prongATO

I'm going to be putting some aftermarket wheels on my 2007 Acura RDX (carbon gray pearl). I'm down to two wheel choices.

RonJon Legacy 7 - 19"

Or

TSW Nurburgring 19" or 20"

The prices are very similar and I HATE the stock 18" wheels my RDX came with. I previously purchased some Volk Racing wheels for my old Prelude and it cost me a small fortune.

Does anybody have experiences with these two companies? Would there be a general consensus of which one makes a more quality wheel? I really like the finish on the RonJon so that's the direction I'm leading.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice!

prongATO

Now I have read that RonJon manufactures all their wheels in China. That's almost a deal-breaker for me. Can anyone refute this?

I'm currently doing research on where TSW manufactures their wheels.

I may go back to Rays Engineering for my next wheel purchase if everyone has moved all their manufacturing to China.

Does anyone have any other suggestions on the type of wheel I specified in my previous post that are manufactured in Japan or Germany? (yes, I would be willing to pay 3x the amount per wheel to get a very high quality product)

mrgold35

I have the RonJon Liquid Graphite 18" rims on my RDX for about 2 ½ years. I love the look of the rims with Moroccan Red Pearl of the 08 RDX. I went with the 18" because the cost of the 19" Rims+ new tires would of been a big hit in the wallet with little difference in overall look ($300 extra for 19" Rims + $1000 19" tires). If the Legacy 7 came in 20", I would have gone for that size/look.

I had to send two of the rims back to RonJon after the first 3 months because the finish started to chip in several places. Some of it looks like from road debris and other spots between the spokes look like a manufacturing defect. RonJon replaced the two rims with no questions asked; outstanding customer service! Unfortunately, all four rims do have spots were the finish has 2-4 pea size or smaller chips on them. Not enough for the average person to notice; but, I know they are there. It helps that the undercoating is black and the rims are a dark liquid graphite color. I tried to take the rims into a body shop to put a clearcoat when I purchased them new; but, the shop owner said because of the finish he could not clearcoat for added protection.

I can take pictures of my rims if you want to see what they might look like with 2 ½ years and + 50,000 miles down the road.

rondog

iTrader: (1)

Liquid Graphite is a sensitive finish since it's 3 layers of paint. But it is visually rewarding.

We make half of our products here in the US, the other half in China, Taiwan and South Korea.
We have a moral obligation to do half import and half domestic, but we also have to go by what is available.

BTW, I can guarantee, NOBODY in the LPC (low pressure cast) wheel industry makes wheels in the USA, there are no casting manufacturers here anymore since 2001.

TSW makes wheels in Asia as well, I know this, I have been in the industry working with the biggest names since the 2004 wheel industry boom when 18, 19" and 20" were just coming onto the scene.

Please call in, I'll spend a little time explaining it, not just four my sake, but form a business man's point of view.

We run our smaller operation with focus on each and every customer. Our ability to cater to everybody equally and directly is priceless. no recording or propt when you call, just direct one on one dedicated service with a company that knows the value of it's customers. Call in unanimously and ask us anything, I can promise there will be no pressure or gimmicks, just straight talk with suggestions by the Honda and Acura Professionals. We don't worry about other makes and models, we have another company for that.

Oh, BTW, our wheels are hub centric and perfectly offset to not interfere with the fenders or brakes while looking flush and lined up with the fender.

Here's a preview of the quality and how our wheels arrive:















Here are some pics on Honda and Acur SUVs.
http://ronjonwheels.com/suv-gallery2.html

Regarding the wheels I've made that had no confidentiality contract written with them, so I can share my inventions.
http://rondesignstudio.com/wheels.html

Google Rondy Marji (me) to see the patents of wheels I designed with my name on them.
I'm deep in the industry and I can explain the reasoning in a brief informative way.

prongATO

Thank you for the responses. I wish the RonJon's came in a 20" so I at least had that option. I REALLY like the liquid graphite finish, that is swaying me back RJ'S way. What are the weight of the 18" and 19" RonJon Legacy 7 wheels? While looks are one of my major reasons for a wheel upgrade, performance is also a consideration. I see that the TSW run 18x8.5" run 19 lbs and the 19x8.5" run 21.7 lbs. both being a reduction from the stock 18" wheels weighing in at 27 lbs.

I've seen your red RDX with the RonJon wheels and I think it looks really nice but I want to go at least +1 on my new wheels.

