One Vs Two Piece Wheels on Trucks

[kawiracer14]

I'm lifting my truck here in the very near future and going to be getting new wheels and tires along with it. Can someone tell me the benefit of two piece wheels over one piece? They seem to be about twice the cost of one piece.

Is there anything better about them besides looks?

I did some google searching but they all led to sports car discussions not off-roading.

[Great-Kazoo]

I like 1 pc. Less issues regarding leaks etc.

[Circuits]

2pc rims were originally so you could change a tire in the field without having a rim clamp tire changer. If you're not looking to do that kind of tire changing, and the looks don't move you, get the 1pc.

[Colorado Osprey]

One piece wheels are almost always cast wheels.
This is usually the cheapest and weakest way to manufacture a wheel.
There are some 1 piece Billet wheels but those are sure expensive, light and strong.

2 piece rims usually have a single piece rim and a single piece hub. These don't leak.
They are able to make more complex wheel designs that are stronger and lighter than one piece rims while keeping manufacturing costs down.

3 or more piece wheels usually have a 2 piece rim design that can possibly leak, but this design has been around since the 1970's for racing applications to keep weight to a minimum.
3 piece rims are generally not for street or daily driver applications. They are best served in the show car and racing fields.
A lot of 17" and bigger wheels are made in the 3 piece design. The different pieces could be different materials or different manufacturing or finished. Like chrome plated, polished and satin.. all in the same wheel as well as using different aluminum practices like cast, billet and forged.


I don't believe he is referring to spilt rims which have been illegal to work on or use for on the road - private passenger vehicles since 1986. These require tubes.



** EDIT**
As far as aluminum vs steel- it is a common mos-conception that steel wheel can be bent back where an aluminum wheel will crack and break.
It is true that a steel wheel can be bent and bent back if the bend is not too bad, but any impact that would break an aluminum wheel would utterly destroy a steel wheel to the point of un-salvageable. So both wheels would be junk.
Aluminum wheels will actually flex and flex back. Aluminum wheels are generally true, unless you break them. Steel wheel are usually only true on the day they were made.
There are differences in quality of aluminum wheels. Some are made well and true.. others not so much. Ask you tire/wheel professional. They will know what isn't coming in true or have had issues with breaking or cracking among current offerings.

[Ah Pook]

^^ That's more than I I ever know about modern rims.

For an off-road rig I would go with one piece steel rims. Aluminum is brittle and will break. Steel can be hammered out if gets rolled.

Two piece rims would be nice for trail side repairs. Save weight and space by just carrying a couple of extra tires. In theory anyway.

[kawiracer14]

Thanks for the info. I will have a spare on the truck, and it's a full size tundra so weight savings is kind of a moot point.


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[kawiracer14]

Basically comparing something like this: 44695 (http://rimzoneonline.com/wheels/fuel-wheels/fuel-one-piece-wheels/fuel-1-piece-maverick-black-machined/20x10-fuel-maverick-black-machined-d53720007045.html)

to this: 44697(http://rimzoneonline.com/wheels/fuel-wheels/fuel-two-piece-wheels/fuel-2-piece-maverick-black-machined/20x10-fuel-maverick-2-piece-black-machined-center-d26120007047.html)

with a price difference of $275 vs $410 on that site.