Rotary Forged wheels - OK for the occasional track day and autocross events?

[Jacko]

Ok, first off I'll state I do like all of the forged wheels from the sponsers here. Great bits of kit. But the cost is just a bit to much for my budget constraints!

So.... while my car is out for paint (65 Malibu SS) ive been digging through the vast array of wheel options. It currently has cast 15" wheels which are fine for drag racing but the thought of punishing those around a track or autocross for trackdays or USC leaves me cold. A very low trust level. Ive keen to keep to a 17" wheel if I can.

Plenty of "rotary forged" wheels (usually the centres/spokes) out there that will be fine on the road but I cant seem to dig up peoples experiances with these at the track. OK for a few track days here and there per year? any horror stories?

any comments good or bad appeciated! (no need to mention brand)

thanks,
jacko

[Forgeline Wheels]

Well a rotary forged (aka flow formed or roller forged) wheel is a cast aluminum center with rolled barrels. So the barrel tends to have strength characteristics that resemble forged material, but the centers are still no stronger than any other cast wheel.

So it all depends on the car, the amount of tire grip, and the frequency of abuse. A lightweight car with no aero and street tires without much grip that sees three events per year is probably no big deal. On the other hand, a heavier car with sticky tires that does 2 or more events per month is likely to be a problem.

We've seen GS class cars at IMSA races literally blow the centers out of rotary forged wheels under load. Somewhere I have a photo of the aftermath of that.

Here it is! The rolled barrels were fine. But the cast centers just couldn't take it. Obviously these are real race cars who race once or twice per month on Continental race tires and probably bounce off a few curbs. So this is the severe end of the spectrum.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/w1e2p8A-1.jpg

[Jacko]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/w1e2p8A-1.jpg

Mark, thanks for the honest answer, especially given you're a vendor who would no doubt like everyone using your wheels. I'd certainly like a set but unfortuneatly for me in australia a set of forgelines is an AUD10k excercise. (Exchange rates, taxes, duties kill it, whether brought from the US or an aussie dustribuor.) Id have to sell both kidneys and a child or two!

And.... Its pictures like that that cause to me to shudder. [emoji3063] No argument from me at all that the centres are the weak spot. Its clearly a point of failure due to the forces applied.

[BMR Sales]

Well a rotary forged (aka flow formed or roller forged) wheel is a cast aluminum center with rolled barrels. So the barrel tends to have strength characteristics that resemble forged material, but the centers are still no stronger than any other cast wheel.

So it all depends on the car, the amount of tire grip, and the frequency of abuse. A lightweight car with no aero and street tires without much grip that sees three events per year is probably no big deal. On the other hand, a heavier car with sticky tires that does 2 or more events per month is likely to be a problem.

We've seen GS class cars at IMSA races literally blow the centers out of rotary forged wheels under load. Somewhere I have a photo of the aftermath of that.

Here it is! The rolled barrels were fine. But the cast centers just couldn't take it. Obviously these are real race cars who race once or twice per month on Continental race tires and probably bounce off a few curbs. So this is the severe end of the spectrum.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2020/06/w1e2p8A-1.jpg

Doesn't help when they were at one of roughest tracks in the world and that Turn 17 is the worst section.

[Chad-1stGen]

Not all rotary forged wheels are the same either. I've seen failures occur on simple autocross courses. On the other hand I have a friend who ran the Forgestar F14 on their national championship wheel to wheel Transam car. There are plenty of people running hard with slicks on Rotary Forged wheels. But no doubt the higher quality rotary forged wheels still have a shorter life expectancy than a high quality forged wheel like Forgeline.

[Forgeline Wheels]

I've seen failures occur on simple autocross courses. On the other hand I have a friend who ran the Forgestar F14 on their national championship wheel to wheel Transam car.

In either case, it's good practice to regularly inspect the wheels for damage and stress cracks. The failure point of the cast wheels tends to be more dramatic and occurs over a shorter curve. The forged 6061-t6 derivatives fail much more slowly and less spectacularly.

But anyone who is participating in motorsports should be inspecting their wheels after every session. They are consumables. It's just a question of how fast you consume them.

[Jacko]

Thank you all for the comments. It has been educational thats for sure!

[Gmc427]

Thank you all for the comments. It has been educational thats for sure!
have a look at work wheels ,large range of styles and custom sizing