Why Choose Alcoa Wheels

Alcoa Wheels are the strongest wheels

Every wheel starts as a single block of high-strength corrosion resistant aluminium alloy. With a 8000 tons press, the block is forged into a wheel shape. Once forged, the wheels are heat-treated to maximise overall mechanical strengths. The Alcoa forging process aligns the grain flow of aluminium with the shape of the wheel, even in the critical area where disc and rim meet. This process results in wheels with unrivalled forged strength, that pass the most demanding test: TUV, LBF and JWL-T

High strength test results

Tests have proven that forged Alcoa wheels are much stronger than steel wheels and cast aluminium wheels, a forged Alcoa wheel withstands a load of 71,200kg before it deforms by 5cm. The rim of the steel wheel is deformed by 5cm at only 13,600kg!

Impact test results

The Japanese JWL test simulates a truck hitting a high curb at a speed of 50km/h. A 910kg weight is dropped onto the tyre and wheel assembly. While the steel wheels show excessive rim deforamtion and air loss, the cast aluminium wheels break, the Alcoa wheels pass the test successfully.

Less tyre wear and increased life duration of brakes and suspension

Because Alcoa aluminium wheels are forged and 100% CNC machined, they run truer and exhibit better tyre wear than a stamped and welded steel wheel. Aluminium is also 3x more conductive than steel! Aluminium is the material of choice for heat sinks in laptops and radiator fins for cars and trucks, helping to dissipate heat. And heat is the number one enemy to tyre life, braking performance and brake pad life.

Reduced fuel consumption

Because wheels are considered un-sprung weight, additional fuel saving are realized due to mass moment of inertia, where less effort is required to rotate a forged aluminium wheel that weighs half as much as a steel wheel. In testing performed by an independent testing and research firm, the Alcoa aluminium wheels demonstrated an improvement of 3% in tyre rolling resistance over a steel wheel. This reduction in rolling resistance translates in a fuel saving of 1.0%