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Obviously, our new 18″ Falkens were not going to fit on the stock 17″ wheels, and we had no intentions of keeping them anyway. Luckily, Advan wheels just came out with a new and improved version of their venerable RS wheel: the RSII. For the RSII, Advan introduced machined sidecut spokes for rigidity and lighter weight, more concave spokes for better braking clearance (a GTR model is offered with even more concave spokes), and incorporating their already excellent casting process.
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| Advan's RSII wheels feature more concave spokes than the previous RS for better brake clearance and machined sidecut spokes for reduced weight and increased rigidity. |
The Advan casting process starts with high quality aluminum cast in argon gas to avoid impurities introduced from the atmosphere. Care is taken to program the computer-controlled mold angle to prevent air bubbles throughout the casting process, and the casing is liquid cooled to give the aluminum superb mechanical properties and uniform composition. The rapid cooling done in the mold during casting allows the wheels to go through T6 heat treatment. This is vital to stabilize wheel characteristics such as strength, rigidity and elongation. It also removes stress points and improves roundness to achieve exact measurements. After casting, production of the inner rim uses Advan's Flow Form Technology that applies pressure to the rim area, stretching and forming the material. This causes the metal to flow imparting the tensile strength similar to forged wheels. This offers greater strength and shock resistance over conventionally cast wheels.
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| T6 heat treated, argon purged and utilizing Advan's proprietary Flow Form technology for improved strength. The RSII combines the manufacturing ease of casting with much of the strength of forging. |
After getting the new wheels, we were extremely impressed at the attention to detail in machining and finishing of the RSII. The “Hyper Black” finish has got to be one of the coolest-looking finishes we've seen on a wheel: silver, but with definite black undertones. This wheel looks good today, and will probably still look good a decade from now. Anyone who has three-spoke wheels, or some odd color that was popular at the turn of the century knows the pain of having wheels that seemed cool back in the day, but look silly today. Except spinners. Spinners were never cool.
Weighing in at 16 lbs, the wheels are relatively light considering their larger sizing – 18×8″, +42 offset. Overall, the wheel/tire combination weighs in at 41 lbs, compared to the stock combination at 40lbs, despite the heavier construction of the Falkens and worn stock tires (spec sheets say the stock combo should weigh 43lbs). The new wheel's simple and understated good looks compliment the MKVI Golf much better than the busy and stout-looking stock wheels. They're also about a thousand times easier to clean.
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| Advan's “Hyper Black” finish is one of the coolest finishes we've seen, and is likely to stand the test of time, both from a durability standpoint, and a style standpoint. The finished center cap is a nice touch. Let's face it, axle nuts are ugly. |
