need some help here, i need wheels soon and am up between motegi trak lite, centerline SPORT COMPACT-EXCEL, centerline rpm, ssr gt7 and enkei rpm2 in hyper black.. please help, i basically want to know what the strongest and most reliable wheel is of this selection? they are all forged or semi forged except the enkei's are cast... they all weigh under 16lbs

 

IMO, the best quality wheel is Enkei or SSR. All forged wheels are not equal. Just like all cast wheels are not equal. The Enkei process is very refined and worth the money..

 

......i would have to say Certerlines.....

 

Search on this site for Centerlines and cracks............

 

anyone know about the motegi trak-lite's? they are forged and weigh only 14 lbs, 17X7, but as you say just because they are forged doesn't make them good. i have herd some bad things about the centerline rpm's, cracking and breaking so count those out, but i think the excels might be much better!

 

No cracks on my Centerline Excels, which you have pictured, next to the RPM

 

I have 2 sets of RPMs and neither have shown any signs of cracks. I've tracked my 17s and no problems. My 18s are for sale if anyone is looking for a set with tires.

 

Id go for the SSR Comp 17x7.5's--- weigh in at 12.8 lbs, and if you get 205/40-17 tires to go with those, you end up with a smaller overall diameter than most 16 rim and tire combos-

-super handling, super-lite and strong rim and you wont loose performance with them-at least, those are what I am plannin on doin on my 06-S when I get it..let us know what u choose with pics too!!

 

Just FYI, if you are thinking of the Enkei RPM2s in 17" they are really about 17 lbs:

http://www.enkei.com/RacingSeriesSpecs/RPM2.html

I had considered them but decided, in the end, to go for lighter then 1lb per inch - and a different look.

I think the SSR GT7s look good and are not very common, but to really give you an opinion I'd have to consider the color of the car and color of wheels you are considering.

 

i have a pepper white MCS with black roof bonnet stripes.. i am looking for an overall dark coloured wheel.....

 

I have the Montegi Trak Lites, no problems. EDIT: I have other pics in my gallery ----->

 

have you hit any big pot holes or bumps with those wheels? just want to know how durable they are?

 

Haven't really cruised over any big pot holes or bumps, but I did take a curve too tight, hitting the edge of sidewalk at ~25mph, tearing the sidewall of the tires, front and rear, and scratching the rims. (got a bit airborn too ) There are pictures posted in my Gallery------>

After that misfortune I took the car to the dealer/installer as I was concerned about the safety of the tires and tru-ness of the wheel. The wheels checked out tru and they even touched them up w/ antracite paint.:smile: Durible rims I would say- YES

After that, I try to be extra mindful of road hazards,(sidewalks esp. ) as I'm also runnning 40 series tires. I've actually been considering downsizing to 15s in the same wheel for the gearing advantage as I have an '02.

 

motegi's really coming out with some nice looking wheels these days.

JCW had those 18's... very nice.

 

Those Trak Lites seem like a very nice wheel for the money.

I do own a set of Motegi's (FF7) which, for the money are a nice cast aluminum wheel. The model I own (at 18" x 7.5 spec), is certainly not the lightest, although it is lighter overall, than the stock 17" setup I had.

The Trak Lite seems to be a good, light, forged wheel. I may purchase a set myself with some track tires mounted, for swapping out on track days.

Pics in gallery if interested (although I doubt they are relevant here)

 

Do any of those wheels come in black, or a black center? I think true black would look great on a PW/B MCS

 

those motegi trak lite come in flat black.
here is what i am down too now, its getting a bit on the pricey side, i don't know if i am going nuts or not thinking of spending this much $$ on wheels and tires.. does anyone see anything wrong with getting SSR considering they are out of business?? right now i am leaning towards the GT2 and the competitions..
motegi trak lite's: cost with tires $1600

SSR GT7: with tires $1700

SSR GT2: with tires high $1700

SSR COMPETITION 16x7.5: with tires $1800

 

Again a kind reminder that not all forged wheels are equal. The traklite wheels are good but not great. When getting really picky about rims the finish on these things is not perfect. Before anyone gets made take a look at your OEM wheels and the compare them to the Motegi's. There is very small imperfections in the painting.. And if the finishing is less than perfect it makes me question true quality..

Go for the best quality wheel possible with a proven history.. Enkei, BBS, OZ, Rays, Ronal and many others.

There is more to wheels than being lightweight..

 

Hmm, not sure I personally agree when it comes to new/less known companies without a long term proven history- I think there are plenty that are innovative and do offer high quality and just need the time and chance to create that history. Not everything BBS, OZ etc creates is superlative, most of them have different prices and some pretty average wheels IMHO. And as for the OEM rims, well the finish may be nice at the beginning but they chip like heck over time, and I have found BMW wheels to be very soft/susceptible to surface damage.

Anyway, I can't speak for the track lites with first hand knowledge, but a fast search certainly made it look like a lot of people have had them. I looked to find pics of the flat black and I gotta say I'm not a fan, they look much better in anthracite.

 

I recently bought my first MCS and put the Motegi Trak Lites (gun metal on DS) and they look great. I am 100% happy with them for right now at least. I do only have 1600 miles on them but am glad I chose them.

 

hey Skiploder i havnt found this thread yet? :impatient

 

?? 1600.oo W/tyres ?? is good! they must have some cheap rubber on them....

 

i don't know about cheap tires, from what i hear they are rather good tires
BFG g-force T/A-kdw2? are they good, from what i have read they are but that might not mean anything???

i have been prowling the forums and have found quite a few bent ssr's so i am not quite sure i want to go that route, even though i hear they are good, i don't want to spend a bunch of money on a wheel that will bend on a modest sized pot hole. this is really hard for me picking wheels, i have been quite the flip flopper in my decision making...

 

Kdw's 2 now thats a nice tyre but they r' rather noisy but there nice they probably run about 120 to 135 in price so not cheap!! U know if u go w/a taller tyre potholes would look better but anything lower than a 45 is not going to protect u at all..well mayb i should not sound so sure but its been my experience so shoot me if im wrong! whats a bunch of money to U?

 

haha..

if i go for the ssr i would get the 16x7.5 comps so i guess i could go with a 205-50-16 or a 205-55 maybe, i guess that should be a good amount of rubber! at tire rack those tires are $110 each with those wheels the total should be high $1800 to low $1900. locally i can get those tires for $690 ($160 each, i need to shop around more) mounted and taxed and i found a good deal on the motegi for $930...