Wheels made out of composite glass-fiber aren’t entirely new. Probably the first to use the material was Michelin, which was used for the Citroen SM rally car in the ’70s. In the modern age, Porsche is the only mainstream automaker that makes its own one-piece carbon-fiber wheels, while Carbon Revolution is the only supplier existing for several automakers. One of those car brands is Ford.
With all the performance advantages that carbon fiber wheels offer, they aren’t cheap, naturally. For the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, the exposed carbon wheels come with the Carbon Fiber Track Pack, which is an $18,500 option for the supercharged muscle car.
As with any wheel material, a steep price tag doesn’t mean that it’s unbreakable. The video atop this page shows us what happens when a Shelby GT500’s carbon fiber wheels shatter, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. Bits and shards were scattered on the road, and the aftermath looked unsalvagable.
Fortunately, the owner of the GT500 was okay, according to the video uploader, but we have to admit – the repair or the replacement of those pricey wheels has got to hurt more than the incident itself.
We couldn’t pass judgment based on the video, though. With only the aftermath seen, we’re not entirely sure whether it’s the driver who’s at fault or it’s the material itself – or nobody at all. For all we know, the driver might have hit something that caused the massive damage, which could also happen to any type of wheel material.
As a takeaway, it’s always better to drive safely and keep an eye out for any deep holes on the road. That’s a must, regardless of the wheels that your car has right now.