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Old 02-14-2015, 05:47 PM   #40 (permalink)
Fishey
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There are a bunch of differences when it comes to wheels and generally I would say most people the look really is the only thing that matters.

However, if your one of those people that are really into performance some things make the small differences.

First, Volk/Rays has one of the most impressive build processes I have ever seen for a wheel. Unlike a HRE/Forgeline they forged the wheel center into its desired shape. This has a few advantages as it allows for an extremely strong spoke design. This is because you never have to cut across the crystalline structure of the aluminum. However, they are limited on designs so weight/strength really isn't improved in this process. They seem reluctant to do any additional machining beyond the original forging.

The Second thing about forging the center of the wheel and then attaching the inner and outer rim shells is that you end up with no spoke support on the outer lip. You will also find a lot of designs they use like the TE-37 have a nice 45 before it attaches to the rim-shell making it much more likely to flex. There is very little difference between most of the volk monoblock designs and a 3pc wheel when it comes to stiffness as a result.

I don't know alot about the SSR process but its seems like it wouldn't have the same strength as a high pressure forged billet. I really do not know much beyond the fact they don't use a traditional forging process.

When you look at an HRE or Forgline 1pc design almost all of them bring the spoke flush to the outter edge of the wheel. Which some people don't find as attractive but if your looking for outside lip you can always run a 3pc design. The real advantage to the 1pc is that you get this extra stiffness.

Last edited by Fishey; 02-16-2015 at 10:58 AM.
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