Aside from its $1.5 million+ sticker price, the Bugatti Veyron has insanely high operating costs. Not all owners realized that when it came time to change the tires, for example, it would cost them $42,000 for a new set. Not that they couldn't afford it, but getting slapped with a maintenance bill that high isn't cool, especially when it's unexpected. Bugatti wisely took note of this as it developed the Chiron, going to great lengths to lower ownership costs, new tires included.
Speaking to Bugatti principal engineer Martin Grabowski at Frankfurt, we asked whether Chiron owners will have to deal with those sky high maintenance costs, specifically inquiring about the tires. "We moved to a standard rim geometry and, therefore, a standard mounting process. The rim is now a lifetime part. The tire itself is much cheaper. And because of the standard mounting process, you can mount it everywhere. The tires can be changed anywhere. It's much easier." He didn't know a specific number, but assured us it was far less than $42k. And speaking of those tires, Grabowski also said that although they've successfully been tested to withstand the Chiron's top speed of 261 mph, there's still some wiggle room for even more speed.
"We're still testing them to see how far they can go," Grabowski added. Does this mean the Chiron can go faster than its claimed 261 mph top speed? Remember, this is an electronically limited top speed, put into place for obvious safety reasons. Rumor has it the W16-powered 1,500 hp Chiron can hit somewhere closer to 290 mph, sans limiter. As new hypercar competitors will eventually come to market, Bugatti could just be doing the smart thing by sitting back and watching. When the time is right, an even more extreme Chiron could arrive, whose tires have already been tested and proven to handle somewhere closer to 300 mph. And yet they'll still cost way less to replace than the old Veyron's.