# New Hotness is here - fifteen52 TurboMac wheels on my RS



## bigstu (Mar 6, 2008)

New wheel time!!!

I've had 20" OZ Ultraleggera and 19" Forgestar CF5's on my TT-RS so far, but when I saw the fifteen52 Turbomac's I fell in love. When I found out you could get them, and they would clear the 370mm RS brakes, I had to have them. I've always wanted a set of quality forged monoblock wheels with a brushed finish w/tinted clear, and that's exactly what I have now. I've only driven about 50 miles on the setup, but so far they feel amazing. Wheels roll smooth as butter and feel very solid. Tires are very responsive and sticky, but comfortable at the same time. I think I've found the perfect setup, I :heart: fifteen52

I have also switched out my suspension since my last post. I intially put H&R springs on the car 1 week after ownership. They were ok, but still too soft for the power and weight of the RS. I then switched to KW V3 coilovers. They were too low - I had the rears all the way up, and it was less than 1 finger gap. Again, the springs were too soft, especially in the rear. 

I now have MSS Springs, and absolutely love them. Finally, a suspension that isn't too soft for the RS. It is noticeably stiffer than both the H&R and KW, but more comfortable at the same time. No more squatting, the car rotates better around corners, almost giving the sensation of having an upgraded Haldex controller. Hands down best suspension available for the TT.

Wheel Specs:
fifteen52 Turbomac
Brushed finish with tinted clear powder coat
18x9 et37.5

Tires:
245/40/18 BFG Rival

I know that fitment sounds aggressive, but fifteen52 took about an hour and measured front/rear fender and brake clearance. An offset of 33 would be exactly flush with the fener, so an estimate of 4.5mm was given for my meaty tire. Because I have the MSS spring kit now, I don't rub at all. Also my front fenders are rolled and the rear bumper clip is shaved down. They allow the proper amount of suspension compression and keep the wheels from going way up into the fender wells like my previous suspensions did.

Here are a bunch of pics of the new setup, if you want to see more you can hit my instagram @das_ttrs














































I also got the Borla Diffuser for my Borla Cat back, and had it powder coated black. It lines up perfectly with the OEM diffusor, and looks like it was there from the factory









Here's a shot of the Michelin PSS 245/35/19 next to the BFG Rivals in 245/40/18 both on 9" wide wheels. The BFG Rivals are a little wider, a little shorter, and the sidewalls are more square. So far my initial impressions of these tires are great! Will report back after my first track day.


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## Williamttrs (Mar 29, 2013)

What is the benefit of "forged mono block" wheels? Forged are stronger than cast and I assume that "mono block" means that they were forged from a single block. Does that make them stronger than wheels that are just forged? Are they heavy? Why did you choose a narrower tire than stock?


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## [KRAFTIG] (Jan 27, 2014)

I'm not feeling them... As long as you like them that's all that matters.


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## bigstu (Mar 6, 2008)

Williamttrs said:


> What is the benefit of "forged mono block" wheels? Forged are stronger than cast and I assume that "mono block" means that they were forged from a single block. Does that make them stronger than wheels that are just forged? Are they heavy? Why did you choose a narrower tire than stock?


Forged monoblock means they were cut out of a single piece of forged aluminum. It makes the wheels very strong, light, and well balanced. The wheels are 23.4 pounds each, not super light for an 18" but very strong - and that's more important to me. Wheels and tires weighs exactly 50lbs together, these tires are beefy.

245/40/18 is the OEM tire size for 18" on the RS in Europe. These tires run wide and have a square shoulder.



[KRAFTIG] said:


> I'm not feeling them... As long as you like them that's all that matters.


Thanks for the feedback, great post.


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## Williamttrs (Mar 29, 2013)

bigstu said:


> Forged monoblock means they were cut out of a single piece of forged aluminum. It makes the wheels very strong, light, and well balanced. The wheels are 23.4 pounds each, not super light for an 18" but very strong - and that's more important to me. Wheels and tires weighs exactly 50lbs together, these tires are beefy.
> 
> 245/40/18 is the OEM tire size for 18" on the RS in Europe. These tires run wide and have a square shoulder.
> 
> Compared to the OZ's you mentioned are these wheels much stronger? I thought those OZ's were forged and strong. Why do you need wheels that are excitedly strong? Just curious. I ordered some forged wheels and though I read a bit about the difference between cast and forged, I could not imagine a situation that I would really need anything stronger than a mid-quality forged wheel.


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## bigstu (Mar 6, 2008)

Williamttrs said:


> Compared to the OZ's you mentioned are these wheels much stronger? I thought those OZ's were forged and strong. Why do you need wheels that are excitedly strong? Just curious. I ordered some forged wheels and though I read a bit about the difference between cast and forged, I could not imagine a situation that I would really need anything stronger than a mid-quality forged wheel.


I thought the OZ's were really strong also, but I bent one in under 6 months. The OZ's use are a cast wheel that's rotary spun to save weight, just like the Forgestars. The word Forged gets thrown around a lot; unless the wheels are over $800 each, they aren't forged. The cost of the raw aluminum is what drives makes them so expensive.


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## Williamttrs (Mar 29, 2013)

bigstu said:


> I thought the OZ's were really strong also, but I bent one in under 6 months. The OZ's use are a cast wheel that's rotary spun to save weight, just like the Forgestars. The word Forged gets thrown around a lot; unless the wheels are over $800 each, they aren't forged. The cost of the raw aluminum is what drives makes them so expensive.


How did you bend it.


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## bigstu (Mar 6, 2008)

Williamttrs said:


> How did you bend it.


