I'm shopping for rims and the lightest 17" I've been able to find (that's actually available for sale in the US) is a 17x7.5 that weighs 12.7 lbs. The lightest 18" I could find is a 18x8 that weighs 15.2 lbs. Has anybody found anything lighter?

Mike Robinson
2002 WRX Sport Wagon

Yup. www.rallyperformance.com had some MAGNESIUM wheels from TechnoMagnesio on their website not too long ago. They were very light, Ken made a comment about thinking the boxes were empty when he got them. They are called the "Victory", 3 kilos per wheel!!!! Oh, yeah, they also cost $3700 a set.:eek:

http://www.rallyperformance.com/tmvictory.jpg

- Trent

SSR Comp's are light and forged....Tire Rack......$375 for 17x7 1/2 50mm offset.....IIRC ~13pounds/wheel.
I love mine...

EDIT: 18's on the wagon may have fitment probs......

you can get any wheel in the US, just depends on how long you are willing to wait and how much you want to spend;) if you are looking for the lightest then magnesium is the way to go. volk makes forged magnesium TE37's, work makes forged magnesium Emotions, then there are those technomagnesio's that dsmawd posted up(i've never seen those, hahaha). are those forged magnesium dsmawd?

m i k e b

I dunno, Mike. The Rally Performance website doesn't say one way or the other. Does the price fall in line with forged magnesium Volks?

- Trent

The SSR comp's and the Racing Hart cp-035's weigh about the same, with the 035's weighing just a little less and the SSR's costing apx. $75 a wheel less. I have both and on my RBP RS the 035's in winning gold look much better.

I think the lighest 17x7.5 aluminum wheel is the Volk CE28N, at #12.4.

I was acutally looking at the SSR Comp's. Those are the 12.7 lb 17x7.5's that I listed. The Volks are a tad heavier at 15.0 lbs for the 17x7.5 size. As for 3 kg per wheel, that's only 6.6 lbs. Is that even possible in a 17? Sheesh. Are they DOT approved? I know that some super lightweight wheels are for racing use only (like the 13" Lenso's I bought once).

Mike Robinson
2002 WRX Sport Wagon

I'll make 'em fit....get me a hammer and a bat.

Originally posted by Richard A.
The SSR comp's and the Racing Hart cp-035's weigh about the same, with the 035's weighing just a little less and the SSR's costing apx. $75 a wheel less. I have both and on my RBP RS the 035's in winning gold look much better.

I think the lighest 17x7.5 aluminum wheel is the Volk CE28N, at #12.4.

I see the CP-035's listed as 13 lbs. That might not be right though. Also, The SSR's without the center caps installed are 12.5 lbs in the 17x7.5 size that I'm leaning towards. 18's look groovy but are too friggen expensive and bend too easily. Southern California freeways suck. I ran over a transmission once!

Mike Robinson
2002 WRX Sport Wagon

IIRC, the SSR are only semi forged, not fully forged, and as such, a tad overpriced for what you get.

magesium definatly is teh lightest, but I wouldn't want to risk curbing,e tc. with them on a street car.

Volk CE28's are light, Volk Gram lights (considering the cost) are a great value as well....the idea is to find light and strong, not jsut one or the other.

As for getting the wheels here, true...we can get ANy wheel you have seen elsewhere...jsut depends on time and budget

CP035 is 13 lbs, and SSR is 12.7. The Japanese models (SSRs) are about 5 ounces lighter per wheel but don't have the center cap. SSRs for me, but in a 16 X 7.5 size (11 lbs).

San

I weighed my gold comps and they are right around 12.0 lbs. I've been told they are slightly less than the anthracite versions. 12lbs vs. even 15lbs isn't going to gain you much imho. I've been through some VERY rough roads and have about 6k miles on my 17x7.5s and not a single problem. I was set to get the Prodrive GC-07Cs but the thing that did me in was availability. I would almost want to order an extra wheel just in case. With the SSRs I can call tirerack and get a new wheel in 2 days...

Magnesium wheels aren't real practical for street use.

