I recently embarked on a search for wheels and found, to my surprise, that many wheels sell for breathtaking prices. Price notwithstanding, many people buy them. But while many people touted the high end wheels with enthusiasm, I found little in the way of cost/benefit analysis or explanation.

Please don't misunderstand - I am quality oriented, not price oriented (within the inevitable bounds of affordability.)

What exactly does one got in a $500+ wheel that they don't get in a $200 wheel? Do they resist bending better? Are they lighter? Are they more corrosion resistant? Does it involve issues of ego and identity? I'm not sure what else to ask other than what makes them worth more than twice the price?

 

I understand why you posted. My thoughts for me would center on these reason's.

1. You have a strict wheel weight requirements.

2. You have a strict idea of what looks good in a wheel and that happens to place you in big $$ territory.

3. You have strict wheel offset and wheel width requirments not made in lessor priced wheels.

I compromised on my wheels, I met my weight requirments at 19lbs, at least 8" wide and a high 45mm offset (sedan). The compromise is they are not the best looking wheels in my opinion and I cannot run the tire width I'd like to run at all four corners most of all. It would have been better for me to of spend the extra money to do it right the first time.

"All that's necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.”
Edmund Burke

G35 6mt

 

For me it was a easy. Try and find a cast wheel that will fit the G35C with Brembo. If you do find something it will be very heavy and you will not get a stagered fitment with a large rear lip. Once you see a set of three piece wheels on a G you will be sold! Pics look good but nothing beats seeing them for yourself! My buddy owns a wheel shop and just put a set of 19inch cast wheels on a coupe and they were very heavy! To me they just didnt do anything for the car. Before I bought something like this I would roll with the OEM 18's

 

The Nismo 18" wheels are 8.5 f, 9.5 rear, will accept a 275 in the back and 245 in the front, they are around 18 pounds each, and you can buy all four with lug nuts, and they will accept your tire pressure monitor for $1850 plus shipping.


2004.5 Coupe/5AT/Ivory/Everything but front spoiler/Nismo CAI/Crawford V5/Crawford Cats/ Service Engine Soon

 

After much research, it came down to 2 wheels for me. They were the Volk SF Challenge and the Racing Hart CP-F Tuned. I could get them for about 3+K and 4+K respectively. The Volks are actually a little more popular but I went with the Racing Harts for a couple of different reasons; weight, finish, and exclusivity. The Racing Harts are 19 and 21 lbs. The Volks were around 23-24 lbs. I also liked the super black finish (looks like dark chrome) on the RH's and there probably aren't more than 10-15 sets of the CP-F Tuned in the 19"s in the states.

To answer your question more directly, many of the more expensive wheels are forged. This process allows for less material and therefore they are lighter but stronger than a cast wheel. Some of them are multi-piece wheels also which is much more expensive to manufacture.

 

I agree with the other poster that the NISMO wheel (which are made for Nissan by RAYS) probably strikes the optimal balance between cost and benefit. It reduces unsprung weight by 5+ pounds compared with the stock wheel, giving you better performance. The mfg quality is also first rate. Spending anything less will generally get you a heavier and/or less durable wheel. Spending anything more may get you even lighter (although not by much) wheels, but it's mostly about looks and exclusivity.

RainMeister
'04 G35C 6MT, diamond graphite, premium, nav, aero