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The mkiv Supra Owners Club

How did you go about choosing your alloys?


SupraAyf

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It may sound like a dumb ar$e question but I would really like to know how you people went about choosing your alloys.

 

Did you simply buy them from a catalogue picture or from a product of internet research or did you see the wheels in real life and thought they were the ones for you (or even Photoshop etc).

 

I'm sitting off-shore at the moment with a copy of US Super Street Mag in front of me and there is an interesting JDM wheel buyers guide that shows the various top-line wheels (i.e. Advan Racing RZ's; Kreutzer Ser XIII; Volk RE30's etc etc).

 

Alloys seem about the one thing that needs very careful selection and they certainly make or break the look of a Supra so if I'm going to invest in some wheels then I want to get it right first time?

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I think one of the main factors for a lot of people is the brake clearance for the Toyota bigger brake option and also any future upgrades (AP, Brembo etc)

 

That along with the correct offset and widths and then you can choose the style. I too am currently trying to choose a set of wheels and it is a minefield when you don't have an unlimited budget.

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I chose my 1st ones (19" Mania Evo Vortex) purly on their looks having not seen any on any car. Also I was happy to be a little individual. However the poorer ride/handling eventually got to me. I also wasn't over impressed with the quality of the wheel as they seemed to corrode easily.

 

Therefore my new wheels were chosen with several things in mind. Firsly I wanted 18"s to improve the handling (more like oem offsets etc also). Also I fancied a change of style. The Evos where a multispoke wheel which were very showey (do look nice) but were a pain to clean. So I wanted something simpler and more agressive looking. After looking through loads of pics of differant wheels on other peoples supras I decided on a simple 5 spoke design. And having seen a lot of nice black on black combo's decided on that, with a stainless steel or chrome dish/lip to break it up a little. Having seen the old wheels take a battering over one of our winters my final decission had to be make and their quality of product. I finally decided on Rota due to their prices, weight and stainless steel dish which should be more resistant to our winters. And just as it luck would have it the perfect set came up for sale on here within a few days:)

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i spent months looking at different wheels, i knew i wasnt after a deepdish wheel, and knew i wanted 18's that would fill the arches as much as possible. I wanted something that would'nt look 'fussy' but also possibly had a slight bling appeal. I then decided on a black on black style if i could achieve the above with this. A few days later Nic posted some of the new Weds range. As soon as i saw the SA-70, there was no doubt that was going to be my wheel.

 

As you say, wheels help create that first impressions of a car.

 

I still love them but wouldnt buy them again.

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Hoff, what is the quality of Rota wheels? They're most recognised for being cheap alternatives to popular designs of wheels, but does the price compromise the quality? How long have you had them? How are they holding up? Thoughts, feelings? :)

 

As far as I know they are very good quality for the price. About the same quality as Ultralites also I think. If they are used in Time Attack and the EDC thats good enough for me:d

 

In all seriousness they could be a little lighter but seem very strong:) They have been on my car since around the end of June. My Supra is my daily driver and so far no issues at all and not a worrying mark on them:)

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I wanted some which no other Supra had got, then I saw a Finichi advert showing a new line of wheels coming out and there was a massive picture of the Firenze wheels and I just fell in love with them, the smallest you can have them in are 19's but that didn't bother me, so I rung them up and they told me where would have them first (top gear) so I rang them up and recieved them about 1-2 weeks after they were released.

 

Never looked back, people are always commenting on the wheels :D.

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Had 19s when bought the car, didn't like the handling at all. First thing I changed.

 

Wanted some 18s for handling, tire sizes and affordability, ability to clear the brakes and also get as close as possible to original offset etc. 19's look great, but I'd rather have a car that drives well.

 

Decided to go for some Rota GTRs as I couldn't get the Lexus wheels for a reasonable price. Envy sorted me out at a reasonable price. Some git has recently nicked the metal dustcaps off them though. Grrr.

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I spent about a year looking around at what was available, price, weight being very important, looks not so ... discounted most due to being too heavy, or not sufficient quality that I would spend £s on them.

 

Ended up choosing Volk SF Challenge as they ticked all the boxes and are still available (in case of damage etc etc).

 

Size was always going to be 18" as that is the best compromise for handling etc, but have gone for a slightly wider than average width on the tyres to improve traction (once the geometry is sorted).

vr_sfc_ms.jpg

nengun-1522-02-raysengineering-volk_racing_-_sf-challenge.jpg

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I wanted anything in 17 or 18 that cleared UK brakes but after a nightmare with magnesium sparcos I decided I wasn't going to spend big money on wheels again and found there wasn't really a lot for sale for under £1500 (inc tyres) or wasn't POA or e-commerce so went to my local shop which really struggled to find anything that would fit (everything seemed to be 195x19 4 stud) except some KEI D1's which were built to order, these were delivered and the PCD was way off so was refunded and asked the guys on PH to scour the breadth of the land for wheels for me as I had a trackday booked for a few days later and no wheels (I was on some UK17 loaners). Someone showed me a pic of the Vortex Manias and I just had to have them, they were delivered the next day.

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Easy, TOPRPM.com and Blitz demo cars, enough said :)

 

http://toprpm.com/images/features/pictures/toprpm_047.jpg

 

http://toprpm.com/images/features/pictures/toprpm_049.jpg

 

Even though the car is white, it looks the mutz nuts :) and if the arabs like them, it must be cool ;)

 

This one was pretty nice too, with the Ab-Flug kit (Ibrar, I remember your blue one with this, very nice :) )

 

http://toprpm.com/images/features/pictures/toprpm_065.jpg

Edited by Bobbeh (see edit history)
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...they certainly make or break the look of a Supra so if I'm going to invest in some wheels then I want to get it right first time?

 

That was very telling statement. I would choose wheels that I like the look of, but more importantly that fit the car and won't hinder it's handling performance; and would preferably improve it.

 

The TTE/Lexus rims weren't my favorite, I didn't even like them when I saw some on a Supra TBH. They grew on me and ultimately I bought a my current Supe which had a set fitted (the colour has been changed and I like that quite a lot). When I fitted new brake pads I needed to removed each wheel and that's when I fell in love with them; they're SO light. Much lighter than the stock 16"s I had previously.

 

Combine the nice look with the above, and the fact that they easily fit over my 6 pot brakes, take a reasonably common fitment of tyre front and rear so I have lots of choice (including track tyres) and are the right or at least almost the right offset (according to CW) - and they're perfect for what I want. :)

Edited by SteveR (see edit history)
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I spent about a year looking at different styles and sizes.

 

In the end, I actually went for a used set of 19" Axis Hiros as I liked the way they looked on the Supe and had them refurbed and powdercoated to match the car.

 

The difference is amazing and am pleased with my choice.

 

It is certainly worth having a good look around and not jumping on the first set that takes your fancy.

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What a great question! I am not completely pleased with my alloys but they are in keeping with the rest of the car, was thinking of getting ultralite atecII, but decided that my car was extreme enough as it is. Seeing them on other cars is the best, and only change if you really need to. thats my advice.

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