I decided to leave the wheels on for a Subaru meet today in Iowa City, despite it being 18 deg F this morning. These are the 17x7.5" BBS RF wheels in "Daimond Black" (RF504 is the model).The offset is 48mm. According to TireRack, these weigh 14.3 lbs. The tires are new Michelin Pilot Super Sport (PSS) in 225/45R17.
I chose the BBS RF for several reasons:
- They are extremely lightweight, which has benefits for track/performance driving
- There are tons of tire options for 225/45R17, which are an upgrade over stock, and still relatively inexpensive
- Non-aggressive sizing, so there are no fitment concerns, or significant suspension geometry changes.
- They look awesome, and match the style of the car (to my eye). They are also rare, which is kinda cool; everyone has RPF1s.
- They are forged, so they should be stronger than a similar size/weight cast wheel
- They are made in Japan by a well-respected company, and imported and sold through companies I trust (BBS USA & TireRack)
I plan to use these wheels around town during the summer, on fun driving trips, and on track days.
I ordered these wheels from TireRack on March 27, 2015 at a cost of $515 (USD) each, not including shipping. They arrived on November 18, 2015. TireRack shipped these wheels the same way all my other wheel/tire sets have came; cardboard on each face of the wheel, foam sheets between the cardboard and spokes, and all held together with tape and banding straps. They came with some generic chrome lug nuts; the same ones I've gotten before with cheaper wheels. They work just fine, but aren't at all fancy.
The outside face of the wheel is painted in a glossy dark silver metallic color. The inside of the wheel rim and the backside of the spokes are painted glossy black. The spokes don't have any "orange peel", but the inside of the wheel does. The center cap is glossy plastic, with a very cool BBS logo that appears "3D" inside the clear plastic. The face of the wheel that touches the brake rotor is not painted, nor are the insides of the five mounting holes, including the 60 deg chamfer where the lug nuts contact the wheel. The wheels came with BBS branded metal valve stems.
There was one small paint chip/scratch on one of the spokes, several mm long. I can't determine where in the production/shipping process it happened. It is very minor; I would have to really try to find it with the wheels mounted on my car. Somewhat disappointing, but ultimately I don't own a show-car, and I'm sure there will be plenty of rock chips on them in a year anyway.
These wheels have an understated look to them. At a meet with ~30 Subaru enthusiasts today, I didn't notice anyone really checking the wheels out (yet they were probably the most expensive ones there besides the stock 2015+ STi BBS wheels). They aren't "aggressive fitment", extreme offset, 19x9" wheels. The guys with big Rotas got way more attention. if you want attention, look elsewhere. If you are looking for a high-quality, lightweight, forged wheel, this is one of the front-runners. If you only care about performance and don't want the "specialness" of the RF, the Enkei RPF1 is a much cheaper alternative (half the cost).
These wheels utilize BBS's "Permanent Fitment System" (PFS) which is an aluminum centering ring. It is a snug fit to the hubs on the car; much tighter than my other wheels (stock wheels, and Enkeis with a plastic hub ring). I cleaned my hubs with a wire brush prior to mounting. The centering ring is held in place with a metal spring clip. Removing the centering ring is not a trivial procedure; it is called "permanent" for a reason. Some Google searches indicate that the centering rings can be removed, but it takes some patience and dexterity.
These wheels are going into storage until the spring. If anyone wants measurements beyond what BRZebra kindly shared, let me know. I checked if the Essex AP Racing Sprint brake kit will fit using their template, and there is plenty of clearance in every direction.
