You can learn alot about the quality of a wheel from the barrel (as well as the normally unseen inside portions which we’ll get into later). Today, let’s talk about a regular barrel vs. a reverse barrel. You might not be able to tell from the pic, but the face design of both wheels in the picture face to the left. The wheel on the left is a performance-oriented, sports wheel. This particular one has a very shallow, regular barrel. The wheel on the right is a luxury-based wheel. This particular one has a deep, reverse barrel. True sports wheels tend to use regular barrels meaning that the well of the wheel tends to be towards the face side of the wheel. Usually, this is meant for better caliper clearance. Luxury wheels tend to use reverse barrels meaning that the well of the wheel tends to be towards the back side of the wheel. Usually, this is done for aesthetic purposes to make the face design look bigger. The width and depth of the well is accurately calculated for maximized balance and strength. Regardless of the well placement, barrels without a well are for the most part, flat and tend to be thicker and heavier. The well of the barrel creates strength, similar to the thought that a piece of paper that is folded as opposed to not being folded, is stronger. So, a barrel with a well is both usually thinner and stronger while a flat barrel tends to be thicker and heavier. And of course, similarly, the barrel constitutes whether the tire should be regular-mounted or reverse-mounted. Pardon the funky pic.