Believe it or not, some people judge a wheel’s weight by nothing more than the finish applied to the wheel. Very often chrome wheels are judged as being ‘heavy’ because they are chrome, while polished, or colored wheels are thought to be acceptable for a particular application, because their appearance does not make them seem heavy.

Nothing can be more misleading about determining a wheel’s weight as judging by the finish. In fact, of all the elements added to a wheel during manufacturing, the finish will normally add the least weight. Attention should be focused instead on the manufacturing process employed in producing the wheel. This is what will really determine if a wheel will end up being very, or moderately ‘heavy’.

There are three main methods used to manufacture wheels, each with unique characteristics with regard to wheel weight and strength.

Casting

Casting involves filling a mold with molten aluminum. This process can rely on gravity, or a low positive pressure to fill the mold. It is the most popular and most economical method of wheel production, and creates wheels of reasonable strength, but higher weight than other methods.

Flow-Forming

This method involves using a casting that is spun on a special machine. The outer section of the casting is heated, and steel rollers that are pressed against the rim are used to pull it to its’ final shape and size. A stronger and lighter wheel is produced than is possible with the casting process, but these wheels are also more expensive than those produced by casting.

Forging

Forging involves forcing heated aluminum billets between two dies and applying extremely high pressure. The resulting wheels are very strong and also very light, when compared to those produced by the other manufacturing methods. This is also the most expensive method of wheel manufacture.

Since different manufacturing methods produce very different results with regard to wheel weight and strength, it follows that  when choosing a set of wheels, if weight is an important consideration, it would be beneficial to research the production method(s) of the wheel model(s) in which one is interested. After-all, one of today’s hottest trends is creating custom finishes normally on the highest quality wheels. It would be a shame for the quality of these wheels to be misjudged - simply because of how they look.