The Off-Road Wheel Thread

:rotfl:so true...
 
Well, at the end of the day it was a clearance event that made the decision easier. It just so happened that the wheel on clearance, the Enkei Racing RP03 offers the best combination of strength (1530lb rated capacity) and weight (17.9 in 17x8).

Here is what I learned, in brief.

Basically, there are three groups of wheels other than OEM.

Assorted wheels like the good-looking Sparco. No matter how they look, these wheels are no rally wheels. They are cheap, gravity-cast even when, like Sparco, the design is by a top manufacturer (OZ in this case). People race even on Tire Rack Sport Edition wheels, which are reputed to be among the softest. But they buy them bulk, LOL. Just because someone races on them and likes them does not mean they are proper, that is, really tough, "rally" wheels. Low load capacity, low tech, and production in factories that are run who knows how.

Then there are the offroad rally wheels. Now the Method 501/2 is becoming quite popular. The Method MR501/2 is a rally wheel apparently designed for Subaru. It is low-pressure cast, Made in China, but good and strong. It is a great value and looks awesome, but it is nothing special. In comparison, Braid Winrace T and Fullrace T 4x4 wheels weigh 25-28 even with flow forming for the Fullrace T vs 24 w/o flow forming for the Method. I can see no way the Method is as tough. However, the toughness of the Braid T wheels is, in turn, of no use to me. We are talking trucks doing Paris Dakar here. This is really the definition of overkill. And what good are tough wheels if, in result, one breaks the suspension rather than the wheel?

Finally, there are the high-tech "racing" wheels that use flow forming and other technologies to provide really light (under 18lb) yet strong wheels the rims of which have essentially the properties of forged ones. Since they come from the top manufacturers like Enkei and OZ, these wheels are subjected to rigorous testing. For example, all OZ wheels are said to meet TUV requirements. The Enkei racing are independently tested to the JWL standards and are tested in-house to higher standards than that. The Braid Fullrace A fall in the same category, these are commonly used on European tarmac rally circuits on lighter vehicles.

However, although my needs are nothing like those of people who do stage rally, among those lightweight "racing" wheels only the Enkei come close to the supposed Outback OEM wheel rating (1530 vs 1600-1650 lb). Since that rating applies to models as different as RPF1 and RP03, I assume that 1530 is the common denominator for the series with the slightly heavier RP03 probably a bit stronger than the RPF1 (and it does feature far beefier spokes).

This leads to my final point. Load ratings are not determined by an independent agency but by the manufacturer. Only TUV and VIA certified JWL wheels are tested independently. Therefore, it is not certain that when one compares a 1340 Sparco to a 1530 Enkei to a 1850 Method one is really working with the same metric.
 
Certainly can't go wrong with Enkei, or OzRacing, Method seem to be very popular on offroad Subies in the States
 
Speedline from JDM land @ 10KG each in 16x7.

Dunno about ratings, but they look cool!
 
The Method seem to be chiefly truck wheels. However, they developed the MR501/2 for the Subaru rally team in the US, afaik. They are becoming popular due to value: at 212 usd, they are probably the cheapest really good wheel one can get as they are tough and scream "rally."

My OEM, afaik, are also Enkei, made in the USA. The Racing series are all Made in Japan. The Tuning series seem to be Thailand and China. The cheapest series is Made in China: these are much heavier wheels.

The racing wheels use tilt casting and flow forming. Ditto for some of the tuning series Enkei wheels. The lower-end ones are simple gravity cast wheels.

I never got into Speedline. The specialty wheels I spent months looking at, periodically, are the Braid wheels. I tried to get load capacity of the Team Dynamics Pro Race 3, but no one answered my emails. For the rest, I use TireRack as they gave me the OZ and Enkei info.

I must say I was only talking 17" wheels. Whether the Braid 16" can clear my wheels remains unclear: but it is doubtful. With the TA KO2 showing in 225-65-17, figuring out how to get down to 16" was no longer a pressing concern.

I do not need anything till (the northern hemisphere) spring, but I could not pass up the deal on the RP03.
 
NachaLuva said:
If you can use 16" I would, the extra sidewall makes a big difference offroad
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Nope, no 16s. Maybe true rally ones, but I spent several months trying to figure out if the Braid 16s might fit--and made no progress. It is hard because these are specialty wheels that are not distributed through the big players and the 16" are not stocked because they are rarely purchased as most people interested in such things apparently rallycross using older vehicles that fit 15s. As for templates, it is too hard to tell. Dealer tech and I could not tell. Seemed 50/50. I suppose they will fit so poorly that it will not be good enough.

