The seam where the two rim sections come together in a 3 pc does need to be sealed in some fashion. Most use a silicon or rubber bead of some type. These can leak. Most higher quality multi-piece wheels do not leak unless damaged when mounting. I can't recall seeing anyone complain about leaking BBS, Champion, HRE, Kinesis, etc on this forum. I have not had a 3 pc wheel leak since the mid 90's with a set of Boyds on my truck.

There are some excellent 1 pc forged wheels, including many of the OE Porsche wheels. There is a new company out of Russia (Russtec) that bought an old Russian military forging press and claims to use the highest pressure forging in the world for their 1 pc wheels. I think they made a 22" wheel that weighed about 22 lbs.
Generally speaking, the 3 pcs are still going to be lighter and offer more versatile fitments. From a manufacturing perspective, forging 1 pc wheels only makes sense for high volume runs. You will find them for a BMW 3 series, but not as common for a 911.

There are lots of choices in the high quality range. In the end, it comes down to a personal choice of the style and what fits your budget.

 

so are they no longer supporting... say... F1? c'mon dude.

 

silly point man and i certainly wouldn't call iforged high end, but then in the big scheme of things sure ok.

3 piece wheels will lose air if they're made in a sh!tty way. it's like saying a three piece suit will stain easier because you have more cloth to wear on the body as compared to a two piecer with the blazer and pants. it's a wtf statement.

 

you can't put champion wheels and BBS wheels in the same breath because one has made history/experience in motorsport and the other... NOTHING which isn't to say that champion can't/does not make good STREET wheels.

 

you're confused bud

 

Could be. I don't claim to be an expert. I have not been to a wheel factory in at least 8 years. I just know (or think I know) what my customers in the industry tell me and what I see/hear at SEMA and Riefen Essen and read in the 4 different industry mags I get each month. I'm just trying to share what I've got as another piece of the puzzle for my fellow forum readers. I'm happy to defer to you as the threads wheel pro. Carry on.

 

dont' take it personally now will ya? man up.

"Generally speaking, the 3 pcs are still going to be lighter and offer more versatile fitments. From a manufacturing perspective, forging 1 pc wheels only makes sense for high volume runs. You will find them for a BMW 3 series, but not as common for a 911."

generally speaking, 1 piece wheels will be lighter/stronger than 3 piece wheels by virtue of the fact that it requires far less parts.

since when did bmw/audi/honda/toyota make 1 piece forged wheels for "high volume runs?"

you're not going to find forged wheels in the camry or audi a4 or bmw 325i. why? it's more costly than cast wheels. 911s have always been a mix of cast/forged 1 piece wheels sometimes two piece, but majority cast. they save the forged ones for perhaps their flagship cars like the 911 turbo, gt2/3 ... low volume.

anyways, we're getting into some major hair splittage here.

just get a good brand name wheel three or two or one piece and you'll be just fine.

 

For the street, you can and you should. You should not worry about running Champion wheels out on track.

On my e46 M3 I ran RAC RS110s, which are made in the same factory as Champion wheels. My RAC wheels were for track duty, and they were simply brilliant wheels.
I ran BBS wheels also on my M3. Also ran OZs, HREs, and Dinan wheels to name a few.

 

i'd run them without fear either but a hobbyist running champion wheels v. decades of competition backed R&D per BBS/OZ is an ENTIRELY diff ballgame like comparing your local ymca pick up game to the friggin' NBA Playoffs.

 

Anyone purchased TR Motorsports F2?
Tirerack sells them for WB 911s. Here.
They are forged. Made in Japan. And nice and light. 20.5 front and 23 lb rear.
Seems like good value at a quick glance compared to some of the other like HRE Monoblocks.

 

Interesting, I am thinking I might need another set of wheels. My oem wheels (18's) are bent from the rough roads in Oklahoma.... I also have a set of 17's that I am using now.
It is off to the wheel repair shop for me.
I have been looking on ebay and tirerack for a third set of wheels. I am thinking of going back to 17's for a little more cushion from the rough roads.

 

wow... i like those. anyone have anything good or bad to say about TR Motorsports?

 

You get what you pay for. A good high quality set of wheels will be both "strong and light". Decreasing the "rotating mass" is very important in a high performance vehicle. I have a set of Kenesis 19".

 

The point of a 3 piece wheel is to offer manufacturing flexibility. It's too expensive (i.e. impossible) to make every size wheel in existence, using a 1-piece forged process - since special tooling is needed for each combination of diameter, width and offset. 1-piece forged wheels are offered in a small range of sizes. 2 or 3 piece forged wheels can be made in any combination of diameter, width and offset, imaginable at less cost. As such, very high end manufacturing processes can be used for each of the pieces.

If all things were equal, the addition of bolts adds weight. All things are not usually equal, however, and in only special circumstances are 1-piece wheels both lighter and stronger than *very high end* 3 piece wheels.