So I know this really doesn't apply to to many people unless you plan to get the same wheels...But.

I got my Rota Grids in last night and I wanted to weigh them. Ive heard so much about how its a downgrade from stock because they are heavier and so on. I was surprised by the results.

First I took a weight of my OEM R3 wheel. Granted the tire is still on and worn down a little. It has roughly 8k miles on it. Not sure how much weight that would be but the wheel is also balanced. Didn't think to look at how much weight is on though for those interested in ounces too. This is what I came up with: 46 lbs 9oz.


Tomorrow I plan to dismount one of my R3 wheels and weigh it without the tire to get a more accurate reading on true wheel weight.

Next I weighed my new wheel. Naked with no tire,valve,center cap, hub centric ring, or wheel weights. This is what the wheel is. Rota Grid Racing 17x9 +42. This is what I came up with: 20 lbs 2oz


And finally this is the weight with the new tire mounted with a bolt in valve. The tire is a Falken Azenis RT615 255/40/17 Still no cap and ring. This is what I came up with: 46 lbs 8oz.


After the weigh I balanced the wheel and added 1.25 oz.

So... Starting R3 weight: 46lbs 9oz. Ending Rota weight: 46lbs 10.25oz

Id say thats too close to argue about performance loss.

 

You're comparing a 17" wheel with a 19" wheel and a much wider tire with a different profile with a much thinner tire with a different profile. For a 19" rim, those R3 wheels are of great weight.

 

Aren't the R3 wheels pitifully narrow? Something like 8 inches? That might offset the extra diameter.

 

True. They are good weight for stock. The point im making it that I was able to go with a wider tire/wheel combination for a good price without compromising unsprung weight.

 

it really comes down to your lap times, are you faster now? does your R3
handle better now? What are your corner weights?

How much do the tpms weight?

Joking aside thanks for the information!!

 

What I think is funny, is out of all the people that use Rota's out at the track (which is a pretty fair amount) I've never seen one crack or bend unless it was due to a crash or nailing a curb or some other force that would have done the same to any other wheel. Not really sure why Rotas have such a bad reputation... also lol @ Varrstoen's. They're a knockoff, Rotas are knockoffs, they're all knockoffs, so no need to get snobby about it.

 

Agreed. Saying one knock off is better than another is a bit foolish. But, I have seen MANY use Rota wheels at the track with no issues. This is about the only place I hear people talk bad about them.

 

I disagree. Rotas are manufactured to the same standards as oem. There are much worse I could have chosen from. I cant justify dropping 2500 on wheels that I daily drive and occasionally auto cross with. Im not building a race car. Besides in 10 years from now when my OE R3 wheels are flawlessly emaculate, maybe they will be worth more than the TE37s that the Rota Grids knock off from. Aside from all that, I like the look.

But thanks for your constructive criticism.

 

$1034 total after shipping and hub centric rings. I tried doing a search for those wheels in a 17x9 +42 for a price comparison. I don't see those numbers offered. It seems the highest I could find is +30. Even that was tough to find. Rota has ALOT more choices and options to work with. I got mine from http://www.wheeldude.com/wordpress/

http://www.rotawheels.com/process.shtml

Id say they are pretty proud of how they are constructed.

http://varrstoen.com/blog/?page_id=2

This is the best I could find about the Varrsteon build quality. I was able to find these helpful little tid bits though to set my mind at ease about buying a quality well known replica wheel (Rota) vs a wheels I've never heard of (varstone-a-whatever-its-called)

Not to mention I was unable to find anything about where they"re made besides some rumor that they're made in Taiwan. Cant be sure though. They don't say on the website.

http://www.fresno-imports.com/t404-f...rrstoen-wheels

http://www.e46fanatics.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=829457

 

People always forget or disregard wheel strength. The weight of the wheel is not the only thing that matters.

 

whatever floats your boat, i just did a quick search and came up with 17x9.5+30 for $863.52.
so wider, cheaper and more aggressive offset that only needs a drop on springs.

happy motoring.