Phil

I see that everyone has discussed many options for light wheels but what about tires? Would you not want to find a balance of the tires performance and its weight? Or do tires not change very much between models/brands?

For the money? Rota Attacks @ 15 lbs or so... I would save the money and pick up those few lbs of difference somewhere else.

-Jonathan

Originally posted by ciper
I see that everyone has discussed many options for light wheels but what about tires? Would you not want to find a balance of the tires performance and its weight? Or do tires not change very much between models/brands?

I think tire weights are just as important (if not more) since that's where the most rotational inertia is located.

And tire weight differs between brand quite a bit. One of the lightest is the Toyo T1-S at around 20-21 lbs for a 215/45 R17. Some other comparable tires are over 25 lbs, I believe.

found this sight on wheel weights thought it might help http://www.wheelweights.net/

oldmansan
"SSRs for me, but in a 16 X 7.5 size (11 lbs)"
Are they available yet. I'm hoping I've missed something and they are here. Richard

Edit spellling

iirc, the buddyclub 17" p1 racing qf's are lighter than the 17" ssr comps.

WRT Tire Weight - there is not much you can do about it, as most good tires weight more. T1S is just about the lightest in the bunch at 20lbs for a 215/45R17

Per the manufacturer, the SSR's are a true forged wheel. The Semi-soft process is proprietary(sp?) for forming semi-molten billets.
Magnesium street wheels are, IMHO, a fantasy unless one is VERY wealthy.

EDIT: Too light tires may be like too light wheels---too fragile for everyday driving.

Guys, I didn't say that the magnesium wheels were a wise choice for a street car. He simply asked what the lightest wheel out there was.

SSRs semi-solid forging is not true forging. If I was choosing I would go with the CE28Ns, gold, of course!

- Trent

have Fikse custom make you a set, the will be expensive as hell but they will be light.

www.fikse.com

Fikse wheels aren't all that light, very strong tho.

Since the term "Forged" is sometimes mis-understood, here is quick rundown of forging and the process that SSR uses. (most of this has been used from other posts about SSR ...)


"Forged" wheels are made from a solid billet of material and do not have the problem with porosity that cast products do. Both "Traditional Forged" and "Semi-Solid Forged" items start from a solid billet of material, not a molten alloy that is used for cast wheels.

"Traditional" forged wheels use 8 to 14 million pounds of pressure and VERY expensive tooling to create a wheel. The basic forging is spun to create the full width and shape of the rim. It is a very expensive process.

Semi-Solid Forging (SSF) is a process that SSR uses. (This process was actually developed in the U.S. by Alumax. SSR bought the rights to the process to develop wheels. SSR finished developing the process and patented some special methods they needed to use this technology for wheel production.)

SSF is more of a high-pressure injection process than a traditional forging process. Using a heated billet of special aluminum alloy (A357) that is developed only for this process, it is "shot" into a wheel mold at a high pressure and at a very high rate of speed. The part is then heat treated to T6 and after machining; the wheel is shot blasted to reduce the internal stress of the material and increase the life and strength of the finished product.

The end result of SSF provides a wheel with excellent mechanical properties and more design flexibility than a traditional forged wheel without the very high tooling costs of a traditional forged wheel.

SSR is making the Competition in 16x7(50mm offset)and a 16x7.5 48mm offset)for Subaru. (As well as the 17x7.5 and 18x8) There will also be a SSR GT-1 in 17x7.5 (50mm offset) for Subaru.

There may also be a Silver version of the Competition added to the offerings in this market.

Thanks, CD. I knew I had seen the difference between the two processes posted here before somewhere, I just wasn't sure where.

FWIW, I have heard a lot of stories of people bending SSR Comps, both here and the Miata boards. This alone leads me to believe that SSF is not as strong as traditional forging. You'll get no argument that it is stronger than any type of casting, though!

- Trent

Do you know if they were bending 17's or 18's?

Mike Robinson
2002 WRX Sport Wagon

Originally posted by bluescoobywagon
Do you know if they were bending 17's or 18's?

