Everyone knows that forged wheels are generally stronger/lighter than cast wheels. But I have a question regarding the strength issue. Has anyone experienced a situation where a cast wheel has actually broken from the forces associated with driving a car (not collision damage)? It would seem to me that for liability reasons alone, any wheels sold would have to have a margin of safety built in. I see a lot of references to "cheap" rims and often wonder if the bias against them is really related to their strength.
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Cast vs. Forged
- Thread starter Oldguy
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Cast wheels on the street generally won't "break", but will dent much easier. I have personally witnessed cheap cast rims failing during high-speed events. I have also heard of a few SSR Competition wheels failing as well, especially the early editions.
Just for info, casting is literally melting metal and pouring it into a cast. You will have air pockets, weak areas, strong areas randomly throughout the wheel. Forging pushes the metal into a form with grain ending up like wood, thus making it much stronger. BUT some wheel manufacturers push this stronger metal into very very thin pieces to reduce weight. There is a fine line when "too thin" is no better than thick castings.
If you can afford it forged wheels will last a long time. Where cast wheels are always "looking" for potholes in the road and your wallet.
Just for info, casting is literally melting metal and pouring it into a cast. You will have air pockets, weak areas, strong areas randomly throughout the wheel. Forging pushes the metal into a form with grain ending up like wood, thus making it much stronger. BUT some wheel manufacturers push this stronger metal into very very thin pieces to reduce weight. There is a fine line when "too thin" is no better than thick castings.
If you can afford it forged wheels will last a long time. Where cast wheels are always "looking" for potholes in the road and your wallet.
i've seen thinly spoked cast wheels crack at multiple spokes due to just one POTHOLE incident.
And like everything, there are different qualities of both cast and forged. As well as the engineering that goes into the design of a wheel.
In a forged wheel the size of the forging press, how many tons, and how many times it is "hit" by the forging press will make a difference in both strenght and cost.
In a casting many cast wheels are made using a rotating mold, this is to get rid of air pockets and imperfections that can cause failures.
Many companies routinely X-Ray their mag wheel to check for imperfections.
You have seen the huge difference in pricing between wheel companies, somethime you get what you pay for.
In a forged wheel the size of the forging press, how many tons, and how many times it is "hit" by the forging press will make a difference in both strenght and cost.
In a casting many cast wheels are made using a rotating mold, this is to get rid of air pockets and imperfections that can cause failures.
Many companies routinely X-Ray their mag wheel to check for imperfections.
You have seen the huge difference in pricing between wheel companies, somethime you get what you pay for.
There is some information cast vs forged on the Tire Rack website http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/construc.htm
I bought Konig Tantrum cast wheels in 18X8 for a gen 1 GS300 Lexus back before I knew anything about wheels. They ended up on my GS400 shortly after I bought them. I had them for a couple of years without incident and then chipped the edge of two of them. I hit a deep pothole on the edge of the interstate doing around 80 MPH. The tires that were on that side both developed a large bubble from the impact. I limped the car home but when new tires were put on the car they wouldn't hold air for some reason. So I ordered a set of very light SSR Competitions in the same sizes. The change in wheels probably cut about 8 lbs. of unsprung weight off each corner. It was like strapping on light running shoes after having worn heavy boots all day. I never had any issue with the SSRs for the entire 25,000+ miles I had them on the car. I'm sold on the gains in performance offered by light weight forged wheels. With the light wheels on and no mods, my GS400 was able to run neck and neck with pre-2001 M3s going to highway speeds from a low roll. In theory those BMWs are supposed to be around 3/10ths quicker in the 1/4 mile.
if you are looking at the light weight, there's some light weight cast wheel available too.
The enkei wheels I got were the same one most JGTC or other endurance races in Japan used... I don't think they are that much difference...
I read somewhere that the forged wheels are not better than casted wheels in some occasion, in that article, they were talking about the reasoning of using the enkei cast wheels instead of Volks or other forged rims on the "fastest" ARC Skyline R34, and I need someone to confirmed it.
come to think of it, nobody used Volk wheels in Rally racing but they are used by most team in JGTC... coincidence??
The enkei wheels I got were the same one most JGTC or other endurance races in Japan used... I don't think they are that much difference...
I read somewhere that the forged wheels are not better than casted wheels in some occasion, in that article, they were talking about the reasoning of using the enkei cast wheels instead of Volks or other forged rims on the "fastest" ARC Skyline R34, and I need someone to confirmed it.
come to think of it, nobody used Volk wheels in Rally racing but they are used by most team in JGTC... coincidence??
I'm gonna have to get up on my Superleggera soap box!!!
Don't forget about them, they are very, very light. Yes, they are cast, however OZ uses a special technique in manufacturing which makes them stronger then your normal cast wheel. They make a great track wheel, and they are fairly cheap so if in case you do damage one you won't have to "Break the bank" to buy a new one. Plus, they have a very different, and unique look
just my .02
Don't forget about them, they are very, very light. Yes, they are cast, however OZ uses a special technique in manufacturing which makes them stronger then your normal cast wheel. They make a great track wheel, and they are fairly cheap so if in case you do damage one you won't have to "Break the bank" to buy a new one. Plus, they have a very different, and unique look
just my .02
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It's more manufacturer dependent than anything else. BBS and OZ are the premier wheel makers in the world. They spend millions of dollars on R&D which includes their huge presence in and big support of F1, WRC, CART, etc.
The OZ Superleggeras and BBS CHs are both cast wheels, yet very strong if not stronger than many of your run-of-the-mill forged wheels. Just like in suspension tuning, it's a summation rather than individual parts. And not all forging processes are equal.
Stick to a quality, big name race wheel manufacturer and you're good to go. For example, I'd side with Fikse and Kinesis much more so than your no racing pedigree HREs. BBS and OZ just can't be beat.
The OZ Superleggeras and BBS CHs are both cast wheels, yet very strong if not stronger than many of your run-of-the-mill forged wheels. Just like in suspension tuning, it's a summation rather than individual parts. And not all forging processes are equal.
Stick to a quality, big name race wheel manufacturer and you're good to go. For example, I'd side with Fikse and Kinesis much more so than your no racing pedigree HREs. BBS and OZ just can't be beat.
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