Forgive my lack of expertise in this area, but I am trying to find some nice 17" wheels in the "under $300" price range (preferably around $200). I've looked at many of the posts here in which people are spending in the area of $400-500 each, which is a little too much for me. Can anyone recommend some decent 17 inchers which are less expensive (yet not hanging on the wall of the local Discount Tire)? I heard someone mention that Canada has the 17" OEM European wheels available. Has anyone looked into the cost of these (plus shipping) to the US? Are they decent wheels? Why the hell hasn't SOA provided any alternative to the ridiculous BBS option? Any suggestions or links to good sites where I could find something reasonable would be extremely appreciated.

Yeah, OZ Superleggeras! 15.5lbs apiece, and

$280, RalliSpec, available now
$280, Tire Rack, available in a few months
$250 (maybe), TRi Tuning, available sometime soon

There's plenty of pics in this other thread, so I won't post them here. http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/Forum25/HTML/001171.html

How about:-
Prodrive 7 (7x17 ET53) $205
P1 (7x17 ET53) $Out of stock
P1 (7.5x18 ET53) $350
Cheers
Simon

ASA JS5 Seem OK. You can see them pictured at Tire Rack. $150 each. The won't tell me offwidth, however. They just say a guaranteed fit. Anyone know offwidth or weight for this wheel?

Don't trust that.

Ken

what does the Prodrive 7 (17X7) weight?

the P1 is a pound or two over 20lbs IIRC. http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/frown.gif

Superlegerra is light, but +48mm offset. not the best. http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/frown.gif

I imagine the euro spec 17" rim weighs under 20lbs, but I don't recall exactly.

Thanks to all for the replies.
Simon, do you have a link where I can find the Prodrives for $205? Also, any preferred online wheel stores around here? I only know of a few. I'm very new to this obviously.

Thanks,
Andy

The Prodrives weight 17 punds each. The laggeras weigh 15.5. Look into some TeamDynamics wheels. I have easy to find a set for $170 each range.

I elected to get a set of OZ Prodrives with tires shipped to Cali, $1800, not terrible.
I have a turbotimer, Cusco oil catch can, MRT anti lift kit. Coilovers,exhaust,downpipe
intake are next then I'm cool for a while.

Ken

The 17" OZ Prodrives weigh 20lb. (9.5kg) I have an email of the specs from Oz USA.

Glenn

Glenn, I still want to know where the 17.5lb figure for the P1s came from. Rallispec is giving that number, as is a wheel weight chart that was posted in another forum.

I don't presume to know what tires weigh, but my P1 with a Dunlop SP9000 is still a bit lighter (low tech heft test) than a 25lb weight. I intend to find a scale and weigh the combo at some point soon, because this is crazy. I've heard 17.5, 22, and 20, I've also heard that more recent P1s are replicas of the "real" Prodrive P1s. I dunno...

Kevin

p.s. CLEARLY my heft test is way off, since specified weight for the 215/45/17 Dunlop SP9000 is about 21 lbs. I'm a hoser....

[This message has been edited by gtguy (edited February 22, 2001).]

Megatron,

Please don't apologize for bringing up the wheel topic again. The more we all discuss wheels available for the WRX the more we will all learn.

I am not crazy about the OZ wheels. I think they are a great quality wheel but the multi-spoke styling (Prodrive/Superleggera) is getting a little old to me and looks better with the old body style Impreza. The new BBS wheels from Subaru are beautiful, but too expensive. I think the new WRX looks great in a wheel with five or six spokes. I am seriously considering silver Speedline Super Turismos on my Sedon Red WRX sedan. From what I have heard they are a very very good wheel and are available from $240 to $270 from SPD Tuning Service http://spdusa.com/prod03.htm and other Subaru vendors. Does anyone know how much the Super Turismos weight in at?

thanks,

Punk

[This message has been edited by PunksRS (edited February 22, 2001).]

Yeah, unfortunately the Speedline wheels are all about 21 lbs.

Edit: in a 17" application

[This message has been edited by RidinLow (edited February 22, 2001).]

Per Mike Shields, the 17 x 7 Speedline ST weighs 21.5 lb. which is about 2 lbs. heaver than the P1 in the same size.

Interesting, my P7's say offset 52 on the box. Just some non-important info.

Do a search, I posted the email verbatim from OzWheels.com --- it also jibes with info from the UK. I don't know where the 17lb came from, sorry.

