I've been looking at wheels recently, and I'm on a bit of a tight budget (preferably under 600, 700 MAX). For a month or so, I've made my mind on XXR 530 17x7 +35, but after finding a set of XXR 527 17x7.5 +40 on FB marketplace (will likely be sold before i have a chance), I've started to open up my options. The Drag DR-19 17x7.5 +42, DR-31 and DR-63 both 17x7 +40 have caught my eye.

Considering these will be going on a daily that won't see a single track day and maybe one or two autox events at most, are these wheels a decent choice? I'm going to be lowered on H&R Sport springs really soon and rubbing won't be much of a worry for me.

 

I’ve had 3 sets of Drag wheels over the years, and they have all been good. They’re not as light as racing wheels, but they’re nicely priced. For street use, they work great. I currently have a set of DR-21 in 15x7, and they are actually a few pounds lighter than advertised, which was a nice surprise.

 

They’re fine. They probably won’t hurt anything.

personally I support the people that come up with original wheel designs rather than those simply make lower quality replicas

Also, used wheels are cheaper than replicas

Double also...you don’t have to get new wheels. OEM are perfectly fine

 

I agree with you on buying from people who make original designs, but my budget and plans for my future don't quite agree with that. Also, I really don't like the look of the OEM wheels, and I want to fit a bit of a wider tire too.

 

Honestly, you get what you pay for. Cheap wheels are made poorly. I've had knock off wheels and nice wheels over the 17+ years I've been messing with my Honda builds. There's a reason you spend money on good wheels. They're stronger, lighter and safer. They balance better too.

If I were talking to my younger-self, I would have told myself to save a little more and get real wheels that will last forever and keep their value. Go buy a used set of Enkei RPF1s if you're trying to save. Maybe some O.Z. wheels. They still look good and are light. If you look you can find good deals on FB groups or on here. Or save for the wheels you really want and you'll be so happy when you finally get them.

I would not autoX with Drag wheels personally. The other thing is, if you really like AutoX, then you will eventually go to the race track. And then you'll really want nice light wheels you feel confident with.

Like I said, this is all coming from experience. It's your money and your choice, but it's always smart to do it right the first time.

 

If a wheel is going to get bent/broken on the street, it's more likely to be a lightweight alloy racing wheel than a street oriented facsimile.

I've been on DR-31's for a year. I went 15's as the sidewall helps with shitty roads, they're lighter, and there's decent tire choices. They ended up 1/2 lb lighter per wheel compared to the steelies despite 20mm wider tires.

I've hit giant potholes, hooked the rear on broken pavement, and plowed through a corner hard enough to nearly roll the front outside rim into the ground. They work just fine.

 

Could you please explain a little what you mean with original wheel designs? Are the praised Enkei, BBS or Volk original or replica?

 

They’re originals, yes.

 

OK, thank you! Are some other brands mentioned in this thread replicas?

 

Drag and XXR.

If I recall correctly each may have some ‘original’ designs but outside of the replicas I can’t say I’ve really seen any of their wheel options. They’re not my tastes so I just try to avoid their existence.

 

That brand is all junk. One good pot hole and those cheap wheels are toast. Just remember you get what you pay for.

 

Personal experience or hearsay?

 

I never said they won’t work. Any wheel will “work”. But if you hit a pot hole that will bend a nice forged wheel, it will most likely break a crappy one. Cheap wheels are made poorly with cheaper materials. That’s really what it comes down to.

One of the biggest differences of quality brands is forged vs cast production. The manufacturing process of most brand name wheels (not all) is forging—making them much light and stronger than cast wheels.

look it up, there’s plenty of reading material out there.

Like I said before, doing this for 17 years and owning all types of wheels fake and real, buy something that will last. If you do it right the first time and you won’t have to do it again.

It’s worth saving that little bit extra. Find a used set.

 

A big pothole can kill any wheel, especially oversize wheels with low profile tires. The forged will bend and cast will crack. They're all junk all the same at that point.

Any wheel made exclusively for racing will compromise durability for light weight. Look at how many off track excursions have broken lightweight wheels from the side load alone. Everything is a compromise.

 

This is definitely true. Additionally, racing wheels are usually wider than stock and fitted with low profile tires, which both make the rim more vulnerable. Racing wheels could survive pretty well in daily driving if they were narrow and fitted with tires leaving bigger distance between the road and the rim. In another thread I was considering 15x5.5 wheels with 185/60R15 tires to optimize the weight, but that would also provide improved robustness.

 

I guess the real question is, would you rather buy new XXRs + tires for roughly 1k ...

Or spend 1k-1200 on a used set or RPF1s with tires (or comparable wheel)?

 

With new tires my used Advans were $1000 mounted, balanced, etc.

 

Exactly my point. For the price of XXRs you could have Advans. Seems crazy not to go that route.