I think it's a bit different when two small companies compete. This is a HUGE company competing with a small company.

I'm a bit upset, but in an irrational way. I'm not saying it's right to be angry at tirerack because honestly competition in business is good. Hopefully people look at the whole picture before making their purchases. They can get a good deal through tire rack, or buy from emilio who will in return give back to the community. Just my opinion.

I haven't bought 6ULs from emilio, and don't track my car, but I have bought parts from him, and he will continue to get my business because he gives back the community, has reasonable prices, and was very satisfied with his service.

I like the people bitching at Emilio because he requires a pre-order for the wheels with money. It sounds to me like a few of those idiots suck at life and should put the tears to work in professional development.

I think that I'm the only one that menioned that, unless there are some comments on the other thread. Haven't read it.

I have no problem with the preorder. I did it and budgeted for the time that I needed them by ordering them before I needed them.

I'm just saying that many will treat it as a retail store and in their opinion they should be in stock. I'd bet the TR's will be and that alone will net them some sales. Someone will come up with a few bucks, decide they want wheels, call Emilio. He says it will be a few months until the next order/run. Buyer cries and then calls TR where they take the money and ship from stock.

Right or wrong, that's just the way it is.

I think this all depends on the funds available. People who have the money to by the 6UL will probably continue to do so, those who don't will look else where. But now they have another option. BTW this looks a whole lot like a 6UL to me, but since I don't own a set maybe I'm missing something.

Enkei Racing PF01 Bright Silver Paint

I hate to pre-order shit when the vendor can't give me an accurate date when it will arrive. Hopefully these new rims will take enough sales away from him that he will actually be able to keep the wheels in stock.

To me, it comes down to what has TR done for us? Really, what specifically has TR done FOR us, that no other cookie cutter tire distributor can or has done? Sure, they ship fast, they have a huge selection and they have a good reviews feature. So what? I can buy tires @ the same price at nearly every local tire shop - all I have to do it print out the price w/shipping from TR and take it to them and have them price match.

I have bought ALL of my tires from TR for the last 11 years, but not any more. I would rather pay 10% more for my tires than deal with a company that stole the little guy's idea/sales.

How many of you can say that if 949Racing were not around(ie, EMILIO) we would not miss him. How many products has he designed, help designed and brought to us? How many products has TR developed FOR US?

FUCK TIRE RACK!

My last racing wheels I purchased were 6ULs and the next will be also. Bummer I cant get any replacements for my set. :(

Anyone want to sell their spare 15x8 +40 Gen I?

For many of us the fact they do testing and reviews on tires is huge. No other tire seller is doing that. When the magazines want to do a tire test who do they go to? Tirerack.

From Tirerack's perspective they are doing us another favor with these wheels. A reasonably light and strong (maybe) 15x9 wheel set for around $500 when the current standard is closer to $800. I'm sure they would say that is a help to the community.

Is Emilio pissed? Sure. Did he guess it might be coming? I bet he did. You can't create a product as popular as his without it getting noticed. Tirerack is a big supporter of many car forums 949's wheels are popular on. They were sure to notice and did what they thought best for them and likely what they thought best for us. Created a less expensive alternative.

This does smack a little of a CR outcry over copies of their precious JDM goods. If it's not patented or copyrighted, something popular sure as hell will be copied. What Emilio has done and accomplished may not be completely altruistic either. His work is great, innovative and helpful but 949 is a business. Maybe it's a business created to support his track efforts, maybe it's making him a living, maybe it's a grand dream of riches, fame and women. I don't know him personally like the SoCal track rats do, hopefully they can shed some light on that.

I have 6uls. I buy my Carbotech's from Emilio. I've asked him many questions about products and he has always answered in a thoughtful manner. I and other people will continue to buy his wheels. They look great, work well and are reasonably priced for the quality.

I actually like to wait extened periods, longer than suggested, hopefully years. Its fun and gives me something to live for. There is nothing more fulfilling than sending money into a black-hole, wondering if you'll ever see it again. lol

I didn't mind paying more or waiting for quality. I have a short list of wheels I'd put on it, and 6ULs are cheaper and wider than TE-37s.

I heard someone bitching about the Grassroots Magazine owner because "he only has that magazine so he can go racing!" Lol, that sounds like a great idea to me.

The socal track rats are dirty homosexuals living in sin.

Having a business to support and excuse your track habit certainly wasn't being criticized by me! It is a great idea if you can make it work. There's a lot of big race shops that started out that way.

My point is I don't know how big 949 is or what Emilio's plans and dreams for the business are. Is he losing money? Clearing 40K? Clearing 400K? Is he A. innovative and hard working because he's a dedicated track nut trying to help the community. or B. Planning world domination? The guys that know him personally are really pissed about tire rack. People that don't have that personal relationship or insider knowledge don't know whether to be upset or not!

