<TABLE id=yiv655697683bodyDrftID class=yiv655697683 border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" id=yiv655697683drftMsgContent><TABLE id=yiv655697683bodyDrftID class=yiv655697683 border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" id=yiv655697683drftMsgContent><TABLE id=yiv655697683bodyDrftID class=yiv655697683 border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" id=yiv655697683drftMsgContent>I have been in the process of shopping for a different set of wheels for the past 12 months. Even prior to purchasing my car I started looking eventually knowing that I would want a set of aftermarket wheels to complement the stock 7 spokes. Coming from the Porsche world, where there are a plethora of factory wheels in many different styles to choose from spanning multiple decades, my original plan was to do the same with the NSX. Factory choices, I found, are very limited (3 models from ’91-’05) but that is what the aftermarket is for.
In my search I found only a handful of wheels that I liked and even fewer still that I would want to keep long-term. The decision making was exacerbated by owning a black car which, in my opinion, is much more fussy about wheel style and color when compared to red, white, silver etc. e.g.….too bright of a finish = draws the eye away from the body, spoke design too busy = doesn’t flow well with the lines of the car, hard to clean etc.
In the end I kept going back to Ray’s TE37 for many reasons. They are light, strong (forged monoblock) with clean and simple lines giving it a timeless look. I have seen these wheels in person on a white R34 Skyline in Kawagoe, a red NSX in Yokohama and even a black 944 Turbo in Tokyo. The style was finalized, but I struggled with the finish, none of which I really loved for Berlina Black. Then I saw the pressed graphite of the Super Laps. The lower weight and cost were the proverbial icing on the cake. After several more months of waiting...never a bad idea with a big purchase like this, I pulled the trigger and placed my order a couple of weeks ago.
My sizing criteria were 17" front and 18" rear. 19's were out. I had originally wanted to run a 265 rear without stretching the tires but when I was finalizing my order I was told that neither the 18x9.5 +35 or the 18X9.5 +40 sizes have concave faces. After inquiring further I was informed of one additional option for the rear that would have the concave face albeit on a 10” width. The 18X10 +40 5x114.3 size is not published on Ray’s website, nor can I locate references to it elsewhere, but it is available.
I shopped around extensively and found that Wheelsto (http://www.wheelsto.com) had the best price by far. In addition all sizes were in stock and ready to ship out of the USA. These guys were very easy to work with. The shipping was fast and everything was carefully packed. I will highly recommend them.
I ordered the following sizes:
Front: 17X7.5 +40
Rear: 18X10 +40
Weights on the stock forged 16/17 - 7 spokes with Yokohama AVS ES100 for comparison are:
Front: 225/45-16 = 39.0 pounds
Rear: 255/40-17 = 47.4 pounds
Weights on the TE37 SL’s with Yokohama S-Drives are:
Front: 215/40-17 = 37.8 pounds
Rear: 275/35-18 = 44.8 pounds
My car is lowered on Bilstein shocks/lower perch. No spacers are being used, nor do I plan to use them. I have not come across any instances of this wheel on one of our cars yet so am hoping that someone who is considering them finds this useful in their decision making. I will add more photos and driving impressions once I have time to pull the car out of the garage for a drive during daylight hours this weekend.
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In my search I found only a handful of wheels that I liked and even fewer still that I would want to keep long-term. The decision making was exacerbated by owning a black car which, in my opinion, is much more fussy about wheel style and color when compared to red, white, silver etc. e.g.….too bright of a finish = draws the eye away from the body, spoke design too busy = doesn’t flow well with the lines of the car, hard to clean etc.
In the end I kept going back to Ray’s TE37 for many reasons. They are light, strong (forged monoblock) with clean and simple lines giving it a timeless look. I have seen these wheels in person on a white R34 Skyline in Kawagoe, a red NSX in Yokohama and even a black 944 Turbo in Tokyo. The style was finalized, but I struggled with the finish, none of which I really loved for Berlina Black. Then I saw the pressed graphite of the Super Laps. The lower weight and cost were the proverbial icing on the cake. After several more months of waiting...never a bad idea with a big purchase like this, I pulled the trigger and placed my order a couple of weeks ago.
My sizing criteria were 17" front and 18" rear. 19's were out. I had originally wanted to run a 265 rear without stretching the tires but when I was finalizing my order I was told that neither the 18x9.5 +35 or the 18X9.5 +40 sizes have concave faces. After inquiring further I was informed of one additional option for the rear that would have the concave face albeit on a 10” width. The 18X10 +40 5x114.3 size is not published on Ray’s website, nor can I locate references to it elsewhere, but it is available.
I shopped around extensively and found that Wheelsto (http://www.wheelsto.com) had the best price by far. In addition all sizes were in stock and ready to ship out of the USA. These guys were very easy to work with. The shipping was fast and everything was carefully packed. I will highly recommend them.
I ordered the following sizes:
Front: 17X7.5 +40
Rear: 18X10 +40
Weights on the stock forged 16/17 - 7 spokes with Yokohama AVS ES100 for comparison are:
Front: 225/45-16 = 39.0 pounds
Rear: 255/40-17 = 47.4 pounds
Weights on the TE37 SL’s with Yokohama S-Drives are:
Front: 215/40-17 = 37.8 pounds
Rear: 275/35-18 = 44.8 pounds
My car is lowered on Bilstein shocks/lower perch. No spacers are being used, nor do I plan to use them. I have not come across any instances of this wheel on one of our cars yet so am hoping that someone who is considering them finds this useful in their decision making. I will add more photos and driving impressions once I have time to pull the car out of the garage for a drive during daylight hours this weekend.
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even lighter than originally thought!!)
</O
