Applicable to: '90 - '97 '99-'05 1.8 liter
SSR Type-C wheels, Bronze. 14" x 6.0, ET+38. Made In Japan.
Out of the box I was pleasantly surprised of the weight of these things - they are very very light. I did not weigh them but on paper they are listed as weighing 7.8lbs. According to Tanabe's website, they are 1-piece semi-solid forged. Build quality is excellent, paint finish is a flawless matted dark bronze. So far about 200miles on the wheels, previously had 14 inch decent wheels which weighed about twice as much as the Type-Cs. Ride is smoother (although that could be due to a better balancing done with the new wheels). Spinning wheels now is much easier. Steering feel is lighter although I cannot measure that quantitatively. One side effect that caught me off guard is that tyre noise is amplified - this could be due to the design of the wheel itself, or perhaps the construction of the wheel transmits more road noise. I am on Toyo T1Rs. IMO on my red NA, the bronze Type-Cs give the car a more sinister look. I would have opted for silver but the smallest size SSR makes Type-Cs in that color is 16".
I love the simple and beautiful design of the Type-C; cleaning the wheels are a joy and painless exercise. The wheels expose a lot of the brake and disc, so before I had them installed I painted my calipers and discs silver to clean up the look. The wheels by default come with SSR wheel stems and stem caps. Center caps are an expensive option - I would have bought them to complete the look but it is VERY easy to pry them off from the wheel. At about $50 dollars a piece, buying those was out of the question. My setup has no center caps, however painting the center hubs that are exposed with black paint seem to accentuate a racing look (not that I really care about that anyways). I have heard of many (repeating) horror stories of Type-C wheels bending - however those stories seem to be limited to old batches of Type-C (aka Competitions), and with lower profile setups. I believe the quality now is much improved, with the financial health of SSR being taken care of by Tanabe Co. I too believe that bending / damage can happen to any wheel if the force is strong enough - but the science is clear, forged wheels are stronger than their cast counterparts. I would heartily recommend these wheels to anyone who would like to upgrade their stock 14" wheels. Simple, clean design, and one of the lightest 14" wheels in production now. Downside to them - costly. The old wheel adage of "Light, cheap, strong - pick any two" certainly rings true here.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '99-'05 1.8 liter
Silver finish, SSR Comp rims, 16" x 6.5"
Bought them because the winter tires I wanted for my 2004 Mazdaspeed (Dunlop Winter Sport M3's)didn't come in a size to fit the stock 17 x 7 inch Racing Hart Rims. And because they're the lightest I could find.
Only have a couple of hundred miles on 'em so far. They are gorgeous and appear extremely well-machined. I particularly like the metal valve and stem -looks durable and classy. Along with the new tires the ride is much more forgiving, a bit quieter and more nimble. The Toyo/Racing Harts put a wide swath of hard rubber on the ground, grip like crazy and go dead-on straight at 80 mph down the highway. Very solid, aggressive and grounded. These feel more graceful and gazelle-like (the combo is five pounds lighter per wheel) but not at all skittish, at the cost of some handling response. Hope they grip in the snow as reviewed (should global warming allow us any).
Not an installed item
Applicable to: '99 +
SSR GT1: 16"x7" 15 lb. w/ +42mm offset
Excellent purchase from the Tire Rack.
Bought the wheels about 6 months ago from the Tire Rack. Excellent purchasing experience from a company who backs up their products. One wheel had a minor chip, but Tire Rack immediately sent out a new one. 16x7 proved to be the perfect size for the car. Mated the wheels to 215 40 Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 and couldn't be happier. Over 3000 miles on the set, and the wheels still look like new.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
I am associated with a company that sells this product.
Applicable to: '90 - '97
15X6.5 9 pound forged wheel with 42mm offset
The SSR Comp is the strongest and lightest wheel I've ever owned.
