PM: How was FIKSE started, and how is it back again today?
FIKSE wheels started back in 1992 by two brothers Jim and Matt Fikse. They were Porsche guys and racecar fans. When they looked around for an “American made” wheel they didn’t see a wheel that they liked. Jim was a mechanical design engineer, so he set out to design FIKSE wheels. The initial design was the FM-10 and from there it blossomed into a company that started a real revolution in the three-piece wheel world. They started to really make waves in a lot of the European and North American markets and they focused also on making sure their wheels were manufactured to an aerospace grade and standard.
That philosophy continues to this day. I come from a background in aerospace and am car enthusiast as well, which was the motivating factor for acquiring this company. When I moved to the west coast I was introduced to a group called ”Porsche Train” and they all had FIKSE wheels on their cars. I purchased my own set of Profil-10’s for my GT3RS. When I heard that FIKSE was for sale, we looked at what it had to offer and decided to make the leap into manufacturing and developing this iconic brand.
Kodiak Motorsports, another wheel manufacturer here in Vancouver, Canada, acquired the company back in 2009-2010 from the managing group representing Jim and Matt Fikse. We took ownership of FIKSE in the third quarter of 2017, and have since continued to manufacture the wheels under the FIKSE wheel design patents, and with some of the same machines and programs [and employees!], as well as new wheel programs which gives our customers the exacting product they have come to expect over the last 27 years.
I’m very proud of the company and the loyal “FIKSE Fanatic” followers. We’re growing the company under the new ownership every year and continuing to expand FIKSE wheels in the three-piece marketplace. The fit and finish and quality of our wheels are second to none and we pride ourselves on making sure that we deliver a product that supersedes anyone’s expectations—whether it’s the weekend racer, the father taking his kids for a spirited drive, the guy taking his girlfriend for that special dinner, or someone rolling up sporting FIKSE wheels to a car show—people take notice!
Our wheels tell a lot about the car and the person. FIKSE wheels, as a company, isn’t the hero—we want the customers to be the hero. They are the most important thing.
PM: What market do you feel FIKSE caters to?
I feel that FIKSE can cater to any market! We have no limitations. We build for everyday production cars, high-end luxury cars, electric cars, track cars, racecars, Pro touring, ProMod and lots of resto Porsches. We’re a Tier 1 supplier for Singer Vehicle Design in California. We’ve been working very closely with Singer for many years developing unique finishes and colours, providing them with the high quality wheels their customers demand.
We’re also currently a tier 1 supplier for Theon in England which is a Porsche custom restoration group. We work with them exclusively on their cars with our FFR Fuchs wheel. We’ve just moved from strength to strength and many applications of our wheels are shown on many different projects around the world. We’ve had a long history of working with big manufacturers and their project development programs as well as with car enthusiasts working on their own projects. We continue to develop relationships with custom restoration shops, our extensive dealer network, and individual retail customers (many who are repeat customers) to this day.
PM: Are all of the wheels considered custom order?
Whenever a customer or a group contact us, we work with them individually to custom make a wheel specifically for their car. Our three-piece wheel is something that is unique. A lot of our customers realize once they have purchased our wheels that they are not left in the dark if there is a problem with their wheels. If they go to the track and they damage the wheels, they can be repaired or replacement parts can be manufactured. If a customer has an issue on the street with potholes or curbs—or just wants to change the look of the wheel in terms of its width—that’s something that can be done as well.
If the customer wants to change the design of the centre as long as it fits within his initial parameters, there is no issue with making a new part based on the serial number that’s in the front face of each wheel. So, yes, the wheels are custom-made. We consider the wheels to be the Rolex watch of the three-piece wheel market.
PM: What’s your favorite style FIKSE wheel, and what cars do you like to see it on?
We really don’t have a favorite style, but I would say that there are probably four or five that are the most popular that people recognize as FIKSEs. Right off the bat is our FM-10, our FM-5, our Profil-5S and our Profile-13, as well as our FFR Fuchs Replica wheel. A lot of people love the FFR Fuchs wheels and they seem to resonate strongly with early Porsche guys. BMW guys and Pro Touring guys are completely hooked on FIKSE.
(So you see, readers? It’s not just me–PM)
7 comments
Wow! What a great story and throw back. I remember that black e36 so well and often site it as being the perfect turbo setup at the time for the M3.
Can’t thank you enough for your feedback. With stories like this one tends to wonder if it’s too much for the general audience. I knew for the some of the younger crowd it was going to be, but it meant enough to me that–in hopes of it being for a few others who understand–that I wanted to relive it all, and try to sincerely portray in these pages what I was feeling. And the start of the just-announced GTR R33 project will be very nostalgic for me as well. That should be up any day (already completed the first 3 parts). I’ve really enjoyed these past few weeks of writing, also having not done so in a few years. Thanks Andre!
I like it when wheels serve a purpose other than looking cool.
Heartwarming to read about the history of FIKSE as I´m also employed in the automotive aftermarket.
awesome, thank you Twist! If you wish, feel free to share with us what you do, too.
Man that is SUCH a throwback! I remember having all those EE and CC magazines. Maybe still have some at my parents house. The first time I saw Fikse wheels was on an FD RX7 built by a renown RX7 tunner, maybe Pettit? They were polished FM5s on a yellow car…gorgeous! I ended up being between Fikses or Kinesis wheels for my ride back them but ended up going with Kinesis K10s.
Had a bit of a run in with AA back in the day too. I applied for an internship there in college but ended up down the road a ways at Mosler Engineering building the molds/parts for the first MT900s.
This article definitively brought back a whole lot of memories!
haha, yes! I remember Kinesis, too. It was the Kinesis/Fikse/HRE/Forgeline battle, it seemed. So get this, AA had a customer that needed to get rid of his K20s. Had them for sale, and no one bought them. In his impatience, he asked AA to find someone to straight-up trade them for E36 M3 contour ***stockers***, because he wanted to go back to stock. They called me and I jumped in that car so fast lol. So that’s how I ended up with my Kinesis K20s (on my first Estoril blue M3). They were impeccable, too. Yes, that’ll never happen again. And yes the Moslers (Raptor was it?). That was hot stuff. There’s one I see here in KC a couple times a year.
I love the way, at a glance, it looks like smaller diameter wheels with meaty af tires!