Best Wheels for racing
 

I'm looking at getting the standard Enkei RPF1, 17's. Are they much superior than the stock 17's or the stock R3 18's?

Which one out of the 3 probably is better for weight reduction and racing?

Thanks,

IIRC, the R3 had 19" wheels. All other 6MT RX-8's had 18" wheels. I think in both cases the wheels are 22-24 lbs.

The RPF1 in 17x8 is something like 16 or 17lbs while the 17x9 is 15.9.

Define "superior". You're not going to feel a difference, it's too subtle. You'll have more sidewall to play with on a 17" wheel, which makes the tire and pressure choice more meaningful. Where it does make a difference in any case, is the impact on your wallet when you go to buy tires. 17" are usually quite a bit cheaper than 18" or 19", enough to pay off the wheels if you change the tires 3 times or more, depending on tire choice.

So I mean if you're set on RPF1s, they're a great wheel, enjoy. Focus on the rubber :)

Check the rules for the class you are running, then purchase RPF1's of the appropriate size.

rpf1 is a good good choice. light weight, relatively strong and cheap. i went with 17x9 due to tire rules for my race class.

There are many flow formed options in 17x9 that are much cheaper then the rpf1 for similar strength and weight. I recently got a set of kosei k5r in 17x9 for $150 each that are 16.5 lbs per wheel. I've also had good luck in the past (on a miata) with konig wheels. Discount tire has a big sale 4x/year for $320 off wheels and tires which led me to the konigs. I've had 4 different sets on track with zero failures.

where did you get the kosei. i need two more sets of wheels, for rain tries and practice tires.

Tire rack, though they were on closeout and it doesn't look like there are any more complete sets left. The advanti storm s1 is another one I'd recommend that tire rack has on sale now for $179 ea. Lots of miata guys use them on track. Good-win racing is another excellent vendor for track wheels (and other stuff).