hi gang,

anyone heard of VOLK wheels? they claimed to be one of the lightest.......if not the lightest wheels now on the market......

 

Yes, they're a very popular Japanese brand. Ask TonyB, he has a set. And yes, they are some of the lightest wheels out.

 

Volks have been popular for years with the Japanese tuner crowd. I've yet to hear any serious complaints about the quality, and yes, many of their models are very, very light.

-CW

 

This is my response to an ealier thread:

These are the lightest 16" wheels out there. They're all forged except for the SSR's, which are semi-forged. They all weigh about 11 lbs. You can pick the SSR's up at Tire Rack, but the rest you'll have to find a vendor online for.

Racing Hart CP-035 5R
SSR Comp (and comp R)
Buddy Club P1 QF
Volk TE37
Volk CE28
5Zigen Becket FN-01R

Also, the SSR's are about $300 each where as the others are $370-450 each.

 

Depends on what size you're asking about. In the 17s, the lightest is RH CP8-R forged coming in at 12.4 lbs. Volk in the same size are around 14. Same with SSR. The only other wheel that is lighter than CP8-R are from Weld Racing, at 11.5 lbs (kinda funky looking though).

 

>>Depends on what size you're asking about. In the 17s, the lightest is RH CP8-R forged coming in at 12.4 lbs. Volk in the same size are around 14. Same with SSR. The only other wheel that is lighter than CP8-R are from Weld Racing, at 11.5 lbs (kinda funky looking though).

Can you tell me who still has the CP8-R in stock, I hear they are discontinued? How much did you pay?

 

>>>>Depends on what size you're asking about. In the 17s, the lightest is RH CP8-R forged coming in at 12.4 lbs. Volk in the same size are around 14. Same with SSR. The only other wheel that is lighter than CP8-R are from Weld Racing, at 11.5 lbs (kinda funky looking though).
>>
>>Can you tell me who still has the CP8-R in stock, I hear they are discontinued? How much did you pay?







I got mine from "racinghartdirect.com". Look under RH Evolution in their sub headings. They still list the CP8-R for $1300/set. I order mine with Yoko Paradas and came out after shipping to around $1900. "carcrazy.net" has them too.

Hope that helps.

_________________

 

Do some research. Generally, the lightest wheels are forged. The real question is how much do you want to spend. The more you are willing to spend, the lighter they get. Another question is what size are you looking for and what plans do you have for them(street vs. race)? I reccomend 15" or 16" for their street comfort and usually their weight is always lighter than a 17" wheel, plus they are also usually less expesive to buy and tire. Street comfort in that you can run a larger sidewall tire. There are arguments of performance pluses and minuses between sizes, but usually if your not a pro racer whos racing experiece could differentiate gains, you'll never notice.

Volks, depending on which model are generally among the lightest. Entry starts around $400 per wheel. But there are many wheels available in the price range so shop around.

 

Also ask yourself why do you want to make your wheels this light?
Lightness also = lowered resistance to damage from road conditions (potholes and road trash)
If you spend $400 per rim and then hit a pothole you will trash the rim. Many wheelsets are ordered in sets of 4 only.

That's why for this light a rim the forged wheels are strong and light but very costly.
If you are not racing and just want something relatively light AK tires makes the Monza in a less costly price range that looks similar to the SSR comps and is available in 15" and 16" size.

A good looking (matched with a 40 or 45 series tire) 16" rim from afar can look just like a 17" rim of the same type. Especially if you lower your MINI. I've seen it done.

If you save some money by going with nice light 16" rims then there is more $$$ left over for other mods! Otherwise you'd be spending over $2000 for wheels and no spare!

 

THanks gang for all the valuable input.........I am debating what to do now.....mannnnnnnn

but one thing certain is that the Supersprint header down to the exhaust pipes system are going into my Yellow S for sure!!! can't wait!!!!!!!!!

now, debating what rims and what tires!!

any suggestions for tires? both wet and dry (street only) is important to me!

 

Yokohama AVS ES 100s seem pretty popular. I have 'em on my Volks.

