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BlueBomber

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#43
yeah Vince Wong the guy who runs Forgestar is a friend of my local cruising group and is based out of SoCal, so is ESM Wheels, AXIS, Fifteen52... it's all about whose product you like and trust most.

Forgestars are extremely high quality wheels, but here's what I can share with you about wheel quality:

What Are Gravity Cast Wheels?
Gravity casting wheels, relatively speaking, is the easiest way to make a wheel, and is much less expensive to produce when compared to a flow-formed or forged wheel. During the Gravity Casting process, aluminum, or an alloy is poured into a mold which uses earth's gravity to form the shape and design of the wheel. Since gravity is the only force used in this type of manufacturing process, the material will not be as dense as a low pressure cast wheel (or higher quality construction methods) and so it requires more metal to achieve the same structural strength as other means of production. This means that a Gravity Cast wheel will be significantly heavier than a wheel produced with low-pressure casting or higher method of construction.

What Are Low Pressure Cast Wheels?
Low pressure casting utilizes virtually the same process as gravity casting, but with the addition of positive pressure to create higher density metal within the wheel, which translates into more structural integrity with less weight than gravity casting. Low pressure cast wheels generally cost slightly more than gravity cast wheels, and are stronger. This is the most popular production method in use today

What Are Flow Form Wheels?
Flow form casting is a procedure that turns the wheel over a special mandrel, and forms the wheel using three hydraulic rollers that apply tremendous amounts of pressure. The pressure and turning motion forces the wheel area to form against the mandrel, creating the shape and width of the wheel. During flow forming, the wheel actually "flows" down to create the full width of the wheel. During this process, pressure applied to the cast wheel actually changes its physical properties, so its strength and internal integrity characteristics become similar to those of forged wheels. The added strength relative to material density translates to up to 15% weight reduction when compared to a standard low-pressure cast wheel.

What Are Forged Wheels?
Forged wheels are manufactured using a process that results in the strongest, lightest and most durable wheel, superior to other means of production. During the forging process, aluminum is shaped under extreme pressure, which translates into a very high strength, low weight wheel. Since making a forged wheel requires very specialized forging equipment, Forged wheels consequently often command a much higher price on the aftermarket than wheels manufactured utilizing any other method.
 


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