I have been to a lot of classic car events in Japan, but the red Kenmeri Skyline seen above is one of just a few cars I have seen sporting a set of Sakuras. Although used sets are extremely hard to come by, Hayashi Racing has started reproduction of brand new Sakura wheels. As the name suggests, the design of this wheel was inspired by the famous Japanese cherry blossom leaves. The Hayashi Racing Sakura wheel is one of the hardest to find and most desirable on the secondhand market. Fortunately, if you have the means you can still order brand new sets today direct from Hayashi Racing in Japan. Even with the recent surge in popularity of classic Japanese cars worldwide, it is still pretty rare to see Hayashi Streets on cars outside of Japan. The CR's come in the most aggressive sizes like the radical 15"x10J -25. There are a few different types of Hayashi Street wheels, but the most popular one is the CR type like the ones seen above. The Hayashi Street might be the second most popular vintage Japanese wheel. Heck I recently bought a set of Watanabes for a car that I don't even own yet! That's the appeal that they have. I even see minivans and kei cars with RS Watanabes when I go to the grocery store. Whether you have an S30Z, an AE86, or a Mazda Roadster, there is nothing that these wheels don't look good on. It's not just the classic car guys that love Watanabes, I have seen them on nearly every type of Japanese car you can think of, and plenty of foreign cars as well. There are many different variations on the original eight-spoke design, but I will save those details for a later post. How could I not start things off with the RS Watanabe? There is nothing that even comes close to these in popularity for vintage Japanese cars. Keep in mind that this isn't supposed to a be a definitive wheel guide, just an intro to some of the popular models for those who might not be familiar. Just pick the style and sizes, and you're good to go. There are still a lot of nice wheels to be found, but don't expect to walk into your nearest Up Garage and come across a set of flawless RS Watanabes on sale for dirt cheap.Īnother good thing about these old wheels is that the bolt patterns of nearly all vintage Japanese cars is 4×114.3 which makes searching for wheels quite easy. The classic car scene in Japan is booming and strong demand for these wheels has kept prices relatively high. Unlike some of later wheels which have not aged well, the old school models continue to be popular and they will only grow more valuable as the years go on. While a lot of people might have the impression that used JDM wheels are much cheaper in Japan than elsewhere, I don't think that is necessarily true when it comes to the original vintage wheels. What better to start with than the iconic vintage wheels that have remained popular from their introduction all the way to the present? I came up with the idea of doing individual posts about our favorite wheels from all over the world, but before we do that, I want to just give a quick rundown of some of the most popular Japanese wheels from the early days up until now. I mean they are probably the most important component in how a car looks, right? Some people say that wheels to a car are like shoes to a person, but in my opinion the importance of having decent wheels on a car is more important than the shoes someone is wearing. If they fit the car, these are the rims to consider for a look that says "don't even try to race me.It's no secret that we talk about wheels a lot here on Speedhunters. The end result is almost always a clean, custom look that lets others know your car is not stock. If it can go on a 1995 Civic Si as well as a brand-new Koenigsegg Jesko then we're in business! This was a tall order, to be sure, but with some imagination and augmented reality software we were able to narrow it down. What is normally one to three pieces of metal turns out to be one of the most important parts of a performance car, and we didn't even mention appearance yet!Įvery rim on here checks the above boxes, but to make this list it must also be sexy. A great rim will first of all be sturdy, and take lots of turning G's, but also it has to be able to cool the brakes, reduce unsprung weight, and control air compression behind the tire. they don't move! And yet the nuances used to make them go deeper than most of us ever thought. Rims are perhaps the most mechanically simple part of a car because, of course.
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