Regular 16s can be barely mounted as they rub on the calipers. One needs some room over those to make it all work, especially if weights are on the inside.

I have been fine with 65 aspect ratio tires. My main gripe with the 17s was the very limited choice of tires, but the TA KO2 changed all that! Now, let's hope it really shows up in October: I pre-ordered it!
 
jf1sf5 said:
If interested, these are the wheels I have, made to my specs.

https://www.comp.co.uk
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Great find! Similar to Braid, it seems, high-quality specialty wheels.

They list neither weight, nor load capacity.

What are the numbers for yours? Just curious. Also do you know the weight of the stock tire/wheel combo vs yours?

I have ordered the RP03.

I am happy to see what you are doing with your car as a whole. Very impressive.
 
I have the MO1672 ET30 but never weighed them…will do next week ! They seem quite light though.
 
jf1sf5 said:
I have the MO1672 ET30 but never weighed them…will do next week ! They seem quite light though.
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Maybe your Foz is light enough to make this a moot point, but did you ask about the load rating?

Btw, they could use pictures of an actual car to show what it looks like in real life:rotfl:

Just curious: why did you choose that particular model?

I chose the RP03 for its combination of strength and weight but I only bought it because it was on clearance. At full price, I might have still chosen it or dragged this on and on for much longer: probably the latter.
 
duncanm said:
Nope.

Rally (dirt) tyres are mostly 15". Only tarmac tyres run bigger - I think 17" . Nothing to do with age of car.

eg: https://www.michelinmotorsport.com/Tyres/Rally
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It does have much to do with age of car. Newer models require 17s. You are not putting anything less on a new STi either.

The aftermarket needs to catch up. 15s will be history before long.
 
I agree, aftermarket choices can be limited, but 15" rims will be around for a long time, the big sidewall is needed for serious offroad....
 
MiddleAgeSubie said:
It does have much to do with age of car. Newer models require 17s. You are not putting anything less on a new STi either.

The aftermarket needs to catch up. 15s will be history before long.
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I was replying as to why rally racing (braid) wheels commonly come in 15" and not 16". They are not designed for the aftermarket road-car, they are high spec racing wheels.

You'll find even todays WRC cars run 15" wheels unless they're on tarmac.

They don't do this because its trendy, or lack of resources. They do it, because its the best size for the application.
 
duncanm said:
I was replying as to why rally racing (braid) wheels commonly come in 15" and not 16". They are not designed for the aftermarket road-car, they are high spec racing wheels.

You'll find even todays WRC cars run 15" wheels unless they're on tarmac.

They don't do this because its trendy, or lack of resources. They do it, because its the best size for the application.
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Yeah, okay, but if you read my comments above, that was not what I was discussing.

I was referring to the lack of 16s on hand at the US distributor. This has everything to do with who buys these wheels and with the fact that the business in question is small. If you can fit 15s, you will.

But many vehicles cannot fit 15s anymore--or even 16s--whether that is the best size for the application or not. I very much doubt that boutique shops can survive if they sell to the limited pro crowd alone.

I was referring not to pro stage rally, but to the mass market rally-cross customers, Sunday-race/rally drivers: at least in the US there are plenty of those. Braid makes 15, 16, and 17s, too. The issue is not what they make but that in the US it is tough to get a 16 because people do not order it much, so it is not stocked as the distributor is a small business. So, he has none in stock and I have no way of knowing if 16s fit without actually ordering one from Spain.

I know nothing about rally, but the trend has been towards larger wheels and brakes, whether we like it or not. I doubt 15" will remain the standard size if a WRX and the like can no longer fit those.
 
MiddleAgeSubie said:
Maybe your Foz is light enough to make this a moot point, but did you ask about the load rating?


Just curious: why did you choose that particular model?
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Yes, my Foz is quite light ! And no, I didn't ask about the load rating as these wheels are for rallying I thought they would be strong enough for my use, and they are…

I chose this model because the spokes are "inside" the rim so the wheels don't get so easily damaged by rocks and because they have a nice design…for me !
 
Just a quick add here re. STi and such not being able to fit 15" wheels.
The rally teams that use 15" wheels simply bolt on a different set of brakes that fit inside the 15" wheels. Problem solved. 15" is still the 'right' size for that purpose (gravel/dirt stage).
FWIW, the Method MR501 and MR502 wheels in 15" clear WRX 4-pot calipers, as well.
 
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