Forgeline Wheels and "pad thickness" Q

[Chad-1stGen]

So after 6 months of wheel fiasco's I finally got my wheels yesterday. They are Forgeline's and I'm incredibly disappointed with them. The main issue, is the lack of wheel lip. Part of the reason for lack of wheel lip is that the mounting pad for the wheel is really thick/deep. After calling Forgeline to talk about it they let me know they do custom pad thicknesses and my wheels were ordered "full pad."

Is that how most of you guys are sizing your Forgeline wheels? Do you guys get a different pad depth for typical 1st gen Camaro applications?

EDIT: My wheels are the DS03 model. From the inside of the wheel spoke to the mounting pad is 2.8" of clearance on these wheels which does seem excessive for even some of the biggest caliper set ups.

EDIT2 (2/20/12)
I just got back from dropping the wheels off with UPS to go back to Forgeline. I got a lot of flack in this post for not measuring correctly so I thought I'd attach pics of the mounting pad/clearance and the brake caliper clearance. Both front and rear brakes the rotor hat sticks out farther than the caliper so zero extra clearance is required.

Measuring from the 3 piece bolts which is way beyond where my caliper lies you can see a bit over 1.75" of clearance.


Measuring from where its more likely for even the biggest caliper to be:


If you measure a bit farther in then you get 2.8" of clearance which is consistent with what others posted in this thread for my wheels.

Here is a pic of the clearance my brakes require

[jpgolf14]

Unfortunately, it is up to the customer to know what he wants. In reality if you are paying that much for wheels, they should tell you every possible specification before cutting metal. They probably default to full pad to accommodate as many different brake and spindle setups as possible.

I know HRE has a really great fitment packet they have you fill out before ordering. This makes it easy for them to fit the wheels to your particular car. It is disappointing to hear that Forgeline does not do that same. Do you have pictures of the wheels?

John

[Chad-1stGen]

I snapped a quick pic with my phone before leaving the shop. I can have them rehooped for more lip since I haven't ordered the rear yet (been waiting 6 months for the wheels...).

However, the mounting pad is huge.

[jmbamb455]

Iam surprised to hear that i dealt with forgeline directly and they asked my brake specs for pad thickness. They also did the same on my last set they had me send them a template from baer. I dealt with scott and dave

[Bryce]

Chad, you can always have the pads machined thinner, there would be a minimum thickness, then re hoop the wheels.

[Motime]

I asked Scott when I ordered if he had any advice on increasing wheel lip. He recommended reducing the pad thickness. They turned out great.

[Nessumsar]

Chad, if those are the fronts I would say they look pretty good. If you're running a larger brake caliper you may have to use the Full-Pad for clearance.

[Chad-1stGen]

I ordered through Driverz Inc and nobody discussed pad thickness with me. They did include on the invoice that it would be full pad but I didn't even know what that meant until I called Forgeline today.

EDIT: Driverz Inc did ask me what brakes I was going to run and I told them the Wilwood setup that comes on the TCI stuff but never asked me to send a template.

[Chad-1stGen]

Chad, if those are the fronts I would say they look pretty good. If you're running a larger brake caliper you may have to use the Full-Pad for clearance.

That is front and rear. Left wheel is front and right is rear. The outer ring of the front wheel sticks out past the step in the lip...

[Chad-1stGen]

Chad, you can always have the pads machined thinner, there would be a minimum thickness, then re hoop the wheels.

Mark at Forgeline said that since machining is already complete, the most they could take off is 4mm but wouldn't know for sure until they have the wheels in hand. If they were told up front before the lug nut mounting surfacee is machined they can machine off much more than 4mm. I think 0.5"+

[TheJDMan]

When I ordered my Forgelines I knew I needed clearance for the brake caliper so I specified full pads. Good thing too because the clearance up front is so close between the wheel and caliper that even removing the thickness of the rotor hub causes the wheel to contact the caliper. BTW, here is a pic of my Forgelines. The fronts are 18x10 6.6" bs rears are 18x12 5.5" bs all have full pads.

[Gitter Dun]

The mounting pads on my new Forgelines were thick also so I went to a 3" stud up front. I thought it was the R series wheels that got the thick pads but I guess not. No complaints from me though.

[JustinB]

Have you put the wheels on the car yet to see how close they are to the brakes??

