Proud of your RIMS? Post it HERE!

[RevStarZen]

AD Wheels VR 65 !!!

[Daniu82]

Any brand of rims or shop recommendations for 18" rims with tyres? Looking for them for my SUV. What is the range i am looking at  after trading in my 17" rims with tyres (6 mths used with low mileage). 

[Pinkpan]

11 hours ago, badlammy said:

Vorsteiner VFF103. Carbon Graphite.

bro,, can share where to get this rim? TIA

[badlammy]

49 minutes ago, Pinkpan said:

bro,, can share where to get this rim? TIA

A place where people are avoiding...you can google Vorsteiner Singapore and see what pops up.

[Daniel0606]

18 hours ago, Daniu82 said:

Any brand of rims or shop recommendations for 18" rims with tyres? Looking for them for my SUV. What is the range i am looking at  after trading in my 17" rims with tyres (6 mths used with low mileage). 

Any budget range? 

Any preference for original or replica?

Edited November 19, 2019 by Daniel0606

[Daniu82]

8 hours ago, Daniel0606 said:

Any budget range? 

Any preference for original or replica?

I am not sure of the rims price cos I nvr change rims before for my previous car. Is under 2k a good budget for 18" rims with tyres after trade in stock 17" rims? Looking to change cos current rims seems small and brake dust covers the stock silver colour rims everytime. Any recommendations for my budget? Sorry if my budget is too small cos I don't really know the market price. 

[GTO-1]

1 hour ago, Daniu82 said:

I am not sure of the rims price cos I nvr change rims before for my previous car. Is under 2k a good budget for 18" rims with tyres after trade in stock 17" rims? Looking to change cos current rims seems small and brake dust covers the stock silver colour rims everytime. Any recommendations for my budget? Sorry if my budget is too small cos I don't really know the market price. 

My advice is go for reputable rims and the best tyres you can afford. 

I'm not a fan of replicas or even Stamfords house brand like SSW.  Cheap rims are great for the wallet, but we're also talking of key components that can mean life or death if they fail. Reputable brands can fail also, but least there is a reputation risk if they fail due to poor  quality control.  This isn't necessarily true of replicas. 

Also pay more for better tyres. Everyone has different opinions about what tyre is best, but everyone agrees that a good tyre can save your life, whether it be wet weather handling or braking distance. 

I would hazard a guess that a reasonable set of reputable rims and good tyres that are 18" would cost between $2.5k and $3.5k (before trade in).  The larger you go, the cost for rim and tyre is exponential.  My 20" cost $4k after trade in, and its a mainstream US rim brand (not boutique or upmarket) and some of the best regarded performance tyres (Michelin PS4S's). 

If you can't afford that, then spend the money on the tyres. Nice rims are great, but no point nice looking rims if you can't be 100% confident in them. 

If you must go replicas, then inspect your wheels regularly for cracks or bends. That's actually true of any rims (especially lightweight ones). But if you're like many Singaporeans, you might not check over your car until it's due for servicing. At which point you could be driving your car with a fatal issue especially if the rim is cracked. 

 

Edited November 20, 2019 by GTO-1

[Daniel0606]

2 hours ago, Daniu82 said:

I am not sure of the rims price cos I nvr change rims before for my previous car. Is under 2k a good budget for 18" rims with tyres after trade in stock 17" rims? Looking to change cos current rims seems small and brake dust covers the stock silver colour rims everytime. Any recommendations for my budget? Sorry if my budget is too small cos I don't really know the market price. 

No worries bro, i just bought myself a new set of rims too so i can relate to it since i started with zero knowledge as well.

If you can stretch a little more, around 2.5 to 3k (with tyres included), i would suggest you may go for more reputable brands like rays, enkei, oz with their mid-range product (manufactured via flow-formed), typically it cost around $500 per rim. During my research there r some rims (manufactured via casting) i came across that can fit into your budget, for e.g konig, advanti dst, alutec, rial etc (around $200 to $400 per rim).

Any idea whats the pcd and offset of your stock rim? You will need that eventually in order to find the right rim for your car.

[Daniu82]

9 minutes ago, Daniel0606 said:

No worries bro, i just bought myself a new set of rims too so i can relate to it since i started with zero knowledge as well.

