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In my opinion, one-piece monoblock is by far the better of the two. All else being equal, monoblock is lighter, stronger and more reliable. Multi-piece wheel was a necessary compromise for wider wheel because the technology/machinery was not commercially in place to make it in a single piece. It had a halo effect because it stood out visually from normal cast wheel.
The only objective downside to monoblock is price. If you can live with the comparative downsides of multi-piece forged mentioned above, then you would do just as well with 'rotary forged' at much lower price. Finspeed offers monoblocks with many custom options for well under $5k. I don't have any first hand experience with them but they seem to get pretty good reviews in other threads on here.
I just went down to my local dealer who I mentioned above...as I was leaving, a manager I didn't know came running out and said they were going to start making their own 3 pc wheel and the price would include "adjustments and any problems that would happen due to leaking, etc"
that comment right there made up my mind to buy a monoblock....
Steve - this is the wheel in the lead so far in my search, just love the look...IMO, an "understated huge pop/bling" factor
360 forged 3 pc mesh 5.... alternative is the 1 pc "one/touring mesh 5"
Those are already on my short list. Buy a set and let me know what you think.
My locsl dealer is going to help me get the forgelines...i think the angular spoke pattern will look good on the c7’s angular lines. Pls see my FS post for my Cray's in the sale section...whole package priced to sell, i have limited spsce!
I really like those. Do they come in non Z51 sizes? PM me a price if so.
Yes they do. Traveling, and will be in touch later this evening.
Originally Posted by Glen e
My locsl dealer is going to help me get the forgelines...i think the angular spoke pattern will look good on the c7’s angular lines. Pls see my FS post for my Cray's in the sale section...whole package priced to sell, i have limited spsce!
Have the guys at Forgeline send a pic or rendering of the wheel in C7 offsets (very high) and profile so you can have an idea of how it looks for your application. They are good guys over there and I'm sure they would be happy to.
The lack of depth on the C7 makes most wheel models look substantially different.
glen, wise choice to go 1-piece. I speak from much experience here on the forum over 15 years and 8 sets of wheels in that time. There are issues with 3 piece wheels you won't here about until they happen to you, and it's too late to go back. Where you live you have high humidity and the possibility of salt mist coming off the Atlantic. Here is what will happen (notice I did not say CAN happen) over time....filiform corrosion.
In plain language, visible snake-like white lines grow under the clearcoat when exposed to high humidity. The problem occurs at the interfaces of each wheel 'piece' of a 3 piece wheel, a crevice that will pick up all kinds of road dirt, salt crystals, sand, etc. Also, it begins at the outer edge of a spoke section where the coating does not build up; like if you tried to spray a coating onto the leading edge of a knife. Technically, it is called the Faraday Effect.
Here's a couple examples on aluminum wheels.
This can happen on any aluminum wheel with clearcoat, often starting at a defect in the coating from a scratch or scuff through the clearcoat. The best defense is to buy bare aluminum (uncoated) wheels, often times called 'polished', or, choose a paint coating on your wheels (hides anything going on below the surface). Do a parking lot survey and you will see this defect on many wheels and center caps, especially on older cars that have been in service for many years.
Another gremlin is the borderline impact resistance of the 'barrel' component of a 3 piece wheel. Being essentially a sheet product that is shaped into a rim, it does not have the strength of a heat treated alloy usually, 6061-T6....(google for the properties). At a given thickness the 1 piece will have better curb impact results. The minimum section thickness for a 3 piece wheel is a 1/4", and even at that thickness a pothole at high speed can cause a bent lip...I experienced 3 of them on my Iforged EVOS over a 5 year run.
There's more, but since you have already decided to go 1 piece I'll stop here.
So, what did you do, hit the Florida Lottery?
Jerry
Last edited by $$$frumnuttin'; 11-26-2014 at 07:13 PM.
Glen, if it makes you feel any better... From the performance standpoint, it is advantageous to have the weights of the rotor and caliper be at the center of the wheel barrel, which necessitates high offset on most wheels. That's why performance focused cars a la S2000 and Porsche Carrera 911 and Boxster variants have high offset wheels, while sales focused cars a la BMW and Nissan 350Z give what the general public wants.
The reason we see low offset wheels on ultra high performance cars is because whose wheels have 13-14 in. (depth) barrel. F1 car is an extreme example. People want to emulate that look on their regular cars so it became a popular trend.
