What makes a good wheel? And cheapest place to buy....

[Mckenzie]

In search of a quality wheel.....

What is the deal between 1/2/3 peice wheels?

Quality? Fixability? Price?

There are sooo many wheel makers on the web it is a bit confusing as to who to go with?

I also hear that some of the bigger names put out cheaper wheels just have their name on it.

Some of the ones I am looking at:

5Zigen 5ZR Hyper:
http://www.victoriatire.com/wheels.h...del%5D&size=18

Volk Racing 57F Pro:

http://store.finalstageauto.net/18ragr57pwhw1.html

Racing Hart CX/C5:

http://www.dazzmotorsports.com/wheels_rhe.asp

SSR GT1:

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Displ...t+Silver+Paint

[dj_honda]

1 piece usually just a cast one piece cast or forged one piece wheel.

2 piece usually has a separate center piece attached to the outer, again cast/forged.

3 piece usually has the seperate center piece, and also a seperate outer piece, along with the main spokes....most of the time the spokes are connected with bolts along the outer rim.

casting a wheel is making a mold and pouring liquid metal in it.
forging is basically a huge press that presses a heated piece of metal into a wheel. basically forged wheels are usually stronger and lighter. basic reason why cast wheel is not as strong is cuz when pouring in the mold, the metal could end up porous...any type of metalwork where strength is an issue, it is forged. for example the company my dad works for makes various oil drill bits/teeth, and everything is forged then heat treated for strength

basically look for a forged wheel if you are worried about strength and weight, they are usually more expensive.

for the companies....there are lots, i say look for a wheel that fits your needs and i personally would go with one with some racing/automotive background. i mean you can open up a superstreet and you will see like 50 different companies, but only some of them have the background etc. that you know you can trust.

just my opinions....also i would say the ssr are nice.

[B20EF]

Just bought Toyo's at tirecraft on mcleod today, they always treat me good, they have a sale right on them

[ACS-e36]

get the SSR's

[hjr]

i was under the impression that the more pieces the wheel was forged with the lighter it could be made. the downside is that it was not as rigid. easier to warp or put out of round.

[Mckenzie]

Thanks for the clarification on the forged v. cast.

So if I am going with forged then, should I go with a 1 peice or 3 peice or does it even matter?

I mean, if I damage a wheel, I am assuming a 3 peice would be easier to fix, or no?

[dj_honda]

i am not sure about the ease of fixing as i have no experience with that so i dont want to give you any wrong advice or anything, your best bet is to talk to someone with a 3 piece wheel who has had to fix them...or maybe even phone up alberta wheel and ask.

as far as whether to go with 1 piece or 3 piece i believe what hjr has said makes sense and that the 3 piecers may not be as rigid. not sure though so maybe do some research on it.

i am pretty sure you won't be doing anything to extreme anyways(on the track every week or something) so most likely choosing between the 1,2 or 3 piece should mostly be aesthetic for you.

[three.eighteen.]

there are also quality cast rims...cast does not necessarily mean crap OZ, BBS make great cast rims