Q: Why choose flow-formed over a forged wheel?

Flow forming gives you most of a forged wheel’s barrel strength at a lower price. It starts from a cast blank, then pressure and roller shaping strengthen the barrel during production. You do not get the absolute lightest weight of a full forging like the UP-05 forged wheels, but at 27.6 lbs with a 950 kg-plus rating, it is built for real daily use rather than pure track duty. For a value-focused Model S upgrade, it hits the sweet spot.