big difference between cast, alloy, forged, etc. wheels?

[Sharkfin]

I am buying a new set of rims and there are so many sweet ones that I am interested in. I was wondering if anyone had brands or types of wheels to stay away from due to problems like bending, etc.

Also, I drive in Pittsburgh rough roads with ok/bad weather and lots of hills. Are 19s too risky as far as hitting them on stuff and should i just go with 18s, I also drive 18k miles a year fyi

Thanks in advance fellow azers,
Nate

[Phrost]

Alloy = combination of metals. Doesn't mean anything, it's just a material.

Cast = a method of making a wheel. Cast is a mold where they pour the "alloy" into, so it forms right into the shape of the wheel that is wanted. It's cheapest, but not the strongest. Everything you see on normal vehicles is pretty much cast.

Machined = when you have a cast piece, and you just "machine" or cut off extra material. Cheaper rims have a machined lip, since it is so cheap and fast to do.

Forged = a better method of making a wheel. Instead of just pouring molten metal into a mold, it is heated and bent. It is a more expensive process, but it is much stronger because the grains of the metal form with the curves. Yes it can still break or bend, but it is stronger.

Here is an example of how the grain flows with the object in a forged piece, and you can imagine how it is stronger.
http://www.prosna.com/forge_grain.gif

How much money do you have to spend on your wheels/tires? You can find some good stuff used, but it just depends on how lucky you are and what you can find.

[Phrost]

If your roads really suck and you are worried about bending a wheel, I would stick with 18's since there will be more sidewall, so more of a cushion for your wheel when you hit any bumps. Also, I've been told to run max psi in your tires, since performance tires can handle it and you will have a much smaller probability of the wheel lip smacking the ground and bending up.

[Tgr_Clw]

Also, I've been told to run max psi in your tires, since performance tires can handle it and you will have a much smaller probability of the wheel lip smacking the ground and bending up.

Who was the idiot that told you that?

37-39psi is more than enough for an 18" setup.

[Phrost]

Because I ran 19" wheels last summer and bent a rim. Guys at the shop I went to to get my tire mounted on a new wheel suggested that I do that. It makes sense though, doesn't it?

Yes 37-39psi is more than enough, but if the tire is rated to be able to hold more air, it will further prevent the tire from ever collapsing and bending the wheel. What would the harm be in doing this?

[Sharkfin]

well that diagram explains alot, and i already have a top 5 or so rims in mind, i am spending between 500 and 1200 on rims and then 100-175 on tires. I have found some good deals on ebay and on here that are nice quality rims are a discounted price. Im guessing most aftermarket rims that aren't marked forged are alloy?

[Phrost]

If you only have $1,400 total to spend, I would highly suggest visiting the Classifieds section for a used set. Just because they're used doesn't mean there is any damage or anything, but your options for decent wheels will be greately limited for those funds.

If a wheel is forged, they will usually advertise it as forged since it is a big thing for wheels. If they don't say anything, assume it was cast molded and machined.

I'm still going to say stick with 18's due to the facts that they are cheaper, and you can run a larger sidewall to compensate for shitty roads.

[Sharkfin]

thanks for the advice guys, keep it coming and i will let you know what i do, and add pics

[Sharkfin]

any body else want to chime on whether or not i should get 18s or 19s?

[AlexK]

Yes 37-39psi is more than enough, but if the tire is rated to be able to hold more air, it will further prevent the tire from ever collapsing and bending the wheel. What would the harm be in doing this?

The harm in driving on an overinflated tire is uneven tire wear and a smaller contact patch. The center of the tire will wear faster than the shoulders and you will probably have less grip. You're also more likely to damage the sidewall with one of those bubbles. It might be safer for your wheel but there are drawbacks.

[viperdsa]

Like they said if the roads arn't that great then go with 18's. Winter is a wheel repair time for me, one is bent and one has some curb rash. So even forged wheels can bend.

[Sharkfin]

damn then why dont stock wheels bend, or do they?

[viperdsa]

The stock wheels have enough of a side wall that they normally won't bend, unless you hit something the size of a crater. But on low profile tires all the force that wold have been disappated into the side wall goes into the rim.

[Sharkfin]

ahh i see, i have 215/55/16's now and am going to either 245/40/18s or 245/35/19s, does the 5mm make that big of a difference?

