I have been in the process of shopping for a different set of wheels for the past 12 months. Even prior to purchasing my car I started looking eventually knowing that I would want a set of aftermarket wheels to complement the stock 7 spokes. Coming from the Porsche world, where there are a plethora of factory wheels in many different styles to choose from spanning multiple decades, my original plan was to do the same with the NSX. Factory choices, I found, are very limited (3 models from ’91-’05) but that is what the aftermarket is for.
In my search I found only a handful of wheels that I liked and even fewer still that I would want to keep long-term. The decision making was exacerbated by owning a black car which, in my opinion, is much more fussy about wheel style and color when compared to red, white, silver etc. e.g.….too bright of a finish = draws the eye away from the body, spoke design too busy = doesn’t flow well with the lines of the car, hard to clean etc.
In the end I kept going back to Ray’s TE37 for many reasons. They are light, strong (forged monoblock) with clean and simple lines giving it a timeless look. I have seen these wheels in person on a white R34 Skyline in Kawagoe, a red NSX in Yokohama and even a black 944 Turbo in Tokyo. The style was finalized, but I struggled with the finish, none of which I really loved for Berlina Black. Then I saw the pressed graphite of the Super Laps. The lower weight and cost were the proverbial icing on the cake. After several more months of waiting...never a bad idea with a big purchase like this, I pulled the trigger and placed my order a couple of weeks ago.
My sizing criteria were 17" front and 18" rear. 19's were out. I had originally wanted to run a 265 rear without stretching the tires but when I was finalizing my order I was told that neither the 18x9.5 +35 or the 18X9.5 +40 sizes have concave faces. After inquiring further I was informed of one additional option for the rear that would have the concave face albeit on a 10” width. The 18X10 +40 5x114.3 size is not published on Ray’s website, nor can I locate references to it elsewhere, but it is available.
I shopped around extensively and found that Wheelsto (http://www.wheelsto.com) had the best price by far. In addition all sizes were in stock and ready to ship out of the USA. These guys were very easy to work with. The shipping was fast and everything was carefully packed. I will highly recommend them.
I ordered the following sizes:
Front: 17X7.5 +40 Rear: 18X10 +40
Weights on the stock forged 16/17 - 7 spokes with Yokohama AVS ES100 for comparison are:
My car is lowered on Bilstein shocks/lower perch. No spacers are being used, nor do I plan to use them. I have not come across any instances of this wheel on one of our cars yet so am hoping that someone who is considering them finds this useful in their decision making. I will add more photos and driving impressions once I have time to pull the car out of the garage for a drive during daylight hours this weekend.
Yes, I will take some this weekend. The color on these wheels changes quite a bit depending on the surrounding light. I will try to capture this with my camera.
How did you settle on the the Yokohama S Drive tires?
The S-Drives made the most sense for me based on my driving style and personal criteria. I understand that this tire is Yokohama’s replacement for the AVS ES100, which I am a fan of. I had a chance to test these out and there is a greater sense of adhesion and control with the S Drives based on my experiences with ES100’s in similar new condition. Then again the comparison is not exactly fair due to the size differences. I know there are better tires out there, but I would never see the benefit due to my conservative driving style. One thing that was immediately obvious was the decrease in rotational mass. Turn in is also sharper and more responsive no doubt also due to the move from 225 to 215.
Also, did they balance those tires with the stickers on them?
The stickers on the tires appear to have never been removed and replaced so I am assuming yes. I can understand this approach and am ok with it. There is no vibration and everything is rock solid. Little correction appeared necessary as evidenced by the minimal weights employed.
I have actually played with the sticker thing at work when balancing tires before. I balanced a tire, then removed the sticker and did a checkspin again. It was only about 5grams off every time.
With this setup, is the difference in width for the stagger between the front and rear wheels too much? 7.5 vs 10?
I want these wheels as well in a 17/18 combo, with the concave rear, but read that having such a drastic stagger in width between front and rears is bad?
