2022 Bentley Bentayga Will Come With 22-Inch Carbon Fiber Wheels

Bentley has announced that it will collaborate with Bucci Composites to create a set of 22-inch carbon fiber wheels for the 2022 Bentayga. The wheels are the biggest composite wheels being available on a production car and are sold through Bentley's in-house customization shop, Mulliner. Not only will the supercar technology look amazing, but it will also reduce 6 kg (13.2 lbs) of unsprung weight for each wheel, for a total of 24 kg (52.9 lbs).

Carbon fiber wheels, as luxury cars already know, improve handling and braking power. But it's not only the weight that's beneficial. Due to wheel flex, an aluminum wheel of equal size can lose up to 1 degree of camber, diminishing grip. Carbon fiber wheels are much stronger and less susceptible to camber loss. Tire wear is also minimized as a result of the stiffness. Carbon fiber's more supporting structure prevents the bending that a less rigid material permits, giving the tires more strength and a more uniform contact patch.

According to Bentley, the carbon wheels also contribute to greater safety. The carmaker evaluated the wheels with TUV, a technical inspection organization, to ensure they were suitable for production. 2022 Bentley's carbon fiber wheel is the first to complete all of TUV's tests, which include biaxial stress testing, radial and lateral collision testing for imitating potholes and cobblestones, overly inflated tires, and extreme torque tests.

In addition, it outperformed an aluminum wheel in the impact test. Unlike an aluminum wheel, which breaks when struck too hard, the weave of a carbon fiber wheel unfolds. A huge crack in an old-fashioned wheel can cause an extreme loss of tire pressure, which can cause unexpected changes in steering behavior that are difficult to adjust. Conversely, the carbon wheel loses pressure more slowly, giving the driver more time to carefully pull over.