If you can stretch a little more, around 2.5 to 3k (with tyres included), i would suggest you may go for more reputable brands like rays, enkei, oz with their mid-range product (manufactured via flow-formed), typically it cost around $500 per rim. During my research there r some rims (manufactured via casting) i came across that can fit into your budget, for e.g konig, advanti dst, alutec, rial etc (around $200 to $400 per rim).

Any idea whats the pcd and offset of your stock rim? You will need that eventually in order to find the right rim for your car.

Thanks for the advice. I am looking at South East Tyre recommended by my car owners club, they carry the Alutec and Rial like you suggested.  Heard BBS is expensive, not sure about the ATS they sell. I am also not very well informed about the flow-formed and casting that you mentioned. My stock rim is 7.0J x 17" ET45. Any shops that you can recommend, can PM if not convenient to reveal here. Thanks.

[Daniel0606]

25 minutes ago, Daniu82 said:

Thanks for the advice. I am looking at South East Tyre recommended by my car owners club, they carry the Alutec and Rial like you suggested.  Heard BBS is expensive, not sure about the ATS they sell. I am also not very well informed about the flow-formed and casting that you mentioned. My stock rim is 7.0J x 17" ET45. Any shops that you can recommend, can PM if not convenient to reveal here. Thanks.

South East is recommended. BBS also has mid range that may fit your budget, for e.g BBS SR. I was looking at the ATS Perfektion previously before i decided on my current rims. If i remember correctly South East has some OZ rims as well

Actually almost all reputable brands will have mid-range product. Its actually the manufacturing method that makes it expensive (forged rims), those are the top range product of each brand. 

You may also want to drop by leong seng at ubi to take a look, especially if u r considering rays or advanti.

Other shops mentioned by bros here but i didnt visit personally: h tyre, hurry tyre, pitstop (bro GTO can advise more on pitstop i guess)

Btw, you will need to know the pcd of your stock rim, e.g. 5x114.3, 5x100 etc also

 

Edited November 20, 2019 by Daniel0606

[Theoldjaffa]

5 hours ago, Daniu82 said:

Thanks for the advice. I am looking at South East Tyre recommended by my car owners club, they carry the Alutec and Rial like you suggested.  Heard BBS is expensive, not sure about the ATS they sell. I am also not very well informed about the flow-formed and casting that you mentioned. My stock rim is 7.0J x 17" ET45. Any shops that you can recommend, can PM if not convenient to reveal here. Thanks.

18” wheels

OZ Racing, flow formed and lightweight, about $450 per pc

BBS SR, cast and heavier, about $480 per pc

other Brand’s like Rial or Alutec, zero resale so I buay gian.

Trade in depends on each shop.

tyres, F1A5 or PS4 good enough.

after trade in and everything, maybe 2.5k thereabouts.

[badlammy]

5 hours ago, Daniu82 said:

Thanks for the advice. I am looking at South East Tyre recommended by my car owners club, they carry the Alutec and Rial like you suggested.  Heard BBS is expensive, not sure about the ATS they sell. I am also not very well informed about the flow-formed and casting that you mentioned. My stock rim is 7.0J x 17" ET45. Any shops that you can recommend, can PM if not convenient to reveal here. Thanks.

I've heard good things abt SE...but it's weird to choose shop first, then see what rims they carry.

Sorry to say but if you look at the posts on SE page, few cars and rims match well.

[GTO-1]

Pitstop is the only distributor in SG for TSW rims. TSW are mainstream and not high-end like BBS, SSR or Vossen. In the states, mainstream tyre stores like discount tyres stock TSW. They do rotary forged wheels. Think of them like semi-forged wheels. 

TSW carry mainly monoblock wheels, which translates to relatively simple designs. I much prefer the simpler designs, so I went for TSW.  Although I looked at Ray's, Enkei, BBS, Vossen etc, I always ended up preferring the designs of TSW, since I wanted a simple design but with a concave look. Vossen has equally nice designs with concavity, but for the designs I liked, the rims were more expensive and slightly heavier. 

Edmund the owner is a very talkative guy and friendly, although it does take a while to get wheels shipped to you. Took me 8 weeks waiting.  His prices are okay and he's okay to bargain with. 

