Multi Piece Wheels
Posted on Tue 30th Oct 2018 at 11:06
Multi piece wheels are constructed after manufacture to create different results. Their production is just as fascinating. Utmost care and respect for them and the refurbishment of the wheels is paramount.
As suggested by the name, this production takes two or three outputs from the manufacturing process to makes a wheel. The hub can be cast or forged; the rim sections for 3-piece wheels are normally spun from disks of aluminium. These are then bolted to the hub and a sealant is applied. They were created in the early 1970s for racing and are now used especially on cars that take 17" and larger diameters. With this many pieces, special applications are possible, given the option of custom-tailoring the wheel.
Primarily, the alloys for 2-piece wheels are cast or spun. They then have their hub bolted, pressed or welded on. At the high end of the market it is possible to find forged rim and hub 2-piece wheels. Otherwise, 2-piece wheels are less customisable, but given their simpler assembler, much cheaper.
Newer advancements in multi-piece alloy wheel development have led to processes such as High Light Technology. This uses rollers to compress and elongate the material along the barrel of a low-pressure cast aluminium wheel to obtain the desired profile. Used in Formula 1, and extremely exclusive applications, the wheel is similar to a forged wheel. For performance wheels, the benefits are obvious. A dramatic reduction in wheel weight with enhanced structural rigidity means that the wheel becomes the ultimate alloy.