Mugen Forged 10 / Mf10

So let me start out by pointing the elephant in the room on how safe and well the wheels ride with it being cut and welded onto a new barrel. I guess that would be the biggest concern from the wheel community knowing the integrity of the wheel is not 100% there because it has been tampered with. I completely understand it and why people would destroy a forged wheel just to “be different” and stand out from the rest.

I think a valid reason as to why an enthusiast would partake in getting a wheel surgically dismantle into new barrels is simple…execution!

I like to think of a “well-executed” build is one gathering numerous of different parts and putting it together to see what works. I’m not shaming other builders who like to build to the dime of a Spoon Sport or Mugen catalog, but in my opinion, the satisfaction is so much rewarding when you meticulously select and choose a mixture of parts and then assembling it together to create something that is your own vision. This is to not attack those who also adores wide body kits as well. If I have another opportunity to build another S2000, I would happily indulge myself in the J’s Racing wide body kit. Anyways, going back to what I was saying, for the sake of execution, I believe that is why there will be a rare few, like me, who would go the extra mile to dismantle a perfectly good forged wheel.

Story time:

If you have read up on MotorTread on my last year’s SuperStreet feature, the author had vaguely mention what I engaged in order to achieve the MF10’s in its final assembly.

The wheels were initially a set of used mirror face MF10’s. I don’t recall the exact specs and offset of the wheels, but they were originally 17 inches and OG specifications (if that makes any sense). They were purchased from a shop in Europe and shipped to the states. Thereafter, they were delivered to Wheelflip in socal and the team there were the ones who worked on the wheels. After much communication via email and exchanges of information, we both nailed down the wheel specification to 18x9 +35 and 18x10 +40.

The whole process took about 3 to 4 months. Once Wheelflip was finished with their service, they repackaged the wheels and sent them back. I later then powder coated the wheels to white to resemble the iconic Mugen Forged 10 Light in white (and only came in 15s, I believe).

After debuting them in Wekfest San Jose last year, I sold the wheels to buyer in Las Vegas, Nevada, and picked up these set from Kong (kong_nsx).

So just in case you didn’t catch Kong’s Instagram handle, he does not own an S2000, but an NSX. So you guessed it, these rebarreled MF10’s currently on the S2000 are NSX specs. It is a staggered offset of the iconic 17 inch wheels mounted onto the front and then goes up a step into 18’s in the rear, like many of the NSX’s out there!

Since it was something new and I am unfamiliar with, Kong and I got to the drawing board in figuring out what tires will best suit the wheels and the S2000 chassis. We compared the offset to many of the wheels we own and then made a hypothesis.

We both came up with running the famous Falken RT660s with this set up!

The Falken RT660’s has a beefy side wall, compared to the RT615k+’s. To prevent as much stretch as possible, both Kong and I decided it’ll be ideal to run 215/45/17’s in the front and 235/40/18s in the rear.

The rear is so aggressive that I have to perch up the rear higher just so I can drive the car safely around town. Upon traveling higher speeds (50-60 mph) and driving over uneven roads, the panel still kisses the RT660’s rubber from time to time.

Excuse the two different shades of blue on the S2000. Both pictures were taken on a different day and hour. However, what I would like to point out in both photos is how much my rear is arched up with the 18’s. The front needs to sits a tad lower than the rear, just so the rear has breathing room to accommodate the 18 wheeler.

The Spoon bumper is about three fingers off the pavement. Having the luxury of air cups definitely saves my fenders being baconed.

A glimpse of the wheel vinyl sitting across from each side of the barrel. I personally still like the decals on wheels more than it being engraved on the wheel.

I can understand why Rays and Yokohama wheels are trending towards that side now in order to authenticate their products from other aftermarket companies.

The biggest challenge about the fitment of these wheels was not depicting what tires and size will work, but how to make it fit with a big brake kit. I don’t think the OG MF10’s were never able to clean big brake kits, or even the Spoon Sport monoblocks.

I had to play with rotor sizes and spacers to make fit of the Mugen’s over the Spoon monoblocks. This was achieved by taking off my 330mm rotor and dropping it back to stock size diameter. That allowed the monoblocks to sit closer to the hub of the knuckle. In this case, it also allowed more clearance because the spokes from the MF10’s curved more in that particular section of the wheel. All that’s left is to push out the wheel further out.

I had to source a 15mm spacer to clear the monoblocks away from the rim.

With correct camber specifications, the wheel tucks under the fenders nicely.

I’ve always been a fan of white wheels! The MF10’s look best in white, in my opinion. People can agree to disagree since the bronze has been making a come back with all the reissued specs from King’s Motorsport. Just recently, they brought back the silver finish as well; I’m keeping my eyes out on the better offset that will come out later this year. Since I didn’t like the S2000 specs. Maybe like these white ones, I’ll also run the silver ones like this with the 17s perched up front and the 18’s rolling in the rear.

The DownForce fenders tucks in the front wheels nicely. This can be achieved from stock fenders as well, but you’ll have to kiss your big brake kit good bye.

Well guys,

This blog is a lot shorter than my other ones, but I absolutely enjoyed collecting the photos for this blog. Through the lense of my camera, I was able to appreciate these wheels so much more. It was tough to love them because of how tight the fitment was. However, I learned that, with patience and knowledgeable friends nearby, problems can be solved quite easily.

So if there was a moral to this blog, I guess it would be to not be afraid to try something else out of your comfort zone and always ask for help when you’re uncertain about something in life.

Car show season is quickly rising up again and I cannot wait to take my camera out and write a coverage on here! Stay tuned and thank you again for reading! I’m signing out and heading to bed. Got an early trip with Aimee tomorrow for a late Valentine’s day date. Peace!