#TechTip: What Are Multi Piece Wheels?

Everyone’s heard of “2 piece wheels” or “3 piece wheels”, but if you’re the average person, you’ve never even touched a set. A huge majority of wheels you see/can buy are a single piece setup, so what are these mystical multi piece wheels, and what are the advantages?

What are they?

Multi piece wheels are, as the name would imply, are made of multiple pieces. For 2 piece wheels, the center section connects to an outer barrel of the wheel. A 3 piece wheel uses the same basic idea, but there is an inner and outer section to the barrel which is sealed to be air tight.

What are the advantages?

Standard wheels that come in a single piece generally come in specific offsets and sizes which someone would pick and choose from. Multi piece wheels tend to be more customizable in terms of offsets and widths, and this creates greater fitment possibilities. Also, because the wheels are composed of multiple parts, it is possible to replace individual components of the wheel, rather than having to repair the wheel or replace the entire thing. Wheel strength will also be higher than a cast wheel.

From an aesthetics standpoint, it is much easier to paint or coat the separate components of the wheel, which opens up the possibility for unique designs.

What are the disadvantages?

The advantages of multi piece wheels come with a price tag. You’ll be hard pressed to find a set that doesn’t cost 2 to3 times the price of a standard set of 1 piece wheels. For this reason, many choose to stick with single piece wheels.


What wheel type do you prefer?

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Comments

Wheel Nuts

I guess single piece wheels are lighter and stronger though, especially forged ones.

03/09/2016 - 13:17 |
1 | 0

I think you would be surprised. :)

03/09/2016 - 13:40 |
0 | 0
Aakash Sayal

When I buy wheels, I am going to only buy forged single pieced wheels

03/09/2016 - 13:22 |
1 | 0

That be around 2to5k

03/09/2016 - 13:42 |
1 | 1
Anonymous

i love 3 piece wheels

03/09/2016 - 13:39 |
8 | 1
Anonymous

If you have to ask you can’t afford them

03/09/2016 - 13:41 |
1 | 2
Anonymous

easy to make it look like new while they are over 25 years old

03/09/2016 - 13:42 |
4 | 0
Joshua 2JZRB26

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Is that AC Schintzer wheel?

03/09/2016 - 13:54 |
1 | 1
Anonymous

3 piece is the best, so many ways you can personalise your rims and make them look just the way you want them! Here is my oz futuras👌

03/09/2016 - 13:50 |
20 | 1
Jake Orr

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Looks good!

03/09/2016 - 13:57 |
3 | 1
Luis Winnebeck

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

beatiful mate! on which car?

03/09/2016 - 14:21 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Just bought a cheap set of 3 piece wheels as a test. They’re a bit damaged but ill probably repair them and sell OR buy new lips and fit them on the S13.Three piece wheels are almost necessary when it comes to RB kits and all that. Couldn’t find any nice 1 piece wheels with that low of an offset.Crazy lip inc.

03/09/2016 - 14:01 |
1 | 0
Kai Verspeek

You can make ridiculously wide wheels too! lol These are my forgelines, normal size? 19x9.5, fits under a stock suspension with no fender rolling. Well not like this, in normal configuration!

03/09/2016 - 15:58 |
4 | 0
status_error

Problem with multi piece wheels: They always look about an inch smaller than they really are

03/09/2016 - 16:05 |
1 | 0

Depends on the center :) but i know yea, usually the lip is on the outside. But not here

03/11/2016 - 00:56 |
0 | 0
Richard Patocka

When I saw this post my mind immediately went to thinking about sprint car rear wheels.

03/09/2016 - 16:16 |
0 | 0