View Full Version : Forged Aluminum Wheels
We were disappointed with the FFR wheels 17x9 and 17x10.5 and we would like to get recommendations for some forged aluminum wheels.
I've had a heck of a time finding any, though. They seem to all be being made in much larger diameters and with bolt patterns that won't fit.
Do you guys know of ones that work? Pictures are always appreciated if you have an extra few seconds.
Thanks.
--Rich
chopthebass
12-04-2014, 02:54 PM
Out of interest, what wasn't you happy with on the FFR wheels?
They took a lot of weights to balance when we had the tires mounted. A very unusually high amount of weights. It has made us wonder if the wheels are poorly made. They are made in China....
We also just want to know that the wheels we are running are capable of holding up to hard use without much deflection or (God forbid) chance of breaking.
Any help guys? Please?
edwardb
12-14-2014, 04:23 PM
Call Richard Oben at North Racecars Replica. http://www.northracecars.com/ Knows our cars inside and out and sells Team III wheels. I had Team III's on my Mk3, and they're very high quality. BTW, can't speak to specific brands including Team III, but made in China isn't unusual for aftermarket wheels.
Jeff Kleiner
12-14-2014, 04:39 PM
Surely you don't really mean forged wheels. If you do be prepared to spend north $1,000 per corner! The FFR wheels are cast as are Team III. If you truly want forged start with Forgeline but if you're after a high quality cast wheel you won't go wrong with a set of Team IIIs from Richard Oben as edwardb suggests.
Jeff
maczter
12-14-2014, 05:26 PM
When you have that much of a off balance issue, it may not be the wheel's sole fault, it could be your tires. Most wheels, even the Chinese ones, are pretty uniform. A good tire shop, discovering a need for a large amount of weight at one area, would (or at least should), deflate the tire, break the bead and rotate the tire on the rim. This is can even out a huge imbalance. Before investing large $$ in new wheels, try a new tire shop!
fact5racer
12-14-2014, 06:10 PM
When you have that much of a off balance issue, it may not be the wheel's sole fault, it could be your tires. Most wheels, even the Chinese ones, are pretty uniform. A good tire shop, discovering a need for a large amount of weight at one area, would (or at least should), deflate the tire, break the bead and rotate the tire on the rim. This is can even out a huge imbalance. Before investing large $$ in new wheels, try a new tire shop!
Totally agree with this!
I got Sparcos for mine from Tire rack with 17's in the front and 18's in the rear for relatively cheap money. They also come is many different colors too.
http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/r567/fact5racer/IMG_13681.jpg
http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/r567/fact5racer/IMG_13681.jpg (http://s1172.photobucket.com/user/fact5racer/media/IMG_13681.jpg.html)
And yes, that is my English Bull Terrier performing security in the background.
Yes we do mean forged aluminum. We are also willing to look at other, more exotic alloys.
I will look to Forgeline to a start. Thanks for the tip.
Any others?
MPTech
12-15-2014, 09:01 PM
First I've heard these issues with the FFR wheels and I've seen plenty on these roadsters and coupes. First-hand experience, mine balanced pretty easily. Was your problem with all 4? Maybe their quality has deteriorated.
CHOTIS BILL
12-16-2014, 08:55 AM
When I was racing I changed tires quite often and sometimes it took a lot more weights to balance the same wheel. The difference was in the tires. You may have gotten a tire that needs more weights because of it being heavy on one side. I have the same FFR wheels and none of them seem to take a large amount of weights. I haven’t looked for some time but tires use to have a mark just above the bead that marked the light spot on the tire and was meant to align with the valve stem which should be the heavy part of the wheel. You might check and see if your tire has such a mark and if it is close to the valve stem.
Bill Lomenick
Avalanche325
12-16-2014, 09:09 AM
We also just want to know that the wheels we are running are capable of holding up to hard use without much deflection or (God forbid) chance of breaking.
Any help guys? Please?
There are lots of the FFR wheels that see track time and autocross. I don't recall anyone breaking one. With a 3 link, I did get some rub on the panhard bracket on the passenger side. But it is very close there. I think most wheels could deflect enough to rub. A little clearancing of the bracket and it should be OK.
Thanks for the feedback guys, we're running the IRS.
The wheels were checked for balance before the tires were mounted. Its the wheels.
The tires were mounted properly with the dot to balance as best as possible. Only then were the weights added.
Still looking for wheels....feels like a saga for some reason.
cobraguy13
12-16-2014, 01:04 PM
This is what I do for a living and it really sounds as though the wheels were not installed correctly to the balancer or the calibration of the balancer was incorrect. I have built 7 roadsters with the FFR wheels and had no problems with balance except for tire issues. I recommend finding a tire shop with a Road Force Balancer from Hunter and get the wheels and tires match mounted.
NHFFRDoc
12-16-2014, 06:43 PM
The Bonspeed wheels are very nice. They have a price tag to match, but american made high quality if you are willing to pay. I'm pretty sure they can do just about any custom size as well. I think they may be running a "buy 3 get the 4th free" special until the end of the year.
http://www.bonspeedwheels.com/
-Eric (unfortunately, I have no affiliation with above company, though I have listened to a lot of Van Halen in my day...)