Upgrading your vehicle's wheels presents an essential dilemma: Are you going for flow formed wheels or the traditional type? As is the case with other products, both types come with their unique advantages and disadvantages. The flow formed wheel technology is somewhat new and has been embraced owing to its lightweight and high strength characteristics. Years of unwavering service delivery has made traditional wheels the industry standard.
Lets Compare Their Strength and Durability
- Flow Formed Wheels: A heated aluminum disc is molded into a wheel by using rollers in the making of these wheels. Such a process leads to the production of a wheel whose grain structure is improved thus has higher strength and durability features hence less prone to cracks and bending.
- Traditional Wheels: Made using cast or press methods, traditional wheels on the other hand are not cast in stone and may differ in strength and durability from each other depending on the methods used to produce them. Cast wheels are not as strong as forged ones, but they usually come at a higher price.
Let’s Talk about Weight and Handling
- Flow Formed Wheels: The flow forming technique allows the manufacturer to form a thinner wheel that is lighter yet stronger. The less weight might translate to faster acceleration, shorter stopping distances, improved handling and better fuel economy.
- Traditional Wheels: The traditional wheels, most often the case with the casted ones, in most instances, are heavy which limits the performance of the vehicle.
Applications and Considerations
Flow Formed Wheels: Recommended for racing cars, sports cars, and off-road trucks.
Traditional Wheels: Recommended for ordinary vehicles as sedans and SUVs.
Given all these considerations, it would be very difficult to determine which kind would suit your vehicle best.
Conclusion
It’s very important to evaluate your needs and preferences when selecting between flow formed wheels and traditional wheels. Strength, reduced weight, and better handling are the qualities of flow formed wheels that make them more suited for performance based applications. These wheels however are inclined to cost more. In contrast, conventional wheels are cheaper and more accessible but are likely to compromise on weight and strength.