I am a big believer in the impact that the right wheels have on a car. Some of the sponsors have new wheel designs up now as threads and Gentleman (and ladies of course), they are beautiful. I am constantly amazed by the variety and creativity. But, I want to ask about type and technique. I see wheels that are forged and others are cast. I see mono-block and 2 or three part wheels. Nothing is perfect and I am sure each have advantages. But why, other than style which is clearly king, do you select one type over another?


Thanks

 

Weight is a big one.

Lighter wheels allow more steering feedback, better suspension performance, and better application of torque (e.g. lighter wheels = less unsprung weight = lower moment of inertia = applied torque can change the speed of the wheel faster).

Forged is also going to be stronger than cast, and usually less weight. So less prone to curb and pothole damage.

Monoblock vs 2 piece vs 3 piece is really just a matter of style now.

 

Multi piece rims are traditionally used in motorsport so they can change widths, offsets and repair rims as needed. Its cheaper to replace a portion of the rim then the entire thing.


I personally only buy forged rims, for street and track. They are lighter, stronger, but generally more expensive.

Not all forging is equal though, most US brands are 4000-6000 ton forged wheels. They purchase blanks and then mill the shape of the wheel out, still very strong and light.
BBS, Volk, and some other Japanese companies make the highest quality forged rims, they are 8000-10 000 forged press…$$$$$ They also forge press the shape of the wheel, then mill it out.

Thats why Volks are such an amazing deal for the quality of the rim you get.

I'm ordering a set of Forgeline GA1Rs for summer/track duties.

 

Very interesting info. Thanks. I put some OZ racing wheels on my Mustang and it made a world of difference in the look of the car. And they were much lighter than the stock wheels.


While there are lots of beautiful wheels out there, I have not found anything I like better than the platinum finished standard 20" that came from Porsche - I was very nervous about them - there were no examples in the US at the time I ordered in Feb. '12 and the pictures were not great. I thought it was a big risk with the PtAg color, but I loved the result. In fact, the only wheel design that I have seen that might make me dig deep into the wallet for a new set would be the wheel style on the 918. But This is all a matter of personal taste.


I will take another cruise through the Volks and BBS web sights.

 

Just ordered ADV.1 5.0's for the summer in liquid smoke. ADV is a great wheel and quality is equal to or better than bbs and volks. They haven't been around as long but are much more popular now than two mentioned for high end cars today. HRE is also excellent. Plan to spend some $$ for these higher end wheels but its worth it. I also have the platinum carrera wheels and am going to keep the winter tires on them and NOV-APR each year. The ADV's in SL style are a few pounds lighter per wheel than OEM ones. It's really a matter of looks and color choices with aftermarket wheels. I wanted something a little different and prefer the look of the ADV 5.0's on the car. The platinum ones are nice and it will be a nice change to have two different looks for the year. The 2 and 3 piece wheels allow for different look color combo's over 1 piece forged mono block and also allow for a more concave look to the wheel. You can only get so much concave with a mono block wheel. The OEM carrera wheel has a little concave in the rear but none up front. Aftermarket wheels will allow you to build a little more in which IMHO looks better and little more aggressive. I'll post some picks when I put them on the car next month after they are done being built and the summers go back on.

 

I look forward to your pictures - you car looks great now. I also agree I like the option of changing. But given our roads and weather lately, in Nov-Apr all my car is likely to need for wheels are cinderblocks!


Good info on ADV and on HRE. Thanks. When I see something that makes me stop in my tracks, I will likely by them.

 

ADV is no where near the same quality of wheel of BBS, Volk or OZ…I hope they didn't tell you that or try to sell you that when you were buying your wheels.

HRE and Forgeline are good quality US based wheels, I would not hesitate to get them. They unlike ADV and all these other "boutique" manufactures have been in business long enough to know what they are doing and make a quality product.

Go search youtube how Volk and BBS make their 8000-10 000 forged pressed wheels, there are only a handful of factories in the world that can do it, and most are actually in Japan I believe.

 

Agreed, there is a reason you see ads for used BBS and Volk wheels that were made in the 90's.

 

Just received (3/11/14) the May '14 issue of Excellence Magazine - good article "In The Corners" a technical primer on aftermarket road wheels + insights on Porsche factory wheels. Lots of information....

Excerpt:

"In the past the main suppliers have traditionally been Otto Fuchs & BBS, acknowledged technology leaders, but now Porsche also buys from Ronal, Cromodora, Uniwheels and Borbet which too are capable of hot-flow forming."

 

Ronal and Borbet have been supplying OEM wheels for a very long time.

There are a lot of good brands out there, ppl should just do their research.

 

Forged are generally preferred over cast for high-performance applications. They are lighter and stronger. One-piece monoblock are traditionally the lightest. Three-piece are intended to be used for racing applications.

Here in the US, many of the forged aftermarket wheels are made by third-party suppliers - often the same ones.

And those companies that machine and assemble their own wheels in-house still use the same supplier(s) of forged aluminum billet.

So the only difference between them might often be the unique design of the wheel and the branding/logos.

When purchasing, definitely do some research. You may be able to find the same if not similar wheel for sale at a much cheaper price point by a different 'manufacturer'.

 

Most will get their forgings from ASA I think.

 

Yes, ASA and APP are two US suppliers that come to mind.

 

Just to be clear - all of our forgings are sourced from APP.

 

Largely a matter of asthetics on a street car. I would point out a couple of things for consideration. Multi piece wheels seem really to be a thing of the past, simply because the one piece styles are so varied now. For several basic reasons:
A one piece wheel is going to be lighter.
Many really great looking multi piece wheels advertise being "forged". However, check them out. Many old HRE and other wheels have forged centers and spun cast barrels. You know what that means? Those barrels bend like butter! One reason I'm sure theyre not as popular now, I'll never buy another set.
One piece is stronger because not only are the centers forged, the barrels are forged too of course. Much better pothole protection!