I don't know. I didn't know they were bent until the new owner of the wheels tried to get them balanced on a Road Force machine.


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## Black BeauTTy (Jun 11, 2011)

bigstu said:


> unless the wheels are over $800 each, they aren't forged.


My HRE's resemble that remark and then some! :banghead:


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## Williamttrs (Mar 29, 2013)

Black BeauTTy said:


> My HRE's resemble that remark and then some! :banghead:


How can one distinguish between the marketing hype and figure out which wheels are actually strong. I read a technical discussion a while back in which it was stated that some cast wheels are as strong as some forged wheels... even good forged wheels. The discussion centered around processes and metallurgy, which was an interesting read, but entirely unhelpful in a practical way. I am waiting on Enikei RSM9's. Any thoughts about these wheels.


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## ekogs (Sep 23, 2010)

are your V3's for sale? :wave:


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## bigstu (Mar 6, 2008)

Williamttrs said:


> How can one distinguish between the marketing hype and figure out which wheels are actually strong. I read a technical discussion a while back in which it was stated that some cast wheels are as strong as some forged wheels... even good forged wheels. The discussion centered around processes and metallurgy, which was an interesting read, but entirely unhelpful in a practical way. I am waiting on Enikei RSM9's. Any thoughts about these wheels.


With wheels I think you get what you pay for. I agree that some cast wheels are very good. I have a set of 19" BBS CK wheels on my wifes A3, and they are great - but they are $500+ each. OEM wheels are cast, and they retail for $700+ each. That is getting close to the price I paid for my forged set with a custom finish.

I've never heard anything bad about Enkei though. They are an OEM supplier for certain Japanese automakers, like BBS and Speedline do for VAG, so you should be ok. I think the most important thing with wheel protection is a decent size tire that is properly inflated. The OZ Ultraleggera I bent was very slight, and it was on a 20" wheel with a 30 series tire.




ekogs said:


> are your V3's for sale? :wave:


They were, but I already sold them. You should get MSS springs though, they are far and away better than the V3s. If coilovers are a must, I'd go KW Clubsports. Make sure to order the spring height spacer for the rear with any KW coilover kit for the TT. Otherwise the highest setting is still too low...and I love low.

Try and find someone local and ride or drive if you can a TT with the MSS kit if you can. One ride and you'll be sold. They have an adjustable front kit being released soon also....best of both worlds if you ask me.


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## Black BeauTTy (Jun 11, 2011)

bigstu said:


> Try and find someone local and ride or drive if you can a TT with the MSS kit if you can. One ride and you'll be sold. They have an adjustable front kit being released soon also....best of both worlds if you ask me.


Ditto! Great setup. :thumbup:


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## S5Cab (Aug 5, 2012)

bigstu said:


> They were, but I already sold them. *You should get MSS springs *though, they are far and away better than the V3s. If coilovers are a must, I'd go KW Clubsports. Make sure to order the spring height spacer for the rear with any KW coilover kit for the TT. Otherwise the highest setting is still too low...and I love low.
> 
> Try and find someone local and ride or drive if you can a TT with the MSS kit if you can. One ride and you'll be sold. They have an adjustable front kit being released soon also....best of both worlds if you ask me.


+100 on the MSS Kit. I have the Track Pack and am waiting on the adjustable fronts. I cannot say enough good things about them. Sport Kit is awesome for the street with the occasional track day. Heading to the track tomorrow for 2 more days of fun! 

Lake


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## bull30 (Jun 15, 2008)

Wheels are a very personal thing... They wouldn't be my choice... Enjoy


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## Craac (Mar 26, 2012)

Nice! Let me know how those tires are, they look beefy. I am currently running 245/40/18 Hankook RS3 and I really want to try those BFGs but I also want to go up in size to a 265 or 275.


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## Bezlar (Dec 26, 2003)

was a nice looking car?


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## moba6 (Dec 14, 2005)

:thumbup:


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## [email protected] (Mar 25, 2013)

S5Cab said:


> +100 on the MSS Kit. I have the Track Pack and am waiting on the adjustable fronts. I cannot say enough good things about them. Sport Kit is awesome for the street with the occasional track day. Heading to the track tomorrow for 2 more days of fun!
> 
> Lake


Thanks for the feedback Lake, and a perfect discription of the capabilities of the Sports kit. It really is quite capable on track and ideal for a daily driven TT.


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## [email protected] (Mar 25, 2013)

Another set of wheels Stu? lol! Glad your loving the Sports kit. I have heard Very good things about the g-force rivals, should be a great non r comp track tire...


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## boarderjcj (Sep 14, 2011)

Props for wrapping your wheels in some proper rubber! Please let us know how the tires feel & wear after driving on me for a while. Especially if you daily drive this ttrs!

Right now I'm swearing by my conti dw tires. For the price you can't beat em. And their wet traction is great. Western ny is a bit wetter than Cali otherwise I would have just gone for some rivals without even thinking.

You should see if you can pinch some 275/35 section rivals on those turbo macs!


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## MSS Automotive (Mar 20, 2013)

Jeez Stu, you change wheels more often than I have hot dinners 

Thanks on the feedback - we still have a KW V3 and KW Clubsport test cars which were the benchmarks for developing our simple Springs principles and we are happy with what our products can do...

I like the wheels perosonally mainly because, if am not mistaken, the smaller holes at the top are designed that way for pulling heat away from the callipers where heat builds up (_heat rises or moves to the edge in any case_) and rotors...these are similar idea to the BBS wheel fans of yesteryears...it is functional.


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## dogdrive (Oct 19, 2005)

Car looks great!

We need to meet up for a photoshoot of both of our RSs! :beer::beer:


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