Why HRE Wheels Are Worth the Investment

Make a statement with the best aftermarket alloy wheels money can buy. Renowned for their exceptional quality, performance, and style, HRE wheels are the epitome of luxury and performance. Let's explore why HRE Wheels stands out and why they might be the perfect choice for your vehicle.

What does HRE stand for?

HRE Wheels has cultivated a strong brand identity centred around three core principles:

• Performance: HRE wheels prioritises engineering and design to optimise wheel and vehicle performance.
• Luxury: With a keen eye for aesthetics, HRE wheels offers a wide range of finishes, designs, and customisation options now seen as status symbols, complementing high-end luxury vehicles.
• Innovation: HRE wheels consistently pushes the boundaries of wheel technology. From pioneering forged wheel manufacturing to developing innovative materials like carbon fibre and 3D printed titanium.

These three pillars define the HRE ethos, making their wheels a popular choice for car enthusiasts worldwide.

What HRE Wheels should I choose for my car?

This is dependant on a number of factors you need to ask yourself such as:

What is my budget? The starting price of HRE Wheels range from £2,079 for a set of their Flow Formed wheels.

What range should I choose from? This depends on what you want to get out of the upgrade. This will determine on whether you’re simply after a better looking design aesthetically or more performance focused custom forged design.

HRE wheels offer two primary wheel production methods: flow-formed and forged.

• Flow-Forged: A cost-effective option that utilises a forging process to create lightweight and strong wheels, a process that forges only the barrel out from the casted alloy mould. These are exclusively available in a mono-block design.
• Forged: A no compromise option. Constructed from aerospace-grade aluminium, these are the pinnacle of wheel technology. Starting with a massive block of aluminium, the forging process removes air pockets, resulting in incredibly dense and strong wheels. This allows for thinner spokes while maintaining exceptional strength - a crucial feature for performance-oriented vehicles.

Once you’ve selected between your preferred production method and budget. You can select different construction methods customised to your choice:

• Mono-block Design: A classic one-piece wheel, often the most affordable option.
• Two-Piece Wheels: These combine a forged centre with a separate outer lip, allowing for customisation of finishes and widths. You can even choose the colour of the hardware, including lightweight titanium bolts. This is what AUTOID run on our BMW G87 M2 shop car.
• Three-Piece Wheels: The ultimate in personalisation, these wheels offer a forged centre, outer lip, and barrel that can be mixed and matched to create truly unique designs.

HRE wheels goes above and beyond with finish options, including brushed, polished, and custom powder coatings. Their website, HRE Wheels News, showcases some of their latest and most creative designs.

Carbon Fibre Innovation:

For those seeking the ultimate in performance and exclusivity, HRE offers carbon fibre wheels. These cutting-edge wheels are significantly lighter than their aluminium counterparts, offering substantial weight savings for improved handling and acceleration.

The HRE Wheels CRBN program is a proprietary carbon fibre barrel with optional forged centre design, five times stronger and twice as stiff as steel, including RFID chip technology, optimised fibre layup, a toughened resin system, as well as a seamless outer fibre layer.

A Wheel for Every Car:

HRE wheels don't just cater to sports cars. They offer a wide range of designs to complement luxury cars, SUVs, and even race cars. Their website features a vehicle gallery showcasing a vast array of applications, making it easy to visualise the perfect wheel for your car.

Why are HRE Wheels so expensive?

HRE wheels are undeniably a significant investment, but the question often arises: why are they so expensive? The answer lies in a combination of factors that contribute to their exceptional quality, performance, and exclusivity.

Uncompromising Quality and Craftsmanship

• Advanced Manufacturing Processes: HRE Wheels employs cutting-edge techniques like flow forming, forging and even titanium printing to create wheels that are both lightweight and incredibly strong. These processes demand specialised equipment and expertise, driving up production costs.
• Material Selection: HRE wheels use premium-grade aluminium alloys, often sourced from the aerospace industry, to ensure optimal strength-to-weight ratios. These materials are significantly more expensive than those used in mass-produced wheels.
• Rigorous Quality Control: HRE wheels maintains stringent quality control standards, subjecting each wheel to rigorous testing to ensure it meets the highest performance and aesthetic benchmarks. This attention to detail adds to the overall cost.

