Want to Update Your Pantera Wheels for $900?

Enkei Wheels is a major wheel manufacturer, the company manufactures wheels for several OEMs. Their wheels are found on the McLaren Formula 1 racing cars. Many of their performance and racing wheels are cast and manufactured using technology that allows them to control and manipulate the grain of the aluminum alloy. The result is a one piece cast wheel they claim is as strong and light as a one piece forged wheel. The RPF1 is one of their RACING wheels manufactured using those techniques. Their 17x9 front wheel is 3 lbs lighter (per wheel) than the 3-piece 17x9 Etoile wheels that were on my Pantera when I purchased it. Their 18x9 wheels are 8 pounds lighter (per wheel) than the 3-piece 18x9 HRE wheels that I had purchased a few years ago.

The RPF1 wheel caught my eye because it has some styling cues that are reminiscent of old 1960s and 1970s wheels, yet other aspects are more modern. I thought they might appeal to a wide variety of people. I don't think they are bad looking ... do you? The standard finish is silver paint, called Formula 1 silver. Other finishes are available: gold, matte black, and SBC (SBC looks like polished aluminum or chrome). I have no idea if those finishes are available on the wheels I've specified below. Silver paint is good enough for me.

The bottom line, these wheels are available all over the internet, at places like Amazon dot com, eBay, etc. Usually with discounted prices. Searching around the internet, I found pricing for two 17x8 wheels and two 18x10 wheels was around $900 to $1150 US dollars. That's about one third the price of a set of Campy clones or Kinesis wheels. You'll need hub-centric and wheel-centric spacers ( Motorsport Tech ) and longer wheel studs. I didn't price them. You'll also need to attach the ISIS wheel centers to the Enkei center caps.

Let's see ... less money ... less weight ... modern tires abundantly available in matched front/rear sets of V rated (or better) passenger car tires ...

Just stirring the pot ...