Light 15 in wheel questions

[toastyjosh]

I am looking for light weight 15 in wheels in a 5x100 to fit my 2003 MK4 tdi golf. I have looked searched an bunch for stuff but I get lost in the offset and stuff.

This is what I am looking at currently, there 12.5 lbs.

1 PC ONLY 356 LIGHTWEIGHT WHEELS TFS 301 15X7 5X100 35 57.1 FBLK 12.5 LBS | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1 PC ONLY 356 LIGHTWEIGHT WHEELS TFS 301 15X7 5X100 35 57.1 FBLK 12.5 LBS at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Please advise

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

The lug pattern and offset look OK (35-38 is good), but I'm not sure about the hub diameter. It would be interesting to see if these need centering rings.

That's a good weight, but I wonder how strong they'll be. I have a set of Kosei K1s on my Wagon and they've been great, no bends after years of use. They weigh 13 lbs. You might want to look for a used set of those, as they haven't been available new for many years.

 

[toastyjosh]

Do you have the specs on your rims?
Thanks

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

they're 5x100, 7" wide, offset is 38 (I believe). Don't know the hub diameter but it's bigger than VW and they use centering rings. I got mine from the last shipment to Tire Rack way back in '05 or so. So you'd have to dig around for them. Koseis are very popular with people who do track days because they're light, strong, and inexpensive. Lots of BMW drivers run them.

 

[toastyjosh]

Thanks I looked at tire rack and could not find them in 15 in with a 5x100

 

[Rrusse11]

josh,
Wow, those are light. Price is right too, but durability is an unknown. Good luck and let us know what you find.
The ebay seller has some interesting looking 16x7 too, though doesn't list all the weights .

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

If you don't know this already, Avus 1 wheels from '99-02 Golf and Jetta weigh 16.7 lbs, are very durable and cheap to buy used. If you want to run stock size tires they're a great option.

 

[toastyjosh]

Thanks for that info.
Currently I am running 215 on stock steel wheels, switching to the 215 from 195 lost some power and mpg. So I want to go back to the 195. I want to keep the 15s so I can keep the sidewall. 12.5 lb. Rim would be great.

 

[Andyinchville1]

If you want light and strong , I'd recommend a set of volK TE 37 Gravels (15").

Strong and I think about 8 to 9 lbs depending on size and where you look.

I made the mistake of cheaping out and not going the distance to get 4 used ones from a seller and ended up getting his second set of 3 wheels for less per wheel than his set of 4 BUT that 4th wheel is VERY hard to come by.

I'm still looking for the 4th wheel (used) but may break down and get on a waiting list for new one .... oh well live and learn!

Andrew

FWIW - I think stock offset is 39 .... im not sure how much a few mm one way or the other impacts things ... may want to research scrub radius.

 

[taleAwaggin]

The smallest non-discontinued 5x100 TE37 is 17" according to the chart here-

Volk Racing TE37 wheels from Upgrade Motoring

Rays Engineering Forged Volk Racing TE37, TE37 Ultra, TE37 SuperLap, TE37V, TE37X, TE37 Tokyo Time Attack wheels available at Upgrade Motoring!

www.upgrademotoring.com

Also I'm pulling up the bs flag on those wheels at 8 pounds being streetable. At least not with the pot holes we have on my streets. I once had a set of 11 pound 15" wheels. They lasted alright and I eventually resold them. But.. I'm pretty sure if I commuted them every day it would just be a matter of time before they bent on some hole.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I've had my 13 lb. Koseis for 16 years, I think I haven't run them all the time, but I just put my 4th set of tires on them, so they've gotten some pretty significant use. Still straight.

 

[Poor King]

^And they look the part on mk4's too.

 

[My_name_is_Rob]

I don't see it mentioned in the ad, but i expect that they are cast aluminum, hence the price. It may or may not be worth it to you to pony up for some lightweight forged aluminum, as they are much stronger, and are able to be repaired if needed. The cast don't repair very well.

The enkei RPF01's that these ones are modeled after are great, light wheels. They are usually quite pricey though.

