Upgrading wheels, Forged versus cast wheels

Thanks guys. Forged it is. Looks like it is only around $30 per wheel more expensive.

Forged pieces are stronger than cast, billet are stronger than forged. That's the pecking order. I had one cast wheel that had a slow leak. Turned out was porous. Dismounted the tire and applied several coats of caliper paint to the inside of the wheel. Problem solved.

Good point about the offset. Using wheels with offset can destroy bearings.

Worked for a wheel manufacture a few years back. Go with forged. We did both and the cast is porous so you can have leaks. We didn't put any coating on our cast wheels, maybe some do, but not ours. Forged are stronger. Our sister plant in Europe did the Chevy HD wheels, and they were hammer forged.

5thwheeleroldman wrote:
About 10 years ago I bought a Carrilite with cast aluminum wheels. Two of them cracked on me. I replaced them all with the best cast aluminum wheels Discount Tire had at the time. Two of those cracked also. When they crack, you wake up, check your tires and you have a flat. Immersion shows the leak to be through a microscopic crack in the aluminum. Disgusted, I replaced them all with some grey steel, forged stock trailer wheels. No more problems in the past 10 years.

The stock trailer wheels are pretty ugly and I have debated buying some second hand GMC Duramax forged aluminum wheels as I have never had problems with it for the 9 years I've owned it. Finally decided, the wheels are old and ugly, but so am I. Why mess with success! Waking up with a flat on the trailer definitely ruins your day!

Beware about replacing your trailer wheels with auto wheels as almost all trailers use zero offset and most auto rims have some.

Lyle

About 10 years ago I bought a Carrilite with cast aluminum wheels. Two of them cracked on me. I replaced them all with the best cast aluminum wheels Discount Tire had at the time. Two of those cracked also. When they crack, you wake up, check your tires and you have a flat. Immersion shows the leak to be through a microscopic crack in the aluminum. Disgusted, I replaced them all with some grey steel, forged stock trailer wheels. No more problems in the past 10 years.

The stock trailer wheels are pretty ugly and I have debated buying some second hand GMC Duramax forged aluminum wheels as I have never had problems with it for the 9 years I've owned it. Finally decided, the wheels are old and ugly, but so am I. Why mess with success! Waking up with a flat on the trailer definitely ruins your day!

Cast will break if struck, forged, bends like steel

They seal the cast wheels so there shouldn't be any leak issue. Especially since inner tubes are almost extinct. But be aware that forged wheels are very much stronger.