TRD Wheels on a 2018 BRZ

[rvoll]

Originally Posted by SCQTT

Plus the only thing that says TRD is the center caps. I bet they are actually Subaru sized and with a little research you can probably find a set of Subaru caps that will look nice and fit perfect.

Yeah... I'm planning on finding some Subaru caps...

[rvoll]

Originally Posted by nikitopo

The STI wheel is build by Enkei. It is not forged, but there aren't too many differences if you mean on performance. Subaru is running the last 2 years with Enkei non-forged wheels at the Gazoo 86/BRZ races and if there was a significant difference they could swap to BBS forged wheels. I believe Kota Sasaki is still using the latter wheels, but without much success. It looks that other things are more important than the wheels (e.g. tires, suspension settings, etc.)

About the others things on color and size it is fine. Personally, I am brand loyal and I wouldn't do it. It is not needed everyone to be loyal. Besides, these cars were co-developed by Subaru and Toyota

There should be practically no difference in performance between the two wheels. In fact, unless you're racing the car, wheels make little difference. Things like wider wheels and tires don't change performance much -- in fact, in most cases, they reduce performance both in speed and mpg. The same is pretty much true with lowering the car. I've had a lot of track experience in the past and know this to be a fact.

So the difference primarily is in looks -- which are important to many of us. The color of the wheel and that it is more flush makes the car look better IMO. I'm getting a silver car, and personally, I don't like the polished or black look on that color. I do like chrome on other cars, and black wheels on a white car, IMO, look great. Again, each to their own....

By the way, from a performance aspect, tires can make a significant difference and I plan on changing them early....

Regarding brand loyalty, I don't think it helps us in any way to be brand loyal. If a company builds a better product at a competitive price, count me in. If we were all brand loyal, companies would not have to make their product better. If you have a lot of BRZ parts and want to continue to use them, then that is not brand loyalty, it is financially better for you -- and that's a different matter.

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by rvoll

There should be practically no difference in performance between the two wheels. In fact, unless you're racing the car, wheels make little difference. Things like wider wheels and tires don't change performance much -- in fact, in most cases, they reduce performance both in speed and mpg. The same is pretty much true with lowering the car. I've had a lot of track experience in the past and know this to be a fact.

So the difference primarily is in looks -- which are important to many of us. The color of the wheel and that it is more flush makes the car look better IMO. I'm getting a silver car, and personally, I don't like the polished or black look on that color. I do like chrome on other cars, and black wheels on a white car, IMO, look great. Again, each to their own....

By the way, from a performance aspect, tires can make a significant difference and I plan on changing them early....

Regarding brand loyalty, I don't think it helps us in any way to be brand loyal. If a company builds a better product at a competitive price, count me in. If we were all brand loyal, companies would not have to make their product better. If you have a lot of BRZ parts and want to continue to use them, then that is not brand loyalty, it is financially better for you -- and that's a different matter.

I think you're wrong in the wider wheel not having a significant impact. I think wider tread might be overrated but a larger volume inside a tire means more consistent Temps and a more rigid sidewall.

[switchlanez]

For forged lightness and strength that even TRD prefers: http://www.tws-forged.com/tws_t66-f.html

There are 17" options, 16" in GAZOO Racing 86/BRZ RACE Regulation Size, and 18" was used on TRD's Tsukuba lap record setting Griffon 86. TWS also makes the JDM TRD SF2 forged wheel for the 86. Performance and fitment seem to matter to you. 18" T66-F are a worthy first and only time set of wheels. Nicely proportional to the size of the wheel well and on the car's side profile. Coming from someone who first swapped his stock wheels with 17" STI wheels. Kept them for about a year. Then TWS stood the test of time--4 years and counting. In the face of tempting new models from Rays, Advan, and Prodrive, I've never changed them out.

[rvoll]

Originally Posted by fatoni

I think you're wrong in the wider wheel not having a significant impact. I think wider tread might be overrated but a larger volume inside a tire means more consistent Temps and a more rigid sidewall.

You get a more rigid sidewall with lower profile tires. The temp differences are minimal. A wider wheel not fitted to the particular car can actually reduce lap times for two reasons. First, since a wider wheel generally has wider tread, the weight of the tire is higher and force per square foot is less thus reducing traction. However, if you are using a racing compound with extra sticky tires, wider can create more friction. With most road tires, however, traction is actually less. And a wider tire increases hydroplaning in wet weather. Again, over the years in my racing clubs, we tested these variables. Wider rims just allow you to put on wider tires which makes your ride look better, but not necessarily handle better. There is not enough hp in our standard BRZ's to require wider rims or tires.

