Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Brian designs bespoke forged wheels for real cars. He got there by designing wheels for Hot Wheels.
In episode 60 of Shop Talk, Jonathan Odom and Kaching sit down with Brian from Vanguard Wheel Co. to talk about how a diecast customizing hobby turned into a full-size wheel business, what actually changes when you scale a design from 9mm to 18 inches, and why there are almost no legal standards for wheels in the United States.
We get into the C4 Corvette build headed for the Corvette Museum, why nearly every wheel on the road comes out of one town in China, how a forged wheel is really made, and Brian's picks for the most overrated and most underrated wheel designs ever put on a car.
Chapters
0:00 From Hot Wheels to real wheels
0:38 Who Brian is and what Vanguard does
1:07 The introduction that started the business
2:18 Can you just scale a Hot Wheels design up?
2:56 How you pitch a bespoke wheel
3:54 The C4 Corvette build
6:16 The Porsche cookie cutter collab
7:30 How he started designing for Hot Wheels
9:24 What breaks when you go full size
10:50 There are no wheel laws in the US
12:06 Why almost every wheel is made in China
13:16 How a forged wheel is actually made
15:08 Why forged wheels finally got affordable
17:58 The most overrated wheel
19:19 The most underrated wheel
20:02 Matching the wheel to the car
23:34 Custom offsets, big brakes, and EV builds
26:19 Why spacers are a bad idea
29:37 Fusion to KeyShot to the client
30:26 What's next for Vanguard
32:25 Where to find Brian
Find Brian
Instagram: @vanguardwheelco
Web: vanguardwheelco.com
►FREE TRIAL | https://autode.sk/3Wtfi20
►SUBSCRIBE | https://autode.sk/30njGGX
►GET STARTED | https://autode.sk/30k2DWh
►TRY AN EXTENSION | https://autode.sk/3EOUidW
CONNECT with Fusion on social media:
INSTAGRAM | https://autode.sk/2Enzh8P
TWITTER | https://autode.sk/45cIYTK
LINKEDIN | https://autode.sk/3UyieZS
FACEBOOK | https://autode.sk/3WaaZLb
Brian designs bespoke forged wheels for real cars. He got there by designing wheels for Hot Wheels.
In episode 60 of Shop Talk, Jonathan Odom and Kaching sit down with Brian from Vanguard Wheel Co. to talk about how a diecast customizing hobby turned into a full-size wheel business, what actually changes when you scale a design from 9mm to 18 inches, and why there are almost no legal standards for wheels in the United States.
We get into the C4 Corvette build headed for the Corvette Museum, why nearly every wheel on the road comes out of one town in China, how a forged wheel is really made, and Brian's picks for the most overrated and most underrated wheel designs ever put on a car.
Chapters
0:00 From Hot Wheels to real wheels
0:38 Who Brian is and what Vanguard does
1:07 The introduction that started the business
2:18 Can you just scale a Hot Wheels design up?
2:56 How you pitch a bespoke wheel
3:54 The C4 Corvette build
6:16 The Porsche cookie cutter collab
7:30 How he started designing for Hot Wheels
9:24 What breaks when you go full size
10:50 There are no wheel laws in the US
12:06 Why almost every wheel is made in China
13:16 How a forged wheel is actually made
15:08 Why forged wheels finally got affordable
17:58 The most overrated wheel
19:19 The most underrated wheel
20:02 Matching the wheel to the car
23:34 Custom offsets, big brakes, and EV builds
26:19 Why spacers are a bad idea
29:37 Fusion to KeyShot to the client
30:26 What's next for Vanguard
32:25 Where to find Brian
Find Brian
Instagram: @vanguardwheelco
Web: vanguardwheelco.com
►FREE TRIAL | https://autode.sk/3Wtfi20
►SUBSCRIBE | https://autode.sk/30njGGX
►GET STARTED | https://autode.sk/30k2DWh
►TRY AN EXTENSION | https://autode.sk/3EOUidW
CONNECT with Fusion on social media:
INSTAGRAM | https://autode.sk/2Enzh8P
TWITTER | https://autode.sk/45cIYTK
LINKEDIN | https://autode.sk/3UyieZS
FACEBOOK | https://autode.sk/3WaaZLb
