Anyone have any idea/read anything about why 949 Racing's 4x100 6UL wheels aren't in stock anywhere at all? None available on Good-Win (only 5-lugs for NCs) or Flyin' Miata but I can't find a reason for the lack of supply listed anywhere.
Anyone have any idea/read anything about why 949 Racing's 4x100 6UL wheels aren't in stock anywhere at all? None available on Good-Win (only 5-lugs for NCs) or Flyin' Miata but I can't find a reason for the lack of supply listed anywhere.
Sounds like a new wheel is coming. From their FB page posted February 12:
We recently did a a physical inventory at our 3PL (Third Party Logistics provider) and found a few orphans. The list below is everything we have left from our last China production run in 2017. If its not on this list, we don't have it and won't any time soon. Among a variety of other projects for the Miata and FRS/BRZ side of our business, we have been working on new wheel designs to be made in Taiwan. At this time, there is no ETA or other information for the next generation of 6UL wheels.
The website is live inventory so if you can add it to your cart, we have it. If you can't add to cart, someone else beat you to it.
-Some sizes not available in complete sets
-Deep discounts - Closeout pricing
17x8 5x100 +40 BRZ/FRS/CT200H/VW
17x9 5x100 +40 BRZ/FRS
17x9 5x100 +48 WRX
17x9 5x114.3 +55 S2000
The high levels of availability of 6ULs for a few years there was the exception, not the rule. They were always perpetually waiting for the next container until a few big retailers started stocking large numbers. But when production shut down, those warehouses eventually emptied out.
Luckily, there have been some other options for the Miata platform come to market recently.
Bummer - great quality, great looks, low weight, and most importantly low cost! I have almost snagged sets used a few times.
Thanks all for the info! I had no idea they hadn't been producing wheels for so many years...
Keith Tanner said:The high levels of availability of 6ULs for a few years there was the exception, not the rule. They were always perpetually waiting for the next container until a few big retailers started stocking large numbers. But when production shut down, those warehouses eventually emptied out.
Luckily, there have been some other options for the Miata platform come to market recently.
Subtle plug for Kogeki, lol?
Wait until y'all see what's cooking.
There is a video of a Taiwanese guy saying something about China. It applies for lots of issues including this one.
In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :
Check the survey link for the wheels that will be coming out soon.... he was talking that a gloss gray might be one of the colors.
I could abide that color on my orange car with a black top mirrors, and deck lid. Could look real good on my car at the point I pop for 15x9s.
AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) said:There is a video of a Taiwanese guy saying something about China. It applies for lots of issues including this one.
What was he saying? If you want your ideas stolen, share them with China?
In reply to JBinMD :
No idea.
What I'm trying to say is I think the updated and new designs are bitchin.
They're in the link with the survey.
Took the survey... really liked the Sanger... 6 spoke 15x7" +35 to 40 wheel is what I'd really like on the MR2... Was thinking about Kosei K1s whenever they are back in stock - but would wait for 949 Racing Sangers...
In reply to Vracer111 :
Same, but I'd go a little wider. I'm not crazy about the recent spokes out the edge of the wheel trend (like the Avanti Storm S1 and others) so I hope it's either the Sanger or updated 6ul design. I really like my slipstreams but am currently regretting buying white wheels.
JBinMD said:AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) said:There is a video of a Taiwanese guy saying something about China. It applies for lots of issues including this one.
What was he saying? If you want your ideas stolen, share them with China?
SOP for Chinese companies. They have zero honor or respect for patents or design rights. I spoke at length with a very high up executive in a toy company and he basically said they are more surprised when a design doesn't get stolen.
Just did the survey yesterday, the Sanger looks like a winner
JBinMD said:AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) said:There is a video of a Taiwanese guy saying something about China. It applies for lots of issues including this one.
What was he saying? If you want your ideas stolen, share them with China?
No it was a little more direct and to the point. It was two words and China some kind of hole, but it sounded like hoe.
ddavidv said:JBinMD said:AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) said:There is a video of a Taiwanese guy saying something about China. It applies for lots of issues including this one.
What was he saying? If you want your ideas stolen, share them with China?
SOP for Chinese companies. They have zero honor or respect for patents or design rights. I spoke at length with a very high up executive in a toy company and he basically said they are more surprised when a design doesn't get stolen.
Yep, when I worked for a different company years ago, we actually stopped selling to them and quit supporting existing products. It was obvious they were trying to reverse engineer our product.
Thanks to everyone who took our survey. We confirmed a lot of things we suspected and learned a few new things. We will have another shorter, simpler survey up in a few weeks to narrow it down. One thing we noticed is that the angle of the wheels in the images we showed was too flat. No one could see how concave the Coto is. So some folks commented that they didn't like the spoke's protruding past a lip, which of course they don't.
By 2016, we had thousands of wheels in inventory. All our dealers combined stocked a few hundred so they would tend to run out before we did.
We owned all of the tools that we used in China. We were able to remove them from the factory and had them recycled. But that means all of the money we invested in tooling over the years went up in smoke. So we are starting from scratch. Our initial product launch will probably only be 3 or 4 sizes. Likely 15x8, 4x100 and 18x10 5 lug. Not set in stone but that's the current plan. Still some work to do but we're pushing hard to have wheels shipping by Q1/2022.
If you are interested in being updated, send an email to info@949Racing.com and ask to be put on the mailing list for your particular platform. In other words let us know what car you have.
In reply to Emilio700 :
Thank you for the update, Emilio. 15x8, 4x100, Miata offset, please. 
David S. Wallens said:In reply to Emilio700 :
Thank you for the update, Emilio. 15x8, 4x100, Miata offset, please.
Yes these will work well on the MR2 I'm going to pick up in 9 days.
What do you folks think of each design?
These renders are 18x10 5 lug which will be our first production run early 2022. 6UL design still polling the best, Coto 2nd and Sanger a distant third. We all like the Sanger here but the 6UL seems to have become a classic, despite being introduced only 17 years ago. As tooling and production costs have skyrocketed, it's becoming very difficult to make LPC-FF (low pressure cast-flow form) 15" wheels outside of China. All of our wheel production is now planned for Taiwan. We are considering a low cost GC-FF (gravity cast-flow form) line of 15", 4x100 wheels in the Sanger design. We don't think fans of the 6UL would want a 15" GC wheel.
While the Coto looks very similar to the 6UL, it actually shares very few dimensions or compound curves of the 6UL. It does share the same design language so folks have a hard time spotting the differences. The key difference is what we call "long spoke" which attaches the spoke to the outer lip. The 6UL attaches the spoke to the drop center, making the spoke much shorter.
Equalized for the same fatigue strength, the Coto is a touch heavier than the 6UL but has more brake clearance. Sanger about the same as 6UL.
The Coto is too much like the 6UL. I like Sanger. I could see putting them on my Crammit.
I'll be in for a set of 17" 6ULs for my NC depending on available widths/offsets.
I would consider the Sanger after seeing tires mounted. The raised spokes of the Coto aren't to my taste.
Personal thoughts from an old guy, but any wheel that has spokes standing proud of the edge of the wheel is a useless piece of E36 M3, and should be melted down and recast as a quadrajet, because that would be less irritating to the guy with the tire machine.
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