[viperdsa]

This might work well or not, idk but gonna try anyway cuz i dont want to do physics.

http://www.planetorion.com/2001GTP/images/wheels/wheels3.jpg
thats suposably a 245/40/18

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc243/viperdsa/P1010048.jpg
thats my 245/35/19
Not a massive difference

[muffinman]

Def. tough to get alloy set (wheels + tires) under $1400 but you should be able to find a deal in the classifieds.

viper - what rims are those (the enkei and the second one)? They both look great..

[viperdsa]

The Enkei's I just pulled a pic off the web but they are the RS6's. The second are my HRE 448R's

[lowandslow]

You run the risk of bending a wheel even with your tires at max PSI. The impact of the road on the tire can't get absorbed if the tires is fully inflated. The force is then transferred to the rim. Your best bet is to keep your PSI 34-40 depending on your setup. Ideally you would test for proper inflation with a thermometer testing the insides and outsides of the tire for even heat

[audib7a4]

i might have my rims up for sale in 2 weeks if you are interested, im selling my car...

18x8 OZ superleggera
nitto 555 tires 235/40/18 all around with 60-70% thread
o and they only weight 18 lbs each

[Jmaak]

That grain diagram makes me laugh...

[Sharkfin]

i might have my rims up for sale in 2 weeks if you are interested, im selling my car...

18x8 OZ superleggera
nitto 555 tires 235/40/18 all around with 60-70% thread
o and they only weight 18 lbs each

you can send pics to [email protected] and a price estimate too

[Sharkfin]

This might work well or not, idk but gonna try anyway cuz i dont want to do physics.

http://www.planetorion.com/2001GTP/images/wheels/wheels3.jpg
thats suposably a 245/40/18

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc243/viperdsa/P1010048.jpg
thats my 245/35/19
Not a massive difference

yeah your right, doesnt look like that big of a difference, that helped alot, thanks....also, those 19s look so much bigger. got any full cars pics?

[Mikey_C]

i might have my rims up for sale in 2 weeks if you are interested, im selling my car...

18x8 OZ superleggera
nitto 555 tires 235/40/18 all around with 60-70% thread
o and they only weight 18 lbs each


^^those wheels are cast as most are but are fairly light for the weight as they are heat treated.

No one mentioned this yet but alot of companies take a cast wheel and heat treat or shot peen the wheel. This adds to the strenght of the wheel by 'cleaning up' some of the weak spots that the casting process are prone to.

Enkei, OZ, bbs and others do this on their lighter wheels and if you come across a fairly light cast wheel chances are its either heat treated or shot peened. Its a less expensive way than forged to get a lighter wheel but you will notice the cast/peened are usually a bit more expensive than pure cast but cheaper than forged.

As for forged there are a few companied that do semi solid forging(SSR) You will notice ssr makes some real light wheels(almost too light) using this process which is not as ideal as forged but again a way to get the cost down while not having to use as much metal to get a strong wheel.

figured i would chime in as I spent 7 month researching(nearly obsessive) when deciding what wheel to get for my auto-x car back in the day

[Sharkfin]

^^^thanks for the info, yeah mine is becoming an obsession because im only getting one pair for a while...

[LAS]

like i posted before:

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=90

and the rest of the wheel articles:

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/index.jsp

[viperdsa]

yeah your right, doesnt look like that big of a difference, that helped alot, thanks....also, those 19s look so much bigger. got any full cars pics?
Here are some ok pics
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc243/viperdsa/P1010046.jpg

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc243/viperdsa/P1010047.jpg

[Sharkfin]

nice pics, what suspension you running?

[Sharkfin]

like i posted before:

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=90

and the rest of the wheel articles:

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/index.jsp

yeah ive already read those...i just wanted some real life advice

[viperdsa]

nice pics, what suspension you running?

Just the stock sport suspension

[Sharkfin]

oh ok, what kind of miles have you gotten out of those tires, this wheel size thing is so hard to choose between...

[viperdsa]

I have about 4500 on them before they came off for winter

[Sharkfin]

oh ok. well i am almost completely set on getting the Stern st-2 touring sports in 18s or 19s in black with a chrome lip. they are about a grand.

[Phrost]

That grain diagram makes me laugh...

Oh come on, it's just an idea to understand what's going on. It's the first thing that came up on Google [cool]