From our perspective we have seen a huge switch to the monoblocks. Monos were always available but it seemed with the lack of designs and the flat profiles everyone wanted the 3 piece designs. Unfortunately not to beat a dead horse that doesn't matter with the C7 due to its high offset and limited fender areas.
That being said there still exists a place for both the 3 pc and the 1 pc wheels. The three piece super concave wheels look incredible on the C6Z06 and will always be around and albeit heavier a profile that can be created with the 3 piece and the look cannot be duplicated with the one piece. Also some guys love a nice lip which again leads to the three piece design.
And typically you guys are correct the 3 pc is heavier than the one piece but that is not always the case. Forgeline makes some crazy 3 pc wheels such as the GA3R that are as light if not lighter than the 1 pc wheels out there. So again alot of the wheel game is about preference and desired aesthetics.
We personally run the 3 pc on our 700HP Supervette, why because it looks incredible and honestly the tenth or two it would save me in a race if I were to track the car doesn't matter to me. Plus if I'm gonna worry about tracking the car I'm not running 19/20 wheels and tires, I'm running 18" all the way around.
This debate has been around a long time and I think each of us has a vision of what we want our Vette to look like, some may need a one piece and some may need a three piece. There are pluses and minuses for both and we are glad to be associated with this forum and all the best wheel manufacturers in the world.
To give you my quick take away 3 pc wheels have the following negatives: heavier in general, prone to seal leaking
positives: when you curb a wheel only have to buy a new lip approx $300 instead of a whole new wheel with a mono which is $1500++. Can provide deeper concave profiles and wheels with a nice lip. Very customizable
Monoblocs
Positives: Lightweight, strong, and many new designs and profiles being released every year
Negatives: Limited concavity, no lip, if you curb a wheel must buy whole new wheel.
Again this is just one persons perspective and I truly respect all the individuals that make their Vette their own whether they go with one piece, three piece, two piece or whatever. Just like Baskin Robbins has 32 Flavors of Ice Cream we have many more choices of wheels because of the diversity of customers we serve.
We are the largest 360 Forged Vendor in the World and whatever you need be it Forgeline, HRE, ADV.1, Vorsteiner, or Forgiato, no one will touch our price or customer service. So whether you want a 1 pc or 3pc please give us a chance to earn your business and you might just find yourself coming back in the future
HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL!!!
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Steve - this is the wheel in the lead so far in my search, just love the look...IMO, an "understated huge pop/bling" factor
360 forged 3 pc mesh 5.... alternative is the 1 pc "one/touring mesh 5"
As we have been the largest 360 Vendor worldwide for many years now and have helped develop new wheels. The Mesh 5 ONE Concave was one of our ideas and it is an incredible design. Available in both a 1 pc and 3 pc profile the wheels are fantastic.
This is hands down my favorite wheel out currently. With the attention to detail and the lines created by Forgeline with the AR1 its no doubt that it will be a huge hit this Spring/Summer. Forgeline makes the best wheels with no shortcuts that I can't say about a number of other manufacturers. They do things Right.
If thats the route you chose good for you and I'm sure you will be taken care of Forgeline has some of the best Dealers around.
We have several sets currently in machining for the C7 and several as well for the C6 so I'm sure you will all start seeing pictures here shortly.
Happy Turkey Day ALL
If anyone needs anything with custom wheels please do not hesitate to contact us, we have been on this forum forever and no one will touch our pricing, knowledge or customer service, NO ONE. Available 365 days a year
This is hands down my favorite wheel out currently. With the attention to detail and the lines created by Forgeline with the AR1 its no doubt that it will be a huge hit this Spring/Summer. Forgeline makes the best wheels with no shortcuts that I can't say about a number of other manufacturers. They do things Right. If thats the route you chose good for you and I'm sure you will be taken care of Forgeline has some of the best Dealers around. We have several sets currently in machining for the C7 and several as well for the C6 so I'm sure you will all start seeing pictures here shortly. Happy Turkey Day ALL If anyone needs anything with custom wheels please do not hesitate to contact us, we have been on this forum forever and no one will touch our pricing, knowledge or customer service, NO ONE. Available 365 days a year
This is definitely the leading contender for me at the moment. I'm leaning towards the clear smoke finish. I know Forgeline will custom design the offset and I'm hoping the slight concave works with the C7. Are these one or three piece?
11-26-2014, 04:00 PM
