Instead of welding the wheel center to the rim, there are reliefs cast into the wheel center spokes where they meet the rim. Then a special die tool stakes the rim to the wheel center, deforming the rim like a hammer and punch would do, essentially locking the rim to the wheel center. This is an interesting idea but since aluminum expands at a higher rate than steel, the interface loosens up when it’s cold. And once the wheel center slips relative to the rim, it’s downhill from there.
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