Hey how come no one especially Manaray says anything about Fikse rims?? From what I understand they are lighter than any HRE and one of not THE lightest rim on the market. I was talking to a guy at a rim shop in Ft. Lauderdale, and they guy tells me the HRE's are heavier than the Fikses and in reality it was. I picked up an 19 inch Fikse with alot more ease than a 19 HRE. So why does Manaray always recommend HRE when Fikse is lighter?

*I'm not attacking you Manaray, Love your input, just wondering why you never suggest Fikse rims to anyone?

 

'cause he's got HREs

 

well that's beside the point. =]

 

Actually, I DO recommend Fikse's. I was originally going to get Fikse's but they don't have ANY 20" applications. They didn't even have 19" at the time...even now, I think they only have a couple in 19"...

Also, many people don't like the look of the center disk's edge. Since the bolts on behind the disk and the disk itself is the "nut", the disks tend to be pretty thick...I've gotten feedback from people who have seen them and they didn't like that look...

If you want the LIGHTEST forged wheels, Centerline makes some really light ones (15lbs for a 19" wheel...one piece forged)...however, you may not like the styles and many of them of setup for FWD cars, not RWD....

 

Oh ok cool. Just wonderin' cause I never see you posting anything about them. Your right about the designs, not too much for me, but they are light.

 

The Fikse 19s use an 18" center and a "combo" rim to get to an 18" diameter. Also, they have hidden assembly hardware (blind bolts screwed into the aluminum), and I've heard they've had problems with the centers popping out on a few race cars...

The HREs are typically a bit heavier, but are arguably better suited for street use (potholes, etc,). Also, HRE makes 20s, 22s, and you can get them in darned near any finish you want.

I also believe HRE has more flexibility to accommodate special applications (widebody, big brakes, etc.) and exact offsets- Fikse seems to indicate offsets only at 6mm (1/4") intervals. I've seen several Corvette C5s with Fikses, and all seem to use a spacer in the front to clear large brake packages- not much of a weight advantage once you factor in the weight of the spacer (safety issues, too?).

Here's a non-technical question: which wheels are more stylish?

 

Now if HRE would make FORGED LIPS and some sort of DISH wheel. If they did that, I don't think I'd be able to buy anyone else's wheels...

 

Got you =]

 

The HRE outers are "cold rolled" which imparts 'work' to the aluminum, so effectively they are forged (not to mention heat treated).

 

When I think of FORGED, I think of forged like the centers...smashed and then CNC'd...

 

HREs have spun rims. They aren't rolled. It looks similar to a stamping process (with the difference that the part spins). The resulting anisotropy (grain direction) goes in the longitudinal direction. Also, the pressures involved are not high enough nor uniform enough to promote nice and even anisotropy. No heat treatment involved during the process. Only by forging you can get high anisotropy in the hoop direction which gives the most strength in the lip area (can be easily twice as strong).