20" 3 piece forged wheel for $777 ?
04-22-04, 09:46 AM
#16
did i tell you guys that i am in cali? 
thanks for the awesome inside bob, great that you leak out some insider news, it's helpful to a lot of people to understand how things work. and i can't agree more on the part about quality -- even if it's forged, it doesn't means it's strong.
thanks for the awesome inside bob, great that you leak out some insider news, it's helpful to a lot of people to understand how things work. and i can't agree more on the part about quality -- even if it's forged, it doesn't means it's strong.
04-22-04, 10:36 AM
#17
Lexus Champion
Originally posted by rominl
-- even if it's forged, it doesn't means it's strong.
-- even if it's forged, it doesn't means it's strong.
I am one of those American's SoCalSC4 mentioned that thought " because it is made in America there must be a specific set of standards the product must pass prior to sale."
Now that you have seen my list of companies and wheel styles, can you recommend any of those that are on my list or offer a "STAY-AWAY-AT-ALL-COSTS" head's up for me?
At the risk of being banned, I have to make this statement. I feel like some members on CL have "HRE snobbery". If you don't have HRE's - you're riding on *****!!! Just because we drive nice cars doesn't mean we are willing to spend, $7K on rims.
[disclaimer] I would love a set of 19x8.5 | 19x9.5 HRE 540R [/disclaimer]
Last edited by TwentyTen; 04-22-04 at 10:38 AM.
04-22-04, 11:01 AM
#18
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Hey Darius, I think alot of us like HRE's alot and would love to have them so they are kinda held in high regard, may come off as snobbish I guess. kinda like JP tails!
Anyway, I would stay away from GFG, not because they are not nice wheels, but due to their pricing. I think they have some great looking styles, but a 20x10 wheel is 1700 bucks on Superbuytires. I think that is a very high price for a wheel line that was introduced last year.
Now to confuse the issue even more, can we talk about billet wheels? From my understanding:
Billet is cut or milled out of solid state metal
Forged is PRESSED out of solid state metal (high pressure)
Cast is liquid state metal poured into a mold
Is that right? Best out of 3?
Anyway, I would stay away from GFG, not because they are not nice wheels, but due to their pricing. I think they have some great looking styles, but a 20x10 wheel is 1700 bucks on Superbuytires. I think that is a very high price for a wheel line that was introduced last year.
Now to confuse the issue even more, can we talk about billet wheels? From my understanding:
Billet is cut or milled out of solid state metal
Forged is PRESSED out of solid state metal (high pressure)
Cast is liquid state metal poured into a mold
Is that right? Best out of 3?
04-22-04, 12:00 PM
#19
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
Hey rominl, If the HRE 545R had wider spokes I would let my Wife buy them for me , Don't get me wrong I am not looking for the cheap way out, I am looking for a certain 5 spoke look.............Like the DPE 5 spoke seems to be my favorite style so far..........So romini any help is welcome, thank you !................MIKE
04-22-04, 12:52 PM
#20
Originally posted by Lexkost
Hey rominl, If the HRE 545R had wider spokes I would let my Wife buy them for me , Don't get me wrong I am not looking for the cheap way out, I am looking for a certain 5 spoke look.............Like the DPE 5 spoke seems to be my favorite style so far..........So romini any help is welcome, thank you !................MIKE
Hey rominl, If the HRE 545R had wider spokes I would let my Wife buy them for me , Don't get me wrong I am not looking for the cheap way out, I am looking for a certain 5 spoke look.............Like the DPE 5 spoke seems to be my favorite style so far..........So romini any help is welcome, thank you !................MIKE
in fact that's something i don't like about the 545 too, i think the spokes are somewhat "not thick enough and not thin enough". maybe that's just me. but on the LS i guess that already looks better than the 547r. in terms of style i think the iforged aero looks better.Darius2004, just to clarify, i would hate to see anyone here who says hre or death too. it's meaningless and stupid imho. there ARE other good wheels for reasonable price here. imho hre is very good, and worth the money (otherwise iw ouldn't have gotten it), but there are definitely other options there.
plus if you ask 540r, it's not THAT expensive. yes it's more on the expensive side, but last time i check for example the iforged same style aren't signigifcanly cheaper
04-22-04, 01:22 PM
#21
Lexus Champion
HRE wheels are certianly high quality and very respectable.
However, Symbolic Wheels also make a very quality high-end product that is probably more geared to the luxury market and Bling Bling Crowd.
I have talked to many of my industry contacts and all speak highly of Symbolic and its products.
Just wanted to set the record stright and clarify things.
Ted
However, Symbolic Wheels also make a very quality high-end product that is probably more geared to the luxury market and Bling Bling Crowd.
I have talked to many of my industry contacts and all speak highly of Symbolic and its products.
Just wanted to set the record stright and clarify things.
Ted
04-22-04, 01:38 PM
#22
Lexus Champion
Thanks for the quick replies! Rominl: What kind of deal can you get on HRE, PM if you need to? Anything in my price range? ($3500 a set).
D: doing a quick search, I found this explanation from Boyd Coddington:
Q: What is the difference between billet and forged wheels?
A: Billet wheels are made of billet aluminum, which is a very dense and strong aluminum. Billet is only used in the center of the wheel, and a spun aluminum barrel is used. Forged billet wheels are heat treated to make the aluminum dense. Forged barrels are used on the wheels, making them stronger overall rim than billet rims.
A: Billet wheels are made of billet aluminum, which is a very dense and strong aluminum. Billet is only used in the center of the wheel, and a spun aluminum barrel is used. Forged billet wheels are heat treated to make the aluminum dense. Forged barrels are used on the wheels, making them stronger overall rim than billet rims.