 

>>Yokohama AVS ES 100s seem pretty popular.
Yes, these are good, featuring moderate cost about $90-94 each at tirerack with good street manners, comfortable ride, low road noise, good wet and dry traction, & long tread life. I have them and the size that is popular is 215/45 or 215/40 with either 16 or 17" tires. 205 width is also possible for the 16" rim.
The other popular tire is the Bridgestone Potenza S-03 in the same sizes but at roughly $70 a tire more and an additional 4-5 pounds weight per tire you may want to pass. They are very grippy and that is why people like them.
Others like the:
Toyo Proxes T1-S
http://www.toyo.com/tires/index_frame.html
http://www.toyo.com/find_a_dealer/index_frame.html (for a dealer near you)
Falken Ziex ZE 512 Tire 205/50/16 at Rspeed for $79 each Lightweight and moderate to low cost.
http://www.edgeracing.com/product/ti...em_number=1121
Check out:
http://www.rspeed.net/mini/subcat.asp?dept=12&cat=6

 

>>but one thing certain is that the Supersprint header down to the exhaust pipes system are going into my Yellow S for sure!!! can't wait!!!!!!!!!

The Supersprint header and full exhaust is very pricey and doesn't really get you any more power than many of the less costly exhausts.

Options include:
Milltek header with sport cat $900 or Mini Mania header with sport cat $750 with UUC exhaust $875 or Alta Exhaust $699. All of these might cost less and give you more power. There are many many options.

The extra money left over you can put into the wheels and tires or get a DINAN stage 1 or 2 upgrade kit if you have an MCS (under $2000 or under $3000 respectively).

 

CP8-R(12.4lbs) x 4 = 49.6lbs.
Yokohama Para Spec II 205/45-17(21lbs) x 4 = 84lbs.
Total = 133.6lbs.

S-light(25lbs) x 4 = 100lbs.
Run flat Dunlop(25lbs) x 4 = 100lbs.
Total = 200lbs.

Difference = 66.4lbs.
Difference per corner = 16.4lbs...that's sprung weight. Greater sprung weight = poor suspension tracking = poorer handling.

I guess it comes down to whether you want your Mini to handle potholes or drive around them




_________________

 

In 16" rims I have listed:
-------------
RH CP-035R 16x7 @ 10.8#
Mugen MF10 16x7 @ 11.0#
SSR Type-C 16x7 @ 11.1#
Volk TE37 16x7 @ 11.2#

The wheels I've not seen exact weights for but I know that they're right in there are the Velox Performance (?) rims. I saw them in a magazine with an ad related to MINIs.

In 17" rims I have listed:
RH CP-035R 17x7.5 @ 13.0#
SSR Type-C 17x7 @ 13.0#
Centerline RPMs 17x7 @ 13.5#
Volk CE28N 17x7.5 @ 13.8#
Mugen MF10 17x7 @ 14.0#


Other good sources of info are:



HTH, Jeff

 

>>Depends on what size you're asking about. In the 17s, the lightest is RH CP8-R forged coming in at 12.4 lbs. Volk in the same size are around 14. Same with SSR. The only other wheel that is lighter than CP8-R are from Weld Racing, at 11.5 lbs (kinda funky looking though).

The SSR 17s are actually 13 lbs. You also have to consider what width you want, and of course that will affect weight as well. For example, width accounts for at least part of the weight difference between the SSR and the CP8-R 17s....the SSRs are 7.5 wide while the CP8-Rs are 7.

If you want to drive yourself crazy studying wheel weights, here are a few sites to surf. None are comprehensive, but that's understandable....I'm sure it's difficult to keep up with all the variations of all the wheels in the world.

wheelweights.net

wheelspecs.com

this one doesn't seem to have a name

 

wow, very comprehensive, thanks gang! let me see what I am going to do....in my part of the world here (Asia) the volk wheel package is USD1600 for 4 Vs basic 5 spoke BBS for USD900 plus change...50%!! I can use that money to buy other things.....but then to save 60 pounds plus.....dilemmaaaaaaaaaaa

 

Another option is to buy a set for the street and another set for the track. That's what I'm going to do. I have my 18's for looks on the street and may go to 15's if I decide to go on the track.

 

Silver said:
>>Difference = 66.4lbs.
>>Difference per corner = 16.4lbs...that's unsprung weight. Greater unsprung weight = poor suspension tracking = poorer handling.
>>
>>I guess it comes down to whether you want your Mini to handle potholes or drive around them :smile:

 

Go WASH Mr. Motor
:smile:

 

To add one more resource to the list that kurvhugr listed, I've found this one to be very helpful: http://www.mysportscar.com/features/wheelweight.htm Using this, along with wheelspecs.com is the best way to shop for wheels that I've found.

If you're interested in Volks, the best price I've found is through Carboy in Houston 713 271 9638. $360 each for the TE37 in 16x7, 4-100, 42mm offset. They are available in white or bronze, with gunmetal being $25 more.

For the record, TE37s with Toyo Proxes T1-S tires will net 29.3lbs per corner, or 117.2lbs total. Not to mention the better power to weight ratio while driving with an empty wallet.

DesignIt