When a wheel company releases an instant hit, it’s both a blessing and a curse.
From a dollars and cents perspective, a popular, versatile, design is the best way to keep the accountants happy. I don’t have any insight into RAYS’ books, but I’m going to go out on a limb and assume the Volk Racing TE37 is one of their most successful designs. However, the yin side of this yang comes in with over saturation and replication.
The TE37 is so popular that it is truly everywhere. Cars, trucks, and even recently, a motorcycle.
At the recent RAYS Tribute meet in Santa Ana, California we certainly had the opportunity to dive deep into the world of TE37s.
So much so that perhaps we over did it, because like many of you, the TE37 is on our shortlist of the best designed wheels of all time. That introduces the second problem with an iconic wheel design.
How do you top it?
It’s like music’s sophomore jinx; lightning doesn’t often strike twice and sometimes when a company creates on iconic design they can’t do another. But RAYS’ design studio at their HQ in Osaka, Japan doesn’t seem to have a problem releasing great design after great design.
Going Beyond The TE37
One of the defining aspects of a successful wheel company is a collection of wheels that appeals to a wide range of customers. Convex, concave, thin spokes or fat, a company in it for the long haul needs everything.
A great example of RAYS design versatility is the G25. A recent 10-spoke design in the Volk Racing line up, the G25 look as at home on a track car as it does tucked up into the fenders of the Lexus IS F above.
The F-Zero is a discontinued Volk Racing wheel that’ll still turn heads on the right car. A five-spoke at first glance, a closer examination reveals directional embossing between the spokes, and short vertical lines between the lug nuts for added visual embellishment. Considered vintage today, the wheel looks great on late-1980s and early-1990s cars like this third-gen Supra.
The TE037 Dura and 6061 wheels exist as RAYS’ aftermarket answer to the phenomenon of driver-oriented cars coming from the factory with wheels 19-inches in diameter or larger.
RAYS released their Versus line of wheels with European and large luxury cars in general in mind. Of the Versus line up the V.V.5.2S wheels are on the simpler end of the design spectrum being a split five-spoke. This set looks great on this laid out sedan, and I like how the owner has matched his lugs to the door decals.
It’s the little things…
If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say the CE28 is the second most popular wheel in the Volk Racing line-up. Offered in a variety of different color combinations, widths and offsets, it’s a solid option for anyone looking for a forged RAYS wheel that isn’t a TE37 variant.
Another 10-spoke in the Volk catalog, the ZE40 works on nearly anything you’d want to toss it under. It’s probably not smart to tell your boss what to do, but I hope Paddy bolts his set back up to Project GTI sooner rather than later [Going back on this week - PMcG].
One of my favorite details on the ZE40 is the engraving that runs around the center. Not only is it an eye-catching detail, it makes the wheel that much harder to replicate.
It’s a bit sad we live in an era where counterfeiting needs to be considered, but it’s a reality any wheel company that wants to stay in business has to keep top of mind.
Matte Blue Gunmetal ZE40s, bright yellow, and a lot of low works really well on this BMW 335 sedan.
As fun as it was to explore wheels outside of the TE37, we did bump up against the simple fact that TE37s dominated the RAYS Tribute meet. So we’ve stuffed the closing chapter with an excess of TE37s.
I guess old habits, and first loves, die hard.
Dave Thomas
Instagram: stanceiseverythingcom
Photography by Keiron Berndt
Instagram: keiron_berndt
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
They even look good on that 737. Well done Boeing, well done.
Cool story. Needs more dragons.
Car shows make me want to vomit in my mouth.
Good thing this was just a meet, wouldn't want you to be ill.
And yet you follow an automotive blog.
I can read this while I'm taking a shit. That's the main appeal.
Here you go:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ce/fb/79/cefb7923c111eb652a7c16c30152afa3.jpg
You don't even have to pedal this one.
perfection: accomplished.
Man, I love Rays wheels, It's just a shame the have such a limited range of offsets available to order for their wheels.
You can get a custom offset. Just need to fork over the money.
A shame that some of these are in such a dark colour that they may as well have fit steelies - can't see any of the detail!
I wonder if RAYS would make me a tiny set of TE37s to use as centre caps, so I can TE37 while I TE37?
Sorry mate what was that? All I heard was ze40
I wish they would let a christmas miracle happpen and present TÜV-demanded paperwork for at least a few wheels.
Even if they'd charge another 100€ per wheel for that, it would be AWESOME
How many aftermarket wheel brands are available to you with that stipulation?
Just curious.
Hard to tell, it depends on the (version of) the car.
Like, there's more wheels you can legally stick on a Mark 6 Golf than on a first-gen Mazda MX5/Miata.
But counting companies that make at least one wheel-model with full paperwork for some car so you can install the wheels on that specific car, present the paperwork, pay the additional fine and drive on the streets legally?
It's under a dozen for sure, but maybe 8 or 9 brands.
And that is counting single-model brands set up by discounters or hardware stores.
Some wheels you can buy from the manufacturer or an importer, others (like, recently, a few select Vossen-wheels) you can only get with the paperwork through a tuning-company, at additional cost.
There's individual cases where the TÜV-engineer "had a heart" and approved a wheel lacking paperwork, but those are, like, one in a million at best.
And if you get an aftermarket wheel approved, any time you have to go to the TÜV (every two years) or get controlled by the police they can revoke the approval.
Like, I've met a guy at a meet running Japan Racing wheels on his Mazda (it took him trailering the car to 5 different TÜV-stations) two weeks after getting approval, and the approval was revoked later that day when the cops "doubted the approval" (meaning the cops claimed that it shouldn't have been approved, so the local TÜV re-checked, and that engineer revoked the approval).
So the day ended with his car towed and stranded, since the wheels were off it and it wasn't road legal until he could find suitable wheels or trailer it home.
It's why, in Germany, you'll find a lot of cars running other manufacturer's wheels (like Porsche-wheels on old Golfs), or people having some fancy wheels on their weekend-car, but rolling up to the TÜV on steelies hoping not to get into a police-checkpoint in between.
I'm just going to go ahead and never complain about my local car laws again.
Sounds alright
And I'll just keep envying foreign people (especially from the US or Canada) for their freedom in car-modification.
They say it's for safety (not just let any crappy wheel onto German roads), just like they say it's for safety to deny a lot of imported performance parts (good luck with Endless or Stoptech-brakes).
But it's really mainly a money-making thing, since the TÜV-approvals (done by the TÜV and, starting in 2019, another company too) are a costly affair even with full paperwork, and they're mandatory while being performed by a for-profit company.
The best way really is to try and reason with your local TÜV-engineer, have them involved in the project from the start, and present a good reason for everything, not just do a modification "because I like it".
At least they do 13's, there ain't no forged wheels on 13"
TE37s = my dream wheels
I never ever wan't to see another set of of TE37's. I mean ever.
That rando shot of the commercial plane made me think ‘even the plane is rolling on TE37’s!’