swartzzz

I have a question. I have a set of older CCW C14 track wheels that are anodized black, and I also took advantage of the Gang-up offer to be one of he first to purchase a set of the new Porsche fitment Apex SM-10 wheels in Satin Black. The question I have, is there a difference in the Flow Forged process of the APEX as it compares to the Monoblock Forge of the CCW? I definitely don't race, but the car is set up for the track, and tracked OFTEN. I have brand-new Apex wheels, and used CCW's that need refinished. Not sure which route to go. Thinking that powder coating the CCW's would be really nice! But, I like the way the Apex SM-10's look best.

Let me know your thoughts!

Scooby921

Completely different production process. The CCW is a fully forged wheel. They take a solid billet, heat it, and then use really high pressure to force it into a die and create the net shape. Some machining operations later and you have a wheel. Flow forming / forging is a cast wheel and the only part which is forged is the rim. It's essentially put on a lathe with big drum to support the barrel of the wheel. They heat it and use pressure and rollers to form the rim.

This video around the 35 minute mark covers Alcoa forging the big, wide, and light monoblock wheels for the Lamborghini Murcielago SV.


This is flow forming / forging (also called rotary forging). The main shape is a pressure die casting and the barrel of the rim is then "forged" from the narrower, thicker initial casting.

When properly designed both wheels can be exactly the same strength and durability. The forged wheel, due to internal work-hardening during processing, can provide that strength at a lower weight. If the CCW wheels are older and have seen a lot of track time I would go with the new Apex wheels for track duty. Under the loads of racing or track days wheels do become wear items. They flex and bend and at some point will reach a fatigue limit and crack. I would put more trust in the new wheels that haven't seen any abuse yet.

swartzzz

Thank you! That is awesome! I appreciate your response.

fnel1771

FrenchToast

To clarify, fully forged is relative. For example, the original Fuchs wheels also had the center spokes forged. That is rarely done because the tooling is exorbitantly expensive.



AFAIK, Fuchs is one of the only companies that makes wheels this way, and only a few of their wheels are constructed like this.

But, like you say, most Fuchs wheels are pretty fatigued at this point. Even if they weren't fatigued, their original design is not the strongest.

I agree with you. Wheels are a wear item often overlooked. (Everything is a wear item, ultimately). Suspension components, wheels, and other critical parts should be regularly inspected if the car is tracked.
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