Advice on Enkei wheels...
 

Hey everyone... i just wanted some thoughts on these wheels...

http://www.enkei.com/ekm3.shtml#

17's, 18's? Think they would look good on my Raven FR-S? Will they fit? Thanks all for your time.

-James

They look great, would love to see a pic on a car, I reckon it would look good.

Yeah they look good but are pretty heavy, i wanted them originally till i realized they were heavier than the stock wheels. I dont know if that matters to you at all or not, if you dont care then just go for the 18's might as well if weight is not an issue. On a raven i would go with silver. I like the contrast between the black and silver, not a big fan of black on black when it comes to wheels. I did like the black on my Hot Lava though.

Enkei "Performance" series will be hit or miss when it comes to weight, but yeah those wheels in 18" come in at 23lbs. Too heavy a wheel, especially since any tire except the stock Michelin will be adding additional weight as well - so you will be running a minimum of 4lbs a corner heavier than stock - not good!

EKM3 is 'meh' IMO (even # of 'spokes' that are positioned too close together):

http://vracer111.smugmug.com/photos/.../i-vzDvq9S.jpg

If I was going for a heavy Enkei mesh wheel it would be the Lusso (in Enkei's Luxury Sport line), only 20.5lbs in 18x7.5 size and a better offset (+42 versus +45 of EKM3) with much better looks IMO:

http://vracer111.smugmug.com/photos/.../i-4HsX6xR.jpg


P.S. Tire Rack's FR-S wheels fitment

Thanks for the advice. How about these from American Eagle.

http://www.msrwheels.com/auto_car_wheels.cfm?id=2003#

just do like everyone else and get RPF01's

I'm getting a set of PF03s in SBC color.

How heavy are these 17s and 18s? They look a bit heavy.

If you really like the wheels posted thats all that matters. Having said that.. Keep searching...

A lightweight 17x7.5 or 8 is more than enough for this car. Unless you don't care about weight. Most of the wheels listed will make it handle worse.

Unless they weigh MORE than the stock wheels then they won't make it handle worse. Getting an 18x8 that weighs in between 18 - 20.2 lbs isn't going to make it handle worse.

RP01 18x8 +35 = 18lbs
RP03 18x8 +35 = 20.2lbs
RPF1 18x8 +35 = 18lbs
GTC01 18x8 +35 = 18lbs

If you get a tire in 40 vs a 45 you're only going to see 5mm of wheel height change and the rotational weight is either lower than or the same as stock since the stock wheels are 20.1lbs. You also will end up with an extra inch of traction. Just stick with Enkei racing wheels if you want the car to perform well.

The wheel may be lighter than stock, but this doesn't necessarily mean the overall wheel+tire combination won't weigh more than stock. Just something to keep in mind when making wheel/tire choices.

That is not completely true. I don't have time to type a full reply now. You aren't taking into consideration tire weight, unsprung weight or effective gearing change to a taller tire. I do this for a living.. Not trying to argue. :)

40 & 45 side wall is not a 5mm change. It's a percentage of aspect ratio..
An 18" tire in the same aspect ratio typicallg weighs more.
Unsprung weight is more because the tire is further away from the hub.
an extra inch of traction? Because of a side wall or diameter change? No. contact patch is the same..

Lots of factors.. You cannot simply sum it up. I do tbis on real race tracks all day lonv. ;)

not really feeling that wheel but to each their own! Make sure you get the right offset and right sized tires, search around here there is lots of info regarding both.