Forgeline's New Transparent Smoke Finish

[Forgeline Wheels]

OK, not exactly brand spanking new, as we first released it in June. But here is a closeup of our most recent finish, the Transparent Smoke powder coat combined with a chrome outer on a 6-spoke/6-lug version of our GA3 that was made for a Viper fitment. See more in the Forgeline customer gallery at: http://www.forgeline.com/customer_ga...ew.php?cvk=682

[will69camaro]

Wheels look even better in person. That's a friend of mine's car. I happen to know you also sent a set of the same wheel with a smoked lip to the same address

[Forgeline Wheels]

Wheels look even better in person. That's a friend of mine's car. I happen to know you also sent a set of the same wheel with a smoked lip to the same address

And I think that he is getting an identical pair of 20-inch diameters for the rear to run his street tires.

[will69camaro]

He is

[alky]

OMG, that is exactly what I want heh heh. What is the real difference between chrome
And just polished if clear coated, for the outer.
Thanks

[Forgeline Wheels]

OMG, that is exactly what I want heh heh. What is the real difference between chrome
And just polished if clear coated, for the outer.
Thanks

Well, a few things:
1. The chrome is brighter and shinier. But...
2. The chrome is arguably higher maintenance. If not properly cared for, it will pit and need to be replaced. Generally speaking, a polished/cleared finish will probably hold up better over time.
3. Chrome can't really be repaired if the outer gets dented or damaged. The polished finish is much easier to repair.
4. The chrome finish costs more. $120 per outer for chrome versus $60 per outer for polished and cleared. (The polished outer is considered our standard outer finish, so there is no charge for the polish. But the clear coat is an extra $60.)
5. The chrome finish takes longer to do, so this usually increases the lead time on our production and delivery process.

[AintQik]

Those are sweet.

[CamaroAJ]

Wow, I wish you guys were doing this when I got my Forgeline's. It's awesome.

[alky]

Thanks for the info Mark.
Awsome Rims

[Forgeline Wheels]

You are welcome. We are excited about this finish, it adds a dynamic that is industrial and classy at the same time. Please feel free to contact us with any wheel questions you may have. We are always happy to help.

[carbuff]

I like this. Can you give me an idea of how this new finish compares to the Titanium color that you also offer? That was the color I had been planning to use. It's just hard to tell from a picture how this is different?

Too bad Spring,Tx isn't a little closer or I would check these out in person.

[Forgeline Wheels]

I like this. Can you give me an idea of how this new finish compares to the Titanium color that you also offer? That was the color I had been planning to use. It's just hard to tell from a picture how this is different?

OK, I will post photos here of both the Transparent Smoke GA3 from above and a Titanium GZ3 (with a brushed reverse lip outer). When you see them side by side like this, you can definitely tell the difference. Other than the fact that they are both gray-ish, they are otherwise not even similar. The Titanium is a very consistent color, whereas the Trans Smoke is dynamic. What I mean by that is that the Trans Smoke takes on a different personality in different lighting, and therefore each angle and shape of the wheel looks slightly different. You don't get that much variation with the Titanium.

Also, the Titanium is sort of a matte gunmetal. It doesn't have as much shiny sheen as the Transparent Smoke.

See for yourself:

Too bad Spring,Tx isn't a little closer or I would check these out in person.

Don't forget that we attend a lot of events, including almost every Grand-Am Series race. (We were just out at Laguna Seca 2 weeks ago and are at the BMW Oktoberfest this week.) And we work with partners like Petty's Garage to display our wheels at events all over the U.S. We publish an Upcoming Event schedule in our monthly newsletter. Please subscribe and keep an eye on our schedule. If you can attend one of our events, then give us a call and tell us in advance what you want to see. If there is any way to accommodate your request, then we'll try to take those samples with us to the event.

[carbuff]

OK, I will post photos here of both the Transparent Smoke GA3 from above and a Titanium GZ3 (with a brushed reverse lip outer). When you see them side by side like this, you can definitely tell the difference.

That was extremely helpful, thank you! Although I may be more confused with my choice now, as neither feels like an obvious choice. ;) But those pictures showed me a lot...

Don't forget that we attend a lot of events, including almost every Grand-Am Series race. (We were just out at Laguna Seca 2 weeks ago and are at the BMW Oktoberfest this week.) And we work with partners like Petty's Garage to display our wheels at events all over the U.S. We publish an Upcoming Event schedule in our monthly newsletter. Please subscribe and keep an eye on our schedule. If you can attend one of our events, then give us a call and tell us in advance what you want to see. If there is any way to accommodate your request, then we'll try to take those samples with us to the event.

