The expert explained the high cost of forged wheels

Forged discs are much lighter and stronger than cast ones, but the complex and energy-intensive manufacturing technology significantly increases their price. Damir Mustafin, designer, Candidate of Economics, founder of the Rusch forged disc brand, told Izvestia about this.

A forged disc is on average 20-30% lighter than a cast one, while being stronger. The difference in weight on one disc can reach 3-4 kg. This improves handling, increases impact resistance, reduces suspension wear, and reduces vibration and tire wear.

Unlike cast discs, which are produced by pouring molten aluminum into molds, forged discs are ground from a single aluminum billet. It is pre-pressed at a pressure of up to 12 thousand tons at a temperature of about 500 ° C, said the founder of the Rusch brand. As a result of this forging, aluminum acquires a high density, uniform structure and increased strength. This is followed by many hours of CNC machining, finishing and strict quality control. This process inevitably affects the cost of the disk.

A high-quality forged disc must be designed by an experienced engineer, taking into account load distribution, vehicle weight, brake diameter, and other factors. Not only strength and weight are important, but also design — both aesthetics and the geometry of the spokes, Mustafin noted.

Forged wheels are in demand primarily in the premium segment, motorsport and custom culture, where the requirements for strength, weight and unique design come to the fore. Mass-market manufacturers such as Toyota, Volkswagen or Hyundai practically do not use forged wheels on production models.

"A lot of "hybrid" terms have spread on the market: Flow Forged, Flow Formed, Forged+, Hybrid Forged and others. In most cases, this is not real forging, but advanced casting with partial rim rolling. This method really improves the properties compared to classical casting, but it is far from reaching the level of real forging," Damir Mustafin warned.

According to him, manufacturers use these names as a marketing technique: visually, the disk may look "almost like forged," but its strength and weight characteristics are different. The cost of Flow Forged is lower, but the operational properties are inferior.

The expert advised those who are looking for real "forging" to pay attention to the production method. The description should explicitly state: monoblock forged, fully forged, billet forged.

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