Wheel Construction

There are many was to construct alloy wheels. Most alloy wheels are made in either one, two or three piece construction types. One piece is just what it says, a wheel made in a mold as a single piece. Two piece wheels are made of two separate pieces (center and barrel) that are usually welded or bolted together. Three piece wheels are made of three separate pieces. They have a center, and inside rim half, and an outside rim half. They are bolted together using the highest quality fasteners.

Manufacturing method is very important in the overall quality and performance of a wheel. Here are the most common types of manufacturing techniques employed:

Forging
Considered to be the best manufacturing technique, forging allows for the compression of an aluminum billet (one solid piece of aluminum) into an aluminum wheel using over 13 million pounds of pressure combined with heat. This produces a wheel that is both stronger and lighter then your standard aluminum wheel.

A subset of forging is called roll forging. In this process, a metal blank is run through rollers with impressions sunk in to their surface giving the wheel its final shape. This allows the wheel to be produced with less aluminum, reducing weight but maintaining strength.

Low Pressure Casting
This is the most common form of rim manufacturing. Much like a casting, liquid metal is poured into a mold and allowed to harden until the finished wheel is cool enough to be taken out of the casting.

Counter Pressure Casting
Opposite to low pressure casting, the liquid metal is not poured, rather it is sucked into the mold using a vacuum. This reduces impurities making the wheel much stronger than a low pressure cast rim.

It is important to keep your wheels clean at all times. Your brakes will cause the wheels to heat up, and this heat in turn can cause any dirt or brake dust to cook in to the clear coat. If this happens, there's not a lot you can do besides having the wheels refinished. Protect your investment and keep your wheels clean!

Below are some simple instructions on how take care of your wheels:

• Do not use household cleaners or other detergents to clean your wheels. The best wheel cleaning solution is a mild soap and water solution (what ever you would trust on the paint of your car).  
  
• Clean with a soft, un-abrasive cloth. Only on polished wheels can you use aluminum wheel polish. If you use this polish on chrome, painted, or clear coated wheels, you will only scratch or dull the finish.
  
• Do not use steam cleaners in automatic car washes.
  
• Do not use any tire cleaners on your wheels.
  
• Clean wheels when they are cool. Heat can cause the soap to dry on the wheel and become difficult to rinse off.
  
• Clean one wheel at a time. This also prevents the soap from drying on to the wheel.
  
• After the wheels are clean and dry, apply a coat of soft paste style wax to them. This will create a moisture barrier and help ensure the finish lasts as long as possible.