Oddly enough, its been a few weeks with these new rims and my fuel economy has improved slightly. I went from 18" stock rims on Toyo's to 20" TSW bathurst on PS4S's. On paper I saved about 1kg per wheel, but the higher rolling resistance of the Michelins I would expect would decrease fuel economy. But I'm getting and extra 1-2km/Litre more compared with with stock wheels (around 11-12km/L for 30/70 highway/City). It used to be around 9.5km/L.

[GTO-1]

5 hours ago, Daniu82 said:

Thanks for the advice. I am looking at South East Tyre recommended by my car owners club, they carry the Alutec and Rial like you suggested.  Heard BBS is expensive, not sure about the ATS they sell. I am also not very well informed about the flow-formed and casting that you mentioned. My stock rim is 7.0J x 17" ET45. Any shops that you can recommend, can PM if not convenient to reveal here. Thanks.

Flow formed, casting etc is just the manufacturing method. All you need to know is that forged wheels are lightweight and expensive. Cast wheels are heavier and cheaper. 

The heavier the wheel the worse it is for fuel economy, handling etc. They also say (which I'm not fully sure is true), is that because the wheel is unsprung weight (ie not supported by suspension), then every kg of extra weight you add, is equivalent of adding 4kg of sprung weight.  

So if you get cast wheels at 18", expect your fuel economy to suffer a bit.  Though I would probably say its negligible since you're only one plus sizing from 17 to 18.  If you're two plus sizing (ie 17 to 19 inch) it might be more impactful because the rim adds more weight. 

Also don't think the lightest wheel is best. Lightweight wheels are more prone to damage because they has less material, and are relying on the strength of the manufacturing method. 

[GTO-1]

9 hours ago, Daniu82 said:

I am not sure of the rims price cos I nvr change rims before for my previous car. Is under 2k a good budget for 18" rims with tyres after trade in stock 17" rims? Looking to change cos current rims seems small and brake dust covers the stock silver colour rims everytime. Any recommendations for my budget? Sorry if my budget is too small cos I don't really know the market price. 

What car do you have? 

[Theoldjaffa]

This is good reading.

http://autokinetics.sg/blog/the-rims-saga-begins/

 

Rims make or break the car. An example is above.

As we all know, rims are the metal bits between your tire and the car. In that aspect, they are extremely important to how your car functions. Low quality rims can be warped (not round), poorly balanced (thus requiring a lot of weights to balance) or very weak (shatter on impact).

This would lead to vibrations in the steering wheel, loss of car control, an uncomfortable ride, bad fuel economy and can be possibly fatal – should the rim fail catastrophically.

Today, car rims are getting cheaper and cheaper. Imports from China have flooded the market, providing a great variety of sizes and patterns. BUT…… are all these rims good? Or does the adage “you pay for what you get” stand?

OVERVIEW

Rim quality (in order from worst to best): Gravity Casted rim < Low Pressure Casted rim < High Pressure Casted rim < Liquid Forged rim/Forged rim/Billet Machined rim

Most rims that are made in China are gravity casted, whereas some Taiwan rims are low pressure casted and one (to my knowledge) is liquid forged. Some Taiwanese rims are also roll forged. Japanese rims are minimally pressure casted and some are forged. European rims are minimally low pressure casted and some are forged. American rims sold in Singapore are generally forged.

One may be surprised that even big name brands such as Breyton manufacture their rims in China (albeit not all, some are still from Germany). Certain over-hyped brands use low tech manufacturing methods yet still sell at exorbitant prices (sorry guys, as much as I would like to identify what brands they are, this is a public document and I would refrain from being explicit due to litigation issues. However if you are really interested, do email us and I will give you a personal reply). It is kind of like paying a high premium for a BMW without getting the high performance of a BMW, if you get my analogy.

Autokinetics would like to share and discuss about this topic but first let us get down to the basics.

HOW RIMS ARE MADE:

Rims are manufactured in 6 different methods:

Gravity casting

Low pressure casting

High pressure casting

Roll forged

Liquid forging

Cold forging

*there are hybrid composition methods used by some Japanese companies such as SSR and Enkei but their basis technological concept is the same

1. GRAVITY CASTING

Gravity casting is the cheapest and the lousiest of methods to make a wheel. As its name suggests, gravity casting is basically pouring liquid alloy into a mould and using the force of gravity to allow the molten metal to conform to the shape of the wheel.

