A Proven Combo: Kosei K1 Racing Wheels and Falken Azenis Tires | Garage Rescue Miata

Sorry, but the white ones look better.

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

Keeping white wheels clean is no fun, Kosei needs to make them in bronze (not gold) 

In reply to captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :

When I was younger, I used to be all about black wheels, but now that I'm slightly older, I've realized there is something cool about bronze wheels.

I second that white wheels are a pain to keep clean, but maybe that's where the appeal comes from. You see someone with white wheels, and you'll say to yourself "wow, that person spent a lot of time to keep those clean."

I had silver wheels like that on my red 93 miata. I loved how they looked and how easy it was to clean them with such large openings between the spokes.

DeadSkunk (Warren) said:

Sorry, but the white ones look better.

Warren Martin,'99 Miata,'03 CooperS,'91 GTI 16V,06 Scion Xb ,73 Corolla SR5, 2019 GMC Canyon

It's funny, but there was some debate on color. The photo at the bottom--with the hood up--was taken about 30 seconds after I first saw the Miata on the black wheels. I admit, it took my breath away. The stance, the look, the whole thing. 

Put me down as a big, big fan of bronze/gold as well. 

Kosei K1 are by far the coolest light wheels out there!  I have one set for my 1G DSM, and looking for another set for my NA Miata.  

If you need a center cap, look into a 3D printed one to save some money over the hard to find Kosei caps.  RaceTruckRon here helped with printing some in resin for me, and I could also print some up on high temp PLA or PETG.  They will need to be removed before track days, as would any center cap, due to the high heat.

Glad to see another K1 fan out there. I was going through some old photos the the other night and came across this one.

Thanks for the tip re. 3D printed center caps, too. 

Why clean wheels when you can just plasti-dip them gunmetal?

Gunmetal/anthracite is just another color code for "brake dust".

In reply to Olemiss540 :

Someone needs to make a wheel that comes in white, black and brake dust. 

Olemiss540 said:

Why clean wheels when you can just plasti-dip them gunmetal?

Gunmetal/anthracite is just another color code for "brake dust".

Where can you order anthracite, other than dipyourcar? Actually their prices are pretty good.  We did our pathfinder in anthracite and they hold up excellent.

https://www.dipyourcar.com/products/anthracite-grey-wheel-kit

I love K1s.  I used to have a white set.  They seem a little outdated today because they are only in narrow sizes (correct me if I am wrong here).

IIRC due to the hub design I had to use special lugnuts that required a 17mm wrench instead of the open ended GM style I used on everything else.

captdownshift (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

Keeping white wheels clean is no fun, Kosei needs to make them in bronze (not gold) 

Kosei needs to make them in 15x9 is what Kosei needs  to do.

Also not a fan of black wheels.  Too dull, hides the detail, and no contrast from the tires.  For that matter, not a fan of black cars.

I do, however, love love love K1s.  I sold my set to my niece for her NB Miata when I went wider.

Duke said:

Kosei needs to make them in 15x9 is what Kosei needs to do.

Yep.  8's and 9's.

In reply to ProDarwin :

I'll pass along that request.  

Great wheels. My preference would be a polished lip with anthracite centers. That is probably too much to ask. 

Just came across this in the photo archives. Date taken: October 4, 2001.

Followed two frames later by:

tester (Forum Supporter) said:

Great wheels. My preference would be a polished lip with anthracite centers. That is probably too much to ask. 

That look puts you in a certain age bracket :) I'm there too.

The K1 predates the real introduction of 8" and 9" wheels on Miatas. It's easy to forget just how long it's been around. Well, it was before David started posting pictures of them taken almost two decades ago :) It would be cool to see them in wider sizes.

K1s have been one of my favorite wheels since I first saw them on a friend's B13 SE-R back in the 90s.  I had 15" on my NA Miata and now I have 17" on my ND Miata:

The K1 is cool....  now bust out with some cans of bronze wheel paint and make them as cool as they look.

In reply to ProDarwin :

Yea, I reeeeally wanted these wheels, but 15x8 is definitely the way to go for 205 tires.  205 RE71Rs and 205 A052s both performed 0.3-0.5 seconds faster on my 15x7.5 6ULs compared to my 15x7 SSR Type Cs in nearly identical conditions (back to back HPDE sessions).  I haven't had a chance to test on 15x8 yet, but Miata forums are saying it's even faster, so I'm looking forward to it.