[rvoll]

Originally Posted by switchlanez

For forged lightness and strength that even TRD prefers: http://www.tws-forged.com/tws_t66-f.html

They are great looking wheels. But when I looked up the price, they are about $700 each. I don't think they are twice as good as the TRD wheels.

[nikitopo]

Originally Posted by rvoll

Regarding brand loyalty, I don't think it helps us in any way to be brand loyal. If a company builds a better product at a competitive price, count me in. If we were all brand loyal, companies would not have to make their product better. If you have a lot of BRZ parts and want to continue to use them, then that is not brand loyalty, it is financially better for you -- and that's a different matter.

Well, Subaru is a brand with very strong racing history. If you go back to their roots they have basically a very strong military history, but we cannot really make wars anymore. So, nowadays we have teams and basically fans that follow the teams. So, let me give you an example. Subaru racing team will not even install the ready for our cars TRD gauge kit and will do a custom install using Defi parts. Function is always the same, but it is about how proud you are about yourself and that you are not relying on the other manufacturer.

I agree that loyalty should not be followed by any circumstances, but if you also check for alternatives there isn't really much out there. For example I was checking lately about Porsche and if it is really a better brand, but probably over there the customers are treaded much much worse. You don't really deserve going to service your car and requesting to remove the battery because the car's gps is not calibrated and to receive as a reply "we cannot do this because we don't have factory permission". For god's sake, you'll just remove the battery for a few seconds! And by the way the gps was finally fixed after this reset, but you'll have all this frustration. Same about other basic things that the dealer is not allowed to do, because the factory does not allow it. Anyway, I believe that you get my point.

I know all these are irrelevant with the subject, but just some short chit chat. Hope to enjoy your new wheels.

[rvoll]

Originally Posted by nikitopo

Well, Subaru is a brand with very strong racing history. If you go back to their roots they have basically a very strong military history, but we cannot really make wars anymore. So, nowadays we have teams and basically fans that follow the teams. So, let me give you an example. Subaru racing team will not even install the ready for our cars TRD gauge kit and will do a custom install using Defi parts. Function is always the same, but it is about how proud you are about yourself and that you are not relying on the other manufacturer.

I agree that loyalty should not be followed by any circumstances, but if you also check for alternatives there isn't really much out there. For example I was checking lately about Porsche and if it is really a better brand, but probably over there the customers are treaded much much worse. You don't really deserve going to service your car and requesting to remove the battery because the car's gps is not calibrated and to receive as a reply "we cannot do this because we don't have factory permission". For god's sake, you'll just remove the battery for a few seconds! And by the way the gps was finally fixed after this reset, but you'll have all this frustration. Same about other basic things that the dealer is not allowed to do, because the factory does not allow it. Anyway, I believe that you get my point.

I know all these are irrelevant with the subject, but just some short chit chat. Hope to enjoy your new wheels.

If you have a racing team that is supported by a manufacturer, then it makes sense that you need to be brand loyal. But there is a profit motive in that decision. I owned several Porsches over the years and never went to the dealer for service. In fact, I try to find a great mechanic who specializes in the car of my choice. In the early days, I did all of the mechanical work myself including rebuilding engines and transmissions and doing a number of performance mods. But that was 45-50 years ago and was not my avocation. I've owned GM, Ford, Volvo, Triumph, Mercedes, Porsche, Hyundai/Kia, Chrysler, Renault, VW and Mazda. My personal favorites were a P1800 Volvo, a Triumph TR-6, and several Porsche 928's. They were just fun cars. In every case, I bought the car that was unique no matter which brand it was. That's why I ended up with the BRZ as it is really a compilation of the three cars I liked the most. Since this is the first Subaru I've owned, if I was brand loyal, it never would have been chosen!!!!!!

[switchlanez]

Originally Posted by rvoll

They are great looking wheels. But when I looked up the price, they are about $700 each. I don't think they are twice as good as the TRD wheels.

If flushness is of any concern, why even spend $1k for wheels with stock-ish fitment? Perhaps for the sake of being forged and less typical than stock (though they look stock to the general public and came stock on the Release Series 2.0). Do you know the weight on those? I can't seem to it but some T66-F weights:

17x8 - 13.9 lbs
18x8 - 14.8 lbs
18x9.5 - 15.8 lbs (their largest size)

I don't know any forged aluminum wheels that are lighter for the size. TRD SF2 18x7.5 weighs 16.5 lbs and are made by TWS so I image the USDM 17" TRDs are heavier.



