I just installed my new tire and wheel package from the Tire Rack yesterday. I ended up going with Kosei K1 racing rims and Bridgestone Potenza S03 pole position tires. I know the Kosei wheels are very popular with autocrossers for their light weight and low cost. I'm wondering how strong they are being cast and weighing 16.5 lbs each in the 17x7.5" size. Does anyone have any personal experience with these wheels? Tire Rack pointed out that all their wheels meet stiff German TUV standards, but I'd like some actual American use experience if anyone has any to offer. I was planning on going with SSR Integral forged wheels, but they are being discontinued, and the Tire Rack is out of stock. The tires should be awesome from the reviews I've read.

 

I kind of figured they had to be decent, at the very least. Too many people buy them for them to have a bad reputation. The streets here in the Chicago area are probably worse than average though, so I'm just looking for some reassurance. I should have mentioned the tires are in a 215/40YR17 size.

 

I've got Kosei Laufer 6's in 16x7" with 205-45-16s tires..

I've had them on for a good 12,000 miles (at least) and they've survived ALOT of curbage and potholes with good success and little noticable damage.. the clearcoat on them is super-easy to maintain on these wheels too compared to some past ones I've had on.. nothing will do them harm!

with the 215's you'll probably have an extra margin of safety protecting the wheels..

good choice.

 

Yeah,
The wheels only being available in a 7.5" width had something to do with choosing the 215 width instead of 205. That's good to hear about the clearcoat durability, Thanks for the feedback.

 

Eric, I have a comment about tires not wheels ... watch out your S-03 especially under wet condition since all the bridgestone S-0X tires are designed for heavy cars. The protege does not have enough weight on the tires to have enough grip on the road. I know many ppl who used S-03 on small cars and lost control in wet condition, and the damage was severe (which means after they lost control they could never gain control back until it hits something)

Sorry man, not trying to scare you or say anything bad about bridgestone tires (haha as the Ferrari F1 team is using it). Of course I might be wrong .... but when you drive on wet road surface for the first time, make sure you don't try to put the tires to their limit.

 

It rained today, and the tires were awesome. I could barely spin the tires launching at an RPM that spun my Kumho 712's on dry pavement. The tire size determines the contact patch size. That determines what load the tire can handle. I don't understand what you mean by the entire line being designed for heavier weight vehicles.

 

I have the khumo's and even in the rain , they are hard to break loose on taking off, unless I take of really hard.. 205/45/16
those bridgestones should be some really hot tires though
Bruce

 

The Kumho's and Azenis are good tires, don't get me wrong. They offer a great value for the money. I decided to spend the money to move up to the Max performance catagory this time around, and so far, the S-03's are great. I haven't had them on long, or on a course yet, but I can easily tell they stick better than my Kumho's. They'd better, for what they cost, or I'd be asking the Tire Rack for a refund. I'd have no problems using the Supra 712's or Azenis in the future, as I doubt I'll continue to pop for tires like the S-03's.

 

Do you have any pictures of your new tires on your car? What color wheels did you get?

 

No, not yet. I'll get some up soon. I went with silver wheels. I thought about Anthracite so brake dust wouldn't show, but it occurred to me that that might be because they would always look dirty on a silver car.