Lexkost The 545 are nice!
Ted: Thanks for the clarification!
Last edited by TwentyTen; 04-22-04 at 01:40 PM.
04-22-04, 01:56 PM
#23
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
Darius2004, Look at the DPE's in this forum ..............Look Here:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...hreadid=117529
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...hreadid=117529
Last edited by Lexkost; 04-22-04 at 01:58 PM.
04-22-04, 06:37 PM
#24
Lexus Champion
Originally posted by Lexkost
Darius2004, Look at the DPE's in this forum ..............Look Here:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...hreadid=117529
Darius2004, Look at the DPE's in this forum ..............Look Here:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...hreadid=117529
04-22-04, 06:57 PM
#25
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
Originally posted by Darius2004
Yeah, those are nice. Looks like they are polished instead of chrome. Isn't polish harder to maintain?
Yeah, those are nice. Looks like they are polished instead of chrome. Isn't polish harder to maintain?
04-22-04, 07:03 PM
#26
i've read and heard the stories about i-forged but i think many issues were do 2 their old facilities, they have a new bigger facility and r starting move these wheels out pretty fast....i was able 2 c at this past show a set of i-forged wheels in person 4 the 1st time and i asked if he could park next 2 a member who had hre's and i must say the quality is just flawless on both ON appearance...also in speaking 2 the owner of the i-forged , i asked him if he had any issues mounting or balanceing them, he answered no. than if he had hit and holes where he thought he bent the rim, and he said yes he a couple holes where he thought he bent it 4 sure and pullled over and it was not affected, thats what i go by....really should look at them again as an option...depending of finish he can get the wheels over pretty darn fast...
Last edited by bluelex; 04-22-04 at 07:10 PM.
04-23-04, 06:28 PM
#29
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
Originally posted by Darius2004
Thanks Blue, Thanks Lex!
Thanks Blue, Thanks Lex!
04-24-04, 01:52 AM
#30
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Cast the first stone? Check these recent links.
http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showt...&highlight=hre
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/show...?threadid=30097
http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showt...&highlight=hre
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/show...?threadid=30097
Originally posted by SoCalSC4
Interesting- they say nothing about their engineering... obviously, this is a critical part of making a wheel. In the USA, most people assume that wheels need to pass some type of minimum strength test to be sold. This is not the case- anybody with a slab of aluminum and a milling machine can get into the wheel making business. This is what really ticks me off- people always say "well, the materials are good, and they are three-piece wheels- they must be good quality." It's just not that easy.
It's funny, because I ran into two of the guys from Symbolic at the Long Beach Grand Prix last weekend- I have known one of the guys since he was a customer of mine! I should just say that there is no bad blood between us, more like a friendly rivalry. They are actually really cool guys (we are all "car guys," after all) and we are both pursuing different "types" of customers... one of the guys actually mentioned that they use us as a business model- the other commented that all their stuff looks like ours! I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery (?). At the end of the day, the company I work for is at the top of the three-piece wheel market, so it's all good.
On another note, there have been several cases where wheel manufacturers have had wheels fail catastropically on vehicles- even very recently! The "Johnny-come-lately" wheel manufacturers can get around this by paying the "injured party" off and repairing their car- or they can get out of the wheel business as a few already have (even locally in Southern California there are at least two wheel companies who have essentially vanished in the last year). I won't name names because these companies are still making and marketing other automotive products (non wheel-related) that are perfectly safe.
I am amused by the phrase "half the weight of casted." That's getting a bit technical for me... Perhaps they are referring simply to "cast" aluminum? "Casted?" Really?
Sorry for the rant, but as a dedicated employee of a company who has been doing this since 1981, perhaps I take this a bit personally... we are in this for the long-haul, not the quick buck.
Regards,
Bob Hale
Project Manager
HRE Performance Wheels
Interesting- they say nothing about their engineering... obviously, this is a critical part of making a wheel. In the USA, most people assume that wheels need to pass some type of minimum strength test to be sold. This is not the case- anybody with a slab of aluminum and a milling machine can get into the wheel making business. This is what really ticks me off- people always say "well, the materials are good, and they are three-piece wheels- they must be good quality." It's just not that easy.
It's funny, because I ran into two of the guys from Symbolic at the Long Beach Grand Prix last weekend- I have known one of the guys since he was a customer of mine! I should just say that there is no bad blood between us, more like a friendly rivalry. They are actually really cool guys (we are all "car guys," after all) and we are both pursuing different "types" of customers... one of the guys actually mentioned that they use us as a business model- the other commented that all their stuff looks like ours! I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery (?). At the end of the day, the company I work for is at the top of the three-piece wheel market, so it's all good.
On another note, there have been several cases where wheel manufacturers have had wheels fail catastropically on vehicles- even very recently! The "Johnny-come-lately" wheel manufacturers can get around this by paying the "injured party" off and repairing their car- or they can get out of the wheel business as a few already have (even locally in Southern California there are at least two wheel companies who have essentially vanished in the last year). I won't name names because these companies are still making and marketing other automotive products (non wheel-related) that are perfectly safe.
I am amused by the phrase "half the weight of casted." That's getting a bit technical for me... Perhaps they are referring simply to "cast" aluminum? "Casted?" Really?
Sorry for the rant, but as a dedicated employee of a company who has been doing this since 1981, perhaps I take this a bit personally... we are in this for the long-haul, not the quick buck.
Regards,
Bob Hale
Project Manager
HRE Performance Wheels