Aftermarket Wheels - Where They’re Made
AL13 CF-G01 Carbon Series Wheel by AL13 Wheels.
The right aftermarket wheels are one of the most important decisions luxury car enthusiasts make, but where are they actually made? This is a question I get asked repeatedly (although not enough!) by clients who want to ensure they’re picking the right custom wheels for their next build. After spending over ten years in the high-end aftermarket parts industry building relationships with people and obtaining insider info on many brands, I feel especially qualified to answer this. Below is a rundown of some of the top custom wheels manufacturers, and where they’re from.
Before I begin, it’s important to note that where these wheels are made does not automatically determine if they’re good or bad. The purpose of knowing where your wheels come from is transparency— knowing what you’re paying for. Where your wheels are made can influence the quality of aluminum used as well as the testing requirements, which can vary from country to country. I will discuss these factors of custom aftermarket wheels in a future blog post.
Overview
1886 Wheels | Santa Fe Springs, CA
AL13 Wheels | Brea, CA
Anrky Wheels | Santa Fe Springs, CA
Avant Garde Wheels | Santa Fe Springs, CA
BBS Wheels | Germany or Japan
Forgeline Motorsports | Dayton, OH
HRE Wheels | Vista, CA
HRE Wheels (FlowForm) | Taiwan
MV Forged | Brea, CA
Velos Designwerks | Santa Fe Springs, CA
Vossen Wheels | Doral, FL
Vossen Wheels (Hybrid Forged) | China or Taiwan
VT FORGED | China
Where are HRE Wheels and the HRE FlowForm line made?
HRE's custom forged wheels are made in Vista, California, and its FlowForm line is made in Taiwan.
HRE was founded in 1978, and all of its custom forged wheels are made at its facility in Vista, California. HRE also offers a "FlowForm" line made up of cast wheels with a flow formed barrel. HRE lists its current FlowForm models as manufactured in Taiwan. FlowForm is the accessible way into the HRE name, but it's a different product entirely from their top-of-the-line custom built forged wheels.
Where are BBS Wheels made?
BBS wheels are made in Germany and Japan, depending on the model.
BBS was founded in Schiltach, Germany in 1970, and it's now part of KW Automotive. The forgings for BBS forged wheels come from BBS Japan in Takaoka City. After that, where a wheel is made depends on the model. The LM, Super RS, LM-R, RS-GT and RG-R are designed and produced in Japan. Racing and specialty forged work like E88s and E07s comes out of BBS Motorsport in Haslach, Germany. Their cast and flow formed side, including the CH-R and CH-R II, is also German.
Where are Vossen Wheels and the Vossen Hybrid Forged line made?
Vossen's custom forged wheels are made in Doral, Florida, and its Hybrid Forged line is made overseas.
Vossen builds their custom forged wheels in its own factory just outside of Miami, Florida in a suburb called Doral. They are one of the few brands that machines and finishes their forged wheels entirely in-house. They collaborate with many industry giants like Novitec and Urban Automotive to manufacture wheels for them. They also have their "Hybrid Forged" line manufactured overseas in Asia, including facilities in Taiwan and China. Oftentimes they bring these HF wheels over already in the desired diameter and width to their new, massive second facility in Texas, where they drill the bolt pattern and center bore and apply color for American customers.
Where are Forgeline Motorsports wheels made?
Forgeline wheels are made to order in Dayton, Ohio.
Forgeline has been building wheels in Dayton since 1994. All of its custom forged wheel offerings are made to order under one roof, from the raw forging through hand finishing, with U.S. made ARP hardware. In my opinion it's one of the last great American wheel companies. One of the industry standards for quality, and super popular among classic Americana and muscle cars.
Where are AL13 Wheels and MV Forged wheels made?
AL13 and MV Forged wheels are made in Brea, California, by their parent company, Wheel Image.
These two are sister brands owned by the same company, Wheel Image, based in Brea, California. They aren't two different private labels owned by two different people, but rather one entrepreneur owning and caring for both, filling different niches in the market with different design languages and unique looks. In my opinion, they are the industry leader in designs and ideas. It's a torch that has been passed around a few times over the years (remember ADV.1?), but they look to have a stranglehold on it now, and for many years to come.
Where are VT FORGED wheels made?
VT FORGED wheels are manufactured in China.
The owner of VT FORGED is based out of Arizona, but the wheels are manufactured in China. The company's website doesn't list a physical address or say where the wheels are made, and the only origin statement found on forums was a post saying the wheels are made at a facility overseas. Many buyers don't realize they're putting Chinese-made wheels on their car. Manufacturing in China isn't automatically a problem, but you should know it before you buy it.
Avant Garde, Anrky, Velos, and 1886 Wheels - Are They the Same?
They're all manufactured at the same facility in Santa Fe Springs, California.
Kickstart Motorsports is based in Santa Fe Springs. Avant Garde (aka “AG”) is their own brand but they also manufacture Anrky, Velos and 1886 Wheels at the same facility. These are essentially private labels. They share the same aluminum forgings, engineering, CNC machines, and color department to produce all of them. Same quality across the brands, one no better than the next. What changes from brand to brand is the name on the center caps and minor tweaks to designs so they can be told apart. When some consumers discovers this, it becomes difficult for them to justify paying thousands of dollars more for one over the other when they come from the same facility and are built the same way. If you're considering any of them, you're really paying for the name, so choose based on the design you like, not the price tag.
And no, Anrky is not manufactured by HRE. That stopped several years ago. I'll have more to say about that in a future blog post.
Does Using Chinese Aluminum Mean a Wheel is Chinese-Made?
No. Raw aluminum is just the starting material.
One misconception worth clearing up: if the raw aluminum starts in China, that doesn't make the wheel Chinese made. China is the world's largest aluminum producer, producing roughly 60% of the global supply, so a lot of the world's aluminum starts there. Think about it this way:
A Swiss watch can have steel from anywhere, but it's Swiss because it's assembled, cased and inspected in Switzerland.
An Italian suit can be made from Australian wool, but it's Italian because it's cut and sewn in Italy.
A house built in Florida with Canadian lumber is still a Florida-built house.
High-end aftermarket wheels works the same way. Raw aluminum can come from anywhere. What determines where a wheel is made is where the machining, finishing, assembly, and testing take place.
Final Thoughts
Wherever you land, ask the brand where your exact wheel is made, and get the answer before you pay. A good brand won't mind answering. You can also ask me. I'm always happy to share what I know, and you'll know exactly what you're buying.