In this manufacturing process, all the metal entering the mould is subjected to turbulence. This turbulence can cause severe defects such as oxide inclusions and entrapped gas porosity and in certain cases, mould erosion and hotspots.

Why is gravity casting undesirable? Due to the wheels being susceptible to:

Air cavities within the metal

Uneven expansion during cooling

Uneven material density

Low density

Poor surface finish

This leads to a wheel that is not only weak but imbalanced and heavier than equivalent designs of similar size. We purchased a 15” SSR Type F replica. Though it’s a 15” without the tyre, it required 30 grams of weight just to balance.

While it may not seem much that 35g of weight is placed along the rim, with tyres this weight was required to be increased to 70g, meaning that there is a large amount of inertia generated when the wheel is spinning at high speeds. Though it may seem minor, these weights have implications on braking, acceleration, stability and fuel consumption.

Gravity casted wheels are heavier as they require more metal in order to achieve the required strength for their purpose. Below we can see the material grain structure of a casted wheel.

Here we can see the porosity of a casted wheel. As we can see, the wheel snapped on impact due to the shearing forces acting along the grain. Simply said, the grain structure of gravity casted wheels is not ideal for rims. In the picture, it shows what happens to a casted wheel when things go terribly wrong. (Note: above rim should be low pressure casted)

A clear example of a gravity casted wheel: the finishing is so bad that you can see the porosity of the metal even after it has been painted. Note the bulges in the metal.

Beware, if you see this, don’t buy it. It’s a low quality wheel. No matter how cheap it is, you’re risking your life!

2. LOW PRESSURE CASTING

Low Pressure casting is an upgrade from Gravity casting; it is marginally more expansive to manufacture wheels using this method. The benefits of Low Pressure casting are that the metal has less air cavities and slightly better density uniformity.

Most (not all) casted car wheels manufactured in Japan and Europe use this technology. Due to the added cost, such technology is seldom seen among the cheap China-made options flooding the market these days. Certain rims from Taiwan also use this technology.

The full benefits of Low Pressure casting are:

Less air cavities

Decrease in unwanted exposure to air when the alloy is molten (changes its properties)

Improved density distribution of the alloy

Better tolerances due to more uniform contraction and expansion of alloy upon cooling

Low Pressure casting enables wheels to be stronger than Gravity casting. Alas, a casting is still a casting and the grain structure of the alloy is not ideal, resulting in fissures upon impact. Low Pressure casted wheels are still subjected to air cavities in the metal, thereby decreasing the strength of the wheel.

All in all, Low Pressure casted wheels are more desirable than Gravity casted wheels. They allow for low costs to manufacturers thus translating to low prices for consumers, while at the same time improving the quality and strength of the wheel.

Some wheel brands using Low Pressure casting are ADVANTI and Kyowa.

Below is a picture of the finish of a Low Pressure casted wheel:

Note the porosity of the metal, here it can be seen that the finishing is much better than that of a Gravity casted wheel.

3. HIGH PRESSURE CASTING

High Pressure casting is the best of all the casting methods. However it is more expensive to produce a wheel using this method. There are very few wheels that are manufactured using High Pressure casting.

The molten alloy is forced into the moulds thus increasing density, reducing air cavities and creating a wheel that is more precise. However the grain structure of the alloy is still that of a casted form. Hence although the material is much stronger due to how it is manufactured, the grain structure of the material is still has marginal porosity. As a result, compared to Forging and Billet Machining, High pressure casted wheels are still weaker and also heavier in order to be sufficiently strong for use, due to material density.

Nevertheless, High Pressure casted wheels are getting better with improvements in their strength and weight approaching to that of the quality of Forged wheels.

However they are undoubtedly expansive. A form of High Pressure casting can be seen in certain wheels brands such as ENKEI, SSR and BuddyClub. ENKEI is notable as they use a form of semi-solid high pressure casting which changes the grain structure of their wheels towards a forged wheel.

The benefits of High Pressure casting are the improvements over Low Pressure casting on all fronts:

Denser material

Reduced air cavities

Tighter tolerances

More concentric wheel as rims are less subjected to expansion and contraction irregularities upon cooling

This leads to a wheel that is stronger, lighter and has a better finish. Examples of High Pressure casted wheels are Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 18” at 9 kg (unconfirmed production method but confirmed weight).

