BC Forged MonoBlock RS31 Series Rims
wrapped in Michelin PilotSport A/S 3+
The MonoBlock RS31 is a fully forged one-piece wheel made out of T6061 Aluminum and is designed to be a lightweight, durable, high-performing wheel which sits handsomely in BC Forge’s BC Racing Wheels portfolio. By being fully forged with the highest quality of 6061-T6 aluminum the result is a super strong, practically bulletproof wheel that’s built to last and weighs much less than your stock OE wheel.
If you decide to order a set of RS31 wheels for yourself you’ll notice that BCF offers over 20 different color options. From classic colors such as silver, chrome, or black to more bold colors such as yellow or green, there’s a color for everyone’s taste profile. And if you don’t like the default options, you could always get them custom painted such as these - coated with Porsche Dark Grey Metallic in satin/semi finish.
photo by Mops
Back Story
I’ve purchased these wheels used with approximately 6,000 miles on them as part of a S4 part out. For those who may be interested on how the deal went down, here’s the back story;
Back on July 10th of 2018, Mops@Nemesis posted up a picture of a set of BCF RS31’s coated in Porsche Dark Grey Metallic in a liquid paint finish and within minutes I was making inquires to purchase a set of my own. I loved the simplicity of the wheel and felt that the color choice was perfect - it was love at first sight. Mops and I had many conversations regarding the custom paint finish, cost, and fitment and I was all set to seriously consider purchasing a brand new set of my own come early 2019.
Fast forward a couple of months; Mops mentioned he ordered an RS5 and I reached out to him to ask if he’ll be doing a part out which lead to a discussion if he was going to be selling RS31’s… lucky for me he was. We struck a reasonable deal which included the RS31’s along with a set of 034 parts which have been featured in an earlier post. Now the hardest part was waiting for the appropriate time to meet up and claim these beauties. After several weeks, my wife and I took a drove from Raleigh to the Foothills of NC to meet Mops, install the wheels, and spend a little mountain time for ourselves. Overall the experience was amazingly smooth. Mops was extremely welcoming and such a warm host, so much so that my wife has an open door for him and his family if they ever need a place to stay in Raleigh.
Now, back to the present!
Installation
For those who have never installed custom wheels before there are a couple things you should know;
1. You’ll need to make sure that the tire will fit properly. I am not an expert at this so I discuss it with people who are.
2. You may need lug bolts. For the RS31 the OE lug bolts would have worked fine, however, we decided to use black lug bolts so they get lost in the wheel. While the silver OE ones would work, they would also stand out. It’s a matter of what you like and there are lots of color options, just make sure you order the right ones for your wheel and for your vehicle. Here’s
a link to the lug bolts we used that work with the S4 and the RS31 rims.
3. You may want to use a wheel spacer to position the wheel further out from the fender. Depending on the size of your new wheel it may or may not be flush with the side of the vehicle. Spacer can help adjust this as long as your lug bolts are long enough to accommodate them. Mops preferred a 3mm spacer in the rear while we opted to forgo the spacer - again, it’s a matter of preference.
4. Be sure to reset your TPMS in the MMI to avoid a false air pressure alert after changing wheels.
As mentioned above, we opted for black lug bolts and no spacers for our setup. We did toy with the idea of reusing the OE bolt caps to bring in some of the Daytona Grey back into the wheels, but ultimately we decided it was too contrasty and felt it was best to keep the black bolts bare. The bolts were torqued to 98 ft-lbs.
Overall the wheel swap took about 20-minutes and cost around $16 USD. The garage we used, David’s Care Care Center in North Wilkesboro, NC, was amazingly friendly and accommodating. They gave my wife and I a tour of their garage, offered advice for places to visit and eat while we were in town, and even offered us coffee while we waited. The OE bolts were put together nicely in a ziplock bag which I thought was a nice touch vs them tossing the bolts into an empty box or having it be my problem on how I am to carry them out.
The install stress was nil since it was all handled by professionals.
Impressions
It’s amazing how much changing a wheel can change your entire car’s appearance. When the mechanic pulled around our car it immediately looked different, almost like it wasn’t my car driving up to the front of the store but a fellow S4 owner’s. The day was raining which made everything look darker than normal, including the wheels which appeared to blend into the glossy black rubber that wrapped them. It was only until a little light caught the metallic flakes in the custom Porsche paint that brought the silky dark grey to life exposing pops of sparkle throughout the liquid smooth finish. The dark metallic grey contrasts perfectly against the rotors while the bright red calipers burst out from behind screaming “big breaks deserve attention too!” The black lug bolts vanished perfectly into the rim leaving the full 19 inches of fully forged excellence completely uninterrupted and fully showcased.
Physically the complete wheel package is larger. The rim is an inch larger in width and 265/35 rubber increases the circumference adding about .25-inches of ride height. The changes are enough that it aesthetically looks larger than its OE counterpart. To help you comprehend the size differences I’ve provided the following comparisons;
As of writing this, the car has not been lowered and there is no certainty that I will drop it to make up for the .25 inches of additional height. This is due in part of the addition of the ECS Tuning Carbon Fiber Front Lip Spoiler added previously. The ECS lip lowers the front of the vehicle approximately an inch which has made getting in and out of certain slanted areas a real hassle. I am hoping that the additional .25” increase will help keep the bottom from scraping, but then again I could almost match the same height I was at before - and used to - by adding in some ABT HAS springs. Only time will tell which route I’ll go, and if it’s the ABT route I’m certain you’ll hear about it in this log!
Conclusion
Transaction: Purchasing through Mops has always been a smooth process and buying second-hand was no different. The wheels were cleaned and completely detailed on our arrival. He allowed us to spend as much time as we needed to inspect the wheels and tires. In addition he was there to answer any questions we might have regarding servicing the tires, how to balance them, care for them, and more. Mops also provided us with a bottle of touch up paint in the event a stone chips the liquid finish. Overall this transaction should be the model of how must second-hand purchases should be; clean parts, friendly service, questions answered, smooth transaction. As they say on eBay, “A+++ will buy again”.
Wheels: In short, they are everything I hoped for them to be. The ride feels good and the extra meaty tires makes you feel more planted. In addition, the reduction of unsprung weight* makes a difference in the driving experience. It’s only been a few days since ownership and I’ve received positive comments from co-workers and friends who have seen the new set up. Also, it’s seems I’ve been receiving a little more attention on the road. In the past 48-hours I’ve had three cars try to “show off” driving next to me… previously I think this has happen twice since ownership. Maybe it’s simply coincidence or maybe is how one friend said, “you know she’s not stock anymore!”
Final thoughts: Highly recommend BC Forged wheels for anyone looking to reduce unsprung weight, change their shoes, or drastically change the appearance of their car. While BCF may not be as common as other household names such as BBS, they are still a premium brand focused on quality, performance, and consumer options. Personally, I love the uniqueness of the wheel and the custom paint laid on top of them. The Michelin PilotSport A/S 3+ grips well and handled great on both the rain and dry roads.
*For those who are unfamiliar, unsprung weight is the mass of the suspension