BBS RI-A

[Seiryuu]

I saw these on the twins and thought they look absolutely gorgeous. Like the design fit the twins so well, they almost look premium OEM. I looked into picking up a set but found out that they are Japan-only . Furthurmore, the smallest size for the BRZ w/ PP (STi Sport) is 18x8.0 which is tad bigger than I would like. But they are 17 lbs compared to the stock @ 23 lbs so there is that. Lastly, a brand new set cost over $3k. So it's far from the best use of mod money.

I know two main options are Nengun, and camping out at sites like Yahoo Auction JP for a used set and proxy buying. Either way, the shipping will be outrageous. Outside of picking up a set personally while in Japan, Does anyone know of other alternatives to purchasing a set?


I know there are other brands with similar styles, notably Titan 7, the current gen STI Launch Edition BBS (does not fit), and one more brand whose name escapes me but their wheels are suspiciously low priced. However, I would like to take a stab at getting these first.


Here are some photos for reference:

[HaXx]

I know Vivid carries the RI-A, not in our PCD though. maybe send them an email and see if its something they can get for you?

https://www.vividracing.com/ria-c-17...tm_source=sumo

[Westen86]

CROOOOBER

[soundman98]

i fell in love with those wheels way back when they had the concept st at some show:
https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37547

problem is, i refuse to run 19's. too thin of tires.

i've settled on (eventually) getting the titan 7's, likely in 18, so it'll clear the bbk that comes later.

[Seiryuu]

Originally Posted by HaXx

I know Vivid carries the RI-A, not in our PCD though. maybe send them an email and see if its something they can get for you?

https://www.vividracing.com/ria-c-17...tm_source=sumo

Thanks, will check with them.

Originally Posted by Westen86

CROOOOBER

I was at confused at first until I googled haha... wow, that's a neat site!

Originally Posted by soundman98

i fell in love with those wheels way back when they had the concept st at some show:
https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37547

problem is, i refuse to run 19's. too thin of tires.

i've settled on (eventually) getting the titan 7's, likely in 18, so it'll clear the bbk that comes later.

Yea, I refuse to run 19's too.. but these are 18's. Even so, I am hesitant and would have prefer to stay 17".

[Westen86]

Be careful with shipping. LOTS of cheap stuff. Amazing wheels. But the shipping will kill you.

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by Seiryuu

Yea, I refuse to run 19's too.. but these are 18's. Even so, I am hesitant and would have prefer to stay 17".

titan7 does have a 17" size! but as i said, i'm specifically going to be installing a bbk later on, so i really need 18 to clear that.


there's also the rota kb-f/kb-r, but it's 18 and 19 only and pretty difficult to come by with the exception of a few resellers. their site shows a lot more options than i've ever found anywhere for rota anything:
http://www.rotawheels.com/product/kb-fkb-r

[N_Raged]

I think the BBS RF looks similar and it does look more OEM than the RI-A.
14.3LB for 17x7.5 which is pretty amazing.

In this thread there's some evidence of the RF clearing BBK but it's really tight.

[Seiryuu]

Originally Posted by N_Raged

I think the BBS RF looks similar and it does look more OEM than the RI-A.
14.3LB for 17x7.5 which is pretty amazing.

In this thread there's some evidence of the RF clearing BBK but it's really tight.

Yes, it does look more OEM... right down to the color choice. I would have preferred to stay 17" and have that wheel but according to Tirerack and BBS Japan's fitment guide, the ideal 17x7.5 doesn't fit the PP/STi Sport models and must go 18" Edit: Ah, looks like they do clear but with 1-2 mm clearance. Absolutely no wiggle room unless you add spacers.

[Seiryuu]

After looking into the BBS RF some more, the functional and practical side in me is screaming at me to drop the RI-A and get them instead. I would save about $1000, get a proper 17", and save even more weight.


The only concern is the Brembo clearance...




At that narrowest, that can't be more than 2 mm. For DD, this is probably a non-issue. However, if tracking/spirited driving, would a slide-on spacer for added clearance be necessary?

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by Seiryuu

After looking into the BBS RF some more, the functional and practical side in me is screaming at me to drop the RI-A and get them instead. I would save about $1000, get a proper 17", and save even more weight.


The only concern is the Brembo clearance...




At that narrowest, that can't be more than 2 mm. For DD, this is probably a non-issue. However, if tracking/spirited driving, would a slide-on spacer for added clearance be necessary?

just now in the wheel fitment pp thread, someone said tire rack's got a statement somewhere on their site that any wheel tire package should have 3-4mm minimum clearance to be safe. it sounds about right to me for distances

[dvdan]

Earlier in this thread the OP said the 18x8.5" OEM Launch edition wheels from the VA-gen STI do not fit a BRZ. The photos attached show how I got mine to fit. I have a set of these wheels I took off of a launch Ed. STI in 2015 when it was new, and managed to mount them to a tS I bought in 2019.
The trick is to get a set of 20mm or 15mm 5x114.3 adapters. Both fit, the 20mm poke a tad which I didn't like so I went with 15mm ones and shaved about 1mm of material from the inside of the wheel so the bolts don't make contact with the raised lettering.
I do love the "coulda been OEM" look of the results. I'm eyeing a set of 17" TWS forged wheels so if anyone following this thread is interested in these wheels and the adapters, DM me.

[LateOnTheBrakes]

Originally Posted by dvdan

Earlier in this thread the OP said the 18x8.5" OEM Launch edition wheels from the VA-gen STI do not fit a BRZ. The photos attached show how I got mine to fit. I have a set of these wheels I took off of a launch Ed. STI in 2015 when it was new, and managed to mount them to a tS I bought in 2019.
The trick is to get a set of 20mm or 15mm 5x114.3 adapters. Both fit, the 20mm poke a tad which I didn't like so I went with 15mm ones and shaved about 1mm of material from the inside of the wheel so the bolts don't make contact with the raised lettering.
I do love the "coulda been OEM" look of the results. I'm eyeing a set of 17" TWS forged wheels so if anyone following this thread is interested in these wheels and the adapters, DM me.

This is exactly what I want to do on my 2023 when it arrives. I have three sets of the OEM BBS wheels from the STI that I want to keep.

Are you running 245 or 235 tires? Any rubbing under any driving conditions?

[dvdan]

Originally Posted by LateOnTheBrakes

This is exactly what I want to do on my 2023 when it arrives. I have three sets of the OEM BBS wheels from the STI that I want to keep.

Are you running 245 or 235 tires? Any rubbing under any driving conditions?

Apologies for the late reply. I actually ran the tires that came with my tS, which were 225/40/18s, and put all seasons on the stock 18x8" wheels. I'd definitely go wider if I kept those wheels on the car, but sadly can't confirm how wide you can go without rubbing. The specs on the wheel are 18x8.5" ET55, which are comparable to ET40 if you go with 15mm adapters like I did (which requires shaving) or ET35 if you go with 20mm ones. On Fitment industries it looks like people are going as wide as 255, so I think you'll be fine with 235 or 245.

I actually got another STI and I'm using these wheels as my winter set. On my BRZ I'm now running BBS RF504's which are WAY lighter at just 14.6lbs (!)