4. ROLL/ROTARY FORGED

Roll Forged rims are a rare type of wheel though present in Singapore. Only certain shops carry it and they come mostly in big sizes i.e. 18 inch onwards.

Roll forged rims are basically casted rims that have specially treated barrel section. This means that the whole rim is casted and the barrel of the rim, which is in contact with the tyres are rolled, compressed and formed by another machine.

Therefore what we have then is a hybrid wheel. The centre of the wheel is casted (the spokes) and the rim/barrel of the wheel is high pressure rolled. What this gives is a wheel that is lighter than a casted rim and has a stronger rim/barrel section. It must be noted that these wheels are not truly forged, as its basis is a casted wheel.

Roll forged barrels have lines when stripped of its paint like this.

5. LIQUID FORGING

Liquid Forged rims are a new generation of rims utilizing a special method of manufacture. They are basically liquid metal forced into a mould and cooled under pressure, giving them the approximate grain structure of a forged rim. Although Liquid Forging and High Pressure casting seem similar, the amount of pressure used is very different. There is much more compressive force in liquid forging.

There are many benefits to liquid forging:

Very precise components and tolerances

Void of air bubbles just like a forged or billet rim

Very even material density

Good surface finishing due to minimal porosity

Very light weight wheel due to high density of material achieved

A picture of the material porosity: it can be seen that there is next to no visible porous ‘holes’ (the black specks are paint spilled over from spraying)

Liquid Forged rims are as light and possibly as strong as forged rims but at a lower price. Their manufacturing process is much more expensive than any form of casted rim. However they are indeed the best bang for buck (value-for-money) wheels in the market; coming in at half to a third of the price of forged rims in Japan or Europe yet having all the structural benefits of its more expensive counterparts.

Liquid Forged rims are extremely rare, to our knowledge only one company used to produce them and they have since shut down the plant in Taiwan. (Please let us know if you know of any company that has this technology for rims, if you know of any, thanks)

This is as Liquid Forged wheels are not well known in the market and coupled with the low brand exposure have consigned the liquid forged wheel to oblivion… for now.

For those lucky enough to find these wheels, they used to be sold under the Magline brand in Singapore. Those who use it before would know how strong and true (round) these wheels are. I know, because I am using a Magline 8 which I purchased second hand to replace the initial wheels I had. My old set of casted wheels were not round when they were first sold to me brand new, they vibrated so badly that my metal watch would make a clacking sound on my wrist no matter how many weights I used to balance them.

What is even more appalling is that those wheels were from a very big tyre company… all I can say is that they were made in Philippines. To date after 8 years of driving, through Malaysia and bad roads and careless kerbing, the Magline rims are amazingly still perfectly round and have perfect balance. Best of all for a 16” wheel, it weighs in only at 5kg odd!

If you look closely you can see the damage to the rim on the bottom right corner, I used 280 grit then 400 grit sand papers to repair the damage.

Balance is still perfect!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzRWD-BK-Zo&w=425&h=349]

Currently Autokinetics has the last remaining production run of Liquid Forged Magline 5 rims in Singapore. Unfortunately they are very limited and are only in 18” form and PCD 5×114.3 for Japanese cars. Once this stock is exhausted, there will be no more as I have received confirmation from the factory that they have closed down permanently. Sets are very limited (less the 11 remaining!) and are moving fast, call 91853389 (Bryan) or email [email protected] for enquiries.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPOg23vp1qU&w=560&h=349]

6. COLD FORGING

Cold forged wheels are wheels that are crafted like a samurai sword without the heating of metal.

Cold forged wheels are extremely costly to produce. They are made from a solid block of alloy metal using large hydraulic presses. Typically an 18” cold forged wheel costs between $900-2000 per rim. For certain Porsche rims, the price exceeds 2000 SGD per rim.

Cold forged rims are exceptionally strong and light. They are the best money can buy.

The benefits to cold forging are:

Very precise components and tolerances

Void of air bubbles

Very even material density

Good surface finishing due to minimal porosity

Very high material density

Very light weight wheel due to high density of material achieved

Companies that produce forged rims are NEEZ, HRE, ADV.1, Prodrive, Rays Engineering and so forth. While they are the best wheels money can buy, they are painfully expensive and thus normally do not come in small sizes. A 15” forged SSR Spec C costs around 500 SGD per piece. If you can afford one, get one. They are the best, with cold forged wheels, nothing else comes close.

