Should I buy a set of RPF1s to put track tires on?

"KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs" (kusabisensei) 09/18/2014 at 15:21 • Filed to: None

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I'm going to break this theme party up, y'all. Ahem... Now I normally don't buy things like this, but I'm finding I might want something for the track, and possibly to use on my Mini, since it has dark finish wheels, and sometimes I don't like them that much.

The Enkei RPF1s are one of the few aftermarket wheels that I don't mind the style of, and could be had for less than $1000 for a set + TPMS.

I know cars are an expensive hobby and such, but is this really a decent idea? They are lighter than the stock BMW/Mini wheels, and don't look that bad with either the Mini or the Z4.

Halp! I am decisionally challenged!

YSI-what can brown do for you > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 09/18/2014 at 15:26

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Apex racing wheels! The ARC-8s in 17x9 they are about 50 dollars CHEAPER than RPF1s, if you wait for a group buy they are nearly 200 dollars cheaper. Best part, they are race proven. They are a little heavier than RPF1s but they are 100x sexier!

And if you want to go fast, it is best to get a second set of wheels for a tire that will destroy the track! If you are looking for fun, then the stock wheels/tires will work just fine!

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > YSI-what can brown do for you 09/18/2014 at 15:41

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But see the thing is that style...just...doesn't do it for me.

My original idea for the Z4 was BMW Style 125 in 18x8 and 18x8.5 staggered. But good God, are those expensive.

And the Mini, I have those 17 inch black conical things, and I was too cheap to get something else at the time I bought it.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > YSI-what can brown do for you 09/18/2014 at 15:43

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However, I will say they are OK looking, but I guess if I'm looking for something functional as opposed to stylish, it should be considered :)

BKRM3 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 09/18/2014 at 15:44

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The answer to the question "should I buy track wheels?" is always: Yes, immediately. And then destroy the rubber!

YSI-what can brown do for you > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 09/18/2014 at 15:46

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You can go for the more stylish EC-7s but they are heavier. . .and more expensive.

I am one of the people that think RPF1s are on the uglier side of the wheel scale. If you want some style at a nice price with pretty good quality, there is Rotas, don't know if they make wheels in your bolt pattern though. Quick google search provides this picture of Rotas though. . .

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > BKRM3 09/18/2014 at 15:47

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I think the Mini will be more useful for destroying rubber, two tires at a time :)

BKRM3 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 09/18/2014 at 15:55

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I'm surprised to learn that there's an acceptable (I'm assuming square) setup that would work for both the mini and the Z4 as track tires. BMWs can take some pretty fat wheels/rubber. My track set (the Apex ARC-8s that happen to be pictured above) are 18x10 the whole way around. Would love to see those on a Cooper S =)

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > YSI-what can brown do for you 09/18/2014 at 16:06

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Rota does have a few in 5x120 for the Z4 with appropriate offset, and plenty in 4x100 for the Mini. The catch with the Mini is that it uses M14 bolts(!) whereas most others in 4x100 are using M12 bolts.

But I find this to be relevant to my interests:

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > BKRM3 09/18/2014 at 16:08

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Your surprise is correctly placed, as there would need to be two sets of wheels.

The Z4 is a 5x120 bolt pattern and the R55 Clubman S is a 4x100 bolt pattern.

I'm also going to stay close to stock size for now, and on the Z4, will retain the staggered setup for now. I can still get it to oversteer...

MHunter905 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 09/18/2014 at 16:16

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Buy Them! These are the de-facto beginner track wheel. I own a set on my track day Integra and I swear by them. They are indeed light, about half the weight of my OE wheels. Lowering your un-sprung weight allows the suspension to react faster to bumps. This greatly improves ride quality, meaning the tires maintain better contact with the road. I got mine from Tire Rack for a very reasonable price and included a set of Toyo Proxies R888 which I highly recommend. Tire Rack included all the hardware free and heat cycled the tires for a small fee. Check out their website, their customer service is very very good. Hope this helps :)

BKRM3 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 09/18/2014 at 16:22

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Ahh, didn't realize they were different bolt patterns either (both being made by BMW, after all...) but now that you mention it that makes perfect sense. So...wait...are you thinking about buying one set of these wheels for each car, or just doing these for one of the cars? There are so many wheel choices! I do like these but I don't think I'd buy them twice =)

RE: square vs staggered, reasonable people can differ but I'm very thrilled with my ability to put any tire on any corner to even out tread wear. If that weren't the case I'd probably go through 2 sets of fronts for every set of rears, and the tread would never be even-ish as between the front and rear axles. Not that that's a huge issue, but it's nice to spread the wear out. Also, I don't think it's as much about being able to get oversteer (hell, my friend says his X5 diesel will oversteer!) as it is about being able to make the front stick as well as it possibly can. On BMWs the "stagger" is so minimal (usually something like 225 front, 255 rear or 245 front, 265 rear) I don't really get why people cling to it. It's not like with the 430 Scuds that run 235 front, 285 rear... or the 997 C2S - 235 front and 295! rear. That's some stagger!

YSI-what can brown do for you > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 09/18/2014 at 16:28

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Mmmmm the P45. I was gonna get Titans, but the ARC-8s are only 50 dollars more, and they are lighter. . . so I went with those instead. Titans are light too! 17.1lbs or something for 17x9. I would totally recommend the wheels to anyone!

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > BKRM3 09/18/2014 at 16:48

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So...wait...are you thinking about buying one set of these wheels for each car, or just doing these for one of the cars?

The Z4 is mainly used as a weekend backroad bomber and track rat. The Mini is driven every day, and taken to the track when the rules say "Fie!" to the Z4. (Example: I am not allowed to drive the Z4 at Daytona. I WILL drive Daytona, so hence the Mini is going)

The stagger is 225 front, 255 rear on the E85 chassis. I could drop back to 225/40 18s on the rear of the Z4, with the 18x8.5 Enkeis.

I'm not wanting for grip on the Z4, so that would solve that problem.

I probably wouldn't buy the same wheel twice (I'm not that silly), but there *is* something about the black conical wheels that makes me go "MEH" when I see the car sometimes.

Some days, I like the look, and some days, I don't. It's not enough to make me sell the car or immediately get new wheels, but I bought it off the lot. Apparently, these are a thing in the new Mini world in Atlanta (Almost every car had them equipped)

BKRM3 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 09/18/2014 at 16:56

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Love your dedication to driving Daytona. There's a lot of convertible prejudice out there! I imagine that's what it's about. Will the Z4 not take 245s on the front without rubbing? Would be preferable for obvious reasons to go bigger rather than smaller if it works!

Mini looks pretty sharp but you're right about those black wheels. There's really not anything wrong with them, but some motorsport looking wheels would really perk that thing up.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > BKRM3 09/18/2014 at 17:00

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Yes, there is the possibility for rubbing if I went up to the 255/35s that are on the rear, and I don't want to roll fenders or things like that, so I'd step the rear back to the front size. It's less than ideal, but I'll live with it.

Also, I'd track the F-150 around the Rolex 24 hour course at Daytona just to say I'd driven it. Hell, I'd rent a freaking Prius just to be able to say I've done it.

BKRM3 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 09/18/2014 at 17:10

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A Prius on the high banks? Now THAT I'd like to see lol