21" Gl550 Amg Wheels And Tires Fs
03-28-2008, 08:41 PM
#32
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2007 GL320 CDI, 2001 TJ Rockcrawler, 2005 Scoobie STI
Forged aluminum is stronger compared with the same mass of cast material. Therefore, when they are machined, the manufacturers are able to take away more material from the spokes and retain the same strength as cast wheels. Its not really that forged aluminum weighs less than cast aluminum. So really, manufacturers have the ability to make forged wheels lighter than cast wheels, but that does not always mean that all forged wheels are lighter than cast wheels. Its really up to the manufacturer and based on the overall design. I have seen some of the bling bling railroad traincar sized forged wheels that weigh a ton simply because of the wheel design which retains a lot of the original aluminum material.
In addition, due to the porosity of cast wheels, when they are bent or damaged, they tend to crack rather than just bend, forged wheels usually just bend, so for example, if you damage the lip of a wheel rim, cast wheels are generally not repairable since they usually crack whereas forged wheels can be bent back to the original shape.
Lastly, the lightness of a wheel is a relative thing when used on a 3 ton SUV that will never see the track... You would probably never notice the difference in weight on a GL, whereas on my little AutoX Subaru which is light to begin with every lb makes a noticable difference, especially when the weight is unsprung.
Probably more than most ever wanted to know about forged vs. cast, but now you know... None the less
03-29-2008, 01:02 AM
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E55
Some more info... Forged wheels are produced from a solid chunk of billet aluminum... Usually they are machined directly from a round block... Cast wheels are made by pouring liquid aluminum into a wheel mold and then minimally machined for cleaning up the cast flashing to create the final product. Cast aluminum is more porous and contains microscopic flaws that are not present in forged aluminum. The porosity and flawing reduce the strength.
Forged aluminum is stronger compared with the same mass of cast material. Therefore, when they are machined, the manufacturers are able to take away more material from the spokes and retain the same strength as cast wheels. Its not really that forged aluminum weighs less than cast aluminum. So really, manufacturers have the ability to make forged wheels lighter than cast wheels, but that does not always mean that all forged wheels are lighter than cast wheels. Its really up to the manufacturer and based on the overall design. I have seen some of the bling bling railroad traincar sized forged wheels that weigh a ton simply because of the wheel design which retains a lot of the original aluminum material.
In addition, due to the porosity of cast wheels, when they are bent or damaged, they tend to crack rather than just bend, forged wheels usually just bend, so for example, if you damage the lip of a wheel rim, cast wheels are generally not repairable since they usually crack whereas forged wheels can be bent back to the original shape.
Lastly, the lightness of a wheel is a relative thing when used on a 3 ton SUV that will never see the track... You would probably never notice the difference in weight on a GL, whereas on my little AutoX Subaru which is light to begin with every lb makes a noticable difference, especially when the weight is unsprung.
Probably more than most ever wanted to know about forged vs. cast, but now you know... None the less
Forged aluminum is stronger compared with the same mass of cast material. Therefore, when they are machined, the manufacturers are able to take away more material from the spokes and retain the same strength as cast wheels. Its not really that forged aluminum weighs less than cast aluminum. So really, manufacturers have the ability to make forged wheels lighter than cast wheels, but that does not always mean that all forged wheels are lighter than cast wheels. Its really up to the manufacturer and based on the overall design. I have seen some of the bling bling railroad traincar sized forged wheels that weigh a ton simply because of the wheel design which retains a lot of the original aluminum material.
In addition, due to the porosity of cast wheels, when they are bent or damaged, they tend to crack rather than just bend, forged wheels usually just bend, so for example, if you damage the lip of a wheel rim, cast wheels are generally not repairable since they usually crack whereas forged wheels can be bent back to the original shape.
Lastly, the lightness of a wheel is a relative thing when used on a 3 ton SUV that will never see the track... You would probably never notice the difference in weight on a GL, whereas on my little AutoX Subaru which is light to begin with every lb makes a noticable difference, especially when the weight is unsprung.
Probably more than most ever wanted to know about forged vs. cast, but now you know... None the less
So are all OEM wheels forged or cast? Like the GL 550 wheels.
I wish someone would buy a set of these GL 550 wheels and put them on their GL 320 and GL 450 and post pics. I would sure like to see how they look.
03-31-2008, 11:11 PM
#37
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'07 GL 450, '02 S 80 T6
Originally Posted by miacane
Here are some quick pics of a GL450 with GL550 wheels. I caught these the other day.
Thanks for posting.
03-31-2008, 11:26 PM
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'07 GL 450, '02 S 80 T6
Originally Posted by Danno4x4
Probably more than most ever wanted to know about forged vs. cast, but now you know... None the less
Yes, there are and will be exceptions to this to prove Darwin was right
Guilty!
04-01-2008, 07:24 PM
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E55
06-02-2008, 11:17 PM
#41
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550 Wheels on 450
Anybody got some good pictures? Do you really need to get the fender flares? Do the fill wheel well and or stick out?
Anybody?
Thanks,
Anybody?
Thanks,