In reply to tester (Forum Supporter) :

I hear ya but I'm afraid here it would look weird since the spoke goes almost all the way to the rim. And, you know, I can't recall ever seeing two-tone K1s. Anyone?

engiekev said:

Olemiss540 said:

Why clean wheels when you can just plasti-dip them gunmetal?

Gunmetal/anthracite is just another color code for "brake dust".

Where can you order anthracite, other than dipyourcar? Actually their prices are pretty good.  We did our pathfinder in anthracite and they hold up excellent.

https://www.dipyourcar.com/products/anthracite-grey-wheel-kit

Yup. I dipped my car brake dust anthracite. Merely to reduce the number of washes necessary per season....

They look great in plain silver too. I should really wash them though. 

matt147 said:

K1s have been one of my favorite wheels since I first saw them on a friend's B13 SE-R back in the 90s.  I had 15" on my NA Miata and now I have 17" on my ND Miata:

 

 

Very nice.

Thanks for sharing the pics. Yes, very nice. The 17s on the ND look perfect. 

To me, at least, it's one of our icons, right there with the TE37. 

I'm not a fan of black wheels except as snow wheels.  That way they can hide the dirt better.

These wheels look good on anything from 1990~2005. 

Picture from today...

oooo, they look GOOD on an E36.

Keith Tanner said:

oooo, they look GOOD on an E36.

K1s look good on any car, and also make any car look better.

Those are not the same thing.

Duke said:

Keith Tanner said:

oooo, they look GOOD on an E36.

K1s look good on any car, and also make any car look better.

Those are not the same thing.

But they suit some cars more than others. The styling of the E36 and the styling of the K1 are really complimentary, so the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

The E36/K1 combo is strong. 

They work on mr2's as well!

Keith Tanner said:

Duke said:

Keith Tanner said:

oooo, they look GOOD on an E36.

K1s look good on any car, and also make any car look better.

Those are not the same thing.

But they suit some cars more than others. The styling of the E36 and the styling of the K1 are really complimentary, so the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Fair enough. 
 

1995 NA autocrossing in Hartford CT  The rear wheels are silver, I wanted a second set of whites, and couldn't get them.

If I remember come spring time, I'll post a photo of my white K1s on my son's blood orange Fiat 500. I expect it will look pretty good.

This is what they look like on my E30. 

They are 15x7. No, I will not cut the fenders for wider anything.   

And how they look on an E21.

Again, 15x7 but the offset required for this car makes them hard to find.  

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

That should look really cool. 

K1's are deservedly in the Wheel Design Hall of Fame next to Torq-Thrusts and Panasport/Minilites.

The Cragar SS is the building's janitor.  He's there, but no one goes looking for him.  

jr02518 said:

That's an amazing backdrop.  Where was this photo taken?

The picture is from the Lone Pine Time Trials event held at the retired air strip, Manzanar Interment Camp.  The site is just north of town on High Way 395.  The view from the event is of the base of the Eastern Sierras and it's snowing in the mountains. In May.

The Mt Whitney Portal is back in town and to the left in the picture. 

Driving at this event is a very sobering thing when you take into account the location and the long history of the Owens Valley. This is a shot facing north.

My Miata track wheels were K1s for a long time:

And a friend of mine had them on his SW20 that I helped him rescue:

In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :

Dang, hard top SW20, too? 

When was the K1 first manufactured.  I'm seriously considering a set for the MR2 I'm about to acquire.

Sounds like 1998 according to this thread which jibes with my memory. We got our first set--for this Miata, in fact--in April 1999. I remember the wheel being pretty new to the scene. 

DeadSkunk (Warren) said:

If I remember come spring time, I'll post a photo of my white K1s on my son's blood orange Fiat 500. I expect it will look pretty good.

You have a pretty good shot of them on your GTI as well.

The K1 just looks so good on so many cars. Just wish they made them for the E46 M3....

Look what we have here.

I'm really happy I'm not entering this years challenge as only 3 of 4 arrived.  I'm sure UPS will find the other one or Tire Rack will make it right.  

