SurfSwitch

Just wanted to follow up on this. I got my new wheel today, on time and as promised from Forgestar. Zero hassle, and as I said before, they offered to ship me a new wheel before I even asked for it. I've got to give them credit, as much as it bothered me that the wheel cracked, I have nothing but good things to say about how they handled it. I'd gamble on another set (and might for my fiance's 335i), since I really feel like this is a pretty one off problem. Tomespo is totally right, it's worth it to have him powder coat them properly. Still, it's a lightweight wheel at a fair price. I've seen a few cracked HREs and BBSs in my day too. At least I know Forgestar won't bat an eye or give me any run around if I ever have a problem.

ZephyrAMG

Very nice! Glad it worked out!

Roswell

Glad they took care of u.. Hope the color matches the other 3 wheels.

SurfSwitch

It's obviously quite a bit cleaner since these have 40k more miles or so on them, but it's actually a better match than I expected.

tc1728

That's nice that they replaced the wheel and all but what if you did not notice the crack when you did? I would have asked Forgestar for some, or all of my money back and get some wheels less prone to cracking. As others have said, all wheels can crack, but seems like certain brands crack more often.

Diabolis

I am not suggesting or implying that Tomespo is in any way doing something wrong - but you guys all know that powder-coating (or chemically stripping) forged wheels can significantly weaken them structurally, right? You can sand-blast, paint and polish them all you want, but once you heat up the (forged) metal past a certain temperature or for too long, you will change the grain structure.

SurfSwitch

Yeah, that's a long discussed topic. Choose your powder coater carefully. Some know what they're doing and a lot more don't. I know Tom knows his stuff, so it's why I mentioned him.

Diabolis

That's great to hear. I wish there was a local shop around Toronto that could safely do wheels. I've had cylinder head covers and belly pans done at a local place with excellent results, but I do know that they bake the finish at well over 200 C (395 F), which is too high for wheels.

Philipangoo

Surf,

When did you get your wheels? Did he just replace them under the warranty ?

LuisC55AMG

That is good news, good to know that Forgestar takes care of their stuff... Maybe I should buy ones ;-)

rage2

Not sure if it makes any difference, but Forgestar wheels aren't forged. They're Spun Cast. Not sure if that makes it any difference in what temperature it can withstand in powder coating applications.

Diabolis

In this particular case, it does - centrifugal (spin) casting does align the grain structure of the metal, so exposing it to heat past its annealing temperature will indeed weaken the structure.

A simple gravity cast (or low pressure cast) wheel on the other hand does not have a unidirectional grain pattern, so powder-coating those wheels at higher temperatures or for too long would not alter the structure of the metal.

rage2

Like I said, I wasn't sure at all. Thanks for the clarification.

Jeff SD

Did Forgestar offer an explanation as to why your wheel cracked? I have the same wheels on my Bentley and I'm very concerned ( especially considering my CGT weighs more than 2 tons).

CarHopper

You put forgestars on a bently?

-- Probably a combination of material used to produce the wheel + time + road conditions. Could've structurally worn over time and finally broke in a pothole or something like that.

Sphinx144

So what's the wheel still under warranty when they replaced and that's why they replaced it?
I have forgestars too and one of my rear wheel cracked in the inner lip.

SurfSwitch

I'm not sure if they were or not, but they didn't even ask. I just sent them pics and they sent me a new wheel.

Sphinx144

Hopefully mine don't crack on the arm. I'm getting mine fixed right now but this is the second time this happens with these wheels. I also have them in the rx-8 and they've never failed in almost 5 years.
I guess they are not designed to withstand the weight of our cars that effectively, it's annoying though to have to deal with flat tires because of it.

AMG6.3

That stinks! These wheels look good but are junk, I am glad I did not go with them.

Diabolis

Seeing as the alloy is heated during the spinning and pulling process, they're much closer to centrifugal casting in terms of molecular structure alignment and thus strength than a true forged wheel. And, judging by the number of reported failures (cracks - forged wheels usually bend when you whack them hard), I'd say they're on the "unsuitable" side for a 4000 lb car.

You get what you pay for.

Sphinx144

I've had two cracks along the inner barrel of the same wheel. Too bad they are out of warranty. I suppose this is the downside of light wheels.

AMG3.2

I hate to say this, but this is the downside of light cheap wheels.

You'd rarely see this sort of thing on a set of Volk's, etc.

Sphinx144

They came with the car. I would never buy these wheels for a car this heavy. What's a good alternative that is not $9k a set?
Lol

chrisridebike8

Yeah. TE37s are light and built like tanks! I'd kill for a set on my Lexus if I ever build it.

Sphinx144

What brand are the te37?