1,2,3 Piece Wheels?

[badblkcts]

could someone please tell me what a 1 piece, 2 piece and 3 piece wheel sets are? thanks in advance

[Fire and Ice]

Certainly! Aside from pricing, multi-piece wheels being more expensive than a one piece, the main difference is that they are made up of 'x' number of serviceable pieces. A one piece wheel is a single piece casting. If you damage any section of that wheel (potholes, curbs, etc) you'll need to replace the entire wheel.

With a two piece wheel, the center section or face of the wheel is attached to the barrel and either can be replaced separately. This also gives you better options for sizing, backspacing and custom fit.

A three piece wheel has three separate pieces. The center section, the inner rim (also called inner hoop) and outer rim (also called outer hoop.) By using a 3 piece design, this gives you the greatest selection of sizing, etc. You want a 20" x 10" wide? No problem. need a 3" lip? Easy. Wait, you want to change that to a 3.5" lip six months later? It can be done with ease. And should you ever damage that 'section' of the wheel, it's available separately.

Here's an illustration of how a 3 piece wheel breaks down just in case.

[badblkcts]

thanks so much! great way of illustrating the difference. is a 1-piece wheel stronger that a 3-piece or are they all the same?

[Fire and Ice]

That depends on the type of metal and how they make it. Many 1 piece wheels are cast aluminum which aren't as strong as a billet or forged aluminum 2 or 3 piece wheel. Still, some people are apprehensive about 3 piece wheels due to a chance they could leak from the seal should the inner and outer rim seal ever be damaged. This seal will generally last the life of the wheel, unless caution is not exercised when mounting and balancing tires, then the seal could be damaged reducing its effectiveness and lifespan.

[badblkcts]

thanks for all the info!

[Fire and Ice]

You're quite welcome! Let me know if I can help in any other way.

[lordbaby]

hello

[Fire and Ice]

Hello... ?

[lordbaby]

i currently has the fe3 18 inches wheels on my cts. I wanted to change it to the 20 or 22 inches wheels, is it a big procedure that requires to alter everything on the wheel and around the wheel, such as the disc break, suspension..etc or solely just the wheels themselves?