lightest 18" wheel for lowest price

[rsilver]

its a stupid title, but I have been searching and really haven't found a relatively light racing type wheel that is under $700 each. $%#@!! I look at some of the cheaper wheels and they weight in around 26/27# for a 18x9 . When I look at the expensive ones like Rays engineering or Volk they weigh about 20# for the same size. Anyone know of a compromse or lower priced wheels that are relatively light? . I noticed some Enki's at tire rack for around $400 each, still pretty steep.
You ideas and thoughts are appreciated.........bob

 

[03 Whippled Cobra]

I was gonna say Enkei or BBS. But, this is one of those cases of you get what you pay for...

 

[sunburned]

If you think a decent wheel for $400 is too expensive, you're pretty much out of luck.

Rota makes a ton of different wheels that are pretty damn light and they do make lots of 18x9.5" wheels that will fit our cars. Look for something around +20 offset. If you don't mind the different styling, this may be your best bet. You can get a set of 4 in 18x9.5" for around a grand.

 

[SUPERSEXY32V]

the 05 and up STI's come with BBS 18's stock. they weigh about ~15lbs each. the fit our cars perfectly. I think they are 9" wide. The go for ~$700 with tires

 

[rsilver]

yeah I know you gotta pay for that last bit of performance. I just want to get the best value. 32V, thanks for the reply, I am gonna check out the bbs wheels from the 05, that would be a great deal. I didn't think they made a wheel that light, but even if its close to 20# that would be a great deal. Gotta check these out. Any else got any Ideas? thanks again.........bob

 

[sunburned]

the 05 and up STI's come with BBS 18's stock. they weigh about ~15lbs each. the fit our cars perfectly. I think they are 9" wide. The go for ~$700 with tires

So wrong. The '05 STi has 17x8" BBS wheels that are +53 offset. Not only are those very narrow, the offset is WAY off what would fit on a Mustang. Like I said before, you are looking for a +20 offset, +24 at the most.

Wheel Catalog - ROTA Wheels

Check out the Torque and the P-45R. Might be a few others with the size you are looking for, but you want 18x9 or 9.5 with 5x114.5 bolt pattern and +20 offset.

 

[In2Boost]

I agree with the Rota wheels. I learned about them when I had my evo. I'm considering the Torque for my Cobra and some 17" P45R's for my fox coupe. They have a 17x9 with a +25 that I think will sit perfect.

 

[rsilver]

thanks guys , I checked out the STI wheels, but couldn;t find an 18 that would fit. i believe the 18's are recent models and for sure, the wrong offset et al. I DID check out Rotas and that is a great find. they are reasonabey priced, so now I am just trying to find out weight and styles. Thanks again for the lead, its a big help...........bob

 

[sunburned]

I think a lot of the 18x9.5" Rotas run around 20-22 lbs.

 

[rsilver]

yeah, i called them today and the 18X9.5 I was looking at was 22lbs. Pretty sweet for the money. Does anyone know what the weight is on the stock
17's on our cars? Mine are chrome.

 

[rsilver]

Ok, the best I could find out was that the 17X9 chrome stock wheels were 29 Lbs and the Satin ones are 26Lbs. Does chrome weigh that much more? These numbers seem heavy to me but I don't have a clue. If it is true, then the Rotas @22LBS save 7lbs a corner or 28lbs total. Hugh reduction in rotating mass assuming you run the same or lighter tires.

 

[racebronco2]

Ok, the best I could find out was that the 17X9 chrome stock wheels were 29 Lbs and the Satin ones are 26Lbs. Does chrome weigh that much more? These numbers seem heavy to me but I don't have a clue. If it is true, then the Rotas @22LBS save 7lbs a corner or 28lbs total. Hugh reduction in rotating mass assuming you run the same or lighter tires.

There was a thread in which it listed the wheels weights. The satins were 25lbs and the chrome one were 26lbs. The 10th wheels are 22 each.

 

[03 Whippled Cobra]

There was a thread in which it listed the wheels weights. The satins were 25lbs and the chrome one were 26lbs. The 10th wheels are 22 each.

Not sure about the satins or the chromes but the weight on the 10th wheels is wrong. I sold some 10th wheels from my car recently, completley stock rims with stock tire sizes. The tires 275/40/17 weigh 28 each and the rims 17x9 were ~26 each. Total weight of 55 (after rounding from my scale).

I would guess that the stock satins are very close to the same (26) and I have seen the chromes weigh in around ~28 each.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Here is the golden rule for wheels -

Light, strong, cheap - Pick 2.

Rotas would be a good choice. Torque or P-45R are about the only Rotas in the sizes you will need.

17X9 +25 or
18X9.5 +20 will both work.

 

[rsilver]

Just to finish this thread, I bought a set of Enkei RPF1's. I stayed with the 17's and went 17X9 in the front and 17X10 in the rears. These wheels are incredible light and the price at $250/wheel was right. Approx reduction of about 38/40lbs in rotating mass. I decided against the 18's, I just couldn't justify paying almost double so I could run a 35 vs 40 profile tire and I can still use my existing 275/40/17 bfg kdw's. I can go wider on the rear if I want later. Only draw back, I am not wild about the looks, but its a trade off for the benefits. Now, we can all think of things that "look bad and feel good" he he he............
I may try to powder coat the centers black and leave the edges in silver, but that for later. Thanks for all the help on this..........bob

 

[black-plasma]

If you can find them used, the BBS RK Plasma's weigh 17.9 and 19.2 or something like that for the 18x8.5 and 18x10... plus they look great.

 

[sunburned]

If you can find them used, the BBS RK Plasma's weigh 17.9 and 19.2 or something like that for the 18x8.5 and 18x10... plus they look great.

Are they really that light? I have the silver RK's on my car. I must say though, they feel extremely light compared to my old saleen replicas.

Although, it certainly was nice to have feather-lite 15x7 wheels on my old integra haha. Those things weighed like 10 lbs each.

 

[99cobrajn]

I can weigh my rk's this weekend.

 

[rsilver]

Got the Enkei RPf's yesterday. Hugh difference. I live in colorado in the mtns and drive the twisty's almost every day and the difference between these and stock are very noticable. The car felt less sluggish, and it really made a difference on higher speed sweepers like on I-70 west. Noticable difference in acceleration too. Well worth it and I even like the looks, but I know not for everyone......bob

 

[sunburned]

Please post up the size and offset you got, plus pics if you have some.