Funny how nobody cares about this type of thing until it happens to themselves or a friend.

agreed! and are there even pics of these wheels? hopefully they're not as ugly as the 6uls:fawk:

In for the flame war! :firedevil

949 is his day job. If I had to guess, I'd say he puts in 80-90hrs a week. Can't count the number of times I've emailed or texted him past 10pm and gotten a response.

AAAAaaaaaand the m.n thread is now locked.

Maybe that should happen to this one as well.

gtfo.

Tire Rack saw that there where Miata people standing in line with money in hand in this fuckup economy to buy a wonderful rim that was specially sized for racing. They also saw that there was not enough of those rims to supply the demand. Being rim people themselves they got in the game. Sucks for Emilio, but Emilio will continue to sell all the Miata wheels he produces. Why? The SexUaL (6UL) are stonger, lighter and better looking than cheaper knockoffs that TRM will sell. But it still sucks for the Emilio to now have to compete with the giant!

"bashing"? what a pussy.

Has anyone seen the TR wheel?

Oh man this is some bullshit! Sorry Emilio! Don't worry, I think anyone who actually likes motorsports will buy your wheels first, as long as they are aware of them.

I would never buy that blatant shitty rip-off wheel. You probably didn't need these corporate assholes to copy your design and hard work for us, to know your wheels were the best available though.
Maybe they'll even copy the rest of your wheels:drool:! (S2k fitment,STi,RX8,MX5)

Fuck u tire rack.Attachment 201657Bleed on you!:td:

We appreciate all of the hard work, ideas, and effort you share with us! Plus what you give back(https://www.miataturbo.net/forum/t41917/).
When I need new wheels they'll be 6ulr's:2cents:

Online tires dot com have better prices than tire rack anyway.

strength & proven worthiness are the main selling factors...and that without a doubt goes to the 6ul , nobody buys Ralph Lauren or Stacy Adams Just because they come in extra large. Do they? ;) originators always prevail because vision & dreams come lightyears ahead of
copies.

TR just updated the wheel info at Mnet. 15.6 lbs. 3lb heavier than the 6ul. Single air inlet. One color. No mention of casting methods. Likely a good cheap street wheel but track guys will spend the extra $50 and stick with lighter and stronger 6uls.

http://forum.miata.net/vb/attachment...5&d=1264260211

And you forgot to mention they are fucking UGLY!!!!!!!!! geez at a $50 difference 6uls ALL DAY.

Well, as speculated, much heavier, and not nearly as nice looking. 6ULs are definitely worth the extra money compared to these. And if my math is right the difference is only $40 each not including shipping. And the difference in weight is 3.2 lbs. The win goes to 949 and the 6UL, especially for track use. Shaving almost 13 lbs collectively on the wheels for $160 is pretty much a no-brainer.

Yo if youz wantz da mad wide tyrz on da slamma jamma ride, da TR wheelz are the shizzle, nizzle, and mo Benjamins for da bitchez.

You can see the passion and thought that went into the 6UL wheel. The TR wheel... not so much. If I needed a set of 15x9's, my money would go to Emilio.

C

had high hopes.... wheel turned out fugly

I don't think they look that bad, but for the extra $200, I'd go 6UL.

I don't get it, this looks nothing like the 6UL. Their website is listing it at 15x8, not x9.

Wow I was looking for info on these this morning. Shit I'm getting these and I'll buy some used racing tires with $200. I plan on getting the 6ul next year do.

These would make a great street wheel, but for the price used rpf01/6ul's would be way nicer.

who said they were gonna look like 6ul's? oh, you mean because everyone was going crazy about copying them? it was the size/bolt pattern/offset that they copied.

i wish they looked more like the c1's but for a track wheel who give's a fuX.
if i had an extra $200 and could wait for the change of season's for a set of wheels i would love the 6ul. but alas, the $200 is my entry fee to a trackday. and i would have to have the whole amount of $$$ to order and wait for the 6ul's since i wouldn't be able to sell my current wheels until the new one's came in. so really i would need an extra $800, and that's not happening anytime soon. BUT, when my 205's wear out, i will most likely sell my c1's for nearly the same amount as the new ones. then use the $800 that i didn't spend on waiting for 6ul's for a fresh set of 225 nt-01's.
someday though, i will have some 6ul's. in the meantime, thanks tr for making some cheap 9" for those of us that are financially challenged.

Boat anchors. Find me another mod that drops 2.5lbs of unsprung weight per corner for $200 or less.

Truth. I recommend reading the miata.net unsprung weight threads before having an opinion on these rims.

Yup, 6UL is lighter, stronger and it looks WAY better IMO - no doubt the cheap posers will want to save a couple bucks even though it is an inferior wheel.

You can also drop a 3-4 lbs on each front corners by ditching the pig-heavy stock calipers and brackets and switching to some wilwood calipers and 2 piece rotors.

Replacing the calipers with ebay'd plastic BREMBO covers will save weight too! I'm sure there's a darwin award winner out there who will try it to offset the weight gain over 6UL's.

