Are Kansei Wheels Good?

Who is Kansei Wheels?

Chris Sempek, the creator of Kansei wheels, has always had a passion for designing aftermarket wheels for cars. From early beginnings of creating wheel renders and posting them to Instagram, to hanging out at drift events and having his very own booth at SEMA. Chris made Kansei with the passion of Japanese influence and tuner cars.

Are Kansei Wheels Reps?

Even Kansei says “We build performance wheels that complement the heritage of the classics while utilizing modern engineering, materials and construction.” Looking at Kansei’s models we start to see similarities to older Japanese wheels. For example, the Tandem is a lot like the OEM Skyline wheels. The KNP is very similar to the Desmond Regamaster. What Kansei did was look at old designs we all love, and made them in affordable, modern day sizes. So are they reps? The designs are definitely inspired by previous designs and there is no ignoring that.

Are Kansei Wheels Good?

Kansei makes its wheels with a design process they call “Formlite”. Here is their definition: “OUR ADVANCED FORMLITE PROCESS APPLIES RADIAL PRESSURE TO THE WHEEL’S BARREL SECTION UNDER INTENSE HEAT. AS THE WHEEL CASTING AND MANDREL SPIN, ROLLERS MANIPULATE THE BARREL MATERIAL TO FORM THE SHAPE OF THE BACK HALF OF THE WHEEL. THIS RESULTS IN A THINNER, LIGHTER, AND STRONGER BACK HALF OF THE WHEEL. THE WHEEL’S ALUMINUM GRAIN STRUCTURE IS NOW ALIGNED AND RADIALLY, IMPROVING IMPACT AND STRAIN RESISTANCE.”

They are designed in the United States, and made in China. Now just because a wheel is made in China, doesn’t mean you have to write it off as a “bad wheel”. Kansei since the beginning has been heavily involved in the drift community and you can see these wheels regularly being used and abused around the track. 

In Conclusion

If you’re eyeing up a set of Kansei wheels for your car, you can check out the Neo, KNP, Astro, Tandem, Roku, and Corsa. They offer a great selection of sizes, finishes, and even our personal favorite touch, the gel center caps. Kansei wheels come in at a great price that doesn’t break the bank, but also is far from the cheapest on the market. We now offer Kansei wheels on MartiniWorks so you can browse and take a look for yourself!