Forged Wheels research/resources/companies/information

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Forged Wheels research/resources/companies/information

Postby Trinten » Tue Jun 05, 2012 6:38 pm

When I got my Fiero, I swore that if I was going to replace the wheels, I was going to put on something stronger, and if at all possible, lighter, than the stock wheels. While expensive, forged wheels are typically the way to go for this. The tough part is finding sizes and bolt patterns that can fit our cars.

Well, today I (re)discovered a company that I didn't investigate fully before, and then forgot about them. Boze Alloys. They have a division called "ZE Forged", and so far, all of the wheels I've looked at come in 17" (the largest I'd want to go with), numerous widths (including custom ones), and custom bolt patterns AND backspacing as part of each wheel they sell.

I really like their "Acute" series - http://www.bozeforged.com/acute.html
And their "Toxic" series - http://www.bozeforged.com/toxic.html

I'll probably go with Acute because it's likely lighter. The price tag hurts a bit, 570 per wheel... but you get what you pay for. Oh, and they do a number of different finishes plus... one of my favorite things... custom engraved center caps and/or spokes. So instead of it saying "Boze", you can get the Fiero logo done for the center cap.

I was also looking at iForged - http://iforged.com/us/ but haven't dug up much info on them. Don't get me wrong, there are a plethora of forged wheel makers out there, but many of them have 18" as the smallest size... and even those are rare!

So just in case anyone else was looking for them, I thought I'd start a thread on it.


For quick reference, on the stock Fiero wheels, I know the bolt pattern is 5x100, the center-bore is 57.1. It's my understanding that most aftermarket wheels have very large bores, and there are 'hubcentric rings' to allow proper fitment.

Here is the link to Joe Torma's awesome wheel fitment guide.

http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/058236.html

A tip I just learned today - that when using that guide (or figuring on any fitment/offset issues), remember to add the thickness of your rotors to your offset!


Another source for forged wheels that support our bolt pattern is SSR.
For example - their "Type-F" competition wheels (in 17x7.5) weigh in at 15.3 pounds, but has a 48mm offset. Not all of their wheels list weight, definitely lacking in consistency in the information and how it's presented for their wheels.
There are others on there, but that's one of the few that listed the weights - likely because it is one of their "race purpose" wheels.
1986 Pontiac Fiero GT, 355 cubic inch small block Chevy putting down 371 HP and 381 ft/lbs torque at the wheels, with more to come!
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Re: Forged Wheels research/resources/companies/information

Postby Trinten » Wed Aug 15, 2012 7:57 pm

It also appears that forgeline also does custom bolt patterns and offsets. It seems at least some of their lines are fully forged.

I noticed an odd phrase, they said that their wheels could be made to work with "center lock" applications - are our wheels center lock? Or is that just another way to say hubcentric? (which ours are, correct?)

Really like some of their Competition wheels, in the "diamond" finish.
1986 Pontiac Fiero GT, 355 cubic inch small block Chevy putting down 371 HP and 381 ft/lbs torque at the wheels, with more to come!
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Re: Forged Wheels research/resources/companies/information

Postby whiteandnerdy27 » Thu Aug 16, 2012 10:43 am

center lock wheels are just what the name suggests. wheels that lock in the center. one single lug. http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com ... a5-450.jpg
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Re: Forged Wheels research/resources/companies/information

Postby Trinten » Thu Aug 16, 2012 11:07 am

Thank you!
That was the first I had ever heard of it, and didn't have a chance to do my usual Googling Investigations. lol
1986 Pontiac Fiero GT, 355 cubic inch small block Chevy putting down 371 HP and 381 ft/lbs torque at the wheels, with more to come!
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Re: Forged Wheels research/resources/companies/information

Postby Trinten » Tue Oct 16, 2012 6:05 pm

Another place that does completely custom forged wheels -

http://www.bonspeedwheels.com/wheels.html

From their website:

"How come there are no prices on your website? Are your wheels priced by style or by size?
Every bonspeed wheel is custom built-to-order so with so many variations of size, finish and backspaces it would be impossible to publish prices online. Our expert sales assistants are available to offer technical assistance and
prices by phone or e-mail.

bonspeed wheels vary in price by diameter, width, special finish, and by style. Some styles require additional machining and/or polishing time. The "3D" styles actually take almost twice the machine and polishing time as most styles.

To assist you in choosing your wheels, please notice the color keyed boxes this will aid in understanding the various price categories. These color keys from the premium prices "3D" style to the lowest cost help you in deciding."
1986 Pontiac Fiero GT, 355 cubic inch small block Chevy putting down 371 HP and 381 ft/lbs torque at the wheels, with more to come!
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