Wheel Trends: Blingy and Blingier

The most popular aftermarket wheels today for those who like to cruise are chromed cast or polished billet.

What is billet, anyway?

Billet is a term for a block of cast or forged metal. A billet wheel is machined from a single piece of metal - usually a high grade of aluminum. More typically, a custom wheel will have a billet center and a stamped steel "barrel," all though there are some one-piece billet wheels on the market

Forging is a process that gives some direction to 'grain flow' through the metal, and increasing that metal part's strength along the flow. Forging is done with pressure and sometimes heat as well, either during or following the application of pressure. The result is a stronger material, meaning that for a given strength, a forged piece can be made smaller/thinner/lighter. These are always significant in wheel design, but especially so in high performance wheel design.

But new casting processes can result in wheels nearly as strong as forged wheels.

A billet can be made with either process. Machining the wheel center out of the billet takes a highly precise CAD/CAM milling machine. Boyd Coddington takes some of the credit for popularizing the billet wheel on his show cars.

Cast wheels get better

A cast wheel, on the other hand, can be simpler to make, requiring less finishing work and no assembly. The additional bulk and weight of cast wheels has been reduced over time so that today there is very little penalty for going to a cast wheel. Even manufacturers of exotic cars have switched to casting in some cases, because of the reduced cost and increased quality of cast wheels.

The overall trend to larger diameter wheels and improved vehicle dynamics - like cornering forces - would seem to argue for forging to become more common in wheel construction. But advances in the casting process and other aspects of metallurgy, combined with stress analysis computer simulations are keeping wheel weight down while keeping up with the trend to ever larger diameters.

Chrome dominates

The predominance of chrome finishes - even while the number of colors and textures available in wheel designs proliferates - reflects today's wheel market: low maintenance and eye appeal are the key benefits of a quality chrome finish.

For an indication of where all the latest evolution of wheel technology and appearance is taking us, take a look at http://www.americanracing.com. This long-time leader in the wheel business has a family of brands that covers every type of wheel for every type of buyer, from the raciest to the blingiest.