Conclusion:

Wheels are an important part of your vehicle, dollar for dollar they represent the best upgrade you can make while improving your car. On the aesthetic front, they improve the look of your car like no other mod. Secondly, by allowing the decrease in rotating inertia and un-sprung mass, they provide more usable power, shorter braking distances, a more comfortable ride and improved handling.

So forget your lightened pulley systems or fancy body kits for now, put your money where it matters and where it would make the biggest difference to your drive, lap times, comfort and your safety.

Why does un-sprung mass and rotational inertia affect handling and comfort? COMING next…. The basics of handling…

I hope this sharing has managed to enlighten our esteemed readers out there.

[Daniu82]

1 hour ago, GTO-1 said:

What car do you have? 

Skoda Karoq. 

[laurietsk]

14 hours ago, Theoldjaffa said:

This is good reading.

http://autokinetics.sg/blog/the-rims-saga-begins/

 

Rims make or break the car. An example is above.

As we all know, rims are the metal bits between your tire and the car. In that aspect, they are extremely important to how your car functions. Low quality rims can be warped (not round), poorly balanced (thus requiring a lot of weights to balance) or very weak (shatter on impact).

This would lead to vibrations in the steering wheel, loss of car control, an uncomfortable ride, bad fuel economy and can be possibly fatal – should the rim fail catastrophically.

Today, car rims are getting cheaper and cheaper. Imports from China have flooded the market, providing a great variety of sizes and patterns. BUT…… are all these rims good? Or does the adage “you pay for what you get” stand?

OVERVIEW

Rim quality (in order from worst to best): Gravity Casted rim < Low Pressure Casted rim < High Pressure Casted rim < Liquid Forged rim/Forged rim/Billet Machined rim

Most rims that are made in China are gravity casted, whereas some Taiwan rims are low pressure casted and one (to my knowledge) is liquid forged. Some Taiwanese rims are also roll forged. Japanese rims are minimally pressure casted and some are forged. European rims are minimally low pressure casted and some are forged. American rims sold in Singapore are generally forged.

One may be surprised that even big name brands such as Breyton manufacture their rims in China (albeit not all, some are still from Germany). Certain over-hyped brands use low tech manufacturing methods yet still sell at exorbitant prices (sorry guys, as much as I would like to identify what brands they are, this is a public document and I would refrain from being explicit due to litigation issues. However if you are really interested, do email us and I will give you a personal reply). It is kind of like paying a high premium for a BMW without getting the high performance of a BMW, if you get my analogy.

Autokinetics would like to share and discuss about this topic but first let us get down to the basics.

HOW RIMS ARE MADE:

Rims are manufactured in 6 different methods:

Gravity casting

Low pressure casting

High pressure casting

Roll forged

Liquid forging

Cold forging

*there are hybrid composition methods used by some Japanese companies such as SSR and Enkei but their basis technological concept is the same

1. GRAVITY CASTING

Gravity casting is the cheapest and the lousiest of methods to make a wheel. As its name suggests, gravity casting is basically pouring liquid alloy into a mould and using the force of gravity to allow the molten metal to conform to the shape of the wheel.

In this manufacturing process, all the metal entering the mould is subjected to turbulence. This turbulence can cause severe defects such as oxide inclusions and entrapped gas porosity and in certain cases, mould erosion and hotspots.

Why is gravity casting undesirable? Due to the wheels being susceptible to:

Air cavities within the metal

Uneven expansion during cooling

Uneven material density

Low density

Poor surface finish

This leads to a wheel that is not only weak but imbalanced and heavier than equivalent designs of similar size. We purchased a 15” SSR Type F replica. Though it’s a 15” without the tyre, it required 30 grams of weight just to balance.

While it may not seem much that 35g of weight is placed along the rim, with tyres this weight was required to be increased to 70g, meaning that there is a large amount of inertia generated when the wheel is spinning at high speeds. Though it may seem minor, these weights have implications on braking, acceleration, stability and fuel consumption.