Here are some full shots of the car. The sun was setting when I took these. I love the pressed graphite on black.
I am still unsure what I am going to do about the red sticker for the spoke face. It is not exactly subtle but I think red accents work very well with gray...reminds me of the GT3 RS
With this setup, is the difference in width for the stagger between the front and rear wheels too much? 7.5 vs 10?
I want these wheels as well in a 17/18 combo, with the concave rear, but read that having such a drastic stagger in width between front and rears is bad?
In my hours of research I did not come across any evidence to support this. This is a common setup and I have yet to read about any reported issues.
Are you concerned about the TCS? I have no problems at all with the TCS.
I have always been a fan of the TE 37s, good choice. I didnt know about this 18x10 either, I had the 18x10.5 before on my black NSX. I am a big fan of one peice wheels as well and lip is not a must for me. I currently have zero lip and love the look.
In my hours of research I did not come across any evidence to support this. This is a common setup and I have yet to read about any reported issues.
Are you concerned about the TCS? I have no problems at all with the TCS.
I didn't have any specific concerns, TCS would obviously be a concern. I just thought that some balance would be in comprimise, such as the natural handling aspects of the car being in jeopardy. Too much rear grip, making the car understeer. I track My car, so I wouldn't want to sacrifice function over form.
Thanks for posting the pics, this has definitely made Me want to order these wheels now! Looks amazing!
Here are some full shots of the car. The sun was setting when I took these. I love the pressed graphite on black.
I am still unsure what I am going to do about the red sticker for the spoke face. It is not exactly subtle but I think red accents work very well with gray...reminds me of the GT3 RS
What about adding red Rays lugs to match the valve cap? that may balance out and make the red sticker flow more.
My NSX is black as well, and I think that is direction I'm going to go with, as I also have the NSX-R H badges. If I get the time, I'll try to photochop something for You.
are you on stock suspension? look like u need a little drop..
My car is lowered on Bilstein shocks/lower perch. I would not lower any further for a 100% street car, which mine is.
Nice looking set up but you DO need center caps. Looks like Angelina Jolie with a missing front tooth.
I originally thought this may bother me, but it doesn’t. This is because the mounting surface has been shaved down so close to the axles such that there isn’t a huge cylindrical void.
Ray’s states that center caps cannot be fitted to these wheels due to the material on the mounting face having been reduced in the overall weight-loss effort. I was a bit skeptical of this and after examining the center hubs in person I can say that it would be a real challenge to fab center caps for the rears such that they could be securely retained. The fronts have even less material to work with. I think it is safe to say that if a center cap could have been applied to these wheels to ensure universal fit Ray’s would have made them.
I didn't have any specific concerns, TCS would obviously be a concern. I just thought that some balance would be in comprimise, such as the natural handling aspects of the car being in jeopardy. Too much rear grip, making the car understeer. I track My car, so I wouldn't want to sacrifice function over form.
I had a chance to take the car out this weekend and am happy to report that the handling is still very neutral. There are four things that stand out to me with this new setup vs. stock: reduction in rotational mass, more responsive steering, reduced low-speed steering efforts (my coupe has the manual rack) and lastly greater rear grip resulting in more confidence during cornering.
I anticipated a harsher ride moving from 16/17 to 17/18, but that has not been my experience, it is still comfortable.
Here is what it may look like with matching red lugs, all it needs then is the decal.
Thanks for going through the trouble to do that That would look great with the decal. As nice as Ray’s lugs are I am hesitant to spend upwards of $150 on a set though. If I had the NSX-R H badges I would definitely do it. I may still put the decals on, but will wait awhile before deciding. If you end up going with these wheels please post pics, would love to see how it all ties together on your car.
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Re: Volk/Ray's TE37 SL's Installed
Originally Posted by dablackgoku1234
Turn in is also sharper and more responsive no doubt also due to the move from 225 to 215. 
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