What if we told you this company reinvented the wheel? Not just a new color, style, or model. They literally reimagined the wheel.

Of course, we’re talking about SSR wheels, inventors of the three piece wheels, and overall some of the coolest JDM designs on the market.

History of SSR Wheels

SSR goes way back so we’ll give you a quick summary of how they started. SSR launched as Speed Star Wheel, a division of Speed Star racing, in 1971. They expanded to the United States in 1985, opening an office in Los Angeles, CA.

In 1991, they invented Semi-Solid Forge technology - a hybrid between casting and forging, but not flow-forming. Metal is injected into a mold before it solidifies and tons of pressure is applied from the top. This gives the wheel a consistent and favorable grain structure, much the same as forging. Think of Semi-Solid Forging as halfway between cast and forged.

SSR continued from 91 to ‘05 when they declared bankruptcy. Details of this bankruptcy are sketchy at best, but Tanabe, the company that makes coilovers and other cool parts, stepped up to purchase the brand. Since 2005, Tanabe has owned & operated SSR, producing some original designs such as the GTX03.

The first three piece wheel

Every brand in Europe or Japan claims they invented it; Work, Weds, BBS, ∞. But the real geniuses behind the first three piece wheel were at SSR when they made the MK1 in 1971. This is the first documented 3P wheel. However, there is a caveat. The MK1 isn’t a traditional three piece wheel - the inner and outer barrels are welded together.

Weds could claim they did it first, when they made the first true multi-piece wheel a year later, in 1972. This one could break down into three pieces (lip, barrel, face), unlike the MK1. Regardless, before SSR and Weds, all wheels were monobloc, kinda boring right? Other manufacturers joined the multi-piece wheel game much later (over a decade), despite what they might claim.

JWL & VIA certifications - quality control 

Besides inventing the 3P wheel, another advancement made by SSR was the JWL standard. What is JWL? It stands for Japanese (Light) Alloy (Wheel). Why JWL and not JLAW? Your guess is as good as ours.

What we do know is that JWL is a standard set forth by the Japanese Ministry of Transportation for self-testing wheels. Once the Vehicle Inspection Association (VIA) approves a factory, the wheels can be JWL-certified. You’ll see most JDM wheels bearing a VIA and JWL stamp.

SSR didn’t invent the standard, but they identified a lack of quality control in the industry. They worked in tandem with the appropriate government agencies to become the first company to self-certify with JWL. And if SSR feels comfortable asking the government to certify their wheels, they must be pretty good.

Motorsports

If you had a race car in Japan during the 80’s,90’s, and 2000’s, you were probably running SSRs. SSR sponsored a shitload of racing events and teams at this time, some important ones are JGTC GT300/GT500, All Japan Touring Car Grand Prix, Chris Forsberg (FD), Team Mugen, Team Arta, Team Real Racing, and much more (see full on SSR website).

SSR was committed to making track inspired wheels at this time. In 2000, they went as far as certifying the Type C as the lightest wheel ever made (at the time). Now, wheels made from exotic materials can be even lighter, however, the Type C is still super light for being alloy.

SSR ‘brands’, lines & models

They’ve made a ton of different product lines and wheel models over the years. With over 50 years of motorsports heritage, SSR is still racing oriented, however, they have recently become popular in the VIP scene. We’re gonna cover the ones you’ve likely heard of, plus some that you probably haven’t.

Top level; they have broad ‘brands’, such as Vienna and Professor. If we drill down, we’ll find these brands expand into smaller product lines such as the Professor TF1. Basically, it goes SSR > brand > line > model.

Agle - This contains lines such as the Strusse, Minerva and Premium. This brand was trendy in the 90’s with drifters, particularly the Minerva and Strusse lines. Many models of Agile have been phased out except for the Minerva in 19/20-inch - these look pretty baller on a big bodied VIP build.

Professor - This is what you know SSR for, isn’t it? The professor brand includes SP1, SP3, MS1, MS3, etc, etc… These are sport inspired 3P wheels. They’ll cost a bit more than comparable wheels from say, Work. But this can be attributed to better manufacturing processes and the use of superior aluminum alloys. We really like the new SP6, a flat 5-spoke design, resembling classics such as the SSR Koenig, LMGT2 and Hinodex-Stern Face II. Sure, they’re about 1k per wheel, but you can get ‘em the way you want without fiddling around with relipping.

‘Type’ - Admittedly, we don’t know exactly what to call these. They’re mostly discontinued so information is hard to come by. ‘Type’ wheels include theType-C and Type-F. These are semi-solid, forged, monoblock, race oriented wheels. Lightweight and super strong, but becoming difficult to find; if you come across a vintage set, they’re a great investment.

Executor - These, unlike the Type line, are mostly still in production. These look to be designed with VIP in mind: big diameters, floating and concave spokes. They could be compared to some current USDM wheels on the market. They look good on big body sedans, for example, we’ve seen them on a BMW M5. Compared to a comparable American-made wheel, they’re pretty affordable.