[jat5150]

I will be ordering a set of wheels soon and I have no idea what you guys are talking about, can someone please give me a quick explanation. I don't want to make a mistake with the wheels. Thanks

[Chad-1stGen]

When I ordered my Forgelines I knew I needed clearance for the brake caliper so I specified full pads. Good thing too because the clearance up front is so close between the wheel and caliper that even removing the thickness of the rotor hub causes the wheel to contact the caliper. BTW, here is a pic of my Forgelines. The fronts are 18x10 6.6" bs rears are 18x12 5.5" bs all have full pads.

That looks sexy! You rear is much more what I had in mind when I ordered the wheels. Your BS is only .5" less than mind but the lip is much more. Some of that must be in style of the wheel. All the more reason for less pad thickness because the style i have has lots of caliper room

The mounting pads on my new Forgelines were thick also so I went to a 3" stud up front. I thought it was the R series wheels that got the thick pads but I guess not. No complaints from me though.

Gaetano your car looks badass! Very mean look to compliment all that track time!

Have you put the wheels on the car yet to see how close they are to the brakes??

Justin, no not yet. There is nothing to check on the rears as I don't have a rear end yet. Was waiting for the wheels before sizing the rear end. The fronts will be checked either today or tomorrow depending on when the shop can get to it. though the Willwood calipers offer a lot of room IMO.

I will be ordering a set of wheels soon and I have no idea what you guys are talking about, can someone please give me a quick explanation. I don't want to make a mistake with the wheels. Thanks

I tried to find a picture of a foregline pad but couldn't. The mounting pad is the part of the wheel that actually contacts your rotor or drum and contains the holes for the lugs. We are talking about how much material or how deep/thick it is between the outside of the spokes to the inside of the pad where it hits the rotor/hub/drum.

Before this experience I thought all wheel companies just had a set measurement for a given wheel design for this area. I now realize 3 piece custom wheel makers like Forgeline can adjust this, frequently depending on customer wants and brake clearance.

[JustinB]

Chad, don't you think it would be wise to test fit the wheels on your car and check the clearances before you start a post about how disappointed you are in the wheels? Seems like common sense to me.......

[Chad-1stGen]

Chad, don't you think it would be wise to test fit the wheels on your car and check the clearances before you start a post about how disappointed you are in the wheels? Seems like common sense to me.......

Justin, the most disappointment comes from the look of the rear wheels, not the front. It isn't possible to test fit the rears though I'm sure I can ask TCI for a Willwood part number or template to see the minimum clearance related to the spokes/pad. You should know this since I told you and Jon on the phone multiple times that not having the wheels was holding up the process of ordering my rear end. I'm asking a question about how others have ordered Forgeline to get a better understanding of mounting pad thickness and if I'm off base. When the shop doing the work on my car made a comment as soon as I took the wheels out of the box that the mounting pad looked awfully thick and expressed surprise it didn't seem like such a big stretch to come here and ask some questions. I don't think there should be anything wrong with saying I'm disappointed when I am.

I'm more than a little pissed off at you jumping in and insulting my common sense when the vendor I ordered these wheels from who was supposed to provide superior customer service didn't take any time to even explain to me that Forgeline offered custom pad thicknesses and if I had provided a template or exact measurement it would of made a difference. I'm not an expert in wheel fitting which is why I came to you guys in the first place (at least it was "you guys" at the time of ordering, I realize you don't work there anymore).

[JustinB]

Like I said, dont you think it would be WISE to TEST FIT the wheels before you start a post bashing a vendor. You have no clue how much room you will have to clear the brakes yet you are bitching about size of the pad length. Common sense would tell you, get the brakes on the car, test fit the wheels, see how much room you have, than bitch if needed. Just saying, it is not rocket science here. For the record, I could care less if you are pissed off at me.

[Gitter Dun]

Chad, the extra pad thickness will give you more room for brakes and give you a stronger wheel. My pad thickness's were a 1/2" thicker so be prepared to buy 1/2" longer studs unless you are running the open ended lug nuts with 3" wheel studs like I am.
I thought I was going to see a deeper dish on mine also. I took a second look at your wheel pic's and they dont look bad. I think once its all said and done they will look fine.
BTW, what back spacing and wheel widths did you go with front and back?

[Gitter Dun]

To Jat5150........I'm assuming for a '69 camaro? What tire and wheel widths do you intend on going with front and rear? Also, be sure to tell your wheel vendor what brake set up you are using. The wheel vendor will call the brake manufacturer and get a template to be sure the spoke area of the wheel will clear the calipers.