I will join your newsletter (wasn't aware there was one), but before that, is there any chance that you will be attending the Good Guys event in DFW in 2 weeks? I plan to drive up there on Saturday.

Thanx again!

[Forgeline Wheels]

That was extremely helpful, thank you!

You're very welcome!

Although I may be more confused with my choice now, as neither feels like an obvious choice. ;)

LOL! Yeah, all of these finishes look great. We have our own in-house powder coat operation and finishing room, so we are able to maintain very high standards of quality and consistency. But IMO, step one is to determine whether you are in a mood for a matte finish or a gloss finish. If matte, then Titanium would be the gray-ish option. If gloss, then Trans Smoke or Gunmetal would be the gray-ish options. That is one of the big benefits of our show display. If you can look at 20 different wheels at once, then you get a better feel for where your eye naturally gravitates.

is there any chance that you will be attending the Good Guys event in DFW in 2 weeks? I plan to drive up there on Saturday.

I thought maybe the Petty's Garage Performance Tour could be there. But no, it looks like they're at Indy this weekend and in Charlotte Oct 26-28. (http://www.pettys-garage.com/events-calender.php)
There is also a chance that maybe LG Motorsports could be there. I haven't seen anything from them about it, but it might be worth an inquiry: http://www.lgmotorsports.com/

[carbuff]

But IMO, step one is to determine whether you are in a mood for a matte finish or a gloss finish. If matte, then Titanium would be the gray-ish option. If gloss, then Trans Smoke or Gunmetal would be the gray-ish options.

Don't mean to be difficult, but is there any chance you could post a similar shot for the Gunmetal finish to round them all out? You're right, I need to decide whether I prefer a matte or gloss, I hadn't realized that the Titanium was such a matte finish. I'm glass I saw this thread and asked!

Thanx again!

[shane38]

nice need a set for my 67 elco whats the sponsorship program discount lol ill use them tell the wheels fall off lol...

[Ron.in.SoCal]

^ nice first post lol

[IPT]

Nice looking finish. I am considering it for the centers with either a brushed outer or a polished outer for a silver car. I wish the forgeline site allowed you to search the gallery by wheel finish. Maybe something for the future? Do you have any other images of this finish mounted on cars, like as many as possible? Preferably with this finish as the center and a brushed or polished lip?

I'm sure these are lit very well for the photographs. Can the finish end up looking dark most of the time in indirect light, or is it on the lighter side? If polished (on an overcast day - no direct sunlight) was a brightness of 10 and matte black a 0, where (on average) would you rate the brightness of the Smoked Transparent?

[Forgeline Wheels]

I wish the forgeline site allowed you to search the gallery by wheel finish. Maybe something for the future?

That is a great idea. At the moment, we don't have a database field in the customer gallery for finish color. But we'll seriously look into adding this. Thanks for the idea!!

Do you have any other images of this finish mounted on cars, like as many as possible? Preferably with this finish as the center and a brushed or polished lip?

Did you see the black Viper in the original post above? That is a Transparent Smoke/Chrome combo.


Here is the Mach 7 Falcon with a Transparent Smoke Center/Polished Outer combo.

Can the finish end up looking dark most of the time in indirect light, or is it on the lighter side? If polished (on an overcast day - no direct sunlight) was a brightness of 10 and matte black a 0, where (on average) would you rate the brightness of the Smoked Transparent?

Well right that is exactly the thing about this Transparent Smoke finish - it is very dynamic and looks different in various lighting conditions. So in bright direct light, yeah it looks more silver. But in indirect light and darker conditions, the finish darkens up too. That is one of the things that is so cool about it!
So seriously, I can't give you one number. Depending on your lighting at any given moment, it could fall anywhere along the scale!

Here is Dave's M3 taken in darker conditions.

[Forgeline Wheels]

Do you have any other images of this finish mounted on cars, like as many as possible? Preferably with this finish as the center and a brushed or polished lip?

Here are a couple more that I just took today with the Transparent Smoke center/Brushed outer combination. Unfortunately, the brushed outer washes out a little bit in the photos. Probably an indication of my amateur photographer skills. In real life, the brushed outer looks a little darker than this.

RB3C with Transparent Smoke center and Brushed outer. This customer also chose the exposed hardware option and a really cool custom "Dart" center cap:


GZ3 with Transparent Smoke center and Brushed outer: