Mercifully nobody got sidetracked by my question about Ronal Turbo-like wheels in the SEMA thread, but it reminds me about a larger question I have about wheels at this point.
At this point, I'm really curious about who makes good quality wheels, and how to sort of organize a list and categories of manufacturers.
That is, I know Rotiform exists and makes some interesting stuff, but they're eye-wateringly expensive, and I don't even know whether they're any good for use outside of Instagram. (I'm not saying that's all they're good for, I just have no idea and I know I've seen them on more show cars than anything.)
I'm out of date, and when I think of wheels I think of BBS, Momo (and I start having bad feelings about my wallet at this point in the list). Then I think of TSW, Rota, VTO, American Racing... Panasport, Braid, OZ, Corsa Steelies, Konig, Enkei, Ronal, Jongbloed... Volk? I'm forgetting a couple of not-quite-marque-specific brands in the Miata and BMW realms who are GRM advertisers (sorry!)
But I've now scraped the bottom of my memory, don't have a good notion of how they compare, and I'm probably missing at least a similar-sized list of brands I haven't heard of yet or ones I'm just forgetting. I feel like some sort of index of wheel manufacturers and their leanings (not to say quality ranking) would be hugely useful.
I am beginning to regularly regret not purchasing a couple sets plus of Compomotive TH wheels when they had lots of 15 inch wheel widths.
In reply to matthewmcl :
Ach! That's probably the other wheel I was thinking of!
forgeline makes killer stuff
I would not consider Rota worth purchasing. TSW's are typically HEAVY. But TWS wheels are amazing, but they approach $1k each.
Volk, Advan, Work, BBS, Forgestar, Forgeline, HRE, Enkei, Konig, Rotiform, Jongbloed, SSR, BC Racing, Titan7, etc.
I just purchased a set of Advan RSIII's for my new BRZ. 18x9.5 came in around $650 per wheel, $50 each for the center cap, and $20 for a set of centering rings. These are flow formed wheels.
I ran Enkei RPF1s on my previous BRZ.
One E30 had SSR's Type C and then later a custom set of Work Emotion CR Kai's. My 2nd E30 had a 17" set of SSR Type C.
Most fully forged wheels are typically going to be no less than $875/each (with the exception of Titan7 which depending on the size you can get as low as $550 each). But there is nothing wrong with "Flow Formed" wheels, also sometimes referred to as Rotary Forged. Enkei calls their process MAT.
These are what's going on the BRZ next month. Currently being ceramic coated. 
I sorta get the impression that the car you're looking to fit really dictates which wheel brands to look at. Other than the high end forged stuff in custom sizes of course. That might just be a Miata problem though. Nice 15s are a bit rare these days...
Speaking as a guy who's into wheels and knows a tiny bit about presenting content, I'm trying to think how to present that info in a manageable format. It's a good question.
We have our tire guide, but out of the entire world of tires, our guide is limited to models aimed at our little market–so really just tires suited for track and autocross. To do a similar guide just for track/autocross wheels would be a lot bigger. (Bridgestone, the largest tire manufacturer in the world, just has one current model in our tire guide; Rays offers more than 30 variants of its TE37 wheel, although some are aimed at the truck market.)
Let me ponder this one for a bit.
Still, though, what separates a "good" wheel from a less good one? There are international standards for wheels: VIA, JWA, SAE, TUV, etc. You might not find those standards listed online, but the wheel itself should carry the relevant marking.
Spoiler alert: What if a company makes a track-rated wheel but doesn't feel like getting the wheel certified? Or if they claim that their own testing is superior?
You can also look at load ratings.
Look for more from us on this in a bit, too.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=396022
One thing to know is that a lot of wheels are made in the same factories. There's a considerable amount of white labeling going on.
Design still matters, of course - shave too much margin out of a light racing wheel and it'll start failing on track. But it's hard to generalize that brand x is made better than brand y when they're coming out of the same production facility and very likely designed by the same engineers.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
I was once talking wheels with a friend in the biz. "Know so-and-so wheel?" he asked me, referencing a rather popular wheel in our world. "We used to make it."
Jesse Ransom said:
I'm forgetting a couple of not-quite-marque-specific brands in the Miata and BMW realms who are GRM advertisers (sorry!)
Apex, although they make wheels for a lot more than just BMWs these days.
thatsnowinnebago said:
I sorta get the impression that the car you're looking to fit really dictates which wheel brands to look at. Other than the high end forged stuff in custom sizes of course. That might just be a Miata problem though. Nice 15s are a bit rare these days...
Yeah... Filtering is also hard. I guess I'm hoping to come up with lots of options, and then me any my silly little cars can spend time being disappointed as we sort through them.
"Oo! This one's cool! Oh, nothing smaller than 17 inches."
"Yeah! This one's awesome! Oh, 18 inches and up..."
Even Forgeline's "Heritage" series of retro looking stuff seems to start at 17".
MGB GT, BMW 2002, Wolseley Hornet... My current project cars vary between looking silly on anything bigger than 15" and needing a set of 10-inchers. I've actually wondered whether the MGB GT could get away with 17s. I'm not sure.
But that's an issue I knew I was in for. I'm just trying to get a grip on all the manufacturers of good-quality wheels I'm not aware of, and distinguish them from the folks selling either poor-quality stuff or stuff that's just chasing aesthetics with no regard for weight/strength/stiffness, even if they're not "bad" wheels per se.
David S. Wallens said:
Speaking as a guy who's into wheels and knows a tiny bit about presenting content, I'm trying to think how to present that info in a manageable format. It's a good question.
...
Look for more from us on this in a bit, too.
That's super-exciting! Thank you!
This thread has already improved my life; lots here I wasn't thinking of. But a nicely organized and researched article would be flippin' fantastic!
In reply to Jesse Ransom :
If you're looking for smaller wheels, you can always look to a racing series that runs the size you need. For instance, I have 13" mini stock wheels on my Miata from Diamond Racing. They're lightweight and very much track capable. You can also get stock car style wheels for 14" and 15" sizes.
Jesse Ransom said:
thatsnowinnebago said:
I sorta get the impression that the car you're looking to fit really dictates which wheel brands to look at. Other than the high end forged stuff in custom sizes of course. That might just be a Miata problem though. Nice 15s are a bit rare these days...
Yeah... Filtering is also hard. I guess I'm hoping to come up with lots of options, and then me any my silly little cars can spend time being disappointed as we sort through them.
"Oo! This one's cool! Oh, nothing smaller than 17 inches."
"Yeah! This one's awesome! Oh, 18 inches and up..."
Even Forgeline's "Heritage" series of retro looking stuff seems to start at 17".
MGB GT, BMW 2002, Wolseley Hornet... My current project cars vary between looking silly on anything bigger than 15" and needing a set of 10-inchers. I've actually wondered whether the MGB GT could get away with 17s. I'm not sure.
But that's an issue I knew I was in for. I'm just trying to get a grip on all the manufacturers of good-quality wheels I'm not aware of, and distinguish them from the folks selling either poor-quality stuff or stuff that's just chasing aesthetics with no regard for weight/strength/stiffness, even if they're not "bad" wheels per se.
I have an MGB GT and I think I have some 17s that will fit. I might have to try it :) I know I've got a pic of it on 16s somewhere.
Don't forget OEM wheels. Sometimes there's a semi-obscure wheel that the mfr put on a car for god-knows-why that's a ridiculously good wheel. I fell into a pair of 16x7 MB forged wheels off a late '90s CLK-xxx that weigh something like 13.5 lbs/wheel. The previous owner of my 190 threw them in for $150 when I bought the car. That's $150 for all 4.
In your case, there must be some interesting later BMW wheels that will fit the 2002?
David S. Wallens said:
In reply to Keith Tanner :
I was once talking wheels with a friend in the biz. "Know so-and-so wheel?" he asked me, referencing a rather popular wheel in our world. "We used to make it."
Some wheels can have quite a history. There's a popular wheel in our world that's on the..third?...factory. Maybe fourth.
buzzboy
SuperDork
11/3/22 4:54 p.m.
NorseDave said:
Don't forget OEM wheels. Sometimes there's a semi-obscure wheel that the mfr put on a car for god-knows-why that's a ridiculously good wheel. I fell into a pair of 16x7 MB forged wheels off a late '90s CLK-xxx that weigh something like 13.5 lbs/wheel. The previous owner of my 190 threw them in for $150 when I bought the car. That's $150 for all 4.
The venerable CLK Lightweight. Why mercedes put a crazy light wheel on the CLK320, god only knows. I've got a set on my W116.
Also came in here to mention OEM wheels. I'm about to put Charger wheels on my Jeep for winter. Looking for bigger wheels for my MB the first thing I've checked is newer MB cars.
Some manufacturers provide custom sizes and offsets.
I love Minilite-style wheels and recently inquired about getting a set of Image Classic Build RM2's in 16x7.5 with +35 offset, they got back to me very quickly and quoted £1795 including carriage via D.H.L, roughly $2,000 USD
...
https://www.imagewheels.co.uk
...which is above my budget though so didn't ask any further questions like what they weight may be.
Just for reference this car has the RM2 fitted:
The "classic build" doesn't have the bolts exposed like most 3pc do and I like that look better -
If I'm going to spend that much on wheels, I'd much rather buy a nice set of Mugen MF8 or Watanabe F8.
Keith Tanner said:
David S. Wallens said:
In reply to Keith Tanner :
I was once talking wheels with a friend in the biz. "Know so-and-so wheel?" he asked me, referencing a rather popular wheel in our world. "We used to make it."
Some wheels can have quite a history. There's a popular wheel in our world that's on the..third?...factory. Maybe fourth.
Anything to do with a certain 3 digits? hehe
Jesse Ransom said:
thatsnowinnebago said:
I sorta get the impression that the car you're looking to fit really dictates which wheel brands to look at. Other than the high end forged stuff in custom sizes of course. That might just be a Miata problem though. Nice 15s are a bit rare these days...
Yeah... Filtering is also hard. I guess I'm hoping to come up with lots of options, and then me any my silly little cars can spend time being disappointed as we sort through them.
"Oo! This one's cool! Oh, nothing smaller than 17 inches."
"Yeah! This one's awesome! Oh, 18 inches and up..."
Even Forgeline's "Heritage" series of retro looking stuff seems to start at 17".
MGB GT, BMW 2002, Wolseley Hornet... My current project cars vary between looking silly on anything bigger than 15" and needing a set of 10-inchers. I've actually wondered whether the MGB GT could get away with 17s. I'm not sure.
But that's an issue I knew I was in for. I'm just trying to get a grip on all the manufacturers of good-quality wheels I'm not aware of, and distinguish them from the folks selling either poor-quality stuff or stuff that's just chasing aesthetics with no regard for weight/strength/stiffness, even if they're not "bad" wheels per se.
The 2002 needs a set of refinished 15x7 BBS RS.
Sorry for the triple post, and if you guys want a line on cool JDM wheels that are usually pretty affordable, check out this site:
https://www.croooober.com/en/?locale=ja
My buddy bought a set of rad 3-piece wheels for his imported RHD Nissan van.
In reply to z31maniac :
So I have looked at that site, and prices are good, but shipping on a set of wheels hits $600, negating the savings on the wheels. Do you know of a cheaper way to get the wheels stateside with a reasonable cost and insurance?
In reply to matthewmcl :
Let me check with my friend that used them. He's imported two vans and the set of wheels in that picture. His may have also made since because I think his wheels were super cheap, because they are an oddball 6-lug pattern IIRC.
