The cheapest, lightest, strongest wheels EVER - all about Enkei Wheels

We’re convinced that Enkei Wheels operates on something similar to the cat distribution system where no one actually seeks them out, they just wind up with one, then fall in love with it and keep it forever. There’s no other way you people are buying this wheel this often.

Let’s talk about the history of Enkei

These dudes have been around since 1950 - that’s 74 years of makin’ wheels. Originally starting in Shizuoka, Japan, Enkei has grown to become one of, if not the biggest wheel companies in the world.

The company gets its name from - drum roll……… nothing. They have never formally explained why they’re called Enkei. There have been different theories on the name, but nothing has been confirmed. However, the name is written in Katakana, a character system that represents English characters. The Japanese have 3 alphabets for some reason, go figure. People speculate that ‘Enkei’ is just a collection of Katakana that sounds cool.

By 1967 they opened a new factory specifically for exporting wheels to the rest of the world. That went so well that they opened Enkei International in Michigan in 1984. In 1985, for some reason they opened Enkei American (Columbus, Indiana) to manufacture wheels. Why would they do this when the cars they wanted to put wheels on were in Detroit? We have no clue, but that’s what they did. 1987 to ‘97 they expanded all over Asia, opening factories in Malaysia, China, Indonesia, and The Philippines. Then they opened another US facility, this time in Florida - guess they wanted to test if Alligators and bath salts would help make their wheels lighter.

1995 was one of Enkei's most pivotal years following a partnership with McLaren F1. Enkei became the official team supplier of wheels. And guess what? McLaren was extremely successful during the collaboration years, thanks in a small part to those light RPF1 predecessors

For the next decade, Enkei continued to expand, opening up new factories like crazy. They gained some prestigious certifications in the process. These included the S9000 & ISO9000 certifications. Without getting too technical, that just means they make some really good $h!t.

Besides the certs, what makes ‘em so good?

Unless you've been living under a rock since… forever, Enkei does two things really well: they make really really light wheels, and they make ‘em affordable. Nothing encapsulates this quite like the big daddy of their lineup - the RPF1.

If you know an Enkei wheel, this is it. The RPF1 uses their revolutionary MAT technology. This reduces weight by about 10-15%. Doesn’t sound like much, but for our male audience: tell us you wouldn’t be stoked with a 10-15% increase in… something. The RPF1 uses a super thin split-spoke design, combined with MAT technology and aggressive lug pockets. Maybe even some other Enkei secret sauce to make these some of the lightest wheels on the planet (not getting into exotic materials). The biggest you can get, 18x10.5, comes in at around 19lbs. That same size costs only $409 per wheel. Not to mention they were legitimately derived from F1 wheels. You can bundle these wheels with your favorite tires and get them shipped to your door, tires already mounted.

Bundle wheels and tires

With a lot of wheels, you have to pick ⅔: light, strong, cheap. Enkei can seemingly do a bit of all three. How do they achieve the strong part? They made a new testing standard dubbed “Spec-E” which has a higher standard than JWL, a widely used standard for quality wheels. This new testing involves a higher drop test along with 20% more cycles on the road and radial fatigue tests.

They make wheels other than the RPF1!?

Turns out they do. Shocking, right? They make a ton of styles, and a lot of them are really cool, however, they also make a lot of super cringe, garage sale, parts-store-type wheels. We won’t cover that lame stuff, only Enkei's most based and red-pilled designs.

Racing & Racing Revolution - As the name implies these are made for racing. Naturally, they’re very light. You already know the RPF1; some of our favorites are the NT03+M and NT03RR. They both have a functional strength-adding ring. They look good on anything, but especially on S-Chassis

PF06 - These look kinda like the Buddy Club P1

RPF1RS - Not much to say, these are RFP1’s with a deep lip

RS05RR - This one carries a premium price tag, but for good reason. The spokes are very sharp and angular, giving a ton of concavity. They cost about 2K, but well worth it

PF01 EVO - Looks like a hybrid between OE G35 wheels and CR Kiwami. They have a nice amount of lip, even with higher offsets.

Tuner Series - Including models like the TS5, T6R, TX5, and other bangers. Less focused on weight-savings, more focused on aesthetics. TS5 is a classic 5-spoke design, harkening back to the 5ZIGEN FN01RC

Raijin - is a mesh wheel with wide open windows between the spokes. A very subtle design that fits a classy OEM+ build

TS-V - Split 5 spoke wheel that comes in a bunch of configurations of color, specs, etc. They look good on just about anything

Performance Series - Going to be honest, this is where we start to get into that cookie cutter design territory - wheels you might find a big box tire shop. The EV5 is a stand out in this line of products. It’s a super retro 5-spoke design with a lip.

Classic Series - Only two products here, the 92 & Compe. These are an instant classic. So many EG’s are running the 92’s, we swear they could be an OE wheel

RPT1 - Enkei just dropped this off-road of the classic design. Besides this, Enkei doesn’t have a lot of bangers for the truck and SUV Niches. Hopefully, the RPT1 is a sign of big things in for the future

Wrap up

They have been making wheels for 70+ years, what more can you ask? They perfected the affordable, strong, and lightweight wheel with new technology to give their products an edge.

They made wheels for F1, they made racing-oriented wheels, and a bunch of uninteresting stuff that appeals to the mass market. So they certainly have something for you, check out the full collection in our shop.

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If you have a baller setup on Enkei Wheels or even a not-so-baller setup, feel free to show it off in our Fitment Gallery.