Do you remember when your Miata was new with the factory OEM wheel/tire package? The steering was light, quick, and right now! The 15inch SSR Comps will give the same feeling, even better. We mounted a set of 195/50-15 Bridgestone RE 730's on these rims. The wheel/tire package weighs in at 28 pounds. I suggest going with this size wheel/tire package if you want to get as close to OEM specs as possible. I have always felt, it was very difficult to outsmart the factory engineers when it came to wheels and tires because of the Miata's sensitivity to the weight of these components. I was right.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to: '99 +
15x7 SSR Type C (Comp.) rims (+42 offset) with Kuhmo 195/50-15 Ecstra tires.
These are the bet rims I've ever owned. The only weigh 9.9 pounds and look great. Handling on 99 Miata has greatly in proved and the suspension is not reacting better to bumps. The gray centers of the rims looks great with the Highlight silver paint job. The Kuhmo tires are wider that the stock 185's but the road noise has seemed to decrease. The tires are a great value item.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to '90 - '97 '99 + 1.8 liter
Ultra light wheels
The SSR Integrel 16x7 wheel is one nice piece of work well finished and very light. LOOKS GREAT! on the car
Makes the Miata look very aggreesive. The ride is not any worse than whith stock wheels and the improved handling is a bonus. Did I mention it looks GREAT TOO!!!
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
Applicable to '90 - '97 1.6 liter
SSR 15" Wheels
I have SSR 15" Wheels on my Mazda MX5 1992 1.6. I have a problem with the valves as they keep leaking and I have flat tyres all the time.
I have been told that this is common with this type of wheel as the valves are very brittle and often break. However - it's proving difficult to get them replaced - no-one seems to be able to get hold of them for me - can anyone give me advice ?
Not an installed item
16x7, 45mm offset, forged alloy wheels. SSR claims 13lbs. FWIW, my electronic bathroom scale concurs, saying they are between 12.5 lbs. and 13 lbs. Split spoke design with five spokes - essentially, the 16" five spoke version of the Type X you may have heard about years ago... took some time, but it's finally here. Much prettier wheel than the Type X, IMO.
Only used them for a week so far. Can't really comment on how they hold up to potholes and such, but they are forged for extra strength.
Bought these because they fit most of my requirements - good looks, light weight, and not outrageously expensive. The Volk TE-37s and SSR Integrals were the other wheels I was considering... wasn't pleased with the Volk's aesthetics, and wasn't happy with the Integral's weight (wanted a wheel under 14 lbs.). There's nothing on the market that quite matches this wheel at ANY price based on my subjective feelings.
Speed Star 16" wheels- Five spoke
I did a lot of research regarding the weight of wheels. I didn't want to increase my unsprung weight appreciably. But, I needed more rubber due to 12psi turbo. The Speed Star five spoke wheel from Tire Rack filled the bill. With a 205/45 16" Dunlop SP9000 it's only 3lb. heavier than the stock Miata alloys (1995). I also highly recomment the Sp9000 if you drive where it's wet. Does hydroplaning ring a bell? That won't happen with these tires. We have hit some monster water puddles cruisin' the smokies. Not even a twitch!!
The wheel and tire combination is not cheap. But worth every cent!!!
A rim produced in Japan by Speed Star Racing. Made with extreme light weight and strength using SSF process. Comes in 15" inch only, weight is only 10lbs each. A four spoke style available in Silver, White, or Black w/red lip, and red center cap. SSR is famous in the Japanese racing circuit for light weight rims.
The best rims yet, less unsprung weight equals lower ET's. The best part is i dont have to worry about seeing this rim on every freaking car in Florida like my old rims. The Japanese have a way with there cars, and esp. their rims, the attention to detail is second to none. Once you have a set of Japanese rims you will never go back!
These rims are on the high end of the Japanese aftermarket, in other words, they are very expensive, as well as hard to find! You can expect to pay $280-$340 each! And worth every penny, just ask some local tuners!
| Back to Product Reviews | 22 November, 2008 |
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