 22-inch wheels fashioned from carbon fibre.

The luxury UK carmaker says the 10-spokes are the largest of their sort ever fitted to a production car. Developed in conjunction with Italian manufacturer Bucci Composites, each weighs six kilograms lighter than an alloy equivalent, cutting a total of 24kg from the Bentayga’s unsprung mass.

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The design was comprehensively tested by German inspection group TÜV, which involved biaxial stress and impact testing to ensure safety and reliability on a variety of demanding surfaces. According to Bentley, the engineering process took five years in total, and was capped off with testing on the iconic Nürburgring circuit.

Bentley claims the carbon fibre wheels offer a number of benefits over traditional steel or aluminium designs.

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They include bolstered safety, as carbon fibre weave allows air to escape more slowly than with aluminium, plus marginal improvements in braking thanks to weight reduction.

Tyre wear is also purportedly reduced, with a stiffer wheel resulting in less bending and more consistent contact between it, the tyre and road surface.

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No mention of price has been made, but the rims will be available through Bentley’s coachbuilding division, Mulliner, later this year. A set of conventional alloy 22-inch Bentayga wheels can be ordered online for around $8000, so it’s reasonable to expect the carbon fibre units to wear a five-figure price.

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Some of the world’s first mass-produced carbon fibre car alloys came from Australia, with Geelong’s Carbon Revolution producing 20-inch units for the 2015 Shelby GT350. Prior to that, the company manufactured an optional carbon fibre package for Ferrari’s 488 Pista.