I got a quick lesson about offsets today, so it makes better since. Narrowed down my wheel selection to TSW Jarama or Momo FXL1 in black/polished lip. The Jarama offers a better offset for the rears, where the FXL1 is only in 18X8 and factory offset. Both are about the same price, around $1600 after tax installed with Toyo T1R's.

http://www.bigwheels.net/wheels/tsw/...lack_large.jpg

http://www.momousa.com/get_image.php...t&id=402&pic=1

The momo is almost identical. Just doesn't offer as nice of an offset and is only 18X8 as opposed to wider.

I used the search, search came up with nothing on this site for "Jarama." Please give me some opinions. I really like the wheel. Wheels aren't a big deal where I live, none of my friends are going to know the difference between an expensive wheel or a cheap one, so that's no concern to me.

 

You should definitely pause before you spend this money on either
set. There is a great set of Volk Gt-Vs for $1400 in the sale forums,
hence you can afford better "branded" wheels. The wheels you have
selected have AWFUL resale value. Although this might not be important
to you today, it may be in the future if you need to cash them out.
Without a shred of doubt, a used set of quality rims will retain more
cash value. Especially in the short term.

Hold out, and get rims that say something special about your vehicle.

 

I deffinately hear ya on that, I do enough selling/buying of other products. However, the car will be sold off in a few years locally through the paper the same way I did for my Honda Civic. Kelly Blue booked my 2003 Civic around $9000 and trade in $7500 back at end of 2007. I sold it locally for $12350. Beauty are the eyes of the buyer or whatever that saying is. So as far as resale goes, doesn't matter cause they are staying on till I sell the car. I will deffinately look in the classifieds as I have been already. The problem is still having to have them installed and all whereas tire discounters does that for "free."

 

TSW is weak. Pick up a nice used set of something nice from the classifieds.

 

try to avoid the TSWs. i have a set of Thruxtons right now and generally, they are nice. they look good, no cracking or anything. but i got caught in the snow once and if ANY salt from the road gets on the lip, expect pitting to happen. now i have to either get new rims or get mine refinished and they are a year old.........rediculous.

lol, perhaps TSW buys their clearcoat from the Nissan paint division.

jim

 

Negative.

 

care to elaborate?

jim

 

I really don't want to buy a used set of wheels. Would prefer no curb rash or bending and such. Just want something brand new. I am still looking into Axis Shines but they are a little more than I wanted to pay in 19." The TSW, though maybe not the highest quality, seem to be better than average for my price range. I've found three wheels in the TSW that I like, Thruxtons, Jarama and Nagaru.

 

Sure Jim. I will list the pros and cons based on the OPs information:

Pros (general):
1. He likes the style (personal opinion)
2. Status/Name Brand/Bling isn't a factor (again, personal preference)
-Fits budget

Cons:
1. Heavy (I couldn't find specs on either in a brief search, but from the price I think its a safe assumption they are cast)
2. Horrible offset on the FXL1 (total deal breaker)
3. Quality (I understand Forged isn't in your budget, but still needs to be mentioned)

All the above, plus the OP asked for opinions, and IMHO the wheels look cheap (I think this will become especially evident when mounted), the lip will get etched in no time, and generally speaking there are better options out there for his hard earned dollars.


To the OP: If you absolutely love the style and don't care about performance or status, then go for the TSW Jarama. They have the best offset of the two. Just know that your decision might leave you wanting more.

Listen to people on the board - keep and eye on the classifieds section...you might come across diamonds!

 

Yes sir and thank you. I have been looking in the classifieds and will continue to do so. After much debate, I do not want to cheap out on wheels. However, i did not realize that brand new Volk's were 600-800 a peice. So I am out of the running for wheels at the moment until i find a nice set in the classifieds. My budget was about $2000 and i can not afford to go over, not now, maybe not ever lol. Stocks look decent enough to me as stocks go, so i am not unhappy just wanted to change them if I could. I talked to a few locals with TSW's. They are nice street wheels if weight/quality are not prioritys. However I do not want to blow 1800 for wheels that are going to look terrible in a year from now.

 

I'll be honest with you...I'm not an elitist when it comes to wheels. I currently run the factory 03-05 Rays, which are strong and lightweight (forged) with good tires. That said, in the years that I have owned the Z I have had a hard time justifying spending $2-3k on wheels. Ive been close to pulling the trigger on several sets of Volk and Work wheels, but have balked because I couldn't justify the expenditure (they aren't out of my budget - I guess you could call me a conservative spender if you wanted - or just cheap ).

Then came the whole Rota fiasco...where I stand on that is simple: they are stylish (albeit copies), relatively lightweight (think P45R or their Volk CE copy - the name escapes me), have good offsets, and priced right. Personally I dont buy the whole "Rotas aren't on par quality wise with other wheels" argument. The bottom line is they are on par with your average cast wheel on the market today. Would I trust my life in a DE to them...I'm not sure. This is why I have also been very close to purchasing those, but I just couldn't get over the fact that they are still a compromise in terms of weight and strength with even my existing setup (read: downgrade), let alone a 3K set of CE/TE 37s.

The answer, either:
1. Scour the forums (I live in the classifieds section), and find a well priced set of CE/TEs, or other comparable wheel
2. Enkei RPF1 - I feel these have the looks, strength, quality, and price that is a near perfect compromise.

Hope this helps!