When it comes to 17x7.5 dark 15-spokers like those, I'm familiar. Had 17x7.5 15-spoke STI wheels. Can cost a boat load less than other offerings. But after owning them awhile I started to notice small things. The sunken fitment. How 17s (though lighter than 18s) look proportionally small on the car:

[img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GW***3BQLKZ8V-JfajCy2Xi68b6bORIg8la5PW4KHuUzfaFlTUv3sHKJqhpk-3rV5cZZuNCZMDv2ys4fpkoPm0pIXF0-ja1EVnw_ApSFuzlZhdnOf74FRWsmfeJDTgy3ZNODKAA5tr2-0lbow-FQFTFZbKRO0ktAHBoV5gLnH4MtzNR-u61Ejq1UN_t56hnebHWD1MhZaOQhmaYcbTYuE-9SvpKZ0ROtSPJhNqfXankQoTeqxVgilrhDsM55Do-GX7jOxJHYE3lOHA5FMfxIF_cte69LJpmu79JkH0X1is9IHl0xe o6NTWY4IXb-NsR2-qJaiV1aFez28vwrrsv4lF3nljMEUcB2cCXIa7Pkifj-oVp6XtelIeXO8dMHBjWmhyS8a5xXuvKRIB7lqXIG-Z-3Y1aJ5EdGzd8znpG2vF_aR1U6HhiY_V__FcegBBv1zEYdqI3Dn dnB2hCccglcr_heIJd25_Z7CyZRZsq5Q1aY1g2gUWDbyloMWOj b4nSDQJ6EIzCksRUdanu7ufc9XrphX4fY6HK9lZKoBCW8SZhac 9UmqwDFhmbv_W0ldz4P-QxpITaigJoGzr__CyLxaT7NLJQlN50fsGItXx6OY0Tz1A9vDan bHlGeugciba1gG_r060Oc1n4Jzvb9ZWvUfPR3qOLxX7BMDw=w1 218-h812-no[/img]

Compare that to spot on fitment with a wider track felt through the steering wheel and paper-light spin up response on throttle:



TWS is the worldwide leader in forged aluminium and magnesium wheels for passenger, racing cars and motorcycles. They supply billet aluminum blanks to other JDM wheel companies, are partners with Aston Martin Racing for LeMans, and have been supplying magnesium blanks for Formula 1 since 1993. Their consumer offerings undercut the competition and have superior specs. It was a zen moment of clarity when I saw them for ~$3k on japanparts.com. OEM proven with performance pedigree. Investing a little more made me a lot happier for more years. I'm trying to pass on vicarious knowledge so you don't relive my regrets and do it right the first time. But if your heart is set on those TRDs, go for it. Just know I had my heart set in the same way for 17x7.5 STI wheels and look what happened to me.

(Look up Prodrive Japan, ZE40 or other Volks, Advan RGIII or other Advans for forged options that look fire on a silver 86. For cheaper forged options, try Titan 7 or XXR 527F.)

[switchlanez]

TRD's inspirational Griffon 86. This beast turned me on to its wheels:


And some bonuses:

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by rvoll

You get a more rigid sidewall with lower profile tires. The temp differences are minimal. A wider wheel not fitted to the particular car can actually reduce lap times for two reasons. First, since a wider wheel generally has wider tread, the weight of the tire is higher and force per square foot is less thus reducing traction. However, if you are using a racing compound with extra sticky tires, wider can create more friction. With most road tires, however, traction is actually less. And a wider tire increases hydroplaning in wet weather. Again, over the years in my racing clubs, we tested these variables. Wider rims just allow you to put on wider tires which makes your ride look better, but not necessarily handle better. There is not enough hp in our standard BRZ's to require wider rims or tires.

I think you're wrong about a lot of that stuff too.

[nikitopo]

Originally Posted by rvoll

My personal favorites were a P1800 Volvo, a Triumph TR-6, and several Porsche 928's. They were just fun cars. In every case, I bought the car that was unique no matter which brand it was. That's why I ended up with the BRZ as it is really a compilation of the three cars I liked the most. Since this is the first Subaru I've owned, if I was brand loyal, it never would have been chosen!!!!!!

I never had a Porsche, but my cousin had several including a 928. It was a nice car. I know what you mean about Subaru. Hope to like your BRZ and welcome to our community.

[nikitopo]

Originally Posted by rvoll

Yeah... I'm planning on finding some Subaru caps...

[Racecomp Engineering]

This is the most philosophical wheel thread I've seen in a while.

- Andrew