What 15" Wheels for NA?
Discussion
I'm having a tough time picking a set of wheels - everytime I have one that I like and go in search of a good set, I find another type, and this starts again..
I'm a bit lost of how much of an effect Offset, wheel width, tyre width etc will have. I was originally looking at the Mk2.5 16" Sport wheels, but tyres are expensive in that size. Toyo T1R's can be got in 195/50/15 for about £130 (for 4) so I'd like to stay close to that size.
I've been looking at
Team Dynamics Pro Race
OZ Superturismo
OEM Enkei Alloys
Kosei K1 Racing
The Kosei K1 in that size, is my ultimate wheel. But they're quite expensive.. £300 or so for the alloys.
I'm up for suggestions on wheels to look at, and also opinions on the above wheels.
I'm a bit lost of how much of an effect Offset, wheel width, tyre width etc will have. I was originally looking at the Mk2.5 16" Sport wheels, but tyres are expensive in that size. Toyo T1R's can be got in 195/50/15 for about £130 (for 4) so I'd like to stay close to that size.
I've been looking at
Team Dynamics Pro Race
OZ Superturismo
OEM Enkei Alloys
Kosei K1 Racing
The Kosei K1 in that size, is my ultimate wheel. But they're quite expensive.. £300 or so for the alloys.
I'm up for suggestions on wheels to look at, and also opinions on the above wheels.
or maybe 
I'm also going to say the Enkeis, but then I would do, wouldn't I!
Heres another pic that might make your mind up -
DSCF1814 by simonholehan, on Flickr
FWIW - they are nice wheels. They are light-ish, seem plenty sturdy/strong enough, and being factory fitment they are the correct offset/bore size. No matter what people say, fannying about fitting low offset stupid wide wheels does not make the car handle better, it affects all sorts of things to do with suspension geometry. I'm all for modifying but regard the wheels I think staying close to stock is sensible. The grip/handling balance remains good with 196/50 tyres fitted to 6 inch rims too.
An odd point, but a worthwhile one, is that they are easy to clean, as there's no nooks or crannies, and you can get your hands in. Comparatively, my OZ wheels were a complete nightmare.
The same wheels came in Silver on a number of the later Mk2.5 specials, so worth looking out on ebay/breakers for.
ETA - the pro race 1.2 are very good quality wheels that tend not to change hand for huge amounts - again very light. 15" by 6J would be ideal, probably a chunk lighter than mine.
Heres another pic that might make your mind up -
DSCF1814 by simonholehan, on Flickr
FWIW - they are nice wheels. They are light-ish, seem plenty sturdy/strong enough, and being factory fitment they are the correct offset/bore size. No matter what people say, fannying about fitting low offset stupid wide wheels does not make the car handle better, it affects all sorts of things to do with suspension geometry. I'm all for modifying but regard the wheels I think staying close to stock is sensible. The grip/handling balance remains good with 196/50 tyres fitted to 6 inch rims too.
An odd point, but a worthwhile one, is that they are easy to clean, as there's no nooks or crannies, and you can get your hands in. Comparatively, my OZ wheels were a complete nightmare.
The same wheels came in Silver on a number of the later Mk2.5 specials, so worth looking out on ebay/breakers for.
ETA - the pro race 1.2 are very good quality wheels that tend not to change hand for huge amounts - again very light. 15" by 6J would be ideal, probably a chunk lighter than mine.
I'm in a similar situation OP, want to step up from my Mk2 style 14's to a nicer set of 15's when the current tyres wear out. Out of your list I'd go for the OZ's, but I too prefer something with a dish (like the Rota RB's mentioned above)! All a matter of personal choice though matey.
Slight tangent, but I've heard very mixed reviews about Toyo's on the MX-5... Any thoughts in here?
Slight tangent, but I've heard very mixed reviews about Toyo's on the MX-5... Any thoughts in here?
St. Anger said:
Slight tangent, but I've heard very mixed reviews about Toyo's on the MX-5... Any thoughts in here?
Assuming you mean T1Rs... they've been great on the back of my mk2 so far. I bought on the bassi they were very well recommended by a variety of sources, not seen a bad word said so far?OP out of the choices, the Enkei's are my favourite.
MX-5 Lazza said:
Really? I've never heard anything bad about T1R on MX5s other than not working well in winter conditions but that's no different to any summer/performance tyres.
They melt like butter on a hot summers day on track too, but that's not really part of their remit either.I can't fault them and have been through many sets now.
I ended up getting 15s for my mk1 because there were better tyres available (and at cheaper prices) than 14", I went for Team Dynamics as that was what the Ma5da Racing cars use and I could get some cheap.
MX-5 by Lewis Craik, on Flickr
FWIW I had Toyos on it for a few months and I was pretty impressed with them (no track days though).
MX-5 by Lewis Craik, on Flickr
FWIW I had Toyos on it for a few months and I was pretty impressed with them (no track days though).
I'll put forward 2 more options:
Rota Circuit 10 (as modelled by my Mk2.5):
OZ Superlegerra (as modelled by my old Mk1):
Buying now I'd go for Ultralegerra which weren't available back then but look pretty much the same. The Superturissmo look better in bigger sizes IMO and are relatively heavy in any size (I have them in 17" on my car.
Rota Circuit 10 (as modelled by my Mk2.5):
OZ Superlegerra (as modelled by my old Mk1):
Buying now I'd go for Ultralegerra which weren't available back then but look pretty much the same. The Superturissmo look better in bigger sizes IMO and are relatively heavy in any size (I have them in 17" on my car.
Depends what you're after. If it's lightness & strength, see if you can track down a set of Desmond Regamaster Evos. they're a forged wheel, available in several colours, made in Russia (although I think they're out of production now) and are very light:
If you just want some cool looking wheels, some inspiration:
Work Equip 03
SSR Mesh
Watanabes
SSR Star Sharks
If you just want some cool looking wheels, some inspiration:
Work Equip 03
SSR Mesh
Watanabes
SSR Star Sharks
Edited by Risotto on Wednesday 21st December 07:46
Buggles said:
It was mine chap yeah, and to answer your question - it was awesome! Not the fastest thing in the world, but easily the most fun I've ever had. Was very reliable too, I sold it to a friend who is still enjoying it and I honestly want it back, or another very like it.
DO IT!!!!
Very, very nice. I'm hoping to look at one over new year.....DO IT!!!!
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