Hi fellow FitFreaks!

So I'm trying to get some Enkei RPF1's (15 inch, 4x100) in black here in Thailand and so far it seems quite difficult. At the moment I have 2 options:

1. Order from abroad - there is a guy selling a set of 4 in Australia for AU$1350 including shipping (US$1230).
2. Get them in white - there is a guy here in Thailand selling a set of 4 for US$932, and an extra $43 to paint them black.

If I get them from Australia, they cost quite a lot more, and they have to be shipped from abroad, but they come in black already.

If I get them from here in Thailand, they are white and will need to be painted black. He said he can do it for $43 (4 wheels). Either I pay him to do it, or I do it myself. I'm worried if he does it, they might not turn out "perfect", but I have never done it before.

I want to ask you guys what you think:

A) Get 'em from Australia
B) Get them in white painted black
C) Get them in white and paint them black myself
D) Other

I'd appreciate any advice/opinions!! Cheers guys

 

If the guy in Thailand is an experienced painter and preps and primers the wheels properly It would appear to be the best way to go... They cost $199 each at Tire Rack here in the states but I have no idea about the cost of shipping.... They are great performance wheels and the light weight improves your car like no other single modification you would be able to purchase for the same amount of money......I have hem on my own car.

 

Yeh, that is the option I'm leaning towards at the moment. I would get them from Tire Rack but I don't think they ship internationally. But yeh, I really want to get them because of the great benefits I've heard about them, and they look good! Thanks for ur opinion

 

my opnion would be just to do reaserch and try and find the black ones just because painted ones dont really look nice.. plus their a little harder to find which gives them more of a cool factor .. plus spray painted blk wheels are frowned upon in the states.. lol hope u find what u want broda man

 

lost240soul - I've been trying to find anywhere that has the RPF1's in black over here, and it's really damn hard! It's hard enough to find them in silver or white, let alone black I thought myself to be lucky just finding somebody who has them at all over here, that's why I considered getting them from Australia as they're the proper black version. I'm still saving for them, so until I got enough cash, I'm still deciding... thanks for ur opinion!

 

If done right, painted wheels would be just fine. Make sure they are using a catalyzed two part paint rather than air dry paint.

 

ok, well I decided to go with the proper black ones from Australia, they should arrive later today - can't wait!!

 

Get the lightest tires that you can find to mount on them.

 

get Dunlop Star Specs. I wish I saw this earlier, I would've told you to go with the 14's.

 

These are my 16's

 

looks great!

 

love the look of them still haven't got mine tho... delayed due to Thai customs

@ trancedsailor - I wasn't aware they came in 14's.. would they make much difference from the 15's? I'm guessing they'd be lighter, but wouldn't it decrease handling slightly?

 

I don't think it would decrease handling at all. Less weight in suspension/wheels departments = better handling. On a 4cyl car that is light on its feet, I'd go with 14s unless you're pushing a K20 under the hood. Tirerack started offering 14" RPF1 pretty recently, like 3 months ago.

 

Yes but the offset is 28mm

 

I would have gone with the 14"X7" RPF1s in a second if they had been available and in and offset that would work on my Fit.... There isn't as many performance tires being made in 14" sizes that there are for larger wheels nowadays but I prefer performance touring tires that can be rotated side to side and there are some of those in a size I would be able to live with.

 

I never understood why exactly FWD cars can't have offsets less than like +35? What would happen if you put +28 on?

 

Torque steer would be outrageous and with the load on the suspension components, their mounting points and CV joints, something is sure to break prematurely..... The flush with the fender all important dropped stance is an accident looking for a place to happen.

 

would the dunlop star specs be good for a daily driver? i dont track my car but i'm somewhat of a spirited driver some of the roads here are bad with holes n that..

 

They have a very soft rubber compound that wears out quickly, they are unidirectional and that prevents side to side placement when tires are rotated which means they will not wear out at the same time. They weigh about 4 lbs, more than a performance touring tire in the same size.... They are great when driven on great roads under great conditions but not everybody can do that but every so often and you are spending a pretty large amount of money to reduce weight and putting almost half the weight you have eliminated on tires is just counter productive.

 

I drive on the horrible salt-and-snow destroyed roads of NJ and I love my Star Specs. You gotta pay to play.