ColoGreyStang10

http://www.americanmuscle.com/msbull...0x10-0509.html

I really like the way the above Black Bullitt Motorsport wheels look. But as I scan web sites looking at wheels, you never see much about how they are made, or even what they are made of. I don't even know if the above is a good name brand, or crap. I see wheels that are much more expensive wheels, but are you paying for the look or how they are made?

What are the indicators of a well made wheel?

socalwrench

This is something that I always think about when buying wheels, and is why I usually use an OEM made wheel (not necessarily made for my car). I came to the conclusion to that the OEM wheels undergo stricter testing, and must be made to a high strength, stay round, and remain balanced.

To me, it comes down to accountability. Does the small no-name brand company care that their wheel begins to crack after a few months use? Probably not.

Now, there are a few companies that I have come to trust from my own use, and the use of others, but usually cost more- Fikse, HRE, 5Zigen and American Racing.

Argonaut

I agree. To add a little more info:

Most wheels out there are aluminum.

The AM wheels are cast aluminum (at least my AM DD Bullets are). Many aftermarket cheap (under $300/wheel) wheels are made offshore (read "china") and are cast. Depending on design, they are generally heavy and not the strongest thing out there, they will break rather than bend. These make good street and "bling" wheels but personally I wouldn't use them for demanding applications.

There are variations of cast aluminum ("spun cast" is one example, there are others) that are generally lighter, stronger and more expensive. See the Steeda, Enkei, 5Zigen, etc wheels. These are frequently used in high performance driving and competition where weight is more important as well as just general purpose street use.

Then there are "forged" wheels. Lighter, stronger and more expensive. They are "forged" in very high pressure presses. Some are 1 piece, some are 2 or 3 piece wheels bolted together. You are talking > $2000 to outfit your car with these (not including rubber). Very appropriate where lightness and strength are requirements - road racing, AX, hill climb, etc. CCW is a US company making some awesome wheels, but you sure pay for them.

Disclaimer - I'm not an expert, I have a set of track wheels (forged) and a set of street wheels (cast), I also had a set of spun cast in the past, so I have researched this a bit. I am probably missing some variations of manufacturing techniques (carbon fiber?) but in general these are the categories the bulk of wheels out there fall into. Sort of low (cheap, weak, heavy), medium (more $, stronger, lighter) and high (big $, strongest, lightest).

ab

Good to know thank you.

nmd55

+1 on forged, only way to go!

Sleeper_08

Argonaut's summary is consistent with my research when I was looking for wheels for my DD/track car. I ended up getting the Steeda Ultra-Lite wheels because they seemed to offer a reasonable compromise of weight, strength and price in an 18 x 9.5 size. Steeda uses a "pressure casting tecnique" which they say makes them stronger. Last year I had an "event" on the track and bent a wheel badly enough that it had to be replaced but it did not crack so I feel even more comfortable with them now.

I'd like forged wheels but the budget won't stretch that far

Considering the investment people have in their cars and the risks involved it is hard to understand why they buy cheap wheels.

Here an article Google turned up on all carbon fibre wheels

http://www.carbonfibergear.com/weds-...n-fiber-wheel/

they are expensive!

Norm Peterson

If it mentions "TUV", you're in good shape.


Norm

Philostang

Hey Colo,

I feel your pain; there's nothing more aggravating than an attractive product with so little information in the ad that you can't make an informed decision. I'm no expert either, but I do have some information for you to consider.

First a piece of advice, if I may. Call up or email American Muscle and just ask them who the manufacturer is and what else they know of the quality standards the wheel was built towards. If they won't give you such basic information, stay away from it.

It pays to do some homework on this. Sometimes a company will outsource their wheel production from a very reputable company...and sometimes from lord knows who. In the former case, you can get a good deal on a less-known brand that is still made to very high standards (ex: TR Motorsports MT1 wheels, I believe TireRack's in-house offering, are made by Enkei, a very reputable Japanese manufacturer).

Now the info. Norm pointed out that wheels built to international quality standards are better trusted than wheels built to no pre-specified standard at all. "TUV" is the German quality standard, but there are others (ex. "VIA" from Japan). Ironically, that's the problem with "American made" wheels. We haven't yet set up enforcement to a common standard for wheel production. Obviously, some American wheel manufacturers have taken matters into their own hands and offer extremely high quality wheels (CCW was previously mentioned, and there are none finer than John's wheels). But here you have to go on reputation. So again, you really need to know who's making those American Muscle wheels.

You can read more about this at the TireRack (whether you buy from them or not, they have a lot of tech articles on wheels and tires). Here are a few links.

General wheel tech: http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/index.jsp
Wheel Construction: http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/....jsp?techid=90
What is Quality: http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/....jsp?techid=96

I hope that helps.
Best,
-j

ColoGreyStang10

Great info! THANKS!

ColoGreyStang10

How about these Saleen Wheels, I can't find any information on them.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/20-Fo...Q5fAccessories