[2024] CCW Wheels Review: Are They Good, Bad Or Just Reps?

If you are looking for custom forged wheels, there is a name that is not quite as popular as some of the other well known brands in the industry.

I’m talking about CCW, a custom forged wheel manufacturer from the USA.

Are they a hidden gem that most people don’t know about? Or is there a reason they are not as popular as other brands?

In this post, I’m going to cover CCW in detail and answer whether you should buy their wheels or look elsewhere.

The History of CCW

CCW is an American based custom forged wheel manufacturer that has been around since at least 2001.

CCW stands for Complete Custom Wheel, and they specialize in making monoblock and multi-piece wheels to custom specs to suit practically any car.

The company was founded with the intention of providing high quality wheels for race and street cars at a more affordable price than the other options available, some of which can cost many thousands of dollars.

They make forged wheels which were light, durable and functional, and as a result became very popular with many forms of motorsport all across the USA including SCCA and World Challenge.

They also became a common choice for a number of performance cars, most notably Toyota Supras, Porsche 911s, Chevrolet Corvettes, BMW M3s and Ford Mustangs.

CCW had a great reputation for the quality of the product as well as their customer service, which many people across many different forums praised regularly.

CCW sold wheels direct to consumer in order to maintain a high standard of service and the quality of the product, as well as a low price of their wheels compared to many other forged options.

However, in 2014, Weld Wheels bought out CCW, and the story changed.

Unfortunately, after this point, there were many reports of poor customer service, lead times for wheel orders consistently being delayed and taking 3 times as long or longer for the wheels to finally arrive, and sharp rises in price.

Weld changed the distribution system to allow retailers, which will be part of the reason that the price rose.

However, it seems like the issues were at practically all stages of the company including the production of the wheels.

If you find any forum post about CCW dated past 2015, you will see mention of how their customer service has rapidly declined since the acquisition.

This is unfortunate given the fact that they still seem to make a quality product, but as of a forum post dated 2022 it seems they still suffer from backorder problems and lead times are extremely long and even worse than before, which has put a lot of people off from buying their wheels.

How CCW Wheels Are Made

One of the things that stands out about CCW wheels is that they are extremely strong and durable.

Their wheels were commonly used by track racers and have many reports of outlasting other more expensive brands including BBS, which being significantly cheaper. However, they are heavier than many other forged wheels.

CCW wheels are designed used Finite Element Analysis (FEA), the same thing BBS and Volk use, which allows them to design wheels that are as strong as possible while reducing as much weight as possible.

Also taken into account when designing CCW wheels are the stresses and loads they will be exposed to when hitting track curbs, dropping wheels off the track, higher temperatures, downforce pressure and the possibility of rubbing with other cars on the track. This ensures that their wheels can take a beating and still retain their structural integrity.

All CCW wheels are made in America using forged 6061 T6 aluminium including the wheel centers on multi-piece wheels, which are often cast on other brands’ wheels.

A special feature that CCW wheels have is that they shot peen the faces of the wheels, which alters the aluminium’s properties, relieving stress and reducing the chances of the wheel cracking. This is particularly useful for track wheels and results in a 25% increase in surface strength.

All this results in extremely durable wheels which can take a beating and have proven over the years to be an excellent choice for both street and track use.

Issues With CCW Wheels

The only reports of issues I could find that were verifiable were that CCW wheels were prone to tyre slippage issues, especially when used under track conditions. This is something that knurled beads, like those that SSR use, would solve.

However, keen in mind that this was not a big enough of a problem to put off the many people who used CCW wheels, including in competition use. But I thought it was fair to mention.

Safety Standards

CCW has a range of machines in house that all them to conduct all safety tests need to prove a wheel’s strength.

Their machines allow them to run corner impact load testing which involves:

Impact testing
Radial fatigue testing
Rotary fatigue testing

This is very similar to the testing required to pass JWL, though I wouldn’t be surprised to find that CCW tests their wheels to a higher rating to ensure they are strong enough for the track.

CCW also claim to be TUV certified, though I could not verify this on the TUV website as they do not list their certification number. If they are genuinely TUV certified, then that says a lot about the quality of their wheels, as that is one of the hardest certifications to pass on the planet.

CCW Wheel Options

CCW currently offer a range of wheels including monoblocks and mult-piece modular wheels.

