ESR Wheels was once known primarily as a manufacturer of replica rims. In aftermarket lingo, it was a ‘rep’ brand. But that was in 2014; over the last few years, the company has undergone a sea change and has evolved to become one of the most proficient wheel manufacturers in the United States.
That’s a pretty major achievement in a very short span! ESR is an American brand, and it’s headquartered in Brea, CA. It has factories in California too. It is rapidly gaining recognition as a prime mover in the cast, forged, and multi-piece rims niches.
ESR Wheels has made a series of breakthroughs in the forged wheels division. It has a few proprietary technologies to boot, and runs a superb R&D laboratory. ‘ForgeTech’ is a patented technology that’s used in churning out very high-grade radial forged rims.
Still, not all of their bestsellers are forged ones. We visited one of our most favorite retail outlets in California – AudioCity USA – to figure out the most in-demand ESR rims.
Here’s what we learned.
The 4 most popular ESR Wheels
ESR maintains several series and families of rims across the board to cater to even the choosiest client. This is in line with most other leading names in this business.
But the models that tops the sales charts are:
- ESR SR01 JDM Style: The SR01 is the company’s biggest and best-known marque. It’s available in a very distinctive JDM style. Note that only a handful of companies actually manufacture Japanese Domestic Market (or JDM) rims in the United States. The SR01 was ESR’s first major bestseller that put it on the map.
This is a cast wheel and the most popular variant is the one with a gloss white powder finish. The 18-inch ESR SR01 is perfect for almost any passenger car here in the United States. Like most competing brands, the SR01 is manufactured using 6061-T6-grade aluminum alloy.
While it is designed using the JDM template, the SR01 will be a perfect addition to low-slung BMWs and Mercedes sedans. The SR01 is best-known for its association with Honda and Mitsubishi compact cars, however.
- Staggered ESR RF15: This is the most popular forged model from ESR Wheels. It’s constructed using the ForgeTech method we touched upon earlier, and is one of the most durable and attractive rims the company currently has on its roster.
The RF15 is available in several sizes and finishes, but the 20-inch model in an exquisite matte graphite finish is always in demand. This is a highly customizable set of rims with 6 different bolt patterns to start off with!
The RF15 is also based on the JDM school of design but it is bigger than most such rims and fits even lifted vehicles. Thanks mostly to the rotary forging, it is as light as a feather with a load index that’s guaranteed to capture your attention and imagination!
This is a must-look if you own a Honda, Nissan, or a Toyota compact car. That said, we have seen a set of these rims (in silver) adorning a BMW too.
- 19-inch ESR CS15: This classy rim had created quite a stir when it was first shown off 2 years ago. Since then, several sizes and an array of finishes have been launched. Currently, the 19-inch model in polished silver appears to be growing in demand across all major markets.
The CS15 has been designed to look a lot different from JDM-style rims that ESR Wheels commonly manufactures. It has a more pronounced lip, a chiseled and uniquely-crafted 5-spoke design that exudes class, and has a lot more machining (especially at the center and around the inner lip) than most other models.
On a personal note, we know the CS15 intimately, having used them ourselves. We had bought a brand-new set in the ‘hyper silver’ finish for our old Toyota Corolla. The result was quite stunning!
Not only did the car appear a decade younger, the rims were big enough to accommodate our custom TPMS and even made braking more effective.
If you are new to the ESR ecosystem, you can easily start off with the CS15. It won’t let you down. And the price is extremely attractive as well.
- ESR SR12 Matte Bronze: Although this Monoblock wonder is available in a bright silver and a beautiful black finish too, it’s the matte bronze that takes the cake. The SR12 is a staggered model and is a tad heavier than the other entries in the SR family. However, the weight difference is hardly a hindrance as it continues to dominate the sales figures every year.
This is perhaps one of the sophisticated models from the house of ESR Wheels. That impression is also shared by most market experts and rim specialists. It has 10 spokes that look a lot like antlers and have a pronounced concavity.
What catches the eye is the metallic finish which is funky as heck! There are not too many rims in matte bronze that look as appealing as this one.
There’s another aspect that makes the SR12 so unique; it suits most vintage racing cars. And California is known for its yesteryear monster-machines including the Shelby Cobra- to name just one.
If you own a battered and rundown vehicle that you cannot part with, try on the SR12 in matte bronze from ESR.
A few last words
Be very careful when purchasing ESR Wheels. The US market is flooded with cheap duplicates that try to cash in on their popularity.
Choose an authorized retailer only. Else, you can get them directly from the official website.
And happy driving!
