Frank Fontaine

The BBS LM costs $830, is 2-pc forged, weighs 22.1 lbs for 18x8.

The ASA AR1, licensed by BBS but made in Korea, cast, weighs 22.0 lbs. for 18x8. Cost?? $219!!

The Evo 5's which used to be the baddest weigh 26 lbs for comparison. Miglia MM-S which I think are great looking rims as they remind me of E46 M3 wheels, cost $249 and weigh 27.5.

It's amazing to me how technology is an enabler. The question becomes do you mind Korean-made, as opposed to the traditional Italy, or the costly German-made? If you wanted to cheat, you take off those ASA center caps and it looks like you have BBS. But you do have true 22.0 lbs. weight at $219.

I have some German-made knives. For kicks, I bought knock-offs made in China, costing 9 times cheaper, and I was ready to laugh at them. The joke was on me when the Chinese knives came--they are pretty darn good. Seem to cut just as well. I'm sure the Wusthofs are better, but 9X better? Technology is closing the gap.

global_threat

iTrader: (3)

unless the car is a supra/viper/rx7/300z/ect, i laugh when people are worried about weight on 18 inch wheels.

Sin

I laugh at you for laughing at people that want lighter weight on any size wheel. I bet if you had rims that differed by 5 lbs in 18" size, you'd get differences on a dyno and in fuel mileage.

drewm

But you left out the most important thing. How strong are the rims. Which is the exact reason I didn't get the lighter and cheaper SSR Type-Cs instead of my TE37s. I've heard of a few rim bending stories about SSR Type-Cs and the fact my brother bent a 17" SSR Integral. I talked to a few guys from MVP Motorsports and they specifically said that all Volks are designed to be 3x stronger than the minimum wheel strength spec, but yet still remain lightweight.

Keep that in mind the next time you purchase rims.

soundmike

iTrader: (24)

I have the ASA AR-1's, the quality looks to be top-notch from what i can see. It's also nice that they put some sort of finish on the inside rim. ASA and BBS is exchanging technology from what i've read, the main difference between these two is that BBS is forged and ASA is low-pressure cast, that should still be better than regular casting.

Frank Fontaine

I did some more digging and found that quite a few 3 and 5 Series owners have used this rim when upgrading to 18", and photos are posted all over the web. They even found the roundel cap with BMW logo that is glued right over the ASA cap. It looks tight, just like BBS. My theory is the rim is perfectly fine, and looks like a more expensive rim. It's the Korea thing imho, saves on costs. If I were in the market, I'd consider them. But somehow I got my TGF 18x8 at $129 closeout--they were in the high $300's in 1999.

koldsimer

Wheel weight is more important for maximas than a viper or supra anyday.... if I have to explain why, just keep laughing, the jokes on you.

optimus310

iTrader: (1)

hmm for street use I don't see why lighter wheels are necessary. I didn't see any gas mileage differences with my heavy 18's.
I don't street race, so the only thing lighter wheels would be good is for track use.
I'm very happy my wheels are so heavy, Yesterday I hit a brick on the road going 50mph and there was no damage to the wheels at all. The brick was thrown under my car and it kept hitting the bottom of my car then put a big dent on the spare tire carriage. Thank Italians for heavy wheels

limsandy

iTrader: (1)

The most common misconception that people have is that lighter is weaker and heavier is stronger. This is false. Most wheels are rated at 690 kg, or rather 1518 lbs of pressure before they bend. Therefore, most wheels are equal in terms of strength. There are however, wheels that are light and at the same time maintain the standard 690kg rating. These wheels are usually forged to increase their strength and they cost a lot more to produce than usual alloy wheels.

Having said that, the BBS LM wheels are forged, but they're also 2-piece. I don't know much about German and Itallian wheels, but of all the wheels in the world, I'd prefer Japanese-made ones, in general.


~limsandy

Cool J

so if i get the ssr competition/type c rims they will be just as durable as my current 5th gen 5 spoke se rims?

Blu

iTrader: (63)

Weight has nothing to do with the strength of the wheel

kingrukus

iTrader: (41)

Interesting. My former wheels, Kosei 18"x7.5" Double Racer RT's weighed in at 18.9 lbs each. They are japanese made.

limsandy

iTrader: (1)

It depends.... What's their load ratings?


~limsandy