Since my car is paid off and no longer under warranty I want to pep it up a bit. I plan on keeping it for a LONG time. I LOVE the 1st gen RDX design. Versatile, surprisingly fast, easily seats 4...

prongATO

The defects in the finish are disturbing. I am a perfectionist. I would notice any blemish. Has RonJon stood behind their finish after 2 years? Heck, I can go out and look at stock RDX wheels that came on the car in 2007 and there are no pits or paint coming off the wheels.

matthewk323

there are some Ron Jon wheels on ebay now for 700 (4 rims) http://www.ebay.com/itm/RON-JON-LEGA...f9cf66&vxp=mtr

user65

I have same year/color as you and the gun metal black nurburgring's are almost color matched in certain light.

Check out the wheel and tire master thread, that's what I did and I chose the nurburgring's based off of Ken350's setup. I went with 20x8.5. You might want to go 20x9 if you want it really flush.

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...682096&page=10

I chose 20's because tires are actually cheaper for 20's than they are for 19's.

Good luck, no matter what your RDX will look WAY better.

edit- The nurburgrings are rotary forged. I didn't research this much, but it's supposedly super strong and super light.

prongATO

I've reverted back to my old habits. Form AND function are important to me. I've decided to put some Volk Racing VR.G2 wheels on the car. I know it is going to be MUCH more expensive but after hearing how much the RonJon wheels weigh, that really turned me off big time. I also did some research on rotary forging and the TSW wheels would win, performance wises, hands-down. (referring to my previous setup choices). I made the mistake of letting my Volk Racing challenge wheels go with one of my last trade-ins and I won't do that again. I'm going to keep my stock 18" wheels and tires for winter driving. While it may not snow much here in Oklahoma, it does get cold. I'm either going to go with 19 or 20 inch Volks for the summer. After calculating, i would be reducing ~10-12 lbs of weight at each corner with the 19" package. I postulate that paired with a max performance summer tire would improve the braking, handling and acceleration to a very high degree. I am leaning towards the continental DW for the summer tire.

I've already checked some prices and it will cost a small fortune but I LOVE Rays Engineering wheels. Plus the lead time will take quite a while because I want them in the factory silver color instead of the standard flat black. I'd been concentrating on the 19" +1 but now I am going to look at the 20" options given your advice.

Thanks to all that have replied. I really appreciate your input and suggestions.

gungho_15

20"Harrows Liquid Graphite

prongATO

Man those do look nice on our color car. The weight just kills me though. I value performance over ascetics. Granted, it will cost me at least twice as much to get both, I'm still going to probably get the Volks.

rondog

iTrader: (1)

These 20" Harrow wheels weigh 27.5 lbs, the OEM 18" weigh about the same. So more of a visual upgrade rather than a performance upgrade, yet still not detrimental to performance.

18" only weighs 22.5 lbs, not bad considering OEM's 26+ lbs of weight for the same size.

I suggest the Rev wheel or Legacy wheel, they are the same weight in 18".

prongATO

I still may go with RonJon. I really like the Legacy model. At the 19" +1 I am planning though the RonJon is ~6lbs per corner heavier than the Volk.

Price wise, I think the RonJon wheels are an outstanding value and have great styling. The fact that they have the correct center bore is a huge plus also.

Is the Legacy model just standard cast? The strength of the wheel is a concern for me too. I know that TSW do a semi-forged design that adds strength and reduces weight on their comparative model. I still prefer the RonJon finish though.

Of course the Volk Racing wheels are in a totally different category, both price and performance wise.

I still haven't completely decided on what I am going to go with other than doing a +1 19x8 or 19x8.5 with a 245/45-19 max summer tire. I plan on keeping my stock 18" wheels or winter driving. It's a nice upgrade going with the a continental DW, it reduces weight of the tires by 4lbs per corner. (vs my current Yokohama Parada Spec-X 235/55-18).

rondog

iTrader: (1)

19" x 8.0" with a 32mm offset is ideal, and the manufacturing proccess is LPC (low Pressure Cast) where the aluminum is forcefed into the mold. Traditional cast molding is gravity cast.

We tried to find the perfect balance between value, durability and weight. Not to mention style and unique finishes.

Mr Marco

That^

This is my personal fav:



Good work RJ. This one is a real looker on the RDX. Would also look great on the 3G TL