La Forge Industries · Engineering Documentation
Bespoke FEA Reports for Custom Forged Wheels
Every LFI forged wheel is built around a specific vehicle, brake package, width, offset, load requirement, and intended use. Our bespoke FEA report gives owners a clearer view of how their custom wheel design is reviewed before production.
Custom Wheel FEA
Radial Load
Sidewall Reaction
Angular Torque
Tyre Pressure Load
6061-T6 Aluminum
AZ80+RE Magnesium
Downloadable Reports
Overview
Why Bespoke Wheel Manufacturing Needs Bespoke Validation
Custom forged wheels are not one-size-fits-all parts. Diameter, width, offset, bolt pattern, brake clearance, vehicle weight, tyre choice, and intended driving use all affect how force moves through the wheel structure.
That is why LFI treats FEA as part of the wheel development process, not just a generic marketing screenshot. Each design is reviewed around the actual wheel specification and vehicle application before production. Where requested, LFI can also provide a PDF FEA report so owners can see the engineering basis behind their build.
Core principle: A custom forged wheel should be reviewed as a custom component. LFI uses bespoke FEA to evaluate how the wheel carries radial load, transfers torque, reacts to lateral force, and behaves as a pressurised structure in service.
Dedicated Documentation
Your Bespoke FEA Report
Digital Engineering Record
1-of-1 Data for Your Wheel Specification
Many wheel brands test one reference size and use that as a broad confidence marker for nearby specifications. LFI takes a more tailored approach because our wheels are often built to specific diameters, widths, offsets, concavity targets, centre-bore requirements, and brake-clearance profiles.
Your requested FEA report can document the wheel geometry, material basis, load cases, stress distribution, maximum stress regions, and deformation behavior reviewed for your exact wheel specification.
Transparency
Engineering You Can Review
The purpose of the report is to provide visibility into how the wheel was assessed before manufacturing. Instead of relying only on claims of strength, customers and technical buyers can review the actual simulation output used during the engineering process.
FEA remains a design and review tool. Physical testing, fatigue performance, impact behavior, manufacturing consistency, and real-world use still matter. The value of FEA is that it helps identify design risk and stress concentration before the wheel is cut.
What We Test
The Four Load Cases Behind LFI Wheel FEA
LFI’s FEA review is designed to move beyond a simple vertical-load image. A wheel in real use carries weight, transfers torque, reacts to cornering load, and operates under tyre pressure at the same time.
01 · Radial Load
Vertical Vehicle Weight
Radial load evaluates how the wheel carries the vehicle’s mass through the rim, spokes, hub pad, and mounting structure.
02 · Side Load
Sidewall Reaction Force
Sidewall reaction helps review the lateral bending forces applied to the rim lip, barrel, and spoke structure during cornering.
03 · Torque
Angular Torque
Angular torque reviews how acceleration and braking forces transfer from the hub area through the spokes and into the barrel.
04 · Pressure
Internal Tyre Air Pressure
Tyre pressure is usually a smaller contributor than radial, lateral, and torque loads, but it is a real service load acting on the barrel and tyre-seat regions.
Material-Specific Inputs
The Simulation Should Match the Material
FEA is only meaningful when the material input reflects the wheel being reviewed. LFI references the intended forged alloy and heat-treatment condition when setting up the simulation. For many aluminum builds, the reference material is 6061-T6. For selected lightweight applications, LFI may also work with magnesium alloy such as AZ80+RE, where applicable.
| Input Area | Example Reference | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Wheel Material | 6061-T6 aluminum or selected magnesium alloy application | Defines the stiffness, strength basis, and deformation behavior for the simulation |
| Elastic Properties | Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio | Controls how the wheel deforms under applied load |
| Strength Reference | Yield strength and tensile strength | Provides the stress reference for pass / review thresholds |
| Operating Pressure | Tyre air pressure applied to barrel and tyre-seat regions | Represents a real constant load present when the wheel is in service |
| Vehicle Application | EV, performance car, road use, or track-focused application | Helps shape the load target and design review context |
Stress Target
A Conservative Stress Threshold for 6061-T6 Aluminum Builds
Reference Example
313 MPa Yield · 104 MPa Design Threshold
For 6061-T6 aluminum builds, LFI’s sample documentation references a yield strength of 313 MPa. A conservative design stress threshold of 104 MPa represents approximately one-third of that yield reference.
This gives the simulation a clear engineering target: the reviewed stress result should remain below the defined material-based design threshold for the relevant load case.
