It’s taken more than a year, but I finally found a set of wheels that tick all of my boxes:
FP Forged FP3-SL ... 17x9 +12 fully machined
The criteria that led me to Justin / @FP Forged:
1) Fully forged - although I would have settled for a flow forged wheel that did everything else; they are good value
2) Simulated bead lock that like a real bead lock ring, not just a "beauty ring". And had to be removable (replace if damaged on the trail, easy to have powder coated, etc).
* Based on this plus the other stuff below, it seemed like I would have to run true bead lockers, which I didn't want to do if I didn't have to ... I don't need the capability, didn't want to mess with ongoing maintenance and they aren't DOT legal (that doesn't bug me too much, but I drive 20k+ highway miles a year in my Raptors)
3) Positive offset! I really didn't want to run 0 offset. I was hoping for +18, which is perfect IMO on a 8.5"-9" wheel.
4) 17" (17x8.5 or 17x9), although I considered 18s for better offset options (which then limited tire choices)
5) Lighter than my OE 17" 'bead lock capable' wheels, since I'll be moving from 35s to 37s and I wanted to counter some of the weight gain in rubber
6) Good looking design (duh), and
7) Not a wheel found on every truck and SUV out there (I'm looking at you Fuel and Method!)
Since my OCD is on full display, here are some of the other wheels out there I really liked that just fell short in one area or another (unfortunately):
Battleborn Kilo SBL - This was far and away my favorite, and I came back to them time and time again. They ticking almost all of the boxes while looking amazing ... but they're only available in a 0 offset fitment for 6x135. Ugh! They're also more expensive than FP Forged (couple hundred a wheel), although Battleborn are made in the USA vs China and that's worth something.
KMC Impact - very similar design to the FP3-SL (attractive) and available in +25 offset (perfect!) ... but a true bead locker (which I don't need) and no center caps (meaning I'd have to custom order caps from RPG for an additional $500)
KMC Grenade Mesa - see above
Black Rhino Primm - Love the design, but 0 offset and a real bead lock
Raceline RT951 Ryno Bead Lock - +25 offset, but heavy at almost 40lbs! And like the KMCs, no center caps (must be a motorsports thing due to the variety of configurations, hubs, etc)
9and3 Wheels - Nate seems like a good guy, putting out some great wheels with customer specced fitment available, which I really appreciate ... he just didn't have a design that hit me like some of the others.
Trex T400 - New off-road brand from AG Luxury Wheels (aka Avant Garde) and I really like this design. A lot. They're also very light (claimed 23 lbs) and have "bead knurling", which is nice. Again though ... only 0 offset in 17" (+18 for 18" and 20" versions), plus I worried the lip design -- which mimics a sort of aero bead lock ring -- could get thrashed on the trail and isn't removable/replaceable.
Mazzulla Off Road ENZO - Like jewelry, this wheel is f*ing beautiful. Sadly, 0 offset and a true bead lock ... and $1200 *each*. I spend dumb money on forged wheels for my cars (have about $30k worth right now, including a set of $12k 3-piece wheels that have just been sitting in storage since 2021), but for truck stuff I like to run wheels I can reasonably replace if (when) damage occurs (or when I inevitably decide to change things up).
Will post pics on the truck once these are installed (looking like mid-March)
FP Forged FP3-SL ... 17x9 +12 fully machined
The criteria that led me to Justin / @FP Forged:
1) Fully forged - although I would have settled for a flow forged wheel that did everything else; they are good value
2) Simulated bead lock that like a real bead lock ring, not just a "beauty ring". And had to be removable (replace if damaged on the trail, easy to have powder coated, etc).
* Based on this plus the other stuff below, it seemed like I would have to run true bead lockers, which I didn't want to do if I didn't have to ... I don't need the capability, didn't want to mess with ongoing maintenance and they aren't DOT legal (that doesn't bug me too much, but I drive 20k+ highway miles a year in my Raptors)
3) Positive offset! I really didn't want to run 0 offset. I was hoping for +18, which is perfect IMO on a 8.5"-9" wheel.
4) 17" (17x8.5 or 17x9), although I considered 18s for better offset options (which then limited tire choices)
5) Lighter than my OE 17" 'bead lock capable' wheels, since I'll be moving from 35s to 37s and I wanted to counter some of the weight gain in rubber
6) Good looking design (duh), and
7) Not a wheel found on every truck and SUV out there (I'm looking at you Fuel and Method!)
Since my OCD is on full display, here are some of the other wheels out there I really liked that just fell short in one area or another (unfortunately):
Battleborn Kilo SBL - This was far and away my favorite, and I came back to them time and time again. They ticking almost all of the boxes while looking amazing ... but they're only available in a 0 offset fitment for 6x135. Ugh! They're also more expensive than FP Forged (couple hundred a wheel), although Battleborn are made in the USA vs China and that's worth something.
KMC Impact - very similar design to the FP3-SL (attractive) and available in +25 offset (perfect!) ... but a true bead locker (which I don't need) and no center caps (meaning I'd have to custom order caps from RPG for an additional $500)
KMC Grenade Mesa - see above
Black Rhino Primm - Love the design, but 0 offset and a real bead lock
Raceline RT951 Ryno Bead Lock - +25 offset, but heavy at almost 40lbs! And like the KMCs, no center caps (must be a motorsports thing due to the variety of configurations, hubs, etc)
9and3 Wheels - Nate seems like a good guy, putting out some great wheels with customer specced fitment available, which I really appreciate ... he just didn't have a design that hit me like some of the others.
Trex T400 - New off-road brand from AG Luxury Wheels (aka Avant Garde) and I really like this design. A lot. They're also very light (claimed 23 lbs) and have "bead knurling", which is nice. Again though ... only 0 offset in 17" (+18 for 18" and 20" versions), plus I worried the lip design -- which mimics a sort of aero bead lock ring -- could get thrashed on the trail and isn't removable/replaceable.
Mazzulla Off Road ENZO - Like jewelry, this wheel is f*ing beautiful. Sadly, 0 offset and a true bead lock ... and $1200 *each*. I spend dumb money on forged wheels for my cars (have about $30k worth right now, including a set of $12k 3-piece wheels that have just been sitting in storage since 2021), but for truck stuff I like to run wheels I can reasonably replace if (when) damage occurs (or when I inevitably decide to change things up).
Will post pics on the truck once these are installed (looking like mid-March)
