Movies like “The Fast and the Furious” have brainwashed the minds of many young people. A few years back the cool thing to do was to add huge body kits, wings, and pointless other accessories. This period also included huge chrome or bright colored rims. Today’s generation of Honda tuners is different. No more do you see kids with big wings and rims. The clean style is in. People are leaving the bodies of their Honda’s stock, and thats what we want.
Now that the body modifications are becoming a thing of the past, how about the wheels? Many people think the only way to get a great looking ride is to buy aftermarket wheels. Thats not true. Many tuners are turning to the OEM wheel scene. Over the years, Honda has produced some great looking OEM wheels. The benifits to choosing OEM over aftermarket are as follows:
1.) Cheaper!!! OEM wheels are going to cost less usually. This is because many people get rid of them after buying aftermarket wheels for their Honda.
2.) Lighter!!! Usually OEM wheels are lighter than aftermarket. Light is good, because less power is required to spin the wheels. This means better acceleration and braking.
3.) OEM look is hot!!! Sleeper’s are awesome. A clean looking Honda with a stock body and OEM wheels looks sick!
Now that you are hooked on OEM wheels, which ones do you get? Which ones exist? Are you lost? Dont worry! Here is a list of some great looking OEM wheels to look out for (Click the name for a picture of the wheels):
HX Wheels – These are very popular. They have an aggressive look and they are one of the lightest Honda rims made. They have a little brother, VX wheels, that are smaller and lighter.
Fat Fives – Fat Fives come off Integra’s. They are also a very popular wheel because of the clean five-spoke design. They also have a little brother that is smaller, from Del Sol’s.
SI Wheels – Si’s are great wheels too. They are one of the most expensive OEM wheels because they are so sought after.
Remember, we just skimmed the surface in this article. There are lots of other rims to look for. EP3’s, OEM Del Sol rims, GSR Blades, GSR Snowflakes, etc. Just do a search on Google to find the wheels for you!
Great article. I have a 2003 civic lx, and it has stock steel rims, and i want to stick with the sleeper/oem look. However, i have to disagree with one thing, the si rims, or sir rims are hard to find, and are not all that cheap. I have a pair lined up for a good price ($200/no rubber, few scuffs), but that was hard to find, most are around $400+. These are the 10 spoked (5 spokes split x 2) si rims.
Hey Marc, thanks – i totally agree with your assessment. Keep in mind, the Si are the most expensive of the OEM bunch and I did mean that in general OEM were less expensive than aftermarket. I just did a quick look around and for sure you are right on at the $400 price point – that was the same I found, although a really sweet set of 4 totally unused popped up for $495.
If you want to avoid safe tire issues go with tires that last long and properly maintain them.