Important Context
FEA Is a Review Tool, Not a Guarantee
A conservative FEA target helps LFI identify high-stress geometry before production, but it does not replace physical testing, fatigue review, impact performance, manufacturing quality control, or correct real-world use.
The practical value is earlier design correction: if stress concentrates around spoke roots, hub transitions, barrel junctions, or bolt-seat areas, the design can be revised before machining.
Visualising the Stress
Heat Maps, Displacement, and Critical-Zone Review
A useful FEA report should show more than a colourful image. It should help identify where stress is concentrated, how the wheel deforms, and whether the result makes sense for the load path. Common review areas include spoke-root transitions, inner hub corners, bolt-seat regions, barrel junctions, and tyre-seat areas.
Stress Map
Where the Load Concentrates
The heat map helps identify the highest-stress regions under the selected load case. This is especially important around transitions where geometry changes quickly.
Displacement
How the Wheel Moves
Displacement views help show how the wheel deforms under load. Direction and pattern matter, especially when angular torque is included.
Stress-map view showing how the wheel structure is reviewed around critical load zones.
Secondary FEA view showing deformation / stress behavior from another review angle.
Sample Documentation
Download Sample LFI FEA Reports
The sample reports below show the type of engineering documentation LFI can provide for selected wheel specifications. They are examples of LFI’s report format and review process.
LFI TRS-02 V2 · 17x9J
Sample FEA report for a TRS-02 V2 forged wheel specification.
Download ReportHow LFI Uses FEA
From Design Review to Production Readiness
| Stage | What LFI Reviews | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle & Fitment Input | Vehicle model, wheel size, offset, brake clearance, tyre size, and use case | Defines the geometry and application context for the wheel |
| Material Selection | Forged aluminum or selected magnesium alloy application | Ensures the simulation uses material-specific behavior |
| Load Case Setup | Radial load, sidewall reaction, angular torque, and tyre pressure | Creates a more realistic review than vertical load alone |
| Stress & Displacement Review | Peak stress, stress spread, deformation direction, and critical zones | Helps identify spoke-root, hub, barrel, and bolt-seat risks |
| Design Correction | Geometry refinement before machining when required | Allows risk to be corrected before the wheel enters production |
| Documentation | PDF report available upon request for selected builds | Provides technical visibility into the engineering review process |
FAQ
FEA Report Questions
Does LFI create an FEA report for every custom wheel?
LFI uses FEA as part of the design review process for custom forged wheel development. A PDF FEA dossier can be provided upon request for selected builds and specifications.
Why does a custom wheel need bespoke FEA?
Wheel diameter, width, offset, concavity, brake clearance, vehicle weight, tyre size, and use case can all affect the load path. Bespoke FEA helps review the actual wheel specification instead of relying only on a generic reference design.
What load cases does LFI review?
LFI’s FEA review can include vertical vehicle weight, sidewall reaction force, angular torque, and internal tyre air pressure. These load cases help evaluate how force travels through the rim barrel, spokes, hub pad, and transition zones.
Why does LFI include tyre pressure?
Tyre pressure is usually less dominant than radial, lateral, and torque loads, but it is a real constant service load acting on the rim barrel and tyre-seat areas. Including it helps the simulation better reflect the wheel as a pressurised structure.
What does the 104 MPa design threshold mean?
For 6061-T6 aluminum builds, LFI’s sample documentation references a 313 MPa yield strength and a conservative design stress threshold of 104 MPa, approximately one-third of the yield reference. This provides a clear material-based target for reviewed load cases.
Does FEA guarantee that a wheel cannot fail?
No. FEA is an engineering review tool, not a guarantee. It helps identify stress concentration and design risk before production. Physical testing, fatigue behavior, impact performance, manufacturing quality, correct installation, and real-world use conditions remain important.
What should I look for in a wheel FEA report?
A useful report should show the material input, load cases, stress distribution, maximum stress regions, displacement behavior, and critical-zone review. It should also make clear whether the stress result is compared against a defined material-based target.
Can LFI provide FEA documentation before production?
Where applicable, LFI can provide FEA documentation as part of the engineering review process for selected custom builds. This gives customers technical visibility before the wheel is manufactured.
Start a Build
Build a Custom Forged Wheel with Engineering Documentation
For EVs, performance cars, track applications, and heavy-use builds, LFI can review wheel size, offset, vehicle weight, tyre sizing, brake clearance, load target, torque requirements, material selection, and design direction before production.