SRQLAW

Can someone please explain the benefits/detriment of 2pc vs. 3pc wheels? (yes I am still looking at wheels)

Thanks,
D-

okbarnett

it depends on how the mfg wants to make their wheel. Maybe one or two or three piece.
One piece are cast or forged in all one piece
Two piece have a entire one piece wheel barrel and use the center as a bolt in piece
Three piece have an inner barrel and an outer barrel as the lip and a center as a bolt in piece
it goes;
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SRQLAW

Thanks, but what about strength and weight? I have been told that 1 pc are strongest and heaviest and so forth. I prefer the multi piece wheels and am really wondering whether there is any particular advanced in going with 3 pc vs 2pc. I see that some of the custom makers actually have the same wheel availible in either a 2 or 3 pc. Thoughts?

RaFFi ///AMG

1pc are only the strongest if they are forged. MOST of the 1pc wheels out there are cast, and are likely to crack more than anything else. Personally, I like the look of multi-piece wheels rather than 1pc to achieve that deep dish look with the rivets exposed.

SRQLAW

yeah I prefer the multi-piece - just trying to figure out whether there is any diff between a 2pc and 3 pc. I understand that the issue is that the diff is that the barrel is 2pc or 1. Any benefit or detriment to the 2pc barrel design?

okbarnett

Ive had all of them and I think the 2pc is the best design

SRQLAW

Do the 3pc design need to be tightened, adjusted or otherwise re-sealed? (sorry if this sounds stupid, but I have been told by one of my local wheel people that they are constantly re-sealing 3pc wheels...whatever that means)

bigben320e

Yes they do. The silicone seal in 3 pc rims can crack, fall apart, and needs to be resealed on occasion. This can become a PITA when you have to take the car in to get the rims removed and resealed. In some cases (most people I know have had to send them off), the rims have to be sent back to the maker.

I would suggest you look at what the rims are made of and the process in which they were made with 1, 2, or 3 pc. Some 3 pc rims are a mix of forged and cast pieces, some info I found out when researching rims. There have been many cases of 3 pc forged rims cracking, flying apart, and getting bent, just keep that in mind. Whatever rim you go with, make sure it is hubcentric.

Personally, I went with 1 pc Vossen's which are tilt-cast. Pretty strong and lightweight. I did not want to deal with the silicone sealing issue, and one of main rim distributors in Atl asked a simple question: Are you taking your car on the track? For me, no, so he said 1 pc. would do fine.

Just a few things to keep in mind.

SRQLAW

Thanks for the input. I am not interested in ongoing maintenance for something like the rims - other than cleaning - the car is my daily driver and I have no desire to be swapping out wheels on an regular basis to seal or fix. I have looked the Vossen and the looks pretty good for a 1pc wheel. Another question - what is "hubcentric"???

Sunir

Hubcentric means that the hub flange locates and centers the wheel instead of the bolts, most wheels today are hubcentric especially under TUV standards. As for choices, the saying goes....strength, weight, or cost....pick 2 to to optimize that matter most, it's likely the 3rd will not be as high

I prefer single piece forged wheels... they are the lightest and strongest bar non. Prices vary depending on applications. Most teams in racing with wheel limitiations in number of wheel sets within their budgets will choose this configuration due to the weight and durabilty over the life of the rim. They can be refered to as Monoblock as they are cut from the forged 6061 pressure formed aluminum inget.

3 piece wheels are very versitila and allow for changes in tire sizes without getting new wheels, they only have forged centers on a pair of spun rim halves, hence refered to a "modular wheels"....they would be my second choice, they are heavier though than a 1 piece counterpart wheel. Again, teams with budget constraints may use this typw of wheel.

2 pc wheel are a good go between the above, decent weight, price is generally less than the 3 pc. many 2 pc wheels use a welded bead between the center and the barrel (one shell) which makes fixing more difficult as the wheel has to be cut to disasseble. This would be my third choice.

For a street wheel...anything really as long as you look at your own personal criteria. One piece would do just fine for harder street duty, or 3 pc if you needed to get the wheel repaired would be handy or if you wanted to change rim diameter or get wider tires, 3 pc would be a good choice without re-shelling the wheel as would be needed on a 2 pc.