Gravity casted wheels are heavier as they require more metal in order to achieve the required strength for their purpose. Below we can see the material grain structure of a casted wheel.

Here we can see the porosity of a casted wheel. As we can see, the wheel snapped on impact due to the shearing forces acting along the grain. Simply said, the grain structure of gravity casted wheels is not ideal for rims. In the picture, it shows what happens to a casted wheel when things go terribly wrong. (Note: above rim should be low pressure casted)

A clear example of a gravity casted wheel: the finishing is so bad that you can see the porosity of the metal even after it has been painted. Note the bulges in the metal.

Beware, if you see this, don’t buy it. It’s a low quality wheel. No matter how cheap it is, you’re risking your life!

2. LOW PRESSURE CASTING

Low Pressure casting is an upgrade from Gravity casting; it is marginally more expansive to manufacture wheels using this method. The benefits of Low Pressure casting are that the metal has less air cavities and slightly better density uniformity.

Most (not all) casted car wheels manufactured in Japan and Europe use this technology. Due to the added cost, such technology is seldom seen among the cheap China-made options flooding the market these days. Certain rims from Taiwan also use this technology.

The full benefits of Low Pressure casting are:

Less air cavities

Decrease in unwanted exposure to air when the alloy is molten (changes its properties)

Improved density distribution of the alloy

Better tolerances due to more uniform contraction and expansion of alloy upon cooling

Low Pressure casting enables wheels to be stronger than Gravity casting. Alas, a casting is still a casting and the grain structure of the alloy is not ideal, resulting in fissures upon impact. Low Pressure casted wheels are still subjected to air cavities in the metal, thereby decreasing the strength of the wheel.

All in all, Low Pressure casted wheels are more desirable than Gravity casted wheels. They allow for low costs to manufacturers thus translating to low prices for consumers, while at the same time improving the quality and strength of the wheel.

Some wheel brands using Low Pressure casting are ADVANTI and Kyowa.

Below is a picture of the finish of a Low Pressure casted wheel:

Note the porosity of the metal, here it can be seen that the finishing is much better than that of a Gravity casted wheel.

3. HIGH PRESSURE CASTING

High Pressure casting is the best of all the casting methods. However it is more expensive to produce a wheel using this method. There are very few wheels that are manufactured using High Pressure casting.

The molten alloy is forced into the moulds thus increasing density, reducing air cavities and creating a wheel that is more precise. However the grain structure of the alloy is still that of a casted form. Hence although the material is much stronger due to how it is manufactured, the grain structure of the material is still has marginal porosity. As a result, compared to Forging and Billet Machining, High pressure casted wheels are still weaker and also heavier in order to be sufficiently strong for use, due to material density.

Nevertheless, High Pressure casted wheels are getting better with improvements in their strength and weight approaching to that of the quality of Forged wheels.

However they are undoubtedly expansive. A form of High Pressure casting can be seen in certain wheels brands such as ENKEI, SSR and BuddyClub. ENKEI is notable as they use a form of semi-solid high pressure casting which changes the grain structure of their wheels towards a forged wheel.

The benefits of High Pressure casting are the improvements over Low Pressure casting on all fronts:

Denser material

Reduced air cavities

Tighter tolerances

More concentric wheel as rims are less subjected to expansion and contraction irregularities upon cooling

This leads to a wheel that is stronger, lighter and has a better finish. Examples of High Pressure casted wheels are Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 18” at 9 kg (unconfirmed production method but confirmed weight).

4. ROLL/ROTARY FORGED

Roll Forged rims are a rare type of wheel though present in Singapore. Only certain shops carry it and they come mostly in big sizes i.e. 18 inch onwards.

Roll forged rims are basically casted rims that have specially treated barrel section. This means that the whole rim is casted and the barrel of the rim, which is in contact with the tyres are rolled, compressed and formed by another machine.

Therefore what we have then is a hybrid wheel. The centre of the wheel is casted (the spokes) and the rim/barrel of the wheel is high pressure rolled. What this gives is a wheel that is lighter than a casted rim and has a stronger rim/barrel section. It must be noted that these wheels are not truly forged, as its basis is a casted wheel.

Roll forged barrels have lines when stripped of its paint like this.