Partial to the K1s as well... really like their functional look and fairly light weight for their size... ran them on my Tacoma, mainly with the Hankook RS2/RS3s, but also tried a set of Azenis RT-215 as well... silver K1s went well with it:

If I kept the MR2, I was planning to put black K1s on it... AnthonyGS has same idea as well and looking forward to seeing how it looks on it.

White K1s on my son's Fiat. He commutes 110 miles daily and keeps them clean with minimal effort. The product he uses is pictured.

The same wheels on the GTI I used to have

Hey, they look good on Miatas, too, in case no one noticed...

In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :

Nice and congrats. 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Thanks the 4th one says out for delivery now.  My son is excited to get them on Mister Two.  With any luck you can see them at the 2022 challenge.

update:  4th wheel and tire arrived one long weekend after the first three.  Shipping is really weird right now.

They also look good on Escort station wagons, in case anyone was wondering :)

In reply to therieldeal :

They do look good--same with all of the photos above. 

car39 said:

YES!  My first Miata was a 92 with a hardtop and I put white K1s on it.  

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

You know, not sure I have seen K1s on a Fiat 500. Looks good. 

So, a K1 story that I recently remembered. 

Several years ago--like 15 or so--I noticed a car parked one street over wearing K1s. Mental note taken. 

Soon after I'd learn that the parents of someone who autocrossed at the national level lived there. 

David S. Wallens said:

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

You know, not sure I have seen K1s on a Fiat 500. Looks good. 

It won't be very common as they're not available in a 4x98 pattern. He's using wobble bolts, which many people are uncomfortable with. The contrast between the white and the blood orange is striking. Ralph Gilles has talked to him more than once about the interior and exterior colour combination of the car.

In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :

So, have you run them yet?

David S. Wallens said:

In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :

So, have you run them yet?

Not yet.  I have been futzing with the Camaro and have a rallyX in the Subaru on the 3rd and 30th.  I will post photos as soon as I get this installed and driving.  If all goes according to plan, you can run them at the 2022 challenge.  I share cheap cars.  

Had K1 on my 93 MR2, gunmetal

I'd LOVE another set, but so hard to find in 17" 5x114

So this evening I took the Miata to an Orlando Roadsters meet. Dozens of cars and let's just say that I'm usually not one of the younger guys there.

As soon as I get out of the car, a dude says, "Nice wheels!"

And then he adds, "sir."

Small update: Just came across the invoice for those first Kosei K1 wheels. It's dated April 6, 1999.

David S. Wallens said:

In reply to ProDarwin :

I'll pass along that request.  

Just curious if you received any feedback on getting the K1 in wider sizes?  I would absolutely sell my BNIB 6UL's and buy a(nother) set of K1's if they offered a 15x9.

On a related note, I managed to inquire directly with someone at Kosei a couple years ago, in hopes of getting them to make a batch of 17's with 5x114.3 lug pattern (currently, all that's available is 5x120).  They told me that the K1 style is an exclusive for Tire Rack at this point, so I would have to convince them.  I... did not have any luck with Tire Rack.  Since then I managed to get my hands on an old set of 17x7.5 5x114.3 wheels, but I feel like others would buy them too...

No.  No, no, no, no, no.  That project wasn't 20 years ago, stop lying.  It was like five years ago max?  Right?

I loved this car, I haven't read the links yet, but was this the one where you built the cool cylinder head for it wasn't it?

In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) :

Here are two photos of the Miata--scanned prints, in fact, as we had not yet gone digital: as purchased in 1998 and then wearing the Kosei K1 wheels in 1999. And, yes, it had headwork. Still runs like a champ. 

David S. Wallens said:

Small update: Just came across the invoice for those first Kosei K1 wheels. It's dated April 6, 1999.

Editorial Director, Grassroots Motorsports & Classic Motorsports

The MR2 is wearing them now :)

In reply to therieldeal :

Tire Rack has received my lobbying for more K1 sizes before. Personally, I'd love a set for the E46 M3--17s would be totally fine there. The K1 is available for the regular E46 but not the M3. It's a timeless classic and even though it's "just" a cast wheel, it's still pretty light by today's standards.

When they launch the Wheel Hall of Fame, the K1 needs to be in the first class. 

They aren't bears, but they're pretty nice wheels. 

In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :

That looks mean. 

