I mean, obviously the heavy ones are bad. But outside of size, which is pretty much determined by class, are there weaker rims, wrong number or thickness of spokes, wrong material, etc.? I'm shopping right now, ebay stylee, and I've heard Rota Slipstreams and Kosei K1's dropped quite a bit around here. But I find there are a wider variety of, say, Rota Circuit 8's or Group N's for different prices and such. Is there a type of rim I should be staying away from, whether its construction type (forged vs. cast), material (aluminum, steel, I can't afford magnesium), thickness of spokes (and does number of spokes come into play when dealing with the thickness?)?

I understand the lighter, the better. I get that. But say I find something in a 5 spoke design, made from aluminum, and the spokes are no more than 1" square in diameter from hub to rim, what's to say they won't collapse or shatter the first time I drop a wheel off track, or hook a apex curb? Even if it's made by the same company that makes other, proven racing rims?

I currently own a set of really nice, Racing Hart Type C5's, that are heavy as hell, made from aluminum, cost me $2400 with tires (bought back when I though looking cool on the street rather than being fast at the track was where it was at), and I have had nothing but problems with them denting on potholes and such. All four have been to the rim straightener at least twice. Not worth it to me, anymore, for the money I paid for them. But for as expensive at they were, I find Slips or K-1's for six times less money, and they are capable of taking a beating on the track? I guess I got suckered by the whole "show car" scene a few years ago, but I'm heading on to the right track now. I just want to know exactly what I need to be looking for in a decent racing rim.

Any help?

 

the kosei K-1 is used by about a bazillion racers, that has to say something.

i currently own 8 kosei's, and had 4 more before. never had one bend or crack. and even if one did, it's only about $120 to replace.

 

I just recently had one of my A-tech final speed wheels bend. At least they were cheap too at $350 a set. Bend wasn't bad at least.

 

I took out a curb once at an autox on K-1's and just chewed up the outer lip a bit. Never lost any air and have been using it as a street wheel for 3 years now. The hit was hard enough to knock the alignment off. The K-1's get my vote (own 3 sets now with the new TS's)

There are some drag wheels I've heard of but can't remember which ones they are. Several are specifically made only for straight line stuff, no cornering strength.

 

B18CXR broke 2 15x6.5" konig heliums on the track one day.

 

My 15x6.5" Rota Circuit-8's have been flawless, they've taken some wicked potholes with my stiff suspension, on Azenis without any damage, and I have a close look at them every time they're off the car, which is a lot.

Potholes > most things you'll encounter on a racetrack as far as punishing your wheels, aside from contact with other cars or walls I guess.

 

In theory, some contruction techniques and materials are better, but it really comes down to how well a company implements whatever materials/technology they use.

Kosei K1s are pretty common at the track in japanese import sizes. Panasports are really common in smaller sizes on race cars.

If you're not worried too much about width and weight, it's hard to beat some of the nicer OEM wheels for strength and value. Some of the older BMW BBS wheels should fit Hondas. Miata wheels fit, if the centerbore is enlarged. Some older VW wheels might work too.

 

what do 15x7 k-1's weigh?

 

iirc 13.2-13.5lbs

 

In a word, no. There have been a few incedents of this wheel failing, or that wheel failing - but any wheel you find on eBay should be fine. You may want to stay away from anything that says "drag-racing only". Also, don't get anything that looks like this:

 

I'll recommend Rota's, I'm currently running Group-N's with azenis, haven't had any problems on street or track...should have another set of sometype of Rota for fall...Rota's rock darren...

 

i've been looking everwhere for that wheel...that ish is tiiiite.....

 

C8's were fine on track and autocross for me thus far.

I am looking to get some new K-1's though, as they are 7 inches wide, which is what I'm looking for with the azenis.

It's a good idea to keep an eye on any wheel that you take on track, etc. You are putting alot of stress on them, and you never know what could happen. Even Realtime bends/breaks wheels all the time, and they use SSR comps.

JP

 

this is true, i was lucky enough to get one of their bent ssr's from road atlanta last year.

 

I was always under the impression that the SSR comps had probably the weakest lip out of all lightweight racing wheels...which is part of the reason they are so lightweight i believe...

 

from what i understand they bend a bunch of them. 3 or 4 that weekend alone.