Mike Robinson
2002 WRX Sport Wagon

I bent a 17inch SSR when I hit a rather nasty pot hole

that was with 225/45 tires at 40psi

They make me nervous, probably best at 16".

Forged only on some of the roads I drive on.

doesnt syms make a very very light wheel that are very expensive?

jmott,

The question is, would you have bent a different rim hitting the same nasty pot hole. I think you may have.

I suggest you volunteer as a guinea pig and buy different wheels and locate the nasty pot hole and drive over it at different speeds until you bend each wheel. Then post it.

When do you think you can have this done?

"SSR is making the Competition in 16x7(50mm offset)and a 16x7.5 48mm offset)for Subaru. (As well as the 17x7.5 and 18x8) There will also be a SSR GT-1 in 17x7.5 (50mm offset) for Subaru."

When or where?

Big Sky

I've used the SSR Competition in the 17x7.5 size for quite a while (street and track) and they've been great. For quite some time, I've been running Fikse Mach V 18x8 wheels for the street, but I just put the SSR wheels on (while I get some warranty work done with the Fikse wheels) and ... well ... all I can say is, free horsepower! In other words, yes the Fikse wheels are beautiful, and very unique to see on a WRX (due to the high price) but they weight a good bit more than the SSR, and I love the "goes faster" aspect to the lighter wheels. Gee, I may go back to running the SSR on the street most of the time, and save the Fikse for "special occasions" and such.

GoodFinder :)

My info was that the SSR Comp in 16 X 7.5 would be 50 or more offset (from Tirerack's distributor), and would be available at the end of July. Weighs less than 11 pounds. Sound good?

San

There will be a 16x7 with a 50mm offset and a 16x7.5 with a 48mm offset. Both will fit with the U.S. WRX brake and the 16x7.5 will also work with 4-pots. If the 16x7.5 had any higher offset it would not have to potential to fit with the 4-pot calipers. The WRX has no problem with the 16x7.5 @ 48mm offset. The 16x7 can be used for the WRX or earlier Subaru's... It should be a nice option for those who do not want to run 17's or larger. It would be nice to have a tire and wheel package weighing 5-7 lbs less per corner than stock, with a 225/50-16 tire. These cars are very sensitive to weight...

Goodfinder had some nice info about the swap from the Fikse package back to the lighter SSR package.

Saving weight is what I'm after. Especially rotational weight. 17s and 18s look better, but acceleration suffers.

San

"Saving weight is what I'm after. Especially rotational weight. 17s and 18s look better, but acceleration suffers."

I'm glad there are few people who think along the same lines as myself. I waited and waited for the SSR's in 16's but finally succombed to volk te-37's, 16" ofcourse- a little heavier at 11.4 lbs, but my Toyo's are a lb or two lighter than most other hipo tires.

I just shake my head when I see questions like what 19" wheels are available- different strokes for different folks I guess.

Big Sky

Does SSR make dubs?

for real though... I think I am going to go with the SSRs in 17

Goodfinder - you going to run your Fiskes at HIN?

What is the weight of the OEM 16inch rims?

Try this site. I think it's been posted before.

Wheel Weights (http://www.wheelweights.net/)

Yeah, when I post about what bling 19s or 20s will fit my WRX, take some vacation time, come to Oahu, and shoot me. I have insurance, so the family will be fine. And my wife will finally be able to drive my car.

San

I'd love to take some vacation time and visit you in Hawaii, say about January when were in one of our -20 degree stints. Ofcourse if you were to have an accident while I visited I'd now be the prime suspect:lol: .

Big Sky

I also bent an 18" SSR Comp... on a gnarly pothole, which surprised the hell out of me 'cause I've done what I thought was worse to them before. It bent a strut, too (on my 05 WRX Wagon). I took the chance to upgrade my suspension, and now I'm looking for new, stronger wheels.

I'm considering the Gram Lights 57F, maybe the 17s, if they fit over the 332x32 StopTech BBK. I'd be interested to hear about experiences with the Gram Lights and similar (SSR Comp, Prodrive GC-05F, etc.), especially in comparison.

