Theme Tuesday: New Wheel Companies Part – 1

15

Sometime last year I got into a conversation about “real” wheel companies with a local enthusiast. Normally I try and avoid conversations like this all together but, this time I took the bait and asked the person to list off a few companies he considered real.

The standard prerequisites (BBS, Volk, Work, and so forth) were fired off but I was a little shocked that he failed to mention any of the numerous new (or perhaps maturing) wheel companies that have been putting out original designs within the past 5 years or so.

Sure there have been a lot of questionably named replica companies that have emerged since the latest “rise of stance” but there are also several creative brands making their individual marks on the industry as well.

So many in fact that I’ve decided to break this Theme Tuesday into two parts.

Watercooled IND

I’ve been following this company out of Michigan on facebook for about a year now and as the name suggests they generally cater to the VW crowd.

While I’m sure there wheels would look good on a variety of other cars there is no denying they look stunning on Volkswagens.

nwc_wind_1
Watercooled IND CC10s
nwc_wind_2_bl8
I posted this on the fanpage way back, love the satin black on the graphite BL8s
nwc_wind_3_cc5
What would a wheel company be without a classic 5 spoke?

Vossen Wheels

Vossen has gained a lot of popularity over the past few years by producing large diameter wheels at affordable price points.

Their alignment with Importfest has given me a chance to see a lot of their lineup in person and have always been impressed with their styles and finishes.

Sadly too big for my car.

Harvin’s 370z on Vossen CV2 wheels
CV-5s on a local G35
This car my look familiar from this video

Sempek Wheels

This is perhaps the newest company on the list but at the same time the one I’ve been watching the closest. Putting a set of their wheels under Knoop’s car is a great way to kick down the door and make a name for yourself.

nwc_sempek_1
Sempek’s Trophy wheel suits this e39 quite well
nwc_sempek_2
Knoop on Sempek Knoops
nwc_sempek_3
Put to the test

Memoryfab / M Technica

Memoryfab is one of two wheel companies on this list with deep roots in importing, selling, and refinishing wheels. Memoryfab’s M Technica line consists mostly of wheels inspired by classic Motorsport designs that work great on older vehicles.

They’ve also got a few more contemporary models that look nice on modern cars like the FR-S as well.

nwc_mtechnia_1
M technia Turbos on a Miata
nwc_mtechnia_3
M technia Aero 18s test fit on a MkIV
nwc_mtechnia_4
M technica Aero’s on an FR-S
nwc_mtechnia_5
M Technica Directionals
nwc_memoryfab_bonus
Memory Fab also made these, and these are awesome

VIP Modular

VIP Modular wheels first stood out to me on the ‘grape jelly’ TL pictured below as they were bold and in your face without being overly gaudy.

Since then I’ve  had no issue picturing their big faced, deep dish wheels, on basically every luxury sedan ever built.

nwc_vip_modular_1
Love this combo
nwc_vip_modular_2
VIP modular loves the big Acuras…
VIP  modular wheels also work surprisingly well on this FR-S from the Tokyo Auto Salon

Luxury Abstract

A familiar name on Stance Is Everything Luxury Abstract has amassed an impressive following over the past few years due to the hard work put in by the entire staff.

They recently picked up to two Canadian distributors (one of which being local PFAFF Tuning) so I am really looking forward to finally seeing a set in the flesh in the near future.

nwc_la_2
7 on Madors, I really like the Mador Mini as well
nwc_la_3
This car was featured on Grassor-Cs was featured on Stance Nation recently
Unique wheels for a unique car, Max’s Acura looking stunning on Madors

ADV.1

When the owner of ADV.1 first started pushing the brand he was met with a lot of resistance due to the in your face marketing campaign (fuckyourwheels.com) and his previous endevours with now extinct wheel company 360 forged.

Despite criticisms and nay-sayers ADV.1 has prevailed and continues to put out high quality, understated, designs that work well on a variety of vehicles.

Peter’s car on his previous ADV.1 set-up
Grinder TV Audi sittin’ low on ADV.1 8TS wheels (I think)
Perfect fit really
Insane.
Insane.

Rotiform

Easily one of the most successful and recognizable names on this list everyone at this point has heard of and seen a Rotiform wheel on-line and in person.

I’m not sure anyone could have predicted a few years ago just how popular this company would become.

nwc_rotiform_1
3PC TMBs are perhaps my favorite of the entire lineup
nwc_rotiform_2
Caddy on BLQS
nwc_rotiform_4
Rotiform Dia wheels, obviously Lamborghini inspired but sick none the less

Stay tuned for the rest next week, and feel free to submit a few favorites of your own.

15 COMMENTS

  1. Great theme tuesday!! thanks for the shoutout to! we should have our luxuray abstract demo wheel very soon! never heard of watercooled IND. looks like wicked stuff!!

  2. “Memory Fab also made these, and these are awesome” Those really are awesome and they bring back some memories from my first car (88 Pontiac Sunbird).

  3. Yeah, I was thinking Pontiac Trans Am Formula on those Memoryfab wheels.

    I think it’s common now to pay $2000+ for a set of genuine custom wheels. If they come off a shelf in a warehouse, they aren’t custom, and they probably won’t look it either.

  4. Just as an FYI…

    “he failed to mention any of the numerous new (or perhaps maturing) wheel companies that have been putting out original designs within the past 5 years or so.”

    The M Technica Turbo wheels from Memory Fab are straight up ripoffs of an OG Japanese wheels, not an “original design”. They are exact copies of the RS Watanabe Falcon.

  5. “he failed to mention any of the numerous new (or perhaps maturing) wheel companies that have been putting out original designs within the past 5 years or so.”

    FYI, the M Technica Turbo wheels are not an “original design”. They are exact copies of the vintage RS Watanabe Falcon wheel.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.