2024 SSR Wheels Review: Good, Bad or Cheap Reps?
Among the countless wheel brands around today, there are a few “OGs” who have been around since the beginning. SSR is one of these. They have been around since the early days of tuning and were one of the first aftermarket wheel companies.
But are their wheels actually any good?
In this post we’ll go into SSR in detail and see just how good their wheels really are and whether they are worth the enormous price tags.
The History Of SSR
SSR, which stands for “Speed Star Racing”, was founded in 1971, which was the same year they released the world’s first 3 piece wheel, the SSR Mk1.
SSR was one of the first Japanese companies to specialize exclusively in aftermarket wheels, a market in which they are still solely involved in today, unlike many wheel companies that go after the OEM market.
They got involved in motorsports almost immediately and did very well in many motorsports including the Grand Touring and Grand Cup events, and they won the Formula Nippon in 1976.
Over the years they have won many racing championships and partnered with many teams and drifters in Worldwide to establish their brand name.
In 1985 SSR expanded to America, but they didn’t establish a strong market share, with most of their sales still going to other countries such as Japan.
In 1993 they opened a new factory in Nara, Japan, and all was going well. However, in 2005, they went bankrupt, though there isn’t much information as to why.
Tanabe Co, the manufacturer of coilovers and other performance parts, acquired SSR and quickly began to revitalize the brand. They have since been actively building up the SSR name to once again be one of the biggest wheel brands.
To this day, SSR is very proud of their racing heritage and continue to be heavily involved in motorsports. They were the wheel supplier for the Mugen CRZ GT300 team, they sponsored team Real Racing in the Super GT, Chris Forsberg in Formula drift and many more.
SSR puts a heavy emphasis on strength and performance for all of their wheels, with even the “fashion wheels” as they call them, being designed to be as light and as strong as possible.
How SSR Wheels Are Made
SSR takes no shortcuts when it comes to the manufacturing and testing of their wheels.
All SSR wheels are custom made to your specifications at one of their facilities in Osaka or Nara, Japan.
Through their involvement in motorsport, SSR has used the technologies they have developed on their road wheels, which are designed to the same standard. They do not differentiate between road and race wheels – all their wheels are made to be the highest quality. This is why a lot of their wheel designs are very similar to the ones you see on racecars.
Special Features of SSR Wheels
SSR wheels have a number of special features across all of their wheels.
All of their wheels are designed to clear big brake kits, meaning they will fit practically any car, especially performance cars.
They use crimped rim lips which are folded over, giving the rim edge more strength and integrity.
They also have a special knurled bead which acts as an anti-slip feature to ensure tyres have an even smaller chances of debeading under force.
SSR has put a lot of technology into their wheels to ensure heat dispersion, lightweight and full integrity, even with a wide range of creative designs and customization options such as widths and offsets.
This allows them to offer a wide range of options and designs that you would not normally get with forged or flow formed wheels.
They have a range of different wheels that are produced using different wheel manufacturing methods. Here is how they make them all.
FFT (Flow Formed) & FFT-R
Predominantly used for their performance line-up called GTT, SSR use flow forming to produce strong, lightweight monoblock wheels.
Flow forming is a technique where the center of the wheel is cast, and then put on a machine and spun at high speeds while heat is applied and rollers apply pressure to form the barrel.
SSR has further developed this method into what they call FFT-R, which allows them to make an even thinner barrel without sacrificing integrity, making for an even lighter wheel.
2-Piece Hybrid With Seamless Barrel
SSR’s 2 piece wheels consist of a SSF center (more on this below) and a barrel which are welded together at a set offset. This allows them to offer a wide range of offset options that would normally not be available.
SSR has created a unique barrel that is made out of one solid piece of metal, rather than a regular barrel which has a seam that is the weak point. Doing it this way allows them to create a stronger barrel that is also “more round” than a barrel with a seam.
Here is a video showing how SSR 2-piece wheels are manufactured:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgU8EsDSfBI
SSF Technology
SSF stands for Semi Solid Forging and is another SSR exclusive technique which involves using a semi molded aluminium alloy that is treated while cooling down before being injected, which allows them to apply a huge amount of pressure into the mold. Unlike regular casting, this pressure ensures there are no inconsistencies in the wheel structure and results in very high integrity and strength.
This benefit of this is that it costs less than traditional forging, while having much the same benefits of strength and weight.
HTM 3 Piece Technology
HTM stands for heat treatment manufacturing and is a process SSR developed where they reheat treat the rims and barrels several times to make them stronger.
What this does is applies pressure and burns any impurities as well as cleans up any problems that may have been left behind during the first heat treating, increasing the integrity of the metal and allowing them to produce a lighter barrel and rim that is the same strength.
Here is a video showing how SSR make 3-piece wheels:
Safety Testing
SSR put a lot of emphasis on the testing they do to all of their wheels to maining a very high quality standard.
All of SSR’s wheels are JWL and VIA tested, plus they have their own tests that far exceed these standards, including:
- 13 degree impact test
- Dynamic Cornering Fatigue test
- Dynamic Radial Fatigue test
- Crack check
- And more
Finishes
One of the things that set SSR apart is their wide range of customization options for their wheels.
They custom make all their wheels which allows them to offer many different finishes including unique paint colors like their signature Spectrum Silver, lip finishes, hardware and more.
SSR will basically create the perfect wheel no matter what you have in mind.
SSR Wheel Lines
SSR have produced countless wheels over the years, and they currently have a number of wheel line-ups that including 1-piece, 2-piece and 3-piece wheels.