Also, is this anyone here? I saw it at the Daytona airport last week. Nice car, excellent parking job. 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Yes I'm glad I went with the wider offset for less hit to the budget :).  Now to get the rest of the additional parts installed a harness and start auto crossing it next spring.  If you think hard, one might be able to figure out my theme for the '22 challenge.

David S. Wallens said:

Also, is this anyone here? I saw it at the Daytona airport last week. Nice car, excellent parking job. 

That is a super clean NA.  It makes me miss my first Miata a 92 red NA with hardtop and white K1s.  I bought it around 96 or so.  

In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :

Any pics of the red Miata on the white K1s? Sounds cool. 

I had the last set of K1's in 17x7.5 5x114.3 probably left in the world. 

Looked pretty good on that car.

In reply to bobzilla :

Nice. 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I believe there's an official GRM photo by one of y'all from 2016 solo nats.

bobzilla said:

I had the last set of K1's in 17x7.5 5x114.3 probably left in the world. 

Looked pretty good on that car.

Not the last set in the world! I have a set in my garage :)

David S. Wallens said:

In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :

Any pics of the red Miata on the white K1s? Sounds cool. 

I thought about this, but my ex wife likely has those.....  I may ask my son to snoop around next time he visits, but I'm not asking her.

I just picked up a set of K1s for our street NB Miata, and wondering if anyone knows of a center cap that will work with them?  I don't run caps on the track, but on the street car it would be nice...

The only caps I think I've ever seen on K1s are on the cover of Keith's book...

I wonder if there's something you could 3d print for that. 

I really wish they'd re-release these in 17" 5x114.3

They were a great bargain performance wheel. I wish I still had my old set, only paid 180 (used) with some good goodyear tires on them. But they went with the car when I sold it and that person has since sold those. They were gunmetal in color. 

I love the K1's, but couldn't pass up the deal I got on these lightly used K5-R's... soon to be wrapped in Hankook RS4's.

In reply to Rodan :

At one point, I had a set of caps. But that was a long time ago.

As far as I remember, though, the caps installed from behind. 

In reply to hybridmomentspass :

And, yeah, seems like a good place for some 3D printing. 

I was hoping someone might know of a crossover part, or obscure source that would work, but I did find some "universal" caps on eBay that may work... figured it was worth the $12 gamble to order them.

In reply to Rodan :

That sounds like an acceptable gamble. Please report back. 

I can report that Rota RB center caps do not fit as they're too big. 

That sounds like an acceptable gamble. Please report back. 

The eBay center caps arrived, and they fit! 

Note that these are 15x7, 4x100 K1s, with a 54.1(?)mm center bore.  The center caps are "58mm"... I scoured eBay listings trying to find something that would fit properly in the center bore, and these were what I settled on.  The key was looking at the dimensions of the 'hooks/clips' and finding one slightly larger than the bore to get a friction fit.   $11 + tax and free shipping.

eBay 58mm center caps

Shouldn't be too difficult to get custom stickers made for them.

Well done man, that's an awesome, cheap 'mod' for these

That's rad--thanks for sharing. 

Rev Limiter makes custom center caps. 

Whoops... 

I discovered yesterday that while the caps above fit on the wheels, they don't fit with the wheels mounted on a Miata...

Both the front hub dust cover and rear axle stub sit flush/ slightly proud of the wheel face when mounted, preventing the cap from seating fully.  Sorry for the crappy pics.

I did discover that Konig Rewind center caps will fit the K1s when mounted on the Miata, so whoever buys my old Rewinds won't be getting the center caps... 

I'm picking up Lofi's NB in March with the K1s, and I have 3D Printed center caps before.  Finding the right material is tricky, I don't have a printer that can do ABS, so lots of the PLA materials dont have the heat capacity or sun loading durability to be used as center caps.  Guess that gives me an excuse to upgrade my printer and do some ABS K1 cap runs for GRM folks, and of course share the STL file so people with printers can print their own.

If theyre 3D printed, its easy to emboss a logo on the cap, so no need for fancy cap covers.  See these caps that we designed with the Eagle logo built-in, we can do something similar for a Kosei or Mazda logo. 

I THINK the MR2 was like that, too, when I had mine. 

Again, this might be where some 3d printing comes in, then you could adjust the depth of the cap to suit your needs