Aristocrat Autosport
GOLFMK7 Official Sponsor
- Location
- Buena Park, CA
What weight was the JWL / VIA testing done at for this size? Can't help but feel these are pushing it on price when there are (admittedly made in Taiwan or China) forged + flowed wheels of similar weight and design for the same price. WedsSport is a great name, but there are a lot of options out there now.
If i'm not mistaken these should be rated at 700kg VIA, however all WedsSport wheels are tested at 10% stricter standards than is required by JWL/VIA for every test (the same as Enkei's Spec-E and Rays eng's JWL+R). For the added cost of a WedsSport, you're getting aluminum which is strictly refined in Japan and not offshore. Their JWL machines are all calibrated regularly as required, and every new spec is tested for JWL/VIA compliance. For the TC-105X in 18x8.5 +43 and SA-10R in 18x8.5 +45, those sizes existed in other bolt patterns but were re-tested regardless for 5x112. If it doesn't pass, you won't see it on your car.
You do bring up a good point for the made in Taiwan/China wheels, however keep in mind that many of those forged wheels are also made using a completely different process than forged wheels coming from companies such as BBS (all Forged BBS wheels are made in Japan), Volk Racing, TWS, Enkei, etc. All of the aforementioned brands use closed die/mold forging which has a basic mold of the wheel attached to a giant press; when the press comes down it stamps out the basic shape of the spokes. This method is used to control the grain structure's flow for the spokes, as it is one of the most important parts in a wheel's structural design. As you can imagine, this requires constant upkeep of the mold which heavily adds to production cost. The less expensive stuff you're seeing now has a forged wheel blank which then has the shape of the wheel/spokes cut out via CNC.
Look at it this way - compare the weight, performance, and rigidity of the TC-105X against die forged competitors out of Japan for this price point in similar sizes. We sell a wide range of wheel brands, and throughout our sales history the TC-105X has and is showing to be a good mover for us for this very reason. I'm very excited to see what limits the MK7 crowd will be able to push with these.