Spirit R wheels - good deal or not?
 

http://www.rx7boutique.com/Wheels.html

$2100 plus another $800 or so for shipping...?

Depends on how badly you want them. Bryan Pacana is a good seller and good dude. The price alone aint bad, the shipping on the other hand makes the total expenditure tough.

They're nice wheels, but not wide enough and have a pretty nasty OEM offset. At three large for 17s, you're talking brand new Fikse money, where you can spec out, say, 17x9 and 17x10 with nice flush offsets.

You'd have to really really be an OEM S-R fanboy making stock twin turbo power levels to be into them, IMO.

Every now and then I get spun up to get my car cosmetically back to 100%. Mechanically it is perfect, interior is in great shape, just upgraded the stereo to the place I want it. Only thing left is to fix the little door dings that have happened over the years, and repaint it. Ever since I've had the car (17 years next week!) the left front wheel/tire just WON'T balance well, last shop I had it at threw their hands up in frustration and said the wheel must be slightly bent or something. And the right side have some minor curb rash from previous owner. So I get to thinking about new wheels, and run the gamut from "just buy a new or nicer set of stock" all the way to replacing them all with 17" or maybe 18" newer style wheels. I really like the SSR wheels with the rainbow-silver finish...they're about $700 each.
I just don't know how much I want to invest in the car. I literally drive it maybe 300 - 500 miles a year, tops. Sits in the garage most of the time.

I was in a similar situation a few years ago. I'd been running the stock wheels with 245/45's and happy. Then that tire size became sort of obsolete and I couldn't find decent rubber. In deciding to move to 17" wheels I really liked the looks of higher-end wheels but couldn't justify the cost. Ended up with a set of 17x9 Enkei's which are fairly light, strong and reasonably priced. I think they look nice...definitely better than the stock wheels and I have wider rubber. Not as nice as BBS and some of the others I looked at, but then I don't have to wince at every pot-hole or sweat like Harvey Weinstein in a room full of women with scissors whenever the car is out of site. My .02.

I weighed up the same decision and went for it earlier this year, don't regret it at all. They match the car well imo.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4454/...0d2d3a32_z.jpg
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4450/...c7cbbf40_z.jpg
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4446/...df9bb4ec_z.jpg

I agree with Rich. If you're building a Spirit-R clone then those are the wheels you need. If not there are BBSs that look like that but are wider with better offsets for less money.

Those ARE Holy Grail status as far as OEM wheels go, and RX7 Boutique wont take your money and run or anything. They've been around for years and have a great rep.

Beautiful car, man!

Here is a recent photo of my FD sporting the 2001 JDM RZ rims with a gunmetal type finish. It provides enough contrast between the car's color and tires. I believe this is a great visual upgrade to any FD and the 17" wheels fill the wheel wells better than the original.

Cheers,
George

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...35a1cb5e98.jpg

Before you get too excited check with RX-7 Boutique on availability, their website isn't always the most up to date.

BBS RG-R's are a nice 2nd to Spirit R wheels and don't cost as much.

Attachment 750748

Attachment 750749
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^And you can spec better offsets so they're not insanely sunken into the fenders :nod:

If you are ever thinking of selling let me know!! :fingersx: I have been hunting for a set of RZ wheels. They are much more difficult to come by than the Spirit R wheels :(

I love the Spirit R wheels but wanted different dimensions (18's) so i went with the BBS RG-R's and got them for around the same price as the Spirit R's, They look the same but got it in the dimensions i was looking for and in diamond black.

JhnRx7,

Thank you for the compliment! I wasn't aware that the RZ wheels are much more difficult to find over the Spirit R wheels. I'm very happy with them and it would be a VERY long time before I part with them. Should my mind change, I'll keep you in mind. In the mean time, best of luck finding a set of RZ wheels!


Bajaman,

The best advise I can offer is this: Pick a set of wheel that will give you the most bang for your buck. Choose a style and run with it!

In my case, I've had my RZ wheels for 10yrs; it was a used set and an upgrade from the OEM 16". I chose these wheels because I wanted a larger diameter rim but kept the overall stance of the car. They bolted on without any need for mods and I increased my options for tire sizes. I did not have to worry about off-sets, spacers, recalibrating my speedo, etc... There is one concession I made: the RZ wheels are staggered, meaning that the front width is 8" and the rear width is 8.5". Therefore, you cannot rotate the tires.

In short, get a set of wheel that will give you the most happiness over a long time. You will certainly spend a lot of money between rims and tires. When you do take the car out for a drive, cars & coffee and such, the wheels would add a unique flavor to your unique car. Does that help your decision any?

Cheers,
George

They look nice, but not 3k nice! :crzyeye:

No love for Enkei RPF1's? They have the same spoke format, just 6 spoke instead of 8. 17x8 35mm offset is about $250 per wheel on tirerack.com They look slick IMO. :icon_tup:
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...384a70faa7.jpg

Had RPF1's on my old car. Very strong and very light for the price.

My Spirit R lookalike rims.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...616b69c59a.jpg

Should take a look at these. I bought these, though I am still waiting for them to arrive.

https://www.sakebombgarage.com/rz-fo...els-17x9-5-45/

Here is a RZ set on YAJ:

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/m352218017

Love those. Especially on your silver car. :bigthumb: Size, off-set, tire width?

Definitely look in to the BBS RG-R. My old video went down but here's a picture.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...c739409540.jpg

:nod: Yup, that's my new wallpaper :worship:

+1

It's the stock rims off the EVO X MR.

18x8.5 +38
235/40R18 front
255/35R18 rear

RG-Rs can't be beat, though they don't make the 18x10 +42 rear anymore.