Glenn

RidinLow,

How does 4 or 5 pounds per wheel make that much difference? It just seems pretty insignificant to add 20 additional pounds distributed evenly around the car. It seems like a heavy driver would have much more effect on the car than an extra 20 pounds in wheels. I could see where you would be concerned about every ounce of weight if you were racing the car and gutting a lot of the interior to reduce weight, but for a street driven car would it even be noticable?

thanks,

Punk

LOL! If I lose 20# in two weeks does that mean I can have my Super Turismos?!?!?

Punk

Hmmm, just did a search in the suspension/tyres forum, and came across a thread titles "Weights of Wheels." A board member, striderTB, weighed his P1s and they came in at 17.5 lbs.

On the other hand, OZ should know. Now I'm really confused. Hey, could they be talking about a 17x7.5 vs. 17x7? Just a thought.

Kevin

This was the 17 x 7 Oz Prodrive in Anthracite.

The weight of wheels is very important because it is "unsprung" weight which you want to keep to a minimum. 5# per corner is a huge difference.

Glenn

LOL @ PunksRS!!
I have been wondering that as well (the extra 3 or 4 lbs per wheel). Also, I completely agree with you about the multispoke design. To be honest, I never liked it. Another (trivial) reason I don't want those damn spoked wheels is the simple fact that they are a royal pain in the ass to clean. http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/smile.gif

Anyone know how much the OEM 17" wheels from the UK weigh?

Andy

What is the weight of the stock 16" wrx wheels?

-grant

Unless you plan to lower the car a bit
the 17incher makes the sedan look like a minature Bigfoot4x4! http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/wink.gif

Cobb Tuning will be selling a Technomagnesio wheel (but made of aluminum not magnesium) by mid April. They come in a very appropriate offset for the sube - +53" or so. They're kind of heavy though - 22lbs. But the price should be about $230. Maybe look at these before deciding on new wheels.

Here's what I want: White, +53mm 17"'s with 6 or 8 spokes, weighing 15-17lbs, durable enough, under $300. Is that too much to ask??

just to throw more into the pot,

Mike Shields at SPD quoted me a weight of 19lbs (8.6kg) for the 17X7 OZ P1 wheel. It's probably not in his best interest as a business man to overestimate by a pound and a half.

So it's probably safe to assume if you order up a 17" P1 wheel and throw it on a scale it'll say between 19-20lbs.

The 16" stock wheels should weigh in the ballpark of 16lbs.

RP

PunkRS,
The most critical spot to cut weight on any car, or bike, is the rotational mass. The tire and a good deal of the wheel itself is at the outer diameter of the wheel. If you were to attach this weight to a rope the length of the wheel diameter and spin it in your hand, it would feel much heavier. It's basic physics, the lever priciple. Just like its easier to turn a stuck nut with a wrench with a longer handle than a short handle. So spinning mass will affect acceleration many times more than just the driver sitting in the car.

Also, people refer to "unsprung mass" such as the wheels. I believe you want as little weight as possible on the wheel side of the suspension. This allows the suspension to react quicker, keeping your wheels on the road more (which is good).

Sorry if I didn't present this in the most clear manner. I'm by no means a good physics teacher.

-BrianK

Yeah, the weight of the wheels makes a huge impact in acceleration, braking, cornering, etc. I'd rather have an extra 50 lbs of stuff in the trunk than wheels that weighed 5 lbs more.

This just in: I may have a line on gold STi wheels with RE-011 tires. I will put a post in the classifieds if I get more info. Obviously, I know a lot of people would be interested.

Glenn

Hey Glen,

How about silver??

Doh, turns out they are the gold 17" OEM rims (like the silver ones but gold) but not the STi rims.
http://www.new-impreza.com/parts/28111FE020K.jpg

I will keep you all posted, it will be a few weeks.

Glenn

Silver ones are available in Canada. Make some calls if you want them.

WREGEX. I am with you. I want a white wheel with 5-7 spokes. I have been looking.

Chuck

PS: Any recomendations anyone?

So what are the part numbers and prices for the silver ones in Canada?

Glenn

thanx ryan,

-grant

Just a suggestion for those who are looking for a simpler (white) five spoke wheel. JC has the Team Dynamics Rim 2000 for $189 a pc. We can talk about the perfect rim... but drivin' a one piece around Metro New York is like asking to get bent. I also like the idea of the contrast of a dark center w/a polished rim. It should look good on my Midnight WRX wagon. I won't be deciding until Ilive with the WRX for a few weeks. Any body willing to photchop a wagon w/tints and these or a gun metal wheel will expedite the process for mehttp://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/smile.gif

Does anybody have a picture of RH Evolution CP-8's in bronze?

I like some of the RH styles. Does anyone know if they offer the correct offset?