The holy trinity
Author/Photographer: Kai Her (@spoonin.ap2) - October 29th, 2024
Being in the car scene for so long now, I can relate to the notion that as a car enthusiast, in order to really involve myself in the car scene is simple…just tinker with cars. Each to their own, I believe it’s a pit we dug ourselves into to centralize our attention to chase a goal we can feel proud of upon completion.
I honestly believe it’s a place that really protects us from the norms of the outside world. I also think it’s a space where we can go to find comfort when needed, or when we just need an escape from the real world we all live in. Whether those issues could be mental or physical, I guess something relatable to us car guys or gals is understanding that the machines we’ve put together with passion really reflects who we are as an individual and we take full pride in that…in a humble way.
When was the last time when you decide that you were going to back out of the garage and just drive the car downtown or along the coast because it was something you built and to be proud of? We’ve built our cars to how we dreamed and envisioned it to evolve into, and I think it really only make sense if we actually take the time to drive and enjoy it, than it being stored inside our garage. I think life is too short to enjoy the things you own, so I vow to put as much as time I can into driving it as much as I am building it. So why not look cool while doing it?
In my life time of owning multiple Hondas over the years, I have come to learn that one of the first modification or part I would submit myself into buying are wheels. To me, it’s the most attractive modification into making a car look more “cool.” I careless about anything else because I know the biggest shift of appearance to any car are wheels! I think many owners who is highly invested into the car scene often generates a list of things on what to buy. I know because I have done that too. I’ll make of list of purchasing anything I could afford just so my car would look different some another Hondas on the streets; and that modification could be a fake Japanese license plate from Ebay, no name colored anodized parts, tow hooks, or decals. Don’t get me wrong, to each of their own, you can do anything you want to your car. However, if you really want to spending the best bang for your buck, save your money for some good wheels! It’s going to take you few more paychecks to afford it, but trust the process. You’ll appreciate the car so much more in the end!
Something I have learned over the years of purchasing parts for my builds is chasing what I really want. There are so many affordable alternatives, but if it’s not what you really want, why buy it? A good example I can recall was when I wanted to buy a GT wing for my S2000. The APR GT wing was so much more affordable and although it served the same purpose of a Voltex wing, I decided that I’ll just save. I had to wait a few more paychecks to eventually have enough to purchase the Voltex wing and expeditiously ship it to my house, but it was well worth every penny and the wait.
Which finally brings me to this central idea of this blog! Enthusiasts could probably agree with me that anything worth the wait and worthy in purchasing from your hard earned money is probably a set of: Volk Rays Te37’s, Ce28s, or Desmond Regamasters. “The Holy Trinity!”
If you’re a wheel collector like me (not hoarder, LOL), or just to simply figure out which wheels to put onto your vehicle, I highly recommend any of the ones I just mentioned. They just work with every make and model!
I think it’s hard not to talk about the design of the Regamaster when I’m labeling it as one of the “holy trinity.” The five spoke starfish design of these wheels just meshes up so well to the Japanese imports. Now we are even seeing these wheels on European car brands and it’s starting to catch on with the US brands.
Each wheel is about a little under 20 lbs or over. It’s a super light and forged wheel. With the reissued EVO II’s from ICB Motorsport, the variety of lug patterns has widen to fit a lot more cars than just Japanese imports. More colors have been produced to attract a wider audience, but my personal favorite will always be in the white finish!
The think Regamasters just look best in white. Especially, with contrast of the red decals surrounding the wheel, it looks spectacular.
The wheel was originally produced from Russia, but now it’s bought and manufactured from Japan.
The cost of a brand new set will cost you around $3,000 to $3,500 depending on size and offset. However, you can today find many used sets on Facebook marketplace. Although, it’s a highly sought after wheel, enthusiast do eventually get used to the look quickly and would eventually sell or trade it for something different.
I have seen a used set go for $2,500 (depends on sizing as well). I purchased my set a bit before the prices jumped and only paid $2,000 dollars for it. What are the odds that it will also be in the perfect offset for the S2000 as well. I think 17x9 +38 squared is the way to go for the S2k’s!
Next up, the Te37’s! A wheel that will just look good in every chassis it’s stuck onto. I’ve seen them pretty much on everything. Well, I may be exaggerating just a bit, but a it’s definitely a to-go-to wheel you can trust that will edify the appearance of your vehicle. You’d get some automatic style points if you own a set.
The timeless 6 spoke design is not only a durable and strong designed wheel around hairpins and good on track days, but also highly involved in show builds as well. I personally enjoy the appreciation of the wheel with the OG decals. Although the sets I own are SL models and do not fit an OG center cap, the wheel is just so much more original with the OG decals.
Like the Desmond Regamaster, these wheels also carry a similar price tag at about $3,000 - $3,500. Almost every other year, Rays will release a new redesign of the wheel and shaving as much weight as they can to make it lighter than it already was.
Another wheel to look out for to score those stylish points would be another Volk Rays line, the: Ce28’s. Compared to the simplistic fat spokes like the Regamaster and Te37, the Ce28 carries just a few more spokes. Depending on which lug pattern you get, they do have an 8 spoke design for the 4x100’s or 4 lugs.
Like the Te37s, a new redesign of the wheel will be released every year to shave weight and accommodate the newer cars.
The Ce28s and Te37s are like brothers. They cost pretty much around the same. So it’s really up to you to decide which design you like more. You can’t go wrong with either one. Or just get both and have the best of both worlds!
You really can’t go wrong at all with which you decide to get first. Of course, there are many more options out there, but I personally think these three are the most affordable, most “cool.” They’re fairly priced, well designed, and durable.
What do you think?
Thank you for reading my minimal thoughts about the wheels in this short series. I could be a bit biased about them, but I personally believe they have paved the way in the car community. I’m not overlooking Advan/Yokohama Wheels and many other prestigious wheel brands out there. It’s what I’m used to seeing in the community I’m a part of and I think others could agree with me.
