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There are plenty of quality options in the $4k range. I've done a lot of homework on wheels over the years and my conclusion is that "quality" is mostly defined by marketing and not manufacturing or design.
I agree you can get good quality wheels for $4,000 ish but you won't get true forged wheels that are good quality for that price. Not from a reputable source in any event. That is not a marketing thing but to get a light weight, strong wheel that is forged and made with quality material does not happen for $4K in my experience. I've owned a number of after market wheels in that price range that seemed to be great quality to me but they were either rotary forged or some other variant of a true forged wheel. To get a wheel that weighs less that the 911 Turbo wheels (23 lbs in the front) won't happen for $4K unless you are sacrificing something (like how it is made, finish quality, etc) in my personal experience.
I agree you can get good quality wheels for $4,000 ish but you won't get true forged wheels that are good quality for that price. Not from a reputable source in any event. That is not a marketing thing but to get a light weight, strong wheel that is forged and made with quality material does not happen for $4K in my experience. I've owned a number of after market wheels in that price range that seemed to be great quality to me but they were either rotary forged or some other variant of a true forged wheel. To get a wheel that weighs less that the 911 Turbo wheels (23 lbs in the front) won't happen for $4K unless you are sacrificing something (like how it is made, finish quality, etc) in my personal experience.
I appreciate that is your experience. Mine is that you can. There is no rocket science to this. Most (true) forged wheels are made with 6061 aluminum using 10k lbs of pressure. I just purchased two sets of forged wheels that weigh slightly less than equivalent OEM wheels (forged turbo and GT3) for under $4k per set. My price was the exception as I bought directly from the manufacturer through an introduction, but similar wheels retail for $3,500 to 5,000.
I agree you can get good quality wheels for $4,000 ish but you won't get true forged wheels that are good quality for that price. Not from a reputable source in any event. That is not a marketing thing but to get a light weight, strong wheel that is forged and made with quality material does not happen for $4K in my experience. I've owned a number of after market wheels in that price range that seemed to be great quality to me but they were either rotary forged or some other variant of a true forged wheel. To get a wheel that weighs less that the 911 Turbo wheels (23 lbs in the front) won't happen for $4K unless you are sacrificing something (like how it is made, finish quality, etc) in my personal experience.
I appreciate that is your experience. Mine is that you can. There is no rocket science to this. Most (true) forged wheels are made with 6061 aluminum using 10k lbs of pressure. I just purchased two sets of forged wheels that weigh slightly less than equivalent OEM wheels (forged turbo and GT3) for under $4k per set. My price was the exception as I bought directly from the manufacturer through an introduction, but similar wheels retail for $3,500 to 5,000.
Curious what wheel brand this is... I've not ever seen a set for under $4K (delivered).
Originally Posted by 4 Rings
Just bought BC Forged
went 1/2” wider in F & R
was just over $5k full 6061 forged
new wheels came in at
F 24.4 Lbs (9” wide)
R 29 Lbs (12” wide)
Agreed on BC Forged... pricing and quality are both very good and at roughly $5K, I good value.
I guess what I should have said in my earlier post was getting the wheels I wanted (style/finish) in a forged wheel, built, shipped and delivered to my house was always at least $6K+. It's entirely possible I just suck at finding the very best prices from wheel manufacturers I trust
Curious what wheel brand this is... I've not ever seen a set for under $4K (delivered).
Agreed on BC Forged... pricing and quality are both very good and at roughly $5K, I good value.
I guess what I should have said in my earlier post was getting the wheels I wanted (style/finish) in a forged wheel, built, shipped and delivered to my house was always at least $6K+. It's entirely possible I just suck at finding the very best prices from wheel manufacturers I trust
Curious - what style and finish you think you can’t get?
Agreed, there a some options for forged wheels at that price point. But to be fair, these forged wheels do not seem particularly light.
The price gets quite steeper when getting rigid, solid and lightweight forged wheels.
The OEM exclusive design wheels are 22.4 and 28.2 lbs and these have smaller width than what these BCForged wheels are spec'd. Also, lets talk about weight, rigid, and solid? What is not rigid or solid on these wheels?
