EMF213

Looking at Ebay auctions for the 05 18x8" wheels and noticed they are described as "A-Spec Style." Is Acura offering a different wheel with the A-Spec package for 05?? Are they keeping the 18x8.5" wheels for A-Spec?? What gives?

ARX-01b

iTrader: (1)

8.5" is no longer offered. It was changed to 18 x 8 for 05

EMF213

I know that, but it doesn't answer my question. Why would the new wheels be referred to as "A-Spec STYLE" and not just A-Spec?

cvajs

ebay poster probably just using play on words, or the rims selling look like a-spec but are truly not the oem a-spec rims ???

EMF213

Here's the response I got from the Ebay seller; a dealer...

Acura has discontinued the 2004 A-Spec rims and there has been no announcement of the 2005 A-Spec kit yet; the description states:



“These are the same design as the old A-Spec Rims”

and

“These are not the same color as the old A-Spec Rims”

and

“This rim has the same sparkle fleck but are silver, not grey”

and

“18" x 8" jj (not 8.5" like the original A-Spec TL Rims)”

jjsC5

There are companies that make "reproduction" wheels. They look just like factory originals, but are not. I have Z06 "reproductions" on my Corvette. I'm guessing that is why they referring to them that way.

EMF213

No, They are genuine Acura wheels from an Acura dealer. See the explanation given in my post above.

dcarlinf1

The only place I hear anyone refer to the 18" OEM wheels as the "a-spec wheels" is on this board. I have mentioned this before. They are not "a-spec wheels" ('04 or '05). They are the optional 18" OEM wheels that just happen to be included in the a-spec package. If you did not get the a-spec package but did get the 18" wheels, would you call them a-spec wheels? I wouldn't. A-spec is the whole package. The wheels are not necessarly a-spec. Not in 04 and not in 05.

shotcaller88

I would say the same thing applies for the body kit.

dcarlinf1

Exactly!!! Same goes for the spoilers.

The only parts that should be considered 'A-Spec parts' are the suspension parts, the badge and the steering wheel. Per Acura, these items are only supposed to be on true A-Spec TL's. Of course, we know that isn't true in the real world since we can get individual parts off the internet. But, everything other than the suspension parts, the badge and the steering wheel can be had as 'accessories' on a non A-spec TL. That is why I don't like the wheels being referred to as the A-Spec wheels. Because, IMO, there is no such thing.

Nodoze2004

That would be next to impossible, since Enkei manufactures them! These are not made by Acura (this is true of the 2004 "A-Spec" wheels, and I would assume if they are the same style only with a .5 width reduction that this would also be true of the 2005) and would venture a guess that the inside lip still says Enkei on it!

deandorsey

enkei makes the standard 17" rims too--just because they are noe "made by acura" dosent mean that they are not oem

EMF213

Correct. OEM is the distinction.

Casper42

The problem is people on these forums have been referring to the 18" wheels for the last year as "A-Spec Wheels". This bugged the crap out of me when I first got here, now its just second nature.

The fact is the A-Spec is a kit. Its made up of several peices that can be purchased seperately and a few that (theoretically) cannot. But people who buy the Wheels only keep calling them A-Spec wheels instead of just referring to them as the 18" OEM Wheels.

So when he says A-Spec style, hes simply referring to the fact that these are the same style as the wheels on the A-Spec kit. He mentioned 8.0" also because thats what the 05 A-Spec kit will have once its technically re-released. But right now the 05 A-Spec kit doesnt really exist.