This review encompasses both the Enkei RP-01s and the Toyo T1-S tire
A few months ago, I came across a very good deal on a set of year old Enkei RP-01s with Toyo T1-S tires. The set had less than 3000 miles on them, the tires were in good shape, the wheels had a few small nicks and one curb rash. The fronts are 18x8.5 +45 offset with 235/40; the rears are 18x9.5 +45 offset with 265/35s. All in all, a pretty good deal for $1150, considering the tires alone were about $850, not counting mounting/balancing.

Weights: I measured the tire+wheel combinations and recorded ~42 lbs for the fronts and ~45 lbs for the rears. Using Toyo's weight specs, this gives a weight of ~19 lbs for the front wheels, and ~20 lbs for the rears. Very light for the price and size. For comparison, my stock wheels with fairly worn 225/50 Dunlop SP8000s weighed about 38 lbs.

Looks: While they aren't my favorite looking wheel, they are at least a classic 5-spoke wheel. The thin spokes really show off the brakes, which unfortunately look smallish now with the big 18s. The +45 offset and wider wheels really work together to "fill out the wheel wells".

Rubbing: I have had no rubbing problems except for one very hard bump where the front tires lightly hit the liners. I have not caught the front fender lips in 2.5 months of driving, even entering my steep-*** driveway. This is with 400/290 lb springs with fender heights of 25" front, and 25.5" rear.

Street Driving: For those who say adding heavier wheels on the street isn't noticeable -- I disagree. With the Enkeis, the steering is slightly heavier. The ride quality is actually VERY tolerable. In fact, they new wheels/tires actually seem to smooth out the small undulations present on our lovely Bay Area highway system. However, large bumps definitely result in more of a "clomping" feel than the stockers.

Street Handling: For pure street driving, I would recommend STICKING WITH THE STOCK WHEELS AND TIRES. The new setup has made the car lose a hair of it's nimbleness -- how much of that is due to the wider tires and how much is due to the heavier wheels/tires, I don't know. Due to the staggered sizing, understeer is noticeable in the really tight 90 degree corners. That said, the slight understeer makes tackling twisty backroads more fun, allowing you to put more power down with less fear of overdoing it.

Track Handling: This setup is GREAT on the track. The understeer noticeable on the street becomes a beneficial trait on the track, allowing more and better control of the car using the throttle. Once the tires heated up, they had more grip than the Dunlops. The staggered tires also "slow down" the rear of the car -- no longer does the rear snap loose -- it now slides out much more predictably and controllably. I highly recommend a staggered setup for track use, especially for you high power guys.

Tires: FWIW, the 235 Toyos do not seem to have anymore grip than the 225 Dunlops in street driving. It took track driving to heat them up, proving them better than the Dunlops. The rear 265s have much more grip than the 225 Dunlops they replaced. The tires lasted about 6 laps on a 3 mile track in 80F weather before starting to lose a bit of grip. My lap times did keep improving though, throughout the sessions. As far as foul weather driving goes, the Toyos have handled a few rain showers very well.

Summary: Overall, I'm quite happy with the wheel/tire package, but not completely satisfied. I'm now hooked on 18"s, as they really give the car a modern "high performance look" that suits the character of the car completely. I have a feeling though, that I will be sorely tempted to pick up a set of 18x9.5 +50 offset SSR Competitions when I burn through the Toyos, but then again, maybe not. Another $900 for tires is cheaper than a $2500 wheel/tire package, that's for sure. The best part of the larger wheels is that I now have room for larger brakes, which will be purchased later this year. All in all, I think the Enkei RP-01s are a high quality wheel at a bargain (used) price. Pick up a set if you find them. The Toyo T1-S tire is an excellent tire, especially given it's competitive pricing against the likes of significantly heavier tires, such as the Bridgestone S-03 (which weighs a whopping 4 lbs more than the Toyo in the 265/35 18 size!).

Pics below (and no, I don't have orange paint, the sun was setting as I shot the photos, and no comments about my ragged lawn either! ):

 

Damn... I want these rims so badly, but cant find a seller in Europe.

Its too expensive to import them.

How much is your car dropped ?

 

Great budget setup. Looks very nice.

 

Great write-up rynberg . Good looking car too.

 

I find it very strange that the RPO1's and SSR integrals were both discontinued. They are both classic designs, and both were great deals in terms of price, sizes available, weight, and looks.

Don't underestimate the looks Rynberg, they really look great. You could always have them powdercoated or painted another color if you want something less "plain", but you can't beat the classic look.

I'd really like to lay my hands on a used set of 17" RP01's as track wheels.

 

The rims were discontinued last year. The replacement model is the RP-02, which doesn't come in FD sizes/offsets. My car is pretty damn low, top of front fenders is 25" (635mm) above ground, rears are 25.5" (648mm) above ground.

Thanks.

Thanks again.

Me too. I was especially bummed about the Integrals, as I consider those one of the best looking wheels (previously) available for the FD, at any price.

I do think they are attractive wheels, I just wish the spokes connected at the lip rather than farther in on the wheel (like the Integrals). I like the "plain" silver color -- despite the fact that I own a red FD, I'm actually a pretty low key guy.

