What's stopping Bugatti Chiron from achieving groundbreaking 480kmph top speed?

Anything over 400kmph is deemed 'bloody' fast in the automobile world. French high-performance carmaker Bugatti is known for making cars with such earth shattering speed. The company launched its new sports car, the Chiron in 2016, with a top speed of 381kmph.

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The number is already staggering while it can be further boosted to 420kmph with the use of 'top speed' key that slots into the door sills. However, according to Andy Wallace-- a British professional racer and test driver for Bugatti-- the Chiron is capable of going way beyond that. Wallace said the Chiron can cruise to 420kmph with relative ease.

So what stops Bugatti Chiron from hitting its potential top speed? The answer is tyres. The current tyre technology is not advanced enough to handle a top speed of nearly 480kmph, according to Wallace.

However, speed buffs need not get disappointed. French tyre maker, Michelin is reportedly working on tyres that can handle extreme speeds. Reports say Michelin will be able to churn out advanced tyres that can handle over 480kmph speed by 2018.

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport holds a record for achieving 431kmph back in 2010 at 13-mile Ehra-Lessien test track of Volkswagen Group. Bugatti will try to take down the record for the fastest production car ever made with the Chiron next year on the same track, once the advanced tyres are in.

It will be an easy task for Chiron since the supercar is powered by a W16 8.0-litre engine with four turbochargers that develops 1479bhp at 6700rpm and 1600Nm of torque in the range of 2000 to 6000rpm. The mill is mated to specially developed seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox that sends power to all four wheels. The massive power figures let the Chiron sprint 0 to 100kmph time in mere 2.5 seconds, 0 to 200kmph in 6.5 seconds and 300kmph in just 13.6 seconds.

Source: popularmechanics