In this research, numerical analysis, response surface method (RSM) and experiments are used to investigate and verify the hot forging process for manufacturing aluminum crown forgings for shock absorber assembly. First, establish the computer aided design (CAD) model of the die and the billet, and simulate it from the finite element method (FEM). Second, a new preforming die was designed with a preformed dressing of controllable deformation zone (CDZ) by the CAD software. Third, numerical simulation was combined with RSM to optimize the processing parameters with the aim of minimizing the die wear while the integrity of forgings should be prioritized preserved. According to RSM, the billet size and preformed dressing of CDZ are important factors affecting the distance between die and workpiece (C). The optimal design factor of the preforming die: billet diameter (D), billet length (L) and flash design (F) are 40 mm, 205 mm and CDZ 1, respectively. Through the results of FEM, this study describes the distribution of microscopic grain flow lines are highly related to forming, stress, strain, and temperature as well as die design such as CDZ in preformed dressing. In order to accurately verify that the parameters analyzed by the RSM, both numerical analysis and physical experiments are carried out and optimal scheme exhibit reasonable consistency.