Flow Formed Construction

Why flow formed construction matters when choosing wheels

When REIKA decided how to manufacture its wheel line, three things mattered: weight, strength and options.

REIKA wheels are built for vehicles that leave the bitumen as readily as they stay on it, so they have to be both light and durable. It was also essential to offer more widths and offsets than the standard OEM fitment allows, so owners can build the stance they actually want. All of that pointed in one direction — flow formed construction.

The benefits

Highly durable

The flow forming process improves the grain structure of the aluminium, giving the finished wheel greater strength than a traditional cast wheel.

Light weight

Because the material is stronger, the rim barrel can be spun thinner than a cast barrel. Less unsprung weight means better ride quality and better performance.

More options

Multiple forming programs allow a far wider range of widths and offsets than a single cast mould can produce.

A hybrid of casting and forging

Flow forming sits between the two traditional methods. It takes a cast wheel and mechanically works the barrel the way forging does — increasing strength and reducing weight in the part of the wheel where both matter most.

Cutaway illustration of a flow formed REIKA wheel barrel — The barrel is spun and stretched to its final width, producing a consistent wall thickness that absorbs impact better than a fully cast barrel.

The process, step by step

Initial casting

Aluminium ingot, magnesium, titanium and silicon are heated to liquid, filtered, degassed and inspected, then poured into the casting machine's crucible and pressurised into a high-temperature steel mould.
Measurement

Once solid, the casting is removed from the mould, bathed in water and measured to confirm the wheel size is correct.
Preparation

The wheels pass through a preheating oven and are placed on a preheated mandrel shaped to the final rim barrel profile.
Checkpoint

Here the distinguishing feature of a flow form casting appears — a short rim barrel skirt, not yet formed out to full width.
Flow forming

Over multiple passes, forming rollers squeeze and stretch the thick aluminium skirt into the final barrel shape, producing an exceptionally uniform wall thickness.
Strength

The wheels are bathed in water again and heat treated to lock in the correct hardness.
Finishing

The traditional wheel process resumes — lathing, machining, balance and leak testing, cleaning, then the finish is applied.
Quality control

Specific quality checks and rigorous wheel tests confirm strength, durability and overall quality before a wheel leaves the line.