 

Bespoke Design and Customisation

• Endless Options: HRE wheels offer an extensive range of customisation options, allowing customers to create truly unique wheels. As expected this level of personalisation requires additional time, resources, and expertise.
• Design and Engineering: HRE wheels design team consists of highly skilled engineers and designers who invest countless hours in creating innovative and visually striking wheel designs. This R&D process contributes to the overall cost.

Brand Prestige and Exclusivity

• Market Leadership: HRE wheels has established itself as a premium brand in the automotive aftermarket, commanding a premium price for its products.
• Limited Production: To maintain exclusivity, HRE often produces wheels in limited quantities.

Performance Focus

• Lightweight Construction: HRE wheels are engineered to be as light as possible without compromising strength, resulting in improved handling, acceleration, and braking. This focus on performance requires specialised materials and manufacturing processes.
• Aerodynamic Optimisation: Many HRE wheel designs incorporate aerodynamic elements to enhance vehicle performance, further increasing production costs.

HRE wheels president & CEO Alan Pills discusses in this video the construction methods, materials and design used to make every HRE wheel:

• Gorgeous design: HRE wheels are designed to be beautiful and eye-catching.
• High performance: HRE wheels are strong, lightweight, have low rotational inertia, and high stiffness.
• Finite element analysis (FEA): HRE wheels are designed using FEA to ensure they meet these performance criteria. FEA is the simulation of strength and force any given physical object would endure using a numerical technique. Ansys explain Finite Element Analysis in more detail here.
• Unsprung mass: Unsprung mass is the mass that is not supported by the suspension, including the wheels, tires, and brakes.
• Rotational inertia: Rotational inertia is the distribution of mass around the wheel’s rotational axis.
• Shorter stopping distances: HRE wheels have a lower rotational inertia, which means they can accelerate and decelerate more easily, resulting in shorter stopping distances.

Alan Pills uses a great example of a why reducing rotational inertia is important:

“Rotational inertia is how much force it takes to spin the wheel. A good analogy is an ice skater: when an ice skater pulls their arms in while spinning, they spin faster because their rotational inertia is reduced. Similarly, wheels with lower rotational inertia will accelerate and decelerate faster. This is important for braking performance, especially on the race track.”

Pros and Cons of HRE Performance Wheels

HRE wheels are a popular choice for car enthusiasts. They stand out because of their quality, technology, and customisation options. However, before buying, it's important to consider the pros and cons to see if they suit your car and budget.

Pros:

• Unmatched Performance: HRE wheels are engineered for maximum performance. Their lightweight construction improves handling, acceleration, and braking. Advanced features like flow-forming and forging techniques ensure exceptional strength and stiffness.
• Luxury and Style: HRE Wheels offer a vast array of stunning designs and finishes to complement any vehicle. From classic one-piece to intricate three-piece configurations, you can create a truly bespoke look for your car.
• Cutting-Edge Technology: HRE wheels consistently pushes the boundaries of wheel technology. They utilise aerospace-grade materials and innovative processes like carbon fibre to create the lightest and strongest wheels on the market.
• Investment in Quality: HRE wheels are built to last. Rigorous quality control standards and premium materials ensure they'll provide years of trouble-free performance.
• Exclusivity: Owning a set of HRE wheels is a statement. Their limited production runs and association with high-performance vehicles make them a mark of distinction for your car.

Cons:

• High Cost: HRE wheels are undeniably expensive. The combination of advanced manufacturing processes, premium materials, and customisation options significantly raises the price tag compared to standard wheels.
• Not for Everyone: If prioritising pure functionality over aesthetics and performance, HRE wheels might be overkill. High-quality, mass-produced wheels can offer a good balance of affordability and performance.
• Maintenance: Certain finishes like chrome or polished metal require more frequent cleaning and upkeep to maintain their shine.

Watch us fit a set of HRE 521 FMR-X wheels to our BMW G87 M2 for Goodwood Festival of Speed 2024:

 

Verdict:

HRE wheels are undeniably the pinnacle of aftermarket wheels. They offer unmatched performance, stunning aesthetics,and cutting-edge technology. However, their premium price tag makes them a significant investment.

Before making a decision, consider your budget, car's purpose, and driving style. Explore the HRE wheels website (https://www.hrewheels.com/) to discover the vast array of designs and options available. AUTOID are official HRE dealers, for personalised recommendations, a free quote on HRE Wheel and tyre packages, and to elevate your car's look and performance, get in touch with a member of our team for expert advice today.