5. LIQUID FORGING

Liquid Forged rims are a new generation of rims utilizing a special method of manufacture. They are basically liquid metal forced into a mould and cooled under pressure, giving them the approximate grain structure of a forged rim. Although Liquid Forging and High Pressure casting seem similar, the amount of pressure used is very different. There is much more compressive force in liquid forging.

There are many benefits to liquid forging:

Very precise components and tolerances

Void of air bubbles just like a forged or billet rim

Very even material density

Good surface finishing due to minimal porosity

Very light weight wheel due to high density of material achieved

A picture of the material porosity: it can be seen that there is next to no visible porous ‘holes’ (the black specks are paint spilled over from spraying)

Liquid Forged rims are as light and possibly as strong as forged rims but at a lower price. Their manufacturing process is much more expensive than any form of casted rim. However they are indeed the best bang for buck (value-for-money) wheels in the market; coming in at half to a third of the price of forged rims in Japan or Europe yet having all the structural benefits of its more expensive counterparts.

Liquid Forged rims are extremely rare, to our knowledge only one company used to produce them and they have since shut down the plant in Taiwan. (Please let us know if you know of any company that has this technology for rims, if you know of any, thanks)

This is as Liquid Forged wheels are not well known in the market and coupled with the low brand exposure have consigned the liquid forged wheel to oblivion… for now.

For those lucky enough to find these wheels, they used to be sold under the Magline brand in Singapore. Those who use it before would know how strong and true (round) these wheels are. I know, because I am using a Magline 8 which I purchased second hand to replace the initial wheels I had. My old set of casted wheels were not round when they were first sold to me brand new, they vibrated so badly that my metal watch would make a clacking sound on my wrist no matter how many weights I used to balance them.

What is even more appalling is that those wheels were from a very big tyre company… all I can say is that they were made in Philippines. To date after 8 years of driving, through Malaysia and bad roads and careless kerbing, the Magline rims are amazingly still perfectly round and have perfect balance. Best of all for a 16” wheel, it weighs in only at 5kg odd!

If you look closely you can see the damage to the rim on the bottom right corner, I used 280 grit then 400 grit sand papers to repair the damage.

Balance is still perfect!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzRWD-BK-Zo&w=425&h=349]

Currently Autokinetics has the last remaining production run of Liquid Forged Magline 5 rims in Singapore. Unfortunately they are very limited and are only in 18” form and PCD 5×114.3 for Japanese cars. Once this stock is exhausted, there will be no more as I have received confirmation from the factory that they have closed down permanently. Sets are very limited (less the 11 remaining!) and are moving fast, call 91853389 (Bryan) or email [email protected] for enquiries.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPOg23vp1qU&w=560&h=349]

6. COLD FORGING

Cold forged wheels are wheels that are crafted like a samurai sword without the heating of metal.

Cold forged wheels are extremely costly to produce. They are made from a solid block of alloy metal using large hydraulic presses. Typically an 18” cold forged wheel costs between $900-2000 per rim. For certain Porsche rims, the price exceeds 2000 SGD per rim.

Cold forged rims are exceptionally strong and light. They are the best money can buy.

The benefits to cold forging are:

Very precise components and tolerances

Void of air bubbles

Very even material density

Good surface finishing due to minimal porosity

Very high material density

Very light weight wheel due to high density of material achieved

Companies that produce forged rims are NEEZ, HRE, ADV.1, Prodrive, Rays Engineering and so forth. While they are the best wheels money can buy, they are painfully expensive and thus normally do not come in small sizes. A 15” forged SSR Spec C costs around 500 SGD per piece. If you can afford one, get one. They are the best, with cold forged wheels, nothing else comes close.

Conclusion:

Wheels are an important part of your vehicle, dollar for dollar they represent the best upgrade you can make while improving your car. On the aesthetic front, they improve the look of your car like no other mod. Secondly, by allowing the decrease in rotating inertia and un-sprung mass, they provide more usable power, shorter braking distances, a more comfortable ride and improved handling.

So forget your lightened pulley systems or fancy body kits for now, put your money where it matters and where it would make the biggest difference to your drive, lap times, comfort and your safety.

Why does un-sprung mass and rotational inertia affect handling and comfort? COMING next…. The basics of handling…

I hope this sharing has managed to enlighten our esteemed readers out there.

wow informative, tks for the good job