I was talking to my dad (mechanical engineer) and i brought up that i may be buying some enkei rpf1s, and save about 7lbs per wheel compared to my OEM v2 tourings. He cautioned me and said that a lighter wheel can sometimes not be worth the tradeoff, and that they can break if you hit a pothole or curb wrong.

Are there any peoples experiences with RPF1s breaking, cracking, or otherwise being less structurally secure then an OEM wheel?

 

take into account the use of different materials, heat treating, and forging processes before jumping to the conclusion that simply because they are lighter they are weaker.

 

Well for me every aftermarket wheel i've ever had i bent them all.. 4 sets off wheels. OEM for some odd reason i've never been able to. Reason being why i went with OEM Nismo Rim..I've never had a problem since switching back to OEM.

 

how did you bend them? hitting curbs? daily driving? motox?

 

No necessarily true. Possible, but not always. Heavy wheels are traditionally a cast wheel, hence the extra thickness. Forged wheels are stronger, hence why they can be thinner and lighter. There are other processes, SSF, SF, etc., all with pros and cons (cost, strength, weight). Do some research and you'll see, though you'll rarely - if ever - see published strength data, which I would love to see as well.

 

Strictly daily driving. I DD through NYC to Jersey and all 4 sets were bent in a matter off weeks. Yes 4 sets until i got ****ing fed up buying wheels every couple months.The vibrations was driving me mad. Decided to go with OEM Nismo never had a problem 3yrs running.

 

In the case of wheels, you have your choice: light, strong, cheap. Pick any two.

For the record, RPF1s are pretty decent and strong. A lot of people use them for track day or autocross wheels with DOT-R tires.

 

You're dad has no idea what he's talking about....

 

Enkei NT03 is even stronger, but slightly heavier.

 

rpf1's are the best rims for the money. Yes they do crack, but that's due to the fact they are not a street rim, they are for track only.

 

oh ****, they arent for DD?

 

They work fine for DD, and can take a pretty good hit.

 

Oh this just false...

 

I have literally had 10 sets - that's 40 RPF1s - and never one crack. Street, track, autox, weather, you name it. I hit berms at 120mph in a 30-series tire, never an issue. Do you have any documentation of these street ones that crack?

Absolutely untrue.

 

your Mechanical Engineering father should know enough about design attributes, material choice, and manufacturing processes play a HUGE role in overall structural soundness. Perhaps he concentrated in fluid mechanics but maybe you are leaving out half of the discussion because this seriously should not have came out of an Engineer's mouth, let alone an ME. Don't diss your dad like that. esp on the interwebs.

 

Learn about wheel industry standards such as JWL and VIA. Make an informed buying decision.
Reference: http://www.cartype.com/pages/2101/jw...n_alloy_wheels

 

Here are some $10,175 MAGNESIUM & carbon fiber wheels for the Nissan GTR (17lbs.)

 

can i get that in a 17" ?