 

[Rrusse11]

The Enkei RPFO1 in 16" are the ones I lust after, but not much change from a $1000 bill.

 

[My_name_is_Rob]

They are fantastically light and strong, but they are definitely not cheap. I had some of them as 18's on my mk6, but 15's or 16's on a mk3 or a mk4 would be very sharp as well.

To be honest, I never actually liked the looks of them before I bought them. I'm more a 5 spoke style guy, but the weight, and strength of them made them one of the only options.

 

[toastyjosh]

I have bee looking at gravel wheels as well but there all around 17lbs.

mbenzgram

MBGRAM | Racing | Marketing +1-530-778-4797 USA sales@mbenzgram.com

mbenzgram.com

 

[toastyjosh]

The stock 15 steel wheels are about 20lbs ish, does that sound right?

 

[CleverUserName]

I have bee looking at gravel wheels as well but there all around 17lbs.

mbenzgram

MBGRAM | Racing | Marketing +1-530-778-4797 USA sales@mbenzgram.com

mbenzgram.com

That’s actually quite heavy for 15” wheels.

The RPF-1 wheels are not strong enough for daily driving. They bend rather easily, google “bent RPF-1”. Enkei makes a slightly stronger lightweight wheel called the PF-01 which is also popular.

It’s primarily Enkei and OZ that make lightweight flow formed wheels for tuner cars. Konig is on the cheaper end, mostly low pressure cast aluminum but they have some lighter weight options. BBS is on the higher end and has some forged wheels.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

The stock 15 steel wheels are about 20lbs ish, does that sound right?

22 lbs. Pretty heavy for a 15.

 

[taleAwaggin]

At 13 pounds I believe it, but not at 8. Forged or not.

I'm not saying I wouldn't buy them if I came across a used set, just that I wouldn't daily them. Serious who here is going to risk daily driving a set of $2000 TE37's? I wanna live on those streets.

AX or track, sure perfect. I might even drive to the track on them, but not to work.

 

[My_name_is_Rob]

The RPF-1 wheels are not strong enough for daily driving. They bend rather easily, google “bent RPF-1”.

I daily drove mine on both my mk6 and my B8.5 and never had a problem with them. The only time I bent a lip was when I hit a full sized rolled curb at approximately 60 KPH, which I would hope is not common.

 

[CleverUserName]

I daily drove mine on both my mk6 and my B8.5 and never had a problem with them. The only time I bent a lip was when I hit a full sized rolled curb at approximately 60 KPH, which I would hope is not common.

like I said, google it. It is very common. Not fake news or a hoax.

http://imgur.com/a/y21wNPK

 

[mech644]

It’s your money but I’d be skeptical of the ones in the eBay add. They sure look like a rip off of the Enkei wheel, and at that price I don’t see how they could be durable long term.
Understood on experience of others but for a time I had a set of 16” RPF1’s on my ‘00 Golf and did not suffer any bends. That is up here in eastern Maine where our roads are basically crap. Granted I am always hyper aware of potholes, etc; however wife and kids are not.
I have 3 sets of wheels for the Golf; 16” Montreal II’s, 15” Jarama’s, and 15” steelies for winter. For a time I was obsessed with finding a set of very light and strong 15”s; hours spent search eBay and craigs for near unobtanium Rays, bbs, etc.
In the end for $450 I got the used set of Jarama’s and Goodyear Triple treads, got 25k miles out of them, and then put a set of Yokohama’s on. Great value for the money, I like the looks, and being hub centric no adapter rings and the slight vibrations they come with (my experience anyway).

Certainly not inexpensive but Braids are reasonably light, strong, and are hub centric.

 

[Powder Hound]

The fly in the ointment on the ebay ad wheels is that there is only 1 wheel for sale.

Cheers,

PH

 

[toastyjosh]

Ok found these,
ROTA Wheel Slipstream (15x7, 5x100+35mm, 57.1mm Hub)|Rota Rims|Discount Rota Wheel On Sale (wheeltech360.com)