jerome951

Hi All,

I'm getting ready to order a set of Fikse FM-5 or FM-10 for track use, but I'm unsure which finish I should choose.

The dealer from whom I'm buying them (and a SpeedVision touring racer himself) recommended the standard finish (clearcoated centers and polished, uncoated rims). He said the clearcoated centers were pretty durable and the rims needed polishing only ~once/year (though I doubt he's the one cleaning them). However, a friend with this finish finds they are more difficult than that to keep clean.

I'm thinking of the anodized finish on the entire wheel. Though it adds ~$60 to the cost of each wheel, I'm thinking they would be much easier to clean and look nice for a longer time.

I don't use a brake pads with corrosive dust, though the wheels may sit for a week or so after a track event before I can clean them.

Your thoughts and personal observations are appreciated.

RS'd '73S

FM-10's are a b!tch to keep clean no matter what finish or brake pads you run because of the lip of the outer rim half that sticks out behind the center. Only reason I bring this up is because you sound like would like to keep them clean and it's a lot of work
Don't have personal experience w/ the 5's so I can't comment on those but the unfinished and polished rims don't seem to be a problem in general.

Mark in Baltimore

Hi, Jerome,

I just bought a set of 18" FM-10's from Paul at Radial Tire in Silver Spring. I obsessed over which finish to get: race satin or standard technipolish? I spoke to Travis over at Fikse who recommended going with the race satin. In fact, he said that most race teams chose to go with the race satin for the ease of cleaning.

I was concerned about the anodization of the race satin taking away from the bling factor that I would get with the technipolish. I went to a club race and scrutinized every FM-10 I saw to see how they looked and what kind of finish they had.

In the end, I chose race satin for the centers but kept the lip polished. I love the look and am super happy with the wheels.

I run Hawk blues and, occassionally, Pagid Oranges. I really don't find there to be a great deal of dust with the blues, so clean up has been relatively painless. I bought a natural wire wheel brush from Griot's Garage and coated the metal tip with that liquid plastic dip stuff in order to prevent that tip from scratching any brake components. Along with the Griot's wheel cleaner (haven't tried anything else, although I hear good things about P21s) and a wool mitt, I can clean each wheel in about a minute, running the brush through each spoke and turning vigorously. Surprisingly easy, really.

I love the FM-10's and think they set off the car quite well. PM me if you want to look at them in person.

Which dealer are you ordering them from? I was told by Travis that if you have the standard, technipolish finish, you should never polish them since the clearcoat will come off, making cleaning difficult. I do know this is common with guys who race.

Sorry, I don't have a better photo of the wheels.

jerome951

Hey Mark,

Glad Paul was able to hook you up. That's who I'm going to order mine from as well.

I also e-mailed Fikse and their recommendation was to use the anodized finish. Said it would not only clean easier, but is also more durable to the heat of track use. I'm going with the full anodized to keep from having to polish the rims frequently.

I think I'm going to go w/ the FM-5s for even easier cleaning. I'm not too into the bling factor (as evidenced by the condition of my car) so the duller anodized rims aren't a big concern.

As far as wheel cleaners go, I've used P21S spray for many years and really like it. I do like the other Griot's stuff I've purchased, though. Fikse recommended using Simple Green so I think I'll try that at first.

Hope to see you at the track next year.

RJFabCab

Jerome,

I have a set of race satin anodized Profil 10s. They're a little shinier than I like, but the satin anodizing makes clean up a snap (meaning, dirt and brake dust just wash away). However, the webs are still a b*tch to clean compared to my Carrera wheels.

If you eat the x-tra cost, it'll make for a set of rims that are easier to clean and more durable overall.

http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/a13d0...BTN1_ASzNh.dp.

http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/a13d0...WgJ1_AhhRnNHml

http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/a13d0...WgJ1_ALxypxe.E

Cheers!

Viken

RJ,

I would have liked to see your wheels, but the links don't work.

RJFabCab

I'm not sure why the above links don't work.

Try here: Fikses

The pics are a little too "Beverly Hills"... Hahaha

okindao

I just bought Fiske FM 5's from Wheel enhancement with the standard finish. Frankly bought the FM 5 for ease of use and did not consider the finish for cleaning, have had one track event and seemed to clean up easily afterwards, really like the look of the Fiske FM 5 on the car... good luck

tchanson

RJ,

Where did you get the great looking center caps that you have on your Fikse's? (and how'd you mount that caliper on the bottom?...)

Tim

A930Rocket

Maybe the pic has been turned?

tchanson

Umm...the caliper question was tongue in cheek, although apparently not entirely successful in that regard.

The Fikse center cap question was not. RJ's center caps have a finish that matches the wheel finish, and look great. Boothe was the only company that I was aware of that made aftermarket caps to fit Fikse, Kinesis, HRE etc, but I seem to recall that they were all polished. I'd love to find a set of plain crest caps that would fit and in a finish to match the satin anodized centers of my Fikses.

Tim

jerome951

If you can find center caps, call Fikse about having them anodized.

They outsource the anodizing (I believe that's what they told me) and may be able to put you in contact with the company that does it for them. At least you'd be getting the same process, and hopefully similar appearance.

A930Rocket

Ooops!

jerome951

Thanks for everyone's input. A lot of varying experiences in these posts and other List reponses I received.

Well, I decided to go with the full race satin (anodized) finish and 5-spoke design for maximum ease of cleanup.

I just placed my order today. Turns out wait times are a little longer than expected (~5-6 weeks) because Fikse just got a deal to supply the Daytona Prototypes with wheels for the 24 Hours. 15 of the 16 prototypes will be on Fikse's.

Hmm, maybe as a promotion Fikse will throw in a DP test drive with purchase of a set of wheels. I was going to be in Daytona anyway....

RS'd '73S

If they quoted 5-6 weeks bank on at least double that ....... not trying to be a dick here just warning you of the realities of dealing w/ Fikse ......