All use the same grade aluminum - weight comes down to size/width of wheel and design including thickness of barrel and monoblock vs multipiece. I would argue most barrels have very similar thickness as there are no tricks to play on a barrel...too thin in an attempt to loose weight and it looses rigidness. So, if the weight is from the barrel it would not reduce rigidness but increase it. Than there is the face design - here is where most weight savings are achieved but its a fine balance between weight savings and rigidness. Like adding back pockets or doing cut outs on spokes etc. Neither increase rigidness but are intended to loose weight w/o loosing rigidness. Also, in the details of the face is most the labor/cost hidden - extra machine time costs money. But often that added machine time cost does not equal the 2 or 3x price...its all the brand, their marketing and a little of the R&D budget you pay for...but mostly brand!
Now, if you really care about weight you look for monoblock magnesium or CF barrel wheels etc. I have to smile when someone says they want a lightweight wheel and therefore use HRE, ANRKY etc or the likes and then spec a 21/22" wheel and at times a multipiece wheel.
Agreed. Mine cost a bit more than BC forged but a bargain compared to the same spec at HRE.
The weights were 19lbs and 24lbs for 9.5 inch and 12 inch width wheels. Litespeed is fantastic!
Curious what wheel brand this is... I've not ever seen a set for under $4K (delivered).
Agreed on BC Forged... pricing and quality are both very good and at roughly $5K, I good value.
I guess what I should have said in my earlier post was getting the wheels I wanted (style/finish) in a forged wheel, built, shipped and delivered to my house was always at least $6K+. It's entirely possible I just suck at finding the very best prices from wheel manufacturers I trust
My wheels were inexpensive because I bought direct from a factory that manufactures for OE use and was given special pricing. I can't disclose the seller as I am negotiating developing a line with them. As you can see, quality appears to be great and they are just as light as Porsche OEM turbo and GT3 forged wheels as well as in the range as several other brands.
Originally Posted by PorscheObsessed
Agreed. Mine cost a bit more than BC forged but a bargain compared to the same spec at HRE.
The weights were 19lbs and 24lbs for 9.5 inch and 12 inch width wheels. Litespeed is fantastic!
Those are very light and nice wheels. Mine came in at 22/25 lbs (first set). Second set is for my GT3. They are 19" and 23/25. A bit heavier relative to size due to split 7 spoke design.
The OEM exclusive design wheels are 22.4 and 28.2 lbs and these have smaller width than what these BCForged wheels are spec'd.
If you look at the turbo spec ED wheels, all are lighter while being wider in front and same width in the rear than BCForged referenced. Hence my comment that they are not particularly lightweight.
Originally Posted by Tobeit
Also, lets talk about weight, rigid, and solid? What is not rigid or solid on these wheels?
All use the same grade aluminum - weight comes down to size/width of wheel and design including thickness of barrel and monoblock vs multipiece. I would argue most barrels have very similar thickness as there are no tricks to play on a barrel...too thin in an attempt to loose weight and it looses rigidness. So, if the weight is from the barrel it would not reduce rigidness but increase it. Than there is the face design - here is where most weight savings are achieved but its a fine balance between weight savings and rigidness. Like adding back pockets or doing cut outs on spokes etc. Neither increase rigidness but are intended to loose weight w/o loosing rigidness. Also, in the details of the face is most the labor/cost hidden - extra machine time costs money. But often that added machine time cost does not equal the 2 or 3x price...its all the brand, their marketing and a little of the R&D budget you pay for...but mostly brand!
Now, if you really care about weight you look for monoblock magnesium or CF barrel wheels etc. I have to smile when someone says they want a lightweight wheel and therefore use HRE, ANRKY etc or the likes and then spec a 21/22" wheel and at times a multipiece wheel.
I never implied that the referenced BCForged wheels are not rigid not solid, I have no information nor data to that effect. My point was that to be able to go down in weight while maintaining rigidity and solidity usually means going up in price because of the design and manufacturing complexity involved. But I also agree with you, there is definitely branding/image imbedded in the pricing of many high-end wheels.
If you look at the turbo spec ED wheels, all are lighter while being wider in front and same width in the rear than BCForged referenced. Hence my comment that they are not particularly lightweight.
I never implied that the referenced BCForged wheels are not rigid not solid, I have no information nor data to that effect. My point was that to be able to go down in weight while maintaining rigidity and solidity usually means going up in price because of the design and manufacturing complexity involved. But I also agree with you, there is definitely branding/image imbedded in the pricing of many high-end wheels.
Yeah, you edited/corrected your post now. Moving on.
06-19-2023, 08:18 PM
