Ford Racing Beadlock upgrade rings - any pros / cons?

You can't forge something that's cast... it's one or the other.

From the Tire Rack website:

Forged Wheels:
The ultimate in one-piece wheels. Forging is the process of forcing a solid billet of aluminum between the forging dies under an extreme amount of pressure. This creates a finished product that is very dense, very strong and therefore can be very light. The costs of tooling, development, equipment, etc., make this type of wheel very exclusive and usually demand a high price in the aftermarket.

Cast Wheels:
This is the most common type of aluminum wheel. The casting of wheels is the process of getting molten aluminum inside a mold to form a wheel. There are different ways this can be accomplished and although it sounds simple, this is truly an art when done properly.

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=90

JayneCobb said:

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What is that supposed to mean?

You are very wrong if you think you can't forge something that is cast.

justvettn said:

You are very wrong if you think you can't forge something that is cast.

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How is it done?

---------- Post added at 10:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:50 PM ----------

You can forge a part from cast billet aluminum, but the end product would still be called a "forged part."

BAJASVT said:

How is it done?

---------- Post added at 10:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:50 PM ----------

You can forge a part from cast billet aluminum, but the end product would still be called a "forged part" and technically it wouldn't be billet to begin with if it was cast billet.

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Forged pistons for example are first cast in a mold and then put between two dies and subjected to great forces for the forging process.

I have never been to China so have never witnessed Raptor wheels being made but they are not billet forged wheels.

I see your point, but "billet forged" or "cast forged" would be the same thing because billet is nothing more than a block of cast aluminum. If it's billet, it just means that a piece of cast aluminum was machined to appropriate size. If it's cast, it just means that it was poured into a mold of appropriate size.

From raw aluminum ore out of the ground, foundries turn it into large castings or ingots that are just giant blocks of cast aluminum. So yes, for argument sake, all aluminum will start as a "cast part." These ingots are used whole or cut/machined into all different shapes and sizes for different manufacturing parts/purposes. The bottom line is that in common speak, if a piece of this aluminum goes through a forging process, it's referred to as a forged part; if it's melted down (again) and poured into a mold, it's referred to as a cast part.

schooled!

alright, so but what's the deal with the beadlock rims? are they cool to drive on the pavement, as long as the tire pressure is up to spec? are they somehow more of a pain in the ass to deal with?

people on this forum are always asking for replacement beauty rings, or other wheels that have beauty rings rather than true beadlocks, which i don't understand. wouldn't you always rather have true beadlocks, if you ever intend to ever go off road in the time of ever? which you presumably at least dream of one day, possibly once in your life doing, if you bought a raptor?

Well there is the ford saying that the beadlock rings are for off road only. There are also some DOT restrictions around beadloxk wheels. A few searches on Google or the site search engine will turn up a lot of information about them.

Did you end up converting them? How do you like em?