 

Thanks for the info but I needed to stay within the 9 inch width to be legal for STX. Plus I intentionally kept a higher offset for clearance issues I may have had. From what i read and researched it gets tight past +40. I have no plans to roll the fenders. Hopefully within the next couple weeks my coilovers will be here.

I'm happy with the choice I made I don't regret it one bit.

 

If you were going for lightweight track wheels whats wrong with some RPF1's???

much stronger and lighter.

 

this is true on some levels. yes they wont crack or break unless you smack something pretty damn hard (as would any other wheel) BUT they do bend slightly pretty easily over time, and from what I have heard some actually come from the facory needing excessive wheel weights to balance them out properly.
basically in the long run, they wont last.

I have knockoff wheels myself (MB Battles) and I can just tell that they wont hold up for a very long time. but for $100 per wheel, who cares.


as far as Varrstoen's go. well idk much about them but they seem to be pretty decent quality from what I have heard. personally I would get them over rota's bc you can get much more agressive specs.

 

I personally dont like the look of rpf1. I cant argue with the weight though. Im not really in a position right now to be swapping out wheels for each event so I wanted to go with a design that I like the look of seeing as they will remain on most of the time for daily driving.

 

After mounting and balancing all four I didn't have to add more that 1.5 oz to any of them

 

Rotas and varrstoens are both are certified by VIA and JWL.
Rotas I know are raced by several top teams in the redline time attack series, not sure on varrstoen, but I like their prices, pretty inexpensive and great sizes.
Your a fanboy of replica wheels, at least be factual in trashing anothers choice, you sound like a politician.

 

Instead of arguing let's all lol at the weight of the rota. 20lbs for a 17x9 wheel!
A set of enkeis costs just a little more, weighs a lot less and at least you aren't hanging around in a fake\replica.

 

agreed, i deleted my posts as i may have instigated a larger argument then suspected.

The only problem with the standard RPF1 is that they are god awfully dull due to everyone having them. Though at the same time they add a race inspired look that adds some character.

 

I apologize. I didn't mean to come off as overly argumentative. I was just trying to put the info out there because, like myself, many people cannot afford the real big top dollar wheels that we would all prefer. And having to settle for something cheaper doesn't necessarily mean that we are settling for garbage.
I agree.

 

in regards to actual racing

function > form

who care's if everyone is using the rpf1's...at least it's for a good reason.

I applaud you for your research but i don't see why you settled on 'satisfactory' because of your preference in appearance....

 

No you misunderstood. My preferance in appearance was achieved 100% in the Grid. The physical construction and build quality originally met my criteria of "satisfactory"

It wasnt untill after I weighed the wheels and compared the difference that I was pleasantly surprised. I had initially expected that the Rota was going to be noticeably heavier than the R3 wheel. and I was prepared to accept that at the cost of having the appearance I was aiming for.

 

Here is an article on wheel strength and wheel weight. Compares high end wheels to inexpensive cast wheels. Not cheap replicas though. Wheel strength matters which is where the cheap knockoffs tend to come up short.

http://www.modified.com/tech/modp-09...est/index.html

 

Interesting read. Thanks for sharing. This is my favorite line.

"Performance-wise, the differences were not as significant. With the same car, same fuel load, same number of laps and identical-wear tires, the difference between average lap time for the fastest and slowest wheel was a scant half-second."
And this too:

"The 5Zigen wheel was consistently faster than most and on average the fastest while the AXIS wheel was the slowest. Ironically, both are gravity-cast and the cheapest of the wheels."

Read more: http://www.modified.com/tech/modp-09...#ixzz1oOMWHhK6

Read more: http://www.modified.com/tech/modp-09...#ixzz1oOLjXc8t

It seems the only place where these wheels would show their value is the strength test. Which reminds me of a video I saw here a while ago. Ill try to find the link...

 

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-aftermarket-performance-modifications-23/rota-grid-drift-wheels-215898/

bse50 posted the original link in post#8
My response was #26