Their wheels are custom made to order to your specifications, and are available in a wide range of size options from 17-22” diameter, 7.5-16.5” wide and a range of custom color and finish options. They also have 15” and 17” bead lock wheel options.

Here are their current wheel line ups:

Multi-Piece Modular Wheels

Monoblock Race Wheels

Monoblock Wheels

Popular CCW Wheels Include:

CCW Classics

Probably the most popular CCW wheel, these look great on a range of cars and are custom made to suit your sizing and finish requirements.

C10

The C10s are a very popular track wheel due to being lightweight and monoblock.

D110

These are another popular 3 piece custom wheel from CCW.

LM20

A 3 piece mesh wheel designed based of classic motorsport wheels such as the BBS LM.

SP505

The SP505 wheel was another popular monoblock wheel but it has since been discontinued.

4×100 CCW Wheels

CCW make wheels to fit your specifications and offer 4 lug PCDs on most of their wheel designs.

CCW Mustang Wheels

CCW wheels are particularly popular with Ford Mustangs of all generations from Fox Body to SVT Cobras and more. Their wide selection of sizes and wheel offsets allows you to get the perfect fitment no matter what mustang you drive.

CCW Corvette Wheels

CCW wheels are also extremely popular among Corvette owners, particularly the C5 and C6. Not only do they come in many sizes to suit Corvettes, they also look great on them too.

CCW 5×4.5 Lug Pattern

CCW offer custom PCDs for all of their wheels and thus have a wide range of options when it comes to 5×4.5 lug pattern, also commonly referred to as 5×114.3.

Conclusion – Should You Buy CCW Wheels

CCW wheels have a great reputation when it comes to the quality of their wheels that seems to be true even to this day.

They make high quality wheels that are very durable and relatively lightweight, at a reasonable price. This made them very popular with many competitive racers and track car owners.

However, since the Weld acquisition, it seems that actually getting a set of wheels from them is a huge headache, and you need to be prepared for extended periods to finally get the wheels you paid for.

That sort of thing would personally put me off, especially considering their prices have risen quite dramatically over the last few years, making them no longer that much of an amazing buy compared to wheels like BBS and Volk.

You can buy pick up a brand new set of BBS LMs for around the same price as a set of CCWs (depending on the size). Many Volk wheels can be bought for even cheaper than a set of CCWs.

So, with the increased cost, significant wait times and the notoriously bad customer service over the last few years, I personally am put off buying CCWs and would sooner go with other wheels.

However, if you really like what CCW has to offer and you are prepared to wait, I don’t see any issues with the wheels themselves. In fact, they seem to be very good quality.

Other Forged Wheels Brands At a Similar Price I Would Recommend:

FAQ About CCW Wheels

Who Makes CCW Wheels?

CCW make their own wheels at their facility in America.

Are CCW Wheels Reps?

No, CCW are not reps. They make genuine monoblock and multi-piece forged wheels, many of which have been extensively copied, such as the Classics.

How to Tell If CCW Wheels Are Real?

The biggest thing to look for is if the wheel is genuinely multi-piece. Most fake CCW wheels are the Classics, which are a 3 piece wheel. If the wheel you are looking at is 1 piece with fake bolts, you are looking at a fake wheel.

Where Are CCW Wheels Manufactured?

All CCW wheels are manufactured in America by CCW.

What does CCW stand for wheels?

CCW stands for Complete Custom Wheels.

Are CCW Good Wheels?

Yes, CCW make very good quality wheels that are strong, durable and relatively lightweight.

Are CCW Wheels Real?

Yes, CCW wheels are real. CCW make either forged monoblock or multi-piece wheels which are genuine wheels.

Who Is CCW Wheels Owned By?

CCW is currently owned by Weld Racing.

How much does a CCW wheel weigh?

The weight of CCW wheels will depend on the wheel model and size. The TS12 Corsair R-Spec, the lightest wheel, weighs less than 18 lb (8 kg) in 18×9 size.

Will CCW Wheels Fit 4 Lug Mustang?

Since CCW make custom wheels, they will be able to make wheels that fit a 4 lug Mustang.

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Mateja Matic

Having been in the car tuning game for 15 years, I'm now using all the knowledge I acquired to help other people learn and select the right parts for their cars through this blog.

Cars owned: Mk2 Golf with 1.8T swap, BMW E28 with M30B35 swap, BMW E36 328I Mtech, BMW 750IL, Nissan 300ZX, Honda Civic EF