Flow Form wheels for track
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 13
Likes: 2
Flow Form wheels for track
Hey Folks, long time classic vette owner, first time on forum. I bought a 2019 Grand Sport and will track it (autox and HPDE) almost exclusively. My concern is the wheels as I've read quite a
bit about vette wheels bending, cracking, etc. Wheel failure at COTA could be catastrophic. So, I'm considering the M755 wheels offered on this forum. Does anyone have experience with them?
How about Forgestar? I can't afford the forged wheels so am attempting to find a good flow form wheel. Any help is appreciated.
bit about vette wheels bending, cracking, etc. Wheel failure at COTA could be catastrophic. So, I'm considering the M755 wheels offered on this forum. Does anyone have experience with them?
How about Forgestar? I can't afford the forged wheels so am attempting to find a good flow form wheel. Any help is appreciated.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 5,687
Likes: 1,450
Many many many people in texas run forgestars..I have 17 track days on mine on slicks and my friend has about 12 on his on slicks. Both c7zs. I've been off a few times and jump turtles at Cota corner exits like a ****. Still perfect. I also had a 50 mph hit on flow formed TSW wheels on my last car and although the rear of the car was completely gone, suspension broken. The wheels were flawless. A hit hard enough to crack/bend one of those wheels is likely to do the same for forged wheels.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 4,754
Likes: 1,650
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 12,180
Likes: 4,682
From: SE WI
The majority of the cases you read about here are street. I actually think the track is easier on rims based on my experience on two different tracks. Spring mountain and Road America. There were no pot holes on these tracks.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 4,754
Likes: 1,650
pot holes and road bumps on public roads are not the only ways a wheel can experience high wheel loads. Driving a vehicle on a flawless road surface at a race track can produce extreme road loads on wheels as well. Some of the greatest loads a race car will experience will occur on a road course where the vehicle is making high speed turns in corners. On a vehicle like the Corvette where the wheel inner barrels have no structural support these conditions will produce extreme bending loads and stresses at this location on the inner wheel than can cause a poorly designed wheel to fail. As it was mentioned in many other posts on this forum, rotary flow wheels do not perform much better structurally than do C7 wide-body OEM cast aluminum wheels. My view expressed here is not based on opinion. It is based on engineering principles.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
10 Things C8 Corvette Owners Hate (But Won't Tell You)
Joe Kucinski
10 Best Corvettes Coming to Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2026!
Brett Foote
Every Corvette Grand Sport Explained! (C2, C4, C6, C7, & C8)
Joe Kucinski
Sr.Random input generator
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7,767
Likes: 2,196
From: Sammamish, WA
High traction tire compounds also 'compound' the loads on the wheel. I use forged wheels myself, but I should note that the most problematic section of the wheels for Corvettes is the inner side of the barrell, and flow forged wheels' barrels are about just as strong given the same design/thickness. Flow formed wheels only lack at the spokes in strength, which is usually mitigated by thicker/stronger designs.
Not all flow formed wheels are built equal. I would trust Apex wheels much more than Forgestar wheels for strength, for instance. TSW is also a good one. If I were you, I'd get the Apex flow formed wheels specifically designed for Corvettes that do track duty. They are very well built, and also have knurled bead, which is crucial for a track wheel in my opinion.
Not all flow formed wheels are built equal. I would trust Apex wheels much more than Forgestar wheels for strength, for instance. TSW is also a good one. If I were you, I'd get the Apex flow formed wheels specifically designed for Corvettes that do track duty. They are very well built, and also have knurled bead, which is crucial for a track wheel in my opinion.
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 13
Likes: 2
I'm having a heck of a time finding forged or flow formed wheel offsets that are close to stock. Stock is +40 and +59. Spoke w/Forgestar and they are +30 and +51. Apex and Cray are similar.
I did find wheels at Tirerack that are close. Has anyone used Flow One or Forged One wheels from Tirerack?
I did find wheels at Tirerack that are close. Has anyone used Flow One or Forged One wheels from Tirerack?