 

Hee hee hee...

Tyler, Thanks for the PM

Thanks for the long-await review as well.

Now, it's time for duel oil coolers review

BTW, "...and no comments about my ragged lawn either! " Well, I have this for you! Just for fun

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?threadid=315149

It was well worth the wait for the review to me. Thanks again!

Side note: T1-S's price is now lower at onlinetire.com. Lower than last month's sales price. For your sizes, probably under 750 shipped.

 

Car looks great and awesome detailed review. Those are a great street setup that work well on the track. My mental archive keeps growing with what wheel/tires I should get for the street.

Thanks again.... that is good info for many of us.... especially the staggering handling info.

-GNX7

 

1150!@#$ That's a deal!

 

rynberg, thanx for the PM, and congrats on the wheels! They're pretty... I'm glad you found them to be great @ the track as well...I know how much you love hitting the track

Quote:

Tires: FWIW, the 235 Toyos do not seem to have anymore grip than the 225 Dunlops in street driving. It took track driving to heat them up, proving them better than the Dunlops. The rear 265s have much more grip than the 225 Dunlops they replaced.

Just a note about that tire portion of the writeup...while the Toyos seemed to grip better than the Dunlops, it's hard to tell how much of that added grip is due to the added width or the better tire, ya know? (225s vs. 235s, and 225s vs. 265s). Just my $0.02!

Oh and I'm w/ POM HB...def lookin forward to the dual oil coolers review as well!

 

rynberg, great review. Did you get those 18-inch Comps yet? Enjoy!

 

I word on them in the rain, these tires are the BEST in the rain/bad weather.

We had them on both of our Miata's and you could drive through a monsoon in them.

I'm a very cautious wet weather driver, but making a 8 hour trip from Montreal to Michigan we did at a steady 80mph in sometimes torrential rains, passing semi's throwing off huge amounts of water with absolutely no problems. They stuck well, even being small 14" rims with a 225 series tire and 320rwhp.

If you drive in the rain at all these would be my absolute first choice.

As far as the ride improvement, they are very nice riding tires, for their ride quality and rain performance for the money they cannot be beat.

 

Hi Rynberg,

Nice writeup. Nice looking wheels. I'm surprised to hear that the T1-S isn't any better than the Dunlop when cold. Very surprised.

The pic of your right front shows the fender lip is slightly bent. Did that happen with the new rims, or before?

Mow your lawn. Pay your registration.

 

Hey Manny. The Comps are not in the near future now. I'm pretty happy with the handling/grip of the car now and my money has had and will have other directions to go right now. I actually haven't burned through the Toyos yet. They are holding up very well with about 8k miles of street driving, 3 HDPE, and 1 auto-x.

The fender lip bend occured with the STOCK wheels and tires. Have not caught the lip once with the new (and wider) setup. I have hit the fender liners a few times though....

I don't need to mow my lawn, it's all dead now...
And my registration is up to date, that review is 3 months old...

 

You are a Cheap Bastard......... killed the lawn to save on the water bill

Glad to hear the new rims fit well. How did you bend the lip with the stock tires??

 

I bought the rims twice. Once in 1996 and then in 2002 when the previous one got stolen. I love RP01!!!
Too bad they discontinued it.

 

Speaking of discontinued...Anyone know where I could find one?

 

just a query on the tires, are they "noisy?"

 

They are quiet for a high performance tire. They are probably about the same as my Dunlop SP8000s, maybe a little quieter over some surfaces. They are certainly not loud enough to be objectionable, and I'm an acoustical consultant....

 

Cool writeup, it may not apply very well to FC's but its still cool to learn something new from other peoples perspectives. Is your car Orange?? -alex

 

It's Vintage Red. Stock Mazda color.

 

Actually, the T1S worked well on my Turbo II FC. Also worked well on my modded BMW 325is.

Gonna try them soon on the FD too

 

Now, more prise on T1-S.....huuh....I'll have to get them too.

 

FWIW, those of you really lusting after the RP01 should look hard at the RP02-J.

It has only detail differences from the RP01, Enkei rates it as trackworthy, it is relatively lightweight, and not expensive. The 18x8s on my RX-8 are only 18lbs. each and were $226 each. (My Mazdaspeed springs and shocks just arrived at the parts dept. so the wheelwell gap will be better soon).

 

Hey guys I too have owned RP01, i miss this wheel very much. RP02J is a little too rounded, doesn't have that mean appearance of the 01. But i very much like the RP03 they have released.

As an FYI, Enkei will have some good wheels coming and we are helping them bring better offsets for certain apps. Kinda custom recipe we have. I believe Rishie is making these recommendations to them.

We will be at Sevenstock this year with Enkei if any of you would like to stop by. Their wheel technology has only been improving, wheels becoming lighter, stronger, and cheaper. Sounds like oxymoron.

Come by and visit Endless USA and Enkei North America at sevenstock. We will be very happy to show some of these replacement products for RP01.

We also have very good relationship with Toyo as we use their RA1 on our EG Civic in Honda Challenge. Please let me know if I can help you guys access these. I know they aren't widely sold on net. I think i have a good price from them. We use T1S on one of our FC also.