 

Here are some interesting pics:





Note, I did not take these pics, but instead came across these a while ago...

 

Now that's exactly what I'm talking about. Are there designs or types that would lend more towards being weaker in construction, and therefore not able to handle the rigors of road racing over a lengthy period of time? I don't have the budget that Realtime has to buy super-lightweight rims and just replace them as they bend. I need something that, for the most part (rubbing other cars and walls aside) will not just blow up. Seems the Rota Slipstreams and Kosei K1's are the most prominent, I'm just wondering if all of Rota's or Kosei's rims are good for this, or are some not designed for road racing's abuse as others are.

I'll probably end up getting some Slip's anyways, as they seem to have a thick spoke design that looks strong.

 

I may be mistaken, but the wheel on top looks like a real Mugen MF8, which I have heard, that happens to sometimes, because they are a fairly soft metal when compared to the Rota Knock-Offs...I guess the advantage to that is the lightweight...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PSUCRX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I may be mistaken, but the wheel on top looks like a real Mugen MF8, which I have heard, that happens to sometimes, because they are a fairly soft metal when compared to the Rota Knock-Offs...I guess the advantage to that is the lightweight...</TD></TR></TABLE>

I dont think those are real Mugen's... I think those are the Rotas.

Real Mugen wheels are forged, which is generally stronger than a cast counterpart.

It looks like the wheel in question broke because the driver hit something, as you can see that two of the spokes are damaged on the side...

 

I thought it was the real mugens because of the centercap...only the real ones have those.

 

Those look like Konig Heliums to me. The rotas have a softer radius to the edge of the spokes.

 

Its an ADR Spider (which came with those center caps). Notice how there is a nice piece missing from the rotor. Supposedly, the guy was driving on the street and hit the center island pretty hard (pics have been floating around for a while).

The second set of wheels on the Subaru are Rota Attack I believe. I think the owner claimed that they just broke apart at an autox and a bunch of guys discovered after that that their wheels had cracks in them after which I think Rota ended up replacing some of them.

Some things to look at (all else being equal): number of spokes. The more spokes the wheel has, the more distributed the lateral forces on the wheel and the less tendancy to break. The thicker the spokes, the stronger the wheel. The heavier the wheel, the stronger the wheel. Of course, these are all generalities and there are many, many instances where the above are not true. TE-37's, for example, are super strong, very light, and "only" have 6 spokes. Many generic wheels have more spokes, are heavier and will bend or crack much easier than a a TE-37. Design plays a part, as does casting technology and materials. I'd just basically ask for recommendations from other racers and keep a good eye on your wheels. Considering how cheap some wheels are (Rota, Kosei, ATech, TD Pro-Race), it might be worth it to put wheels under the "consumables" category and just replace them every year or every other season or so depending on how badly you abuse your car.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PSUCRX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I thought it was the real mugens because of the centercap...only the real ones have those.</TD></TR></TABLE>

The ADR brand knockoffs came with the center caps. I used to know somebody with a set.

edit: just a little too late calling the brand.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hooter &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Its an ADR Spider (which came with those center caps). Notice how there is a nice piece missing from the rotor. Supposedly, the guy was driving on the street and hit the center island pretty hard (pics have been floating around for a while).

The second set of wheels on the Subaru are Rota Attack I believe. I think the owner claimed that they just broke apart at an autox and a bunch of guys discovered after that that their wheels had cracks in them after which I think Rota ended up replacing some of them.

Some things to look at (all else being equal): number of spokes. The more spokes the wheel has, the more distributed the lateral forces on the wheel and the less tendancy to break. The thicker the spokes, the stronger the wheel. The heavier the wheel, the stronger the wheel. Of course, these are all generalities and there are many, many instances where the above are not true. TE-37's, for example, are super strong, very light, and "only" have 6 spokes. Many generic wheels have more spokes, are heavier and will bend or crack much easier than a a TE-37. Design plays a part, as does casting technology and materials. I'd just basically ask for recommendations from other racers and keep a good eye on your wheels. Considering how cheap some wheels are (Rota, Kosei, ATech, TD Pro-Race), it might be worth it to put wheels under the "consumables" category and just replace them every year or every other season or so depending on how badly you abuse your car.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Sound advice. Thank you.

Hey Justin, if I have the new car ready by PIR in May, I'll bring those Super Fins out with me.