I'll probably take some shit over this but I don't at all like the looks of the 6ul. Sorry. The TR wheel is better looking to me but weighs too much. If I ever replace the Kosei's K1's it'll have to be a custom wheel I suppose.

Now these I like!
http://www.kodiakracingwheels.com/im...altigermed.jpg

TR wheel = $119/wheel
949 wheel = $189/wheel

$70 difference/wheel

$280 difference/set.

Just clarifying.

I have this strange desire to just buy the C3M to annoy certain people.... like the rharris Tuckin99 copies I'm picking up just to annoy another group :p

I think it looks alright. Id pick up some used 6ul first though, lol.

Cheap posers? :vash:

OK so TR has copied the fitment but not the design, is cheaper, but a lot heavier. 949 still has the corner on the market for width/weight.

I like Emilio a lot too, but I don't think TR "ripped him off".

In many business cases, when one comes up with a new idea, the way to make money is to sell as many as possible until the cheaper copycats come along. I hope Emilio's made a ton of money, he deserves it.

Anyone who makes a ton of money by producing a product that has a better price/performance ratio than the competition, which customers voluntarily and happily buy, deserves the money. This is the essence of Free Market Capitalism. I don't care if Emilio uses the money to support his racing habit, or buy hookers and blow, or he throws the dollar bills into his fireplace - that's his choice (as long as he doesn't hurt anyone with the money).

i love how you guys are talking about a gain in unsprung weight. compared to what? if i already had 6ul's i wouldn't be looking at tr's. i'm guessing that most people interested in these have normal wheels which weigh 13-15lbs or more already. maybe i'm dropping 1-2 lbs. per wheel compared to my old ones and getting a 9" wide wheel in the process. also, it's already been tested, width makes a bigger difference than weight, unless your talkin' about 20lb. wheels or something.
and to be honest, if i were going for looks, it wouldn't be either the tr or 6uls.
hell even the new sportmax (xxr) 522's look way better than both of these imho.

EDIT: lol, in for the hookers and blow! emilio knows how to party!

I'd be afraid to get these TR wheels for track days based solely on the disdain and ridicule I would bring upon myself by showing up to a track day with other miatas present with the TR wheels on my car. At this point, a 15x9 TR wheel-wearing miata could set a new top time at a track and everyone else would probably disregard it because the car's owner is a sellout.

I'll sell you my whole set.

Since these wheels seem to be marketed toward the street wheel buyers more so than the hardcore track guys, Tirerack should use their influence to get a real 15 inch street tire in a good size for the friggin' wheel. How about a 245-45-15 Extreme summer tire?

Frank

wouldn't that be smart :2cents:

Not surprising.. you people in CA are indeed that shallow :giggle:

I'd rock the TRs...just because I like how they look. I don't get why anyone is bitching about the color...for the price, fucking spray paint the damn things to whatever gay rainbow you want.

Much smarter to make it 245/40-15 so the diameter would be right. I expect the size to come out in a full R-comp first, from someone like BFG or Hoosier. That's where you're going to see experiments on low volume numbers like this. I know the BFG molds are modular, so they could pretty easily make it based on the 205/50-15 stuff, but they aren't really into risks. Hoosier obviously is willing to get crazy. They are doing the 275 now, and they were the first to do the 225/45-15.

I endorse the message!

I don't really get this either, if you like them you like them if you don't I can't imagine why you would even care about them. The wheels are just another option for those of us that just haven't been able to swing a set of UL, or anything else. I think they look fine, however I prefer my paid for Kosei's more.

Scroll up a few rows and remember that JasonC lives here, too. It's the straight men from Texas you see swinging from Emilio's nuts in this thread.

If they made a high-offset K1 in 15x8, I'd rock it all day long.

+ a billion! or maybe even a 15x9.

For most racers out there, does the cost savings of these and the ability to run the Hoosiers on the track outweigh the weight penalty vs the 6ULs? If it doesn't, then TR is obviously aiming these at the street market. Thus my request for a wider tire be it in a 40 or 45 series in an EHP or UHP.

I'll bet a large part of Emilios sales go to guys who will never track their car. Hell, that's what my 6ULs are for.

which are cheaper 6ul's or tr's? lol jk

if i wanted track wheels id buy 6ul's no doubt. if i wanted dd'ing wheels id stick with the tr motorsports. i think thats whats going to happen really with most people. good luck in future sales emilio, no sarcasm here. i hate big businesses taking other smaller businesses ideas.

15x9 or 15x8 DD is for posin'.

For DD 195's or 205's are plenty, even for tearin' up mt. roads.

Negative. At 14psi, I can't floor it in first gear on 15x8 6ULs w/ 225 RS-2s without spinning the tires.

rofl no way i would be able to drive the way i wanted with anymore than about 200 whp on tap on some puny ass 205's Unless they where slicks

BS I ran 195's and 205's for years with 240 whp running Azenis class tires. I switched to a 3.9 diff from 4.3 to solve the 1st gear hookup problem. They won't spin if it's warm out.

I never said there was anyting wrong with posin' BTW. Pose away.