Dr. Jekyll

iTrader: (1)

http://www.japanbullet.com/auto-moto...ormance-wheels

BEYOND BY LEXUS has a detailed story on BBS Wheels, the company responsible for the wheels found on the high-performance Lexus vehicle lineup:
At the Takaoka plant, craftspeople are running through the motions of making a one-piece Lexus wheel. A round piece of aluminum billet is heated to about 480 degrees Celsius (896 degrees Fahrenheit) and placed into a large hydraulic press, as tall, it seems, as a three-story office building.
The machine drops 9,000 metric tons of pressure onto the billet, pressing the aluminum into a mold.
For wheels on the Lexus IS F, RC F, and LS F Sport, there are additional steps in the manufacturing process. The general manager of the OEM Sales Department, Akihisa Miyoshi, explains how “after these wheels are painted, they undergo either a partial buffing or diamond cutting process.” The partial buffing process is executed by an outside specialist, he says, who buffs part of the spoke “to create a samurai sword-like shape and finish to the metal.”

tas02

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for sharing. I did not know our oem wheels were made by BBS in Japan.

I8ABMR

What I think most dont realize is that they are not really that light weight .......at all .

Thanks for sharing this. Glad they went with BBS but they could have done a little better on the weight, especially when you consider how narrow they are. My rear wheels are 19x11 and they weight 23lbs compared to the oem 19x9 at 27 lbs . I promise you that if you went to the dealer and bought brand new oem wheels it would cost more than what a set of these HREs would go for ( especially since they seem to be on sale for 20% right now because its the winter )

ForzaF

iTrader: (3)

I was gonna say the same thing our bbs wheels can't be forged as they're just to heavy I think it's one of the factories that makes bbs race wheels for motorsports and actual aftermarket. But i would think steady the Lfa wheels would be forged considering it was a super car and weight shaving was a factor in its engineering.

Vervish

iTrader: (4)

But our wheels are forged tho.. They are heavy, but isn't the wheel making process described exactly how forged wheels are made?

calteg

Most OEMs are more concerned with durability than weight. Keeping a wheel round and true, across a variety of poorly maintained roads is a much higher priority than shaving 3lbs from your wheel.

ISF4life

iTrader: (30)

u must be a new

I8ABMR

The HREs are " flow formed". Not even forged. This makes me really feel they could have doe better if the oem wheels are in fact forged.

Dr. Jekyll

iTrader: (1)

I think something to consider is the tonnage of each company's press. I've know Rays / Volk to use between 5,500 and 10,000 ton press.

Dr. Jekyll

iTrader: (1)

http://www.lexus-int.com/magazine/issue7/lab/

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

OEM quality and correct bore size is the reason I've sort of stayed away from aftermarket wheels over the years. Another is I want my wheels forged

I've changed wheels on all my vehicles since 1985. The last car I left with the stock wheels was my 1976 Trans Am. My Porche 944 had Borbet Type A, My SC300 had the bigger wheels from an SC400. My G35 had Nismo (made by Rays) and now I have RCF wheels on the ISF. Yes, they weigh a bit more than the some of the lighter aftermarket stuff, but IMHO, the trade off in weight is worth the piece of mind in quality.

Lou

tas02

iTrader: (2)

The fact that a wheel is forged isn't what makes it light. Forging allows for less material to be used to achieve strength comparable to a casting.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Not exactly. Forging creates a different grain structure in the metal and it is inherently stronger than cast of equal mass. Aluminum alloys are specified with a T number so the user knows the temper applied. The higher the T number the more it has been worked - T0 is soft,T6 is much harder. The trade off is brittleness and propensity for cracking. Forged wheels will take more abuse than a cast wheel until they crack. They will crack before a cast wheel would, and a cast wheel will bend more easily, but the cast wheel, because it is softer, will take a bigger hit before cracking.

It's all trade offs. Personally, I would take our heavier forged wheels over any aftermarket wheels for reliability over bad pavement. But if I want ultimate mechanical performance, light forged aftermarket wheels are the only way to go.

Dr. Jekyll

iTrader: (1)

I agree with many comments about keeping the factory wheels. For me it's an LS460 F-Sport. The only non F class car to get this treatment. Here in Hawaii we have a ton of asphalt and with it potholes. I've had 20" Wald Streifens that were forgered by an 8,000 ton press and took the potholes like a champ. What it didn't like was the excess wear on the inner rim from being driven dropped so low. I think I'm going to be happy with my factory F-Sport for awhile.

etohprn247

All this godly hoohaa work done on wheels....yet still get owned by curbage going 2mph!!!!!