Identify these wheels?

[Mikes Z car]

Can anyone identify these 14" wheels? They came with my car.

[LeonV]

They look very similar to early 300ZX (Z31) wheels.

[black gold man]

Makers name might be on back of rim.

[Mikes Z car]

black gold man,

Thanks for the idea. I have had the wheels off before and not noticed any marks but, with your idea in mind, a mirror and flashlight in hand I looked where I could see on the back. Getting over a cold and didn't feel up to taking a wheel off. I didn't see anything but then I looked on the easy to see side and spotted this:

Maybe it is a Western Wheel model VIA?

The picture was taken with the center finisher cap removed. I had seen the marks before but ignored them as they are hard to read and I just figured they were scratches or tire tool marks or something like that.

Edited April 2, 2013 by Mikes Z car

[LeonV]

The VIA and JWL markings have nothing to do with the manufacturer, they're basically certification labels.

JWL standard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My bet is these are some type of OEM Nissan wheel, probably from the '80s.

Edited April 2, 2013 by LeonV

[Mikes Z car]

LeonV,

Thanks for the information and the Wiki link. I remember now JWL being mentioned on another thread, didn't know what they were talking about.

Your bet is good I think. My search on the net revealed a Nissan wheel that looks like mine but has a different number of angled spokes or whatever they are called. Mine have 8 but I saw one with 12 with the same center cover and the same look otherwise. Will pull a wheel off soon.

A couple of yard workers last year saw my car, looked at the wheels and said those are corvette wheels. I didn't know Corvettes had wheels sourced in Japan!

Mike

[LeonV]

Ha, that's right! They do look similar to early C4 Vette wheels:

[Mikes Z car]

They do look very similar. Different manufacturers may have copied each other or borrowed ideas I guess.

[Hardway]

I vaguely remember seeing these on cars in the early 90's. I suspect they are some sort of factory wheel. Look around on Google Image search for wheels from the 80's and 90's. It may take awhile but I am sure you do not have the only set in existence.

[Arne]

Enkei Type 90. Came out shortly after the C4 was released. Mid-80s. Two-piece wheel, the center was welded into the barrel. Barrel was rolled and anodized. Center was clear-coated.

One of the first - if not THE first - aftermarket directional wheels, the beginning of that fad. Unlike most that followed, the Enkei 90s were semi-functional - there were directional ventilation vanes cast into the back side of the center, in hopes that they might help keep the brakes a bit cooler.

The Enkei logo will be cast in the back side of the center.

[Mikes Z car]

Arne,

Thanks for the information! Construction info too! I had no idea there were so many different kinds of wheels made until I started searching through Google images.

Mike

[Mikes Z car]

With the new info I found Enkie 90s on Google images though my wheels don't have the word Enkie on them but otherwise are identical. I NEVER would have noticed this without starting this thread but the "direction" of the spokes on the wheels goes one way on some and the other on some others. Is this for a performance reason? I am not that competitive so it wouldn't matter much to me but I am curious, is one direction supposed to be on one side of the car and the other on the other side? That seems to be how my car is now.