[chefwong]

It's been awhile since I've taken the deep dive on wheel topology

What are the drawbacks on a 2 piece wheel. If we're compare a monoblock flow formed vs a flow formed 2 piecer (barrel is FF) and the center could be cast or flow.

Does it being mono block always make it 20%-35% stronger?

[richysh]

i'm honestly not sure of different technologies work but after going through hell on some flow forged wheels, i'm never going with those again..

[nunzo]

Flow forming is a cast wheel post casting operation, hate the marketing of calling it flow forged but nothing about it is forged.

A monoblock forged wheel will have a superior strength to weight ratio of the design in cast.

A cast or forged center in a forged flanged barrel may be heavier due to the addition of hardware
and flange provisions but not always.


There is an additional point of possible failure with a bolted connection that you don’t have with monoblocks.

Weight and strength are 2 different variables in a design an vary greatly depending on the style/fitment/platform/etc

[BIGW0RM]

I would not get anything but a monoblock. I've had nothing but bad experiences with 2 or 3pc wheels. I had 13k 21" forged 3pc wheels that I somehow bent the barrel on 3 times! Driving on nice suburbia or highway roads on the weekends only. I had another set of 2pc wheels on another car and they eventually leaked.

At least that was my experience with them. Never again.

[chefwong]

Style fitment platform, how much material, how less material, indeed.

Forgot about cast centers and FF outers and let's just say *any material* like for like. One is Mono, the latter is the 2 piecer. Mono will always be stronger ?

Due to 2 piece being bolted, structurally vs a Mono. If a wheel hits a pothole, how much structurally will the MONO be stronger since the center is tied to the overall *ID* of the whereas a 2 piecer, the center is bolted.

And yes, I've had them all. The most reliable being monos's whether it be forged or OE heavy cast....
Just trying to get my wheel wiki back again
I will never own a 3 or 2 piecer again, but man, those 2 piecers do stand out...

[nunzo]

Strength boils down to the load rating for the application, testing to industry standards, and specific design elements depending on where you anticipate failure. For example, a thin profile straight flange step lip is more likely to bend or crack compared to a thicker outer edge.

A gravity cast, low pressure cast, gravity tilt cast, low pressure cast flow form, forged monoblock, 2-piece welded forged, 2-piece stir welded cast and forged, 2-piece bolted flanged, 2-piece bolted duoblock, 3-piece bolted cast or forged center can all have the same strength and pass the same testing and have the same load rating.

Where they differ is the weight and price point.

To answer your specific scenario, if the assembly bolts are torqued to spec, a bolted wheel performs the same as a monoblock.