GTX
The GTX wheels are their racing inspired monoblock FTT-R wheels which are produced based on the wheels they use in motorsport. These are strong, lightweight wheels which are suitable for track use and offer excellent performance.
GTV
The GTV wheels are their sport monoblock wheels produced using FTT (Flow Forming Technology). These are strong, lightweight wheels perfect for performance cars.
Professor
SSR’s most popular wheels. The Professor line are 3 piece wheels that come in 15 different designs and a huge range of customization options. Here is SSR’s official video showcasing the Professor line:
Reiner
The Reiner wheel line are sport inspired, 2-piece designs that give you a high degree of fitment customization and are perfect for performance cars.
Minerva
The Minerva wheels are a 3-piece design made using HTM technology. They feature a VIP style look that is very suitable for luxury sedans.
Formula
The Formula wheels are a 3-piece wheel featuring HTM technology, designed based on classic motorsport wheels and made for performance.
Speed Star (Original SSR Designs)
The Speed Star wheels are SSR’s original 3-piece wheel designs made for classic cars. These are available in sizes not otherwise available, such as 10”, 14” and 15” diameters.
Executor
The Executor series are designed for large, modern luxury cars such as BMW, Lexus and Audi and come in a range of configurations including 2 and 3-piece.
Abela
The Abela wheels are a 2-piece wheel with a unique design and available in custom offsets.
Blikker
The Blikker wheel line is a 1-piece FFT-R wheel design for use on minivans such as the Vellfire.
Devide
Designed for offroaders and vans, the Devide wheel lineup are monoblock wheels produced using FFT-R technology.
GET SSR WHEELS FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Other Popular SSR Wheels
SSR Type C/Competition Wheels
SSR Competition wheels were a popular wheel model perfect for track use, but unfortunately these have since been discontinued.
SSR 5 Spoke
SSR produce a number of 5 spoke wheel designs in most of their wheel line-ups. 5 spoke wheel models include:
- Professor SP6 Under
- Professor SPX
- Professor SP5
- Professor SP5R
- Professor SP4
- Professor SP4R
- Professor SP1
- Professor SPR
- GTX03
- GTX02
- GTX01
- GTX01 R/STspec
- GTV03
- GTV02
- GTV01
- Devide X03J
- Devide X01H
- Executor CV01/S
- Minerva
- Abela
- Reiner Type10R/S
4×100 SSR Wheels
Because SSR wheels are custom made and available in a wide range of options, most SSR wheels can be ordered with a 4×100 PCD.
SSR 3 Piece Wheels
SSR make a wide selection of 3-piece wheels in a number of their wheel lines, including:
- Professor
- Minerva
- Formula
- Speed Star
- Executor
SSR Vienna
The SSR Vienna was a line-up from SSR that has been discontinued. Vienna wheels included:
- Kries
- Courage
- Dish
- Spoke Presidents
Conclusion – Should You Buy SSR Wheels?
Yes, you should.
SSR are one of the best wheel brands and make wheels that are extremely high quality and come in a wide range of sizes, designs and finish options. SSR put great pride into their wheels and produce some of the best quality wheels on the market.
SSR were one of the original aftermarket wheel brands who have been producing some of the best wheels for over 50 years.
They are also heavily involved in motorsport which allows them to use that technology on their road wheels to make them super light and durable.
Another added benefit of SSR wheels are that they are still quite rare, so odds are there won’t be another car at a meet or show that has the same wheels as you.
Whether you are looking for show or track wheels, SSR has a wide range of options and designs, most of which are capable to do both.
Basically, you can’t go wrong with SSR.
GET SSR WHEELS FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
FAQ About SSR Wheels
What Does SSR Stand For?
SSR stands for Speed Star Racing, the original name of the company.
Are SSR Wheels Reps/Fake?
No, SSR are not fake or reps. SSR have been around since 1971 and were the first company to produce a 3-piece wheel. They have been making very high quality wheels ever since, all of which are original and unique.
Are SSR Wheels Real?
Yes, SSR wheels are real. SSR is one of the original aftermarket wheel brands from the 1970s, making some of the best quality wheels you can buy.
Are SSR Wheels Good?
Yes, SSR wheels are very good. In fact, SSR are some of the highest quality wheels you can buy, offering you excellent strength and performance while being very light weight. They are also suitable for track use and racing.
Who Makes SSR Wheels?
SSR make all of their own wheels at their production facilities in Japan.
Where Are SSR Wheels Made?
SSR wheels are all made at SSR’s facilities in Osaka & Nara, Japan.
Are SSR Wheels Forged?
SSR use a process called Semi Solid Forging (SSF) which is a combination of forging and casting, allowing them to make very strong, lightweight wheels at a lower cost.
Do All SSR Wheels Clear BBK?
Yes, SSR wheels are all designed to clear big brake kits (BBK).
How to Spot Fake SSR Wheels?
One of the easiest ways to spot a fake SSR wheel is by the weight. Real SSR wheels are very light, whereas fake wheels are cheaply made and are heavy. Also, look for the SSR logo and “Made In Japan” embossed or engraved on the wheels, and compare them to a real set to ensure they are in the right place. SSR wheels are also VIA and JWL tested so they will have those stampings also.
GET SSR WHEELS FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Cars owned: Mk2 Golf with 1.8T swap, BMW E28 with M30B35 swap, BMW E36 328I Mtech, BMW 750IL, Nissan 300ZX, Honda Civic EF
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