Best light weight racing wheel?

[Benschneider06]

Originally Posted by venturaII

Eggzactly. We've gone from 'best lightweight racing wheel' to Rotas. Not that there's anything wrong with Rotas as something to keep your car off the ground, but they're not exactly the first choice for racers around the world.

Hey I'm not the wheel expert here. I guess those aren't considered good wheels. At what weight would you consider them no longer a "Racing Wheel"?

I'm learning more towards 17" TC105n's or te37's

[Kami Speed]

Originally Posted by Benschneider06

Hey I'm not the wheel expert here. I guess those aren't considered good wheels. At what weight would you consider them no longer a "Racing Wheel"?

I'm learning more towards 17" TC105n's or te37's

Reason people are saying Rotas arent "race" wheels is because they are not made with the upmost quality and also they replicate all the original wheels which took time and R&D to create.

TE37s are fully forged, compared to a fully casted Rota wheel. So under heavy loads a Rota will crack and fall apart. Where as, at the same load a TE37 will not even bend. Rotas and other low-quality cast wheels have been known to crack by just daily driving, let alone out on the track. Doesnt happen all the time, but it does happen.

[xwd]

+1 on the TC105Ns. I like RPF1s but it seems to be a love/hate with regards to whether people like the look of them or not. Most popular motorsports wheel by far though.

[stevesnj]

Carbon Fiber Wheels FTW!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWiTky3zZXQ"]Carbon Fiber Wheels Road Test - Jay Leno's Garage - YouTube[/ame]

[redlined600]

For cheaper 17x9"

Kosei K6R +42 18.8 lbs $169ea
TRM FF10 +45 18.3 lbs $177ea
RPF1 ~16lbs ~$250ea

Originally Posted by dwx

+1 on the TC105Ns. I like RPF1s but it seems to be a love/hate with regards to whether people like the look of them or not. Most popular motorsports wheel by far though.

This is based on the combination of cost, light weight and durability (resistance to catastrophic failure at least), probably not looks.

[venturaII]

I'm not even talking bad about Rotas, per se. They're fine for street wheels and have a variety of styles to choose from. But there's a big difference between them and 'best lightweight racing wheel'. At this point, you'd be better off just browsing the sticky wheel thread to get an idea of what look you're after, versus how light a particular wheel is.

[B T]

I've seen more bad reviews of Kosei than good ones. Seems a lot of people complain about craking/bending under heavy lateral load. You may want to consider some Volk CE28 for 17" wheels as well.
Wheel Weights Site

[Benschneider06]

Originally Posted by Kami Speed

Reason people are saying Rotas arent "race" wheels is because they are not made with the upmost quality and also they replicate all the original wheels which took time and R&D to create.

TE37s are fully forged, compared to a fully casted Rota wheel. So under heavy loads a Rota will crack and fall apart. Where as, at the same load a TE37 will not even bend. Rotas and other low-quality cast wheels have been known to crack by just daily driving, let alone out on the track. Doesnt happen all the time, but it does happen.

Awesome info. Does the same go for the TC105n's? Are they fully forged?

[OkieSnuffBox]

Originally Posted by Benschneider06

Awesome info. Does the same go for the TC105n's? Are they fully forged?

They are "flow formed."


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kyU-SxePIY"]Tech - Wheels: Flow Forming Process - YouTube[/ame]

[Kami Speed]

Originally Posted by Benschneider06

Awesome info. Does the same go for the TC105n's? Are they fully forged?

No, the TC105Ns use a different form of flow form casting, Advanced Metal Forming. It is as close to forged as you can get without being forged if that makes sense. So the cost to manufacture goes down. So instead of paying $2,600+ for set of 17 inch TE37s you can get a set of TC105Ns for $1,800.

But I can tell you the TC105N is VERY strong for a wheel that is not forged. It also has to do with the material Weds uses along with the special design of the wheel to make it very rigid and strong.

[churchx]

.. or better go for used wheel set. One thing is $2.6K, another - $900 for very same quality forged wheels.

[cjd]

Originally Posted by Benschneider06

I went to their site and it doesn't look like you can get them in gunmetal or black which was kind of what I was looking for :/

17x9+35 255/40/17 RE71-R

[toraider]

720Form GTF1 wheels - decent price weight combination.

[CatDaddysBBQ]

I run a 17x7 team dynamics Pro Race 1.0 - there are few versions of this wheel, but they're all similar.

Lightweight (15-16lbs for 17x7), the 1.0's are made to clear a BBK, there have been some examples of them cracking if you do a google search, but what wheel hasn't broken "ever"?

From their website:
"In Touring Cars they have been the exclusive BTCC championship wheel for 2004, 2005 and 2006, as well as being extensively used in the French and European Championships with PCD and Centre Lock applications.

Other championships include Scottish Mini’s, UK and USA Miata/MX5, VW Cup Dubai, British and European GT3, BRL European Racing League, numerous worldwide BMW Championships and of coarse World Touring Car.

In Rallying, our wheels have provided the durability and strength to help Jonny Milner win the British Rally Championship in 2002 and 2003. Since then teams using our wheels have gone on to win many events in the UK, Europe and the USA including Production World Rally."

My opinion is that if it's been strong enough for Rally, i am not likely to break it under my use.

The 17's can be had four about 180-200 each and they look pretty good (compared to some of the kosei/rpf1 options at least). They're not my favorite looking but I wanted something lightweight and affordable - I ended up getting these for a ridiculous deal so I was extremely happy.

I'm happy with them so far. Just wanted to toss that on the list.