The difference and advantages of casting and forging wheels

The wheel is also called the rim. The most common way to upgrade car wheels is switch to aluminum alloy wheels, or to improve the performance of the car with larger size wheels,performance and appearance is wheels focus on,but  from a production process point of view to analyze alloy wheels. Do you really know how to choose the wheels that works best for your car?

Different processes of different nature
There are several different processes of factory used to produce alloy wheels, each offering its own unique pros and cons. The most popular process of wheel production are: gravity casting, low pressure casting, Flow-forming,and forging.Below you will find an explanation of each process, so you can better judge for yourself which type of wheels would best suit your car.Although many people confuse “light weight” and “performance”, the main strength for a performance wheel is the proper “Stiffness-to-Weight Ratio”. Many companies will tout how “light” their “Performance” wheel is,and consequently, many only look at the “weight” and not consider the stiffness, load ratings or durability aspects needed to create a proper high-performance wheel.

Gravity Casting Process

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 process)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 process of construction.

Low Pressure Casting Process

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 usually cost slightly more than gravity cast, and are stronger.

Flow Forming Casting Process

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.

Forged Process

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 alloy wheels than Wheels manufactured utilizing any other process.