- There are so many different types of wheels out there
from all over the world.
From monoblock to two-piece three-piece, fours,
cast, directional, non-directional, the list goes on and on.
But today, today, my friends, were gonna cross the pond.
We're gonna go where everybody loves to
overnight import their parts from.
We're talking about the best Japanese wheels ever made.
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I don't know if you know this or not,
but we, here at Fitment Industries,
specialize in wheels, tires, and suspension.
So make sure to go take a peak at fitmentindustries.com.
We also have some ridiculously awesome deals
for cyber Monday too, so make sure to check that out.
Anyway, let's rip this first one off like a bandaid,
because I was expecting it.
I'm sure you guys were expecting it.
So let's talk about some of Volk's most iconic wheels.
We literally can not make one of these lists
without mentioning one of the most iconic aftermarket wheels
in the entire world, the Volk TE37.
The first model of TE37 ever made was a 15 inch wheel
baby boy, and weighed only 3.7 kilograms.
3.7, 37, PE37, now you can go tell your friends
where the name came from.
Not only does this six spoke simple design look amazing
on basically every car ever made,
it's loved for its big brake clearances
and forged construction, which keeps this wheel super light.
You'll see this wheel on show cars,
all the way over to track cars,
and on just about everything in between.
It's hard to find a wheel that's been as popular
in the last 25 years than this one.
To hold that kind of stake in this industry
after it's changed so much over that amount of time
is a really crazy fete.
They also offer a ton of different finishes,
sub models, and even launched limited release colorways.
Between all the finishes and the sizes available,
there's literally a TE37 for everyone.
Next up in the race lineup is the Volk CE28N.
This wheel is all about performance,
taking everything that makes the TE37 popular
and upping it just a little bit,
not only by adding more spokes for increased rigidity,
but also somehow even further reducing the weight.
Remember our little trick from the last wheel,
where the number was directly related to the weight?
Yup.
(sighing)
Same thing here.
So, CE28 stands for Competition Expert 2.8 kilograms,
lighter than the TE37's older brother.
I genuinely don't understand how,
but I swear the nineties made some of the best stuff,
from the best cartoons to some of the most iconic cars
and wheels, and everything about the nineties
just seemed to be a greatness.
This bad mama jama just screams
that you take motor sports seriously.
With these 10 spokes that come out from the center
and dive back towards the lip of the wheel,
this is another design that will look good
on just about anything,
but looks absolutely astonishing and timeless
on most Japanese cars.
Switching gears to another Japanese company that also claims
to have made the very first three piece wheel SSR.
SSR as an OG in the wheel game.
It was founded in 1971.
One of my personal favorites that had to make this list
is the SSR Professor SP1.
The SP1 is an iconic five spoke multi-piece wheel.
It has partially exposed hardware,
with some of the hardware actually being hidden
by the spokes themselves,
which make for a really unique look.
Being three piece, the options for customizations
are quite literally endless, from the widths and offsets
and the finishes that SSR offers.
SSR was made with racing in mind,
so, although the wheels are three pieces,
they're still very light.
Now this wheel is gonna be a little bit more tricky to find,
and it's also a little bit more little,
usually being found AE86s, Miatas,
or other small JDM coupes.
And, another wheel from SSR with a bad-ass name,
is the SSR Star Shark.
This wheel is ultra rare and very sought after,
known for its smaller diameter sizes,
but also comes in decent widths for the time.
And this wheel was a huge hit for Speed Star Racing.
It was designed and produced in the eighties,
coming in some dope finishes, and really stood out,
compared to other wheels of that era.
If you can find a set today,
you'll probably be paying a real pretty penny or two.
What kind of JDM wheel list would this be
without WORK Wheels?
Being founded in a similar timeframe
to the other JDM brands on this list,
we would see WORK pop up here
right around the late seventies.
Nowadays, you can't go to a car show without seeing
tons of insane builds, specifically on WORK Wheels.
The first WORK wheel we're gonna be talking about
right now is the VS-XX, another multi-piece wheel
with a timeless design that will always look good
on just about anything.
If you go to a show, chances are,
you'll see a few sets of these and for a really good reason.
The mesh face, paired with either a step lip,
or even a reverse lip, look absolutely phenomenal,
in either wheel configuration,
and is a wheel we expect to keep seeing
for years and years to come.
Next up from WORK, we have the WORK Meister S1.
This is a stubby, five spoke, multi-piece wheel
that simply looks amazing.
The wheel spokes just bend around and caress big brakes
in just perfection.
Fat lips and big, bendy spokes
is the name of the game with these wheels,
and it pulls it off better than anyone else.
You'll see these on a wide range of cars,
but these bad boys look especially good
on R32 GTRs, 350Zs, 370Zs,
and, really, two-door Japanese cars.
The next wheel we're gonna talk about
has really, really blown up on the good old interwebs
in the last few years.
You may see people like TJ Hunt, Adam LZ, and more,
picking up these wheels and taking a great project
and turning it into an insane one.
I'm, of course,
talking about the extremely sought after Blitz 03.
These wheels are obviously discontinued,
and with the hype created around them,
they're going for astronomical prices.
There's a set, right now, for sale that's $20,000.
Huh?
Featuring a split five spoke that's aggressive
and dives back towards the barrel,
these wheels stand out on any car.
If you want a showstopping set of wheels,
the Blitz 03 is the only way to go.
And last, but not least by any means,
we have the RS Watanabe.
One of the most iconic eight spoke wheels in history,
the indistinguishable bent and cylinder style spokes
look so amazingly perfect right out of the box
that I think all Japanese cars should have came factory
with RS Watanabes.
These eight spoke aluminum wheels have been around forever,
and they are still being produced to this day.
However, following the trends of all the Japanese wheels
on this list, they are pretty damn expensive.
They're a unique design that's been replicated many times.
This is a functional, lightweight wheel
that still manages to aesthetically look
really, really good, year after year.
And another thing that helped skyrocket these wheels
into fame was being featured in the anime, "Initial D",
on the AE86 from the show,
and inspired tons of young enthusiasts to, one day,
have these wheels on their car, or at least I know I do.
But what I really want to know is what are some of
your guys' favorite JDM wheels out there?
Let me know in the comments.
I read every single one,
and I look forward to learning,
and I look forward to learning
about something new every single time.
I hope you guys did value.
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All right, I'm Sean, seanb.fi on the good old Instagram.
Thank you guys so much for watching.
Peace.
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Final.
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