An HRE wheel begins life as high quality 7″ diameter 6061-T6 aluminum billet rod. The billet rod is heated and placed into a precision die where it is forged using millions of psi of pressure into a raw forging as specified by HRE’s engineers. The result of the forging process is aluminum with a refined crystalline structure whose grain direction is aligned with the primary load direction of the wheel spokes. The processed forging is then precipitation heat-treated to a T6 temper to achieve the perfect blend of strength and ductility. Typically high quality forgings such as these are only found in aerospace applications or high load automotive applications such as performance pistons and connecting rods. These high strength 6061-T6 forgings are the foundation of HRE wheels.
Having recently visited the HRE facility, these processes not only show how HRE builds their own wheels and quality controls them, it is a perfect example why Vivid Racing uses HRE Wheels on its project vehicles. As a top seller of HRE Wheels, you can Google “HRE Wheels” and see Vivid Racing highly recommended. Feel free and check out our entire HRE catalog and gallery here.
Pictures and Story by Sean McGill
