First time I've ever bought new wheels for a car
#1
01-23-2022, 05:56 PM
First time I've ever bought new wheels for a car
Usually just go used, like slotted mags on my Chevelle, RSX wheels on my Accord.
But I wanted something light that I knew would have the correct offset and I'm tired of used wheels that the owner never cleaned the barrels off. This way I am starting off with pristine wheels that I could ceramic coat (I'm a certified Optimum Opti-Coat Pro installer) before they were mounted.
My tires were almost new (Conti DWS 234/50/17) so decided to stay with 17" wheels. Ended up going with Enkie RPF1 17 x 7.5 +48 offset. Showed up a few days later at my local Discount Tire (only 1.2 miles away!), picked them up and coated them. Returned the next day to have the tires mounted. Good thing about getting them from Discount was the mount and balance was included, they also ordered the correct wheel lugs too.
What surprised me is the wheels don't come with center caps.
Ordered the center caps ($99, yikes) from Amazon, had them the next day.
The wheels are only 15.5 lb, noticeably lighter than the OEM sport wheels mine came with. A half inch wider, the tires aren't pulled in as much at the rim so the sidewall is straighter. Response when changing lanes is quicker, probably a combination of the weight and additional width. Low speed throttle response feels better although with a 6 speed car, it was already decent. Seems to ride better on rough roads too.
I remember a Motor Trend test where the tested different wheel/tire combos. Stock 15s, +1, +2 etc. The lightest wheel/tire combo was something like 0.4 seconds quicker to 60.
But I wanted something light that I knew would have the correct offset and I'm tired of used wheels that the owner never cleaned the barrels off. This way I am starting off with pristine wheels that I could ceramic coat (I'm a certified Optimum Opti-Coat Pro installer) before they were mounted.
My tires were almost new (Conti DWS 234/50/17) so decided to stay with 17" wheels. Ended up going with Enkie RPF1 17 x 7.5 +48 offset. Showed up a few days later at my local Discount Tire (only 1.2 miles away!), picked them up and coated them. Returned the next day to have the tires mounted. Good thing about getting them from Discount was the mount and balance was included, they also ordered the correct wheel lugs too.
What surprised me is the wheels don't come with center caps.
Ordered the center caps ($99, yikes) from Amazon, had them the next day.
The wheels are only 15.5 lb, noticeably lighter than the OEM sport wheels mine came with. A half inch wider, the tires aren't pulled in as much at the rim so the sidewall is straighter. Response when changing lanes is quicker, probably a combination of the weight and additional width. Low speed throttle response feels better although with a 6 speed car, it was already decent. Seems to ride better on rough roads too.
I remember a Motor Trend test where the tested different wheel/tire combos. Stock 15s, +1, +2 etc. The lightest wheel/tire combo was something like 0.4 seconds quicker to 60.
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cleric670 (01-24-2022)
#5
01-24-2022, 02:59 PM
Registered User
Alright, I checked Enkei's website and several other vendors. All sites show the RPF1's without the center cap. There are a few other Enkei wheels that are displayed without the center caps - it appears these wheels are meant to be sold this way...?
I completely disagree with this logic. Even myself, when I looked at the RPF1's and all other Enkei wheels before making my selection, I did not think the customer would be responsible for ordering the center caps on their own... that's quite silly.
https://enkei.com/product-category/wheels/racing/
I completely disagree with this logic. Even myself, when I looked at the RPF1's and all other Enkei wheels before making my selection, I did not think the customer would be responsible for ordering the center caps on their own... that's quite silly.
https://enkei.com/product-category/wheels/racing/
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Scottwax (02-02-2022)
#10
10-11-2023, 11:30 PM
Alright, I checked Enkei's website and several other vendors. All sites show the RPF1's without the center cap. There are a few other Enkei wheels that are displayed without the center caps - it appears these wheels are meant to be sold this way...?
I completely disagree with this logic./
I completely disagree with this logic./
Anyway op, good wheel choice for aftermarket. The 03-04 cars are intentionally understated so putting radical wheels on them tends to not gel. I still run factory wheels mainly because they are hubcentric - due to not having competent tire shops in my area. The generic aftermarket hub bore (usually 73mm?) mixed with the standard cone type hub adapter they use typically results in a somewhat unbalanced wheel - always just a little shudder left between say 60-74.
On a side note, I find your choice of staying with 17's interesting. I thought about doing a few years ago when aftermarket wheel selection was still strong and inexpensive just to keep the smooth ride. For my sedans up until recently I stayed with OE 17's running with 225/55's to "square" the speedometer error you get when running the two respective factory sedan sizes (and slightly improve performance versus 215/55). I did that for some time but eventually broke down and picked up some 05-06 sport wheels - therefore moved up to 18's. My choice to jump to 18" was not so much an appearance thing rather a choices thing...none of the 17's Z or G wheels look good on my car imo. Also, 225/50/18 all around makes for a really good ride/handling trade off, and once again puts the speedo dead on - if not slightly "over" when tread is new.
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