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Quality vs Cheap wheels

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Old 10-01-2010, 05:02 PM
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I've never came across any articles covering perfomance of quality wheels vs cheap ones. Is there a performance difference you can actually tell between a set of wheels that costs $5000 vs $1000, all else being equal, given the same car, suspension and tires? Like to learn the ins and outs of quality wheels, if any, other than the obvious brand names for show.

Let's hear it guys...

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Old 10-01-2010, 05:06 PM
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Definitely there is a difference between $5000 and $1000 wheels, most notably those $5000 wheels are going to be forged instead of cast. I guarantee you won't find $1000 wheels that are forged.

As for performance, forged wheels are generally lighter which means better performance (for the most part).

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Old 10-01-2010, 05:13 PM
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i have BBS wheels, 19 inches weighted 20 pounds compare to 19 inches cast wheels weight almost 30 pounds,

and forged wheels are stronger, went over potholes in ny, but still good, cast wheels would had bended already, and need to be repaired or replaced
Old 10-01-2010, 05:21 PM
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Also those forged wheels are going to be 2pc-3pc. Good thing about this is let's say you bend the lip, you can just replace the outer hoop instead of buying a brand new wheel.
Old 10-01-2010, 08:24 PM
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True. My 3 pc wheels has seen its share of potholes and have held up well. So, technically a 20 lbs wheel will have huge performance advantage over 30 lbs, but can the butt dyno feel the difference?

Also, $5000 per set is really steep these days, tires extra. What is entry price range for 19" or 20" forged wheels, 1, 2 or 3 piece, or decent condition used?
Old 10-01-2010, 08:30 PM
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All the DPE wheels I sell are under $5000. Avg cost of forged wheels don't go for that much.

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Old 10-02-2010, 12:19 AM
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30lbs for 19"s??? damn... i thought they were around 25-27 for cast
Old 10-02-2010, 10:38 AM
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I guess since I'm not tracking it, there's now way I'd pay 5X the price for forged. I'll just fix my cast.
Old 10-02-2010, 10:55 AM
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That's not always the be all end all question, will I track it? If you want a deep dish wheel and put a 3pc/2pc forged wheel next to a cast, you'll immediately notice the difference in craftsmanship. Also, those cast deep dish wheels are rarely built specifically for your application whereas the forged wheels are. The final product will yield you a larger lip, lighter and better quality wheel.

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Originally Posted by CWS530
I guess since I'm not tracking it, there's now way I'd pay 5X the price for forged. I'll just fix my cast.
Old 10-02-2010, 03:50 PM
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Originally Posted by acuteperformance
That's not always the be all end all question, will I track it? If you want a deep dish wheel and put a 3pc/2pc forged wheel next to a cast, you'll immediately notice the difference in craftsmanship. Also, those cast deep dish wheels are rarely built specifically for your application whereas the forged wheels are. The final product will yield you a larger lip, lighter and better quality wheel.

Michael
Acute Performance
You take all the fun out of over-simplification.


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