I'm running the 18x8.5 volk le28's on mine. They are really light and strong; I love them.

SSR Comp's are light and forged....Tire Rack......$375 for 17x7 1/2 50mm offset.....IIRC ~13pounds/wheel.
I love mine...

EDIT: 18's on the wagon may have fitment probs......

+1 on everything he just said except that I THINK the newer SSR comps weigh 1lb more now.

Wow- a four and a half year old thread revived! Like old times :)

Maybe this thread was started before we had a wheel & tire forum :lol:

Anyhoo it seems to make more sense there... moving.

Yup. www.rallyperformance.com had some MAGNESIUM wheels from TechnoMagnesio on their website not too long ago. They were very light, Ken made a comment about thinking the boxes were empty when he got them. They are called the "Victory", 3 kilos per wheel!!!! Oh, yeah, they also cost $3700 a set.:eek:

http://www.rallyperformance.com/tmvictory.jpg

- Trent

Where can I find a retailer for the wheels very intrested in a set. Not for my Subaru STI.

Need to get a set in 4 x 100, 17 x 7 38mm offset.

Any updates on the best light rims people use?

Holy crap! I didn't even remember creating this thread. Times sure have changed for me. I'm currently running 21 lb 17x8.5" Slipstreams. Ugh! Great when autocrossing, but a tad heavy on the street.

I have yet to find a set of 17x9" rims in 5x100 in a usuable offset that's less than 18lbs/$2000.

Volk has the RE-30 to consider. Says it's 30% stiffer than the ce28n and about half way between that and the very strong TE-37, in weight. Should put the 17x7.5 at apx. 13.5-14 lbs. Comes in 2 or 3 standard colors with custom colors available.

Just brought a set of 17x7.5" ssr Competition in gold color.
How much do they really weigh (without the cups)?
I am thinking of getting some General Exclaim tires...
Their 215x45x17 only weigh 18 lbs vs 22-26 lbs of other brands!!!
Any inputs from my fellow members?
Jerry

my 18x8.5 only weigh ~17lbs :)

If $$$$$ is no issue run these http://www.importfactor.com/aftermarket/weds-sport-dry-carbon-fiber-wheels.html I promise that I have never heard of a lighter 18" wheel

Haha! I've seen those before. Are they DOT rated?

my 18x8.5 only weigh ~17lbs :)

Do you have to be super careful to avoid potholes? I have read a few reports on bent SSR comp. due to that.
Very happy they are light; A little nervous about their strength...

my 18x8.5 only weigh ~17lbs :)

SSR Comps i'm assuming?

Haha! I've seen those before. Are they DOT rated?

I believe so but who would mount them? "Really you just scratched a $3000 wheel!" I could only imagine the managers face :disco:

Do you have to be super careful to avoid potholes? I have read a few reports on bent SSR comp. due to that.
Very happy they are light; A little nervous about their strength...

SSR Comps i'm assuming?

ssr gt2 :) i've hit a couple bumps while on the freeway and no bends yet. 225/40/18 doesn't protect much on an 18x8.5 wheel...

so i'm going with 255/35/18 instead :D

Does anyone know the "real" weight of SSR type C-RS ...

18x8 ET48 5x100 ( fits with Brembos )

http://www.z1auto.com/images/ssrtypers.jpg

http://www.ssr-wheels.com/images/typef/gold_lrg.jpg

u cant go wrong wit 17x8 enkei rpf1s. 15lbs ea. and not expensive

Yay! My thread from 2002 is alive again! I can't believe I started this thread and now I'm rolling on 21lb 17x8.5's. I'd really love to upgrade to a light 17x9, but those are scarce in 5x100.

Yay! My thread from 2002 is alive again! I can't believe I started this thread and now I'm rolling on 21lb 17x8.5's. I'd really love to upgrade to a light 17x9, but those are scarce in 5x100.

check out wheeldudes thread, theyre rota's but theyre cheap and light and custom for us suabru guys. 17x9 18lbs 5x100 and 5x114 under 900 dollars I think there are evn lighter ones too.