Keizer rims

AngleT

AngleT

Always more tuning to do
I have a quick story about my 15" Keizer racing rims. I ordered the rims in spring 2003. Before I ordered them I made a jig to ensure I ordered the size that would fit with the correct offset and width. Keizer rims are a multi piece, lightweight, racing only rim that comes in almost any offset, width, and bolt pattern you like. I ordered my rims and when they came in I knew my measurements would be close, and sure enough they were. But they did fit and with some mild adjustments to finder lips, I was good-to-go.

Fast forward 7 years and I need to replace one of those sections due to damage (dang pot holes!). When I called Keizer, they informed me that the rim sections only came in increments of 1 inch. So, I ordered a 6 inch section, hopping for the best. When the rim came in, I separated the halves of the old damaged rim and laid the two sections side-by-side to find out that my damaged piece was 1/2 in narrower than the piece they had sent. The new rim half was also made of thicker material. Keizer had updated their rims about 2 years ago by not offering the 1/2 sizes (reducing stock and saving money, good thing because it lowers prices) and increasing the thickness (makes it a stronger rim, also a good thing)

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Well, this put me in a predicament. Luckily, they had a NOS 5 1/2 inch on the shelf that they could ship me (and ship the 6 inch back) or they could cut me a deal on another 6 inch section for the other side. I decided to take the 5 1/2 inch deal. Although the new 6 inch piece looks very nice and might have fit, I figured I better not mess with what had been working.

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Just thought I would share
 
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Interesting info Tom. I've always loved the look of those wheels on your car but have been wary of using them because of how fragile they are. I'm wondering if the new design is thick enough to stand up to at least some mild hits without breaking. If so, they could sure be a contender when I need to install bigger brakes.

Thanks for the info.

///Mike
 
I wonder how much they would charge to make some inner and outer lips for my HRE centers??:)
 
Major pot hole!

It actually compressed the suspension enough to rub the tire on the inside upper part of the wheel well! It didn't go flat then either. It was about a month later when it actually failed. (with a little/a lot of my own ignorance) To seat the tire they recommend using max pressure of only 25-30 pounds of pressure. For the road trip I was on, I pumped up the tires up to almost 40 pounds to help with rolling resistance and mileage (yes, this was stupid). The sidewall pressure was most likely the straw that broke the "camel's back". When the tire failed, I hobbled it to a safe spot and this was what really tore up the tire and rim. Then It took quite a bit of effort to get the tire off with the lip missing and the bead sliped over the missing lip.

If you keep the pressure around 30lbs or lower, I think you would be fine. I know I really like them.
 
price

my 15" x 6" section was $120. The whole rim was around $350 each in 03. So, I would guess under $200.
 
hi

I just talked to Keizer 2 months ago the said there rims are not intended for the street and He did not recommend them. after that I talked to Matt at Midwest and he recommended Spin Werkes and that he has had them on the street and even curbed them and it did not bend,brake or crack the wheel .
 
We need to start a list

Those look pretty good. We need to make a list of aftermarket rim companies where we can get the 4x98mm bolt pattern. When I bought my Keisers, they were the only ones I knew of. It helps too that my car isn't a daily driver, so my risk is minimized. When I go to the FFO this summer, I'll have a spare set of stock rims for that just-in-case scenario.

I know we all would love to have more options...
 
I'm surprised more people don't just re-drill the hubs to 4x100, and take advantage of the vast selection of low offset cheap decent rims from the japanese market...

Those 3 peice rims are sick, but at almost 3x the cost....
 
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