Pro-Touring & Autocross... and Making Your Muscle Car Look Awesome with 3030 Autosport Forged Wheels.

3030 Autosport loves Pro-Touring & Autocross, Drag Racing, and Road Racing. We love the pro-touring style, the stance of the cars, the performance, and the widest wheel fitment you can get on the back of a Camaro…we love it all. As a matter of fact, we have based our Series G, Series X, and MOD3 designs on the Pro-Touring and Autocross genres.

So, what should you look for in a Pro-Touring wheel? An Autocross wheel? And what 3030 Autosport wheel best suits your intention for the car and why? Well, here we go…

The Look…

The Pro-Touring look is easy to spot. Timeless, classic styling. Non-directional spokes. Simple function before flash design. The kind of wheel you know you’ll love for the next 20 years. Typically, 18” Pro-touring wheels are the diameter of choice. The reason for this 18” performance tires are the best on the track. Even if you are simply going for the Pro-Touring look, 18” wheels and tires are likely what you want for an authentic style queue.

Many track cars go with a square setup (all of wheels the same size) when possible, however, most people go with a staggered fitment. For example, 18x9 / 18x12 staggered fitment is pretty popular with 3030 Autosport customers. Since most cars and trucks don’t have enough room for a super wide wheel in the back, never fear, the mini-tub is here! There are plenty of mini-tubs on the market from quality brands such as Detroit Speed and Engineering, Ride-Tech, etc.

We can get you dialed in on your wheel fitment. You can simply measure you ride with the guidance of our vehicle measurement form which is downloadable here: 

https://3030autosport.com/wheel-fitment-help/, or spec your own wheel dimensions if you know them. 3030 Autosport wheels are custom built to the specs you need right down to 1/8” backspacing increments.

Any of 3030 Autosport’s Series can give you the Pro-touring look. But… let’s look at how you're going to use your ride.

The Performance Capacity…

First, you need to know that not all wheel brands manufacture their own wheels. Also, and extremely important, not all wheel manufacturers test their wheels. That’s right – we think this fact is as insane as you do.

3030 Autosport manufactures our own wheels and tests all styles via third-party testing labs that service the big OEs. We use third-party facilities – keeping the fox out of the hen house, so to speak, and ensuring our customers of valid test results.

For those of you that intend to push your car to the limit, GET FORGED WHEELS. In order to handle the intense cornering load, the wheel’s aluminum structure must have its grain integrity intact and enhanced by the forging process. Cast wheels and flow-formed wheels run the risk of failure under these conditions. What’s the difference? Why is forged better suited to intense conditions?

Here is a layperson's explanation of the difference:

• Take a piece of particle board (you know, the "powder-wood" they make cheap furniture from). It’s very porous and has no grain structure as real wood does. Now slam it on a driveway. What happens? It shatters. It fails catastrophically and immediately. Consider this an example of how a cast wheel fails.
• Now take a wooden baseball bat. With all its grain structure intact. Slam the bat on the driveway. What happens? The bat is totally intact, and you now have a sore arm. Consider that as an example of forged aluminum and why it is insisted upon for racing, aerospace, and military applications where failure is not an option.
• 3^rd Party Article: https://www.qcforge.com/forging-innovations-blog/forged-aluminum-versus-cast-aluminum-what-is-the-difference/ .

ALL 3030 Autosport wheels are manufactured from 6061-T6 forged aluminum.

For our MOD3 series wheel line, which is designed for road racing, just one of the physical tests is the equivalent of driving a 4600 Lb vehicle – pulling 1.2 Gs in a constant turn – for 250 miles. Not that you would…but you could - with the MOD3 series. Series G and MOD3 are the go-to’s for autocross racing. And they handle the street in all their imperfect surfaces with ease.

The Fit…

Getting the wheel fitment right is crucial for Pro-Touring Autocross applications. As we said above, we custom-build each wheel for the requirements of our customers based on their measurements. We have great fitment for most based cars and trucks, but often our customers have modified suspensions or performance brakes that need some extra consideration. For the Pro-Touring Autocross setup, the important thing is to measure correctly and confirm those measurements.

Some rules are:

1. Measure at ride height. While your car is jacked up, get jack stands In there to compress the suspension. You want lock-to-lock clearance and no rubbing.
2. Brake clearance is a concern both in regard to the rim AND the wheel center (spokes). If you have aftermarket brakes from a quality manufacturer such as Wilwood, Baer Racing, Aerospace Components, etc. Give us the part # and likely we have the drawing and can save you the measurement work.
3. Consider the desired tire size first before picking your wheel size. You’re not only fitting the wheel on the car. Ultimately, you are fitting the tire first, then choosing the appropriate wheel size. A great resource for tire specs is https://tiresize.com/ .
4. Always remember, the overall wheel width is 1” wider than the stated size. An 18x10 is 10” wide from bead seat to bead seat. However, the outer edge to outer edge measurement is 11”. This is Wheel and Tire Association Specified and is universal through all wheel brands.
5. A great tool for measuring is the Wheel Fit - https://thewheelfit.com/ , and a less expensive and less rigid version at Speedway Motors - https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Wheel-Fitment-Tool-for-Tire-Fit-Testing-Size-Measuring-Mockup,485869.html

The Fun Stuff…

Shopping for the wheel style is a labor of love for most. You know it when it hits you! When you find it – lock and load! It’s time to confirm the wheel will fit your application.

This can be the most fun and the most frustrating part - picking your finishes! 3030 Autosport offers over 18 finish options which can be combined in multiple ways for your own custom look.

Important to consider, you want to choose a color that compliments the overall look of your car. There are really no rules here but success leaves clues right? Look at what the top builders are doing out there and see what strikes you. Remember, you have to love the look of your car when you see it in your driveway or better yet, on the track.

If you have any technical questions, please reach out to us @ 812-73-3300 or email sales@3030autosport.com.