New 15x8 wheel coming!

[Brian D]

The guys at Bimmerworld warn that these are track-only wheels that are very prone to bending if driven on the street.

Where do they say that? In their description of the 1.3, they say:

We have proven that these wheels will take a beating - multiple track weekends on this design have resulted in zero bent wheels, even while hitting curbs on the track very hard. This wheel is similar in appearance and uses the same dimensions of the Pro Race 1.2, but weight has been reduced. Tipping the scales at 13.2 pounds, this is the perfect legal wheel for the Spec E30 class.

If the 1.3 weighs 13.2 pounds and it can't be used on the street, it sounds pretty fucking worthless. I don't know about you guys, but if a manufacturer told me to go ahead and track a set of wheels that they don't recommend for street usage, I'd tell them to piss off. I'd rather not have a weak set of wheels at 90 mph in turn 9 at Willow.

The more I read about other wheels, the closer I'm coming to buying a set of 6UL's. No, they're not perfect, but Emilio is at least honest about the compromises they represent. http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread...et#post3325173 (scroll down 3 posts to his next one, also.)

[nineohfour]

you are good to go.

thanks! may be a month or so but i will post pics when i get them.

[z31maniac]

Where do they say that? In their description of the 1.3, they say:

If the 1.3 weighs 13.2 pounds and it can't be used on the street, it sounds pretty fucking worthless. I don't know about you guys, but if a manufacturer told me to go ahead and track a set of wheels that they don't recommend for street usage, I'd tell them to piss off. I'd rather not have a weak set of wheels at 90 mph in turn 9 at Willow.

The more I read about other wheels, the closer I'm coming to buying a set of 6UL's. No, they're not perfect, but Emilio is at least honest about the compromises they represent. http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread...et#post3325173 (scroll down 3 posts to his next one, also.)

Agreed.

[Emre]

Where do they say that?

On the phone when I called earlier this week.

That is very disappointing, do you know if they take the same stance on the D-Force wheel?

No idea. I didn't ask about them.

If the 1.3 weighs 13.2 pounds and it can't be used on the street, it sounds pretty fucking worthless. I don't know about you guys, but if a manufacturer told me to go ahead and track a set of wheels that they don't recommend for street usage, I'd tell them to piss off. I'd rather not have a weak set of wheels at 90 mph in turn 9 at Willow.

You have some pretty unrealistic expectations! Do you honestly expect a 15x7" wheel that weighs just 13 lbs. and costs just $99 to also be strong enough to deal with a daily diet of potholes, frost heaves, and other abuse? Driving on the street is generally much tougher on a wheel than driving on the track. I don't know many 13 lbs. wheels at ANY price that would hold up to regular street (ab)use.

[Emre]

BTW Emre, two years ago, I was sent blueprints by Bimmerworld and Rimstock/100+ in the UK, which were not accurate. Having seen some 1.0s and 1.2s and the difference in clearance is evident.

Wow. Seems strange to me that the blueprints would be inaccurate. But stranger things have happened.

I've never seen a 1.0 in person, so I was just going by the blueprints. Nothing beats test-fitting the wheels on your car. That's why I was asking if you had a chance to try the 1.3's yet. According to the specs, they have the same clearance as the 1.2's. But I don't trust that enough to order a set.

[Brian D]

You have some pretty unrealistic expectations! Do you honestly expect a 15x7" wheel that weighs just 13 lbs. and costs just $99 to also be strong enough to deal with a daily diet of potholes, frost heaves, and other abuse? Driving on the street is generally much tougher on a wheel than driving on the track. I don't know many 13 lbs. wheels at ANY price that would hold up to regular street (ab)use.

I have a set of wheels that have done just that. The Kazera wheels that Elephant was selling. 13.2 pounds, 15x7, 99 bucks. I drive the car every day, and I have a mile long section of unimproved, rocky dirt road that I have to go over to get to my house. The wheels are still straight. They have also survived a few track days, and 2 4 wheel offs.

Do you really bang your car off curbs on the street? I think track use is tougher on a wheel, unless you drive like an assclown. Regardless, 13 pounds for a 15x7 is heavy enough to build in some beef. It's also interesting to me that BW sells the wheels on the website without mention of street use being off limits, and then tell you different on the phone. That's bullshit on their part. The repercussions from a failure at the track are going to be higher that on the street, and some people bounce their cars around pretty hard on track. Not to mention that they are pimping these for spece30, which can get kind of rough also.

I think you have unnecessarily low expectations.

[Massive Lee]

... and I have a mile long section of unimproved, rocky dirt road that I have to go over to get to my house.

Hey Brian, you never told me you lived in Montreal...

[Brian D]

Hey Brian, you never told me you lived in Montreal...

Ha! The sad part is, some of the paved roads around here are nearly as bad as my cowpath!

Emre, I'm not saying that any wheel can't be bent, obviously if you hit something hard enough something's gonna give. I just think it's BS that Bimmerworld told you that, and it would be enough for me to tell them to stick it. I wonder what TD's take on this would be?

[z31maniac]

You have some pretty unrealistic expectations! Do you honestly expect a 15x7" wheel that weighs just 13 lbs. and costs just $99 to also be strong enough to deal with a daily diet of potholes, frost heaves, and other abuse? Driving on the street is generally much tougher on a wheel than driving on the track. I don't know many 13 lbs. wheels at ANY price that would hold up to regular street (ab)use.

My 11lb SSR's (16 x 7) never got messed up on the street with 45 series tires and the guy I sold them to has them on his DD Miata and they are just fine. Save some clearcoat peeling on the lips.

13lbs doesn't seem that light for 15 x 7s when Enkei's RPF1s come under 10lbs and the SSR Type C come in at 8.8lbs.

[Massive Lee]

One comment about claimed weight on TD wheels. Most likely the claimed 13lbs is for a high offset wheel, which has a smaller/lighter hub. So, the real weight might be even more...

[Emre]

My 11lb SSR's (16 x 7) never got messed up on the street with 45 series tires and the guy I sold them to has them on his DD Miata and they are just fine. Save some clearcoat peeling on the lips.

It's not fair to compare a forged wheel to a cast wheel that costs 1/3 the price.

[z31maniac]

It's not fair to compare a forged wheel to a cast wheel that costs 1/3 the price.

True, so you have to stop implying that weight is the only significant factor in wheel strength.

And you said 13lb wheels at ANY price, so I was pointing out a lighter wheel that is significantly stronger.

[Emre]

True, so you have to stop implying that weight is the only significant factor in wheel strength.

I neither wrote nor implied such a thing.

And you said 13lb wheels at ANY price, so I was pointing out a lighter wheel that is significantly stronger.

Reread what I wrote:

"I don't know many 13 lbs. wheels at ANY price that would hold up to regular street (ab)use."

"Many" and "any" mean different things ;)

[z31maniac]

Yes they do, and used both in the same sentence.

Let's not start arguing semantics chief.

[renfield90]

I don't know many 13 lbs. wheels at ANY price that would hold up to regular street (ab)use.

The 13 lb. Rota Slipstreams on my Celica have been doing exactly that for over a year. Roads aren't bad here, but they do get abused with regularity. ;)

Running over curbing on track at 70+ mph scares me more with respect to wheel longevity than anything I've ever encountered on the street. I understand that over the long term, street driving can be more hazardous than the track, but if a manufacturer seriously told me that their wheel could not and would not stand up to street use, I would not trust their product on track.



But Bimmerworld didn't tell me that directly, I'm picking these wheels up soon myself. :p