Ford just made a big announcement for 2024 Mustang fans – the new Dark Horse will offer an optional upgrade to carbon fiber wheels. Not only do these lightweight rims bring improved performance, they also give Mustang owners extra bragging rights as we usually see this option on higher end sports cars.
The new wheels were made in collaboration with Carbon Revolution. Before being approved for production, they went through over 200 tests for “structural and environmental validation” in order to prove their strength and rigidity. According to Ford, they are 37% lighter than the standard aluminum wheels of the Dark Horse, saving an average of 20.1 lbs (9.1 kg) of unsprung mass.
Read: 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse Comes With Color-Shifting Blue Paint, See Its Interior
The single-piece wheels measure 19 inches in diameter. They feature a five-spoke design with the lug nuts located between the spokes as in the classic Mustang. In order to be protected from brake heat, a combination of ceramic and metal materials were sprayed inside the front wheels through a “plasma arc spray process” inspired by the aerospace industry.
The Dark Horse is the most powerful and track-focused variant of the seventh-generation Mustang yet, serving as a replacement for the old Mach 1. Under the bonnet lies the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 producing 500 hp (373 kW/507 PS) and 418 lb-ft (566 Nm) of torque.
Note that this is not the first time Ford is offering a carbon fiber wheel option for a production vehicle, following the GT supercar and the Shelby GT500. The cost of the new carbon fiber wheels has yet to be disclosed, but they will be on display in Ford’s stand at the Chicago Auto Show, alongside the Mustang Dark Horse that will become available in the US starting this summer.
