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The SAE J175 Impact Test in its original and revised form was developed to simulate side impact on wheels under vehicle roll-over conditions. Wheel users and manufacture's have tried to use J175 test fixture, with 90 degree impact, to evaluate the performance of the rim during frontal pot hole or curb impacts. With drop mass so high and the velocity so low there has been poor correlation with actual field testing. A lower mass higher velocity impact test has been developed that effectively reproduces road hazard impact damage under controlled and reproducible conditions. This paper provides readers with the background information that led to the development of the new Road Hazard Impact Test - SAE Recommended Practice J1981.

In June 1987, U-Mold Co. Ltd, a Division of Ube Industries, started commercial production of Aluminum Wheels using a new “Gas Free/Squeeze Casting Process”. The new process has produced intricately designed wheels with physical properties approaching those of a forging. The absence of gas and shrinkage porosity has virtually eliminated the leakage problem associated with other wheel castings. Because of the fine grain structure and the absence of porosity in the castings, appearance quality of the fine machined surfaces has been greatly improved and some painting defects eliminated.

Permanent mold cast aluminum wheels have been widely used as original equipment on passenger cars for a number of years. Testing and field experience together with manufacturing and plant processing experience has resulted in the development of a number of recommended design practices which are outlined in this paper. Methods used to test that design requirements have been met will be presented. Basic wheel designs, rigid and flexible, will be discussed together with the currently used mounting face configurations. Detail design features such as rim contour, nut boss, valve hole, hub pilot, mounting face and window openings will be reviewed. Future design and manufacturing trends will be discussed.