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 4,754
Likes: 1,650
I'm having a heck of a time finding forged or flow formed wheel offsets that are close to stock. Stock is +40 and +59. Spoke w/Forgestar and they are +30 and +51. Apex and Cray are similar.
I did find wheels at Tirerack that are close. Has anyone used Flow One or Forged One wheels from Tirerack?
I did find wheels at Tirerack that are close. Has anyone used Flow One or Forged One wheels from Tirerack?
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 49
Likes: 12
From: Chicago
Interesting discussion.. I'll be in the market for wheels this summer / fall for track duty once i get my c7z going.. might try the unpopular square setup... I've had 2 sets of tsw on my old boss 302 & '17 ss 1LE, lightweight, durable, proven. Can't go wrong there. Same with Apex wheels from what I've always heard. SUBSCRIBED
Pro
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 686
Likes: 239
From: Houston TX
I've been tracking F14's for a couple years now and you can't beat them for the price. I had custom offsets made up but don't know what they are. Quite honestly I don't care about offsets, I just told them I wanted to go 1" wider on the front and that they needed to fit my car and they knew exactly what was needed.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,517
Likes: 942
From: Fl
High traction tire compounds also 'compound' the loads on the wheel. I use forged wheels myself, but I should note that the most problematic section of the wheels for Corvettes is the inner side of the barrell, and flow forged wheels' barrels are about just as strong given the same design/thickness. Flow formed wheels only lack at the spokes in strength, which is usually mitigated by thicker/stronger designs.
Not all flow formed wheels are built equal. I would trust Apex wheels much more than Forgestar wheels for strength, for instance. TSW is also a good one. If I were you, I'd get the Apex flow formed wheels specifically designed for Corvettes that do track duty. They are very well built, and also have knurled bead, which is crucial for a track wheel in my opinion.
Not all flow formed wheels are built equal. I would trust Apex wheels much more than Forgestar wheels for strength, for instance. TSW is also a good one. If I were you, I'd get the Apex flow formed wheels specifically designed for Corvettes that do track duty. They are very well built, and also have knurled bead, which is crucial for a track wheel in my opinion.
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 13
Likes: 2
Thanks to MMD for the info. I tried Forgestar and was told (by them) that they are unable to go beyond +34 in the front and +50 in the rear. The concern I have is tire
rubbing in hard braking and cornering using stock tire sizes. I don't want to change the wheel sizes (ie drop to 19" in the rear) as it changes the chassis handling dynamics.
I autox a '77 Vette in SCCA CAM class and had fewer headaches completely rebuilding that car (a basket case) to get it ready for tracking. I'll try APEX next. Thanks, Guys.
rubbing in hard braking and cornering using stock tire sizes. I don't want to change the wheel sizes (ie drop to 19" in the rear) as it changes the chassis handling dynamics.
I autox a '77 Vette in SCCA CAM class and had fewer headaches completely rebuilding that car (a basket case) to get it ready for tracking. I'll try APEX next. Thanks, Guys.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 5,687
Likes: 1,450
Thanks to MMD for the info. I tried Forgestar and was told (by them) that they are unable to go beyond +34 in the front and +50 in the rear. The concern I have is tire
rubbing in hard braking and cornering using stock tire sizes. I don't want to change the wheel sizes (ie drop to 19" in the rear) as it changes the chassis handling dynamics.
I autox a '77 Vette in SCCA CAM class and had fewer headaches completely rebuilding that car (a basket case) to get it ready for tracking. I'll try APEX next. Thanks, Guys.
rubbing in hard braking and cornering using stock tire sizes. I don't want to change the wheel sizes (ie drop to 19" in the rear) as it changes the chassis handling dynamics.
I autox a '77 Vette in SCCA CAM class and had fewer headaches completely rebuilding that car (a basket case) to get it ready for tracking. I'll try APEX next. Thanks, Guys.
Also from 34 mm to 43 mm and 50 mm to 59 mm is so small that you won't tell a difference. That's about 3/8" further out. No big deal. I (and many more) run 18x11 and 18x12 wheels with +34 (which adds another 1/2" further out up front) and +50 offsets.
Last edited by BrunoTheMellow; Jan 11, 2021 at 05:58 PM.
