After market wheel mentality

[NSX-00054]

Does it bother any of you fellow NSX owners that have invested in after market wheels in a effort to personalize their NSX when you see the same wheels on perhaps a Nissan Maxima, BMW or whatever?


------------------
2002•Black/Black

 

[FuryNSX]

Seeing a car or two with the same set is okay. Heck, there's a nice, clean white 2nd generation Legend that has the wheels I've got. (Looks real good.) But when I start seeing a preponderance of them, particularly on Mitsubishi Mirages or Nissan Sentras, then it's time to change. That's one reason I switched from my 5Zigens to Work Equips. Chances are, though, that if you've got a high quality 2 or 3 piece wheel, you really won't see them on these sporty compacts. You'll see those cars mostly with some sort of one-piece wheel that they can "slap" on for one or two hundred each. JMO, y'know.

------------------
1995 NSX-T
1999 3.2TL
2001 Odyssey
1992 SC400

 

[Number9]

Originally posted by NSX-00054:
Does it bother any of you fellow NSX owners that have invested in after market wheels in a effort to personalize their NSX when you see the same wheels on perhaps a Nissan Maxima, BMW or whatever?

Uhm, NO! I select wheels based upon weight, looks, and strength. Don't worry about who else has the same wheels - either they work well, or they don't. I've got two sets of Zanardi NSX wheels for the NSX and Fikses for the commuter car. Both are light, strong, and reasonably attractive...

 

[kenjiMR]

What Number9 said.

I have TE37s and everyone has those these days. The wheels are light and look racy to
boot... Choose your wheels based on performance please... the NSX is a perforamance car.
Don't ever put on big chrome wheels like those SUVs and loud amplifiers... thanks!

 

[NSX4U2]

When you put HRE on your NSX, you become unique immediately.

97-T #009
Awaiting the install of HRE's

 

[NSX4U2]

When you put HRE's on your NSX, you become unique immediately.

97-T #009
Awaiting the install of HRE's

 

[NMYMIRR]

Originally posted by NSX4U2:
When you put HRE's on your NSX, you become unique immediately.

97-T #009
Awaiting the install of HRE's

As with some Kinesis's as well.

 

[Jimbo]

Unique?

My god man...you own a NSX!

-Jim

------------------
1992 NSX Red/Blk 5 spd #0330
1991 NSX Blk/Blk Auto #3070 (Sold)
1974 Vette 454 4 spd Wht/Blk
Looking for 76-79 Honda Accords

 

[apeltier]

Blasphemy!!! Just joking. I'm a wheel guy but a car guy first. I agree that there is nothing wrong with buying aftermarket wheels that are everywhere. TE37s are a great example. They're everywhere because they're great wheels. Did I just compliment a competitor? Well, it's true. There are plenty of wheels out there for the NSX that are worthy of the NSX.

If you want a little (or a lot more) exclusivity, the 3-piece guys seem to be the answer. Fikse, Kinesis and of course my life and true love, HRE. The offer performance and exclusivity. I have never seen wheels on any car (except for people close to HRE) that have wheels like mine. The exclusivity is cool and in my case, I designed the 440R Series so the wheels on my car are "mine" so to speak. I think that fact may cloud my objectivity about them, but I admit that I enjoy the fact that they're exclusive much more than I should. I didn't buy the car for image. I'm not an image guy. But the car and the wheels have sort of corrupted me. However, I would never knock a guy owning TE37s or something similar. You just can't argue with performance.

In the end, I think my wheels completely change my car and make it much more exclusive. I hate to admit it, but I like it. Call me whatever. I can't deny it and I don't care. I love my car and my wheels!

Alan



------------------
Alan Peltier
Operations Manager
HRE Performance Wheels
[email protected]

'94 black/black NSX
HID - Autolamps
Wheels - HRE 448Rs - 18x8, 19x10
Tires - Pirelli PZero Rossos
Springs - Eibach ProKits
Shocks - Bilstein

http://geocities.com/nsxbyhre/Main.html

Check out our website at http://www.hrewheels.com

 

[5inchfatlip]

yep those custom HRE, Fikse, and Kinesis will set you apart from most, mostly because they are at least 800 a pop for some nice ones...to many knock offs of original Japan designs..the VOlk AV3 was so great until the Konig Monsoon...my blitz03's are lovely until the MHT Kwan...and so on.....the RH M5 and C5 were great too until the "Race" knock off are seen everywhere...cant stop it...out here in socal there is a "rent-a-wheel" commercials all the time!

 

[sjs]

I've never even considered "exclusivity" a factor.

 

[NSX-00054]

Originally posted by sjs:
I've never even considered "exclusivity" a factor.

Isn't that a major reason for owning an NSX?


------------------
2002•Black/Black

 

[NSXnBRLA]

Hmmm it also bothers me that a $60,000 car came with 15" wheels back in the early 90s. It bothers me that the same 16/17 combination in the later years, is the same wheel that the Type R integra came with in a 15" size. Lastly, whats the problem with making your NSX unique to YOUR standards. After all, YOU pay for it, YOU upkeep it, and YOU want it to be your signature when you drive by. Who cares what a maxima driving down the road has on it? We use the same window tint, tire brands, gasoline, colored badges, light bulbs, etc. I promise you that if I pulled up on the side of a Maxima with the same RH M5's that I have, no one would be lookin at the maxima.

------------------
1992 NSX

 

[nsxtasy]

Originally posted by sjs:
I've never even considered "exclusivity" a factor.

Originally posted by NSX-00054:
Isn't that a major reason for owning an NSX?

Only for some of us, not for others.

 

[BLACKL@BEL]

6

Originally posted by NSXnBRLA:
Hmmm it also bothers me that a $60,000 car came with 15" wheels back in the early 90s. It bothers me that the same 16/17 combination in the later years, is the same wheel that the Type R integra came with in a 15" size.

That's intersting. I didn't know the ITR's rims were the same as the NSX's (16/17) rims.

 

[nsxtasy]

Originally posted by NSXnBRLA:
It bothers me that the same 16/17 combination in the later years, is the same wheel that the Type R integra came with in a 15" size.

No, they're not. While they both have seven spokes, the spokes are not exactly the same shape. And the color of the finish was only similar for the '94-96 NSX and the '00-01 ITR, not for any other years.

[This message has been edited by nsxtasy (edited 03 July 2002).]

 

[Sketch]

Originally posted by NSXnBRLA:
Hmmm it also bothers me that a $60,000 car came with 15" wheels back in the early 90s.

I like the fact that Honda resisted the temptation to put larger, heavier wheels on the car that it didn't really need at the time.

 

[NMYMIRR]

Originally posted by nsxtasy:
Only for some of us, not for others.

I totally have to agree with nsxtasy on this one. If a car, wheels, etc. is out there for the public to purchase there in terms is not all that exclusive it is just different from car to car how each and everyone accessorizes their car. Only way it can be exclusive/unique is if it's a one of a kind 1 of 1 made and no one else have it. Nothing is totally unique unless otherwise custom modified from it's original form and only 1 of 1 out there.

 

[sjs]

Originally posted by NSX-00054:
Isn't that a major reason for owning an NSX?

Certainly not for me. I bought it because it is what I wanted in a sports car from a driver's perspective, not to "make a statement about me" or to make me feel like I have something that others don't. It's just a car that someone else designed and built and they get the credit. (bolt on mods don't count for much, I didn't design them either). All I did was plunk down the bucks. No great source of pride there, just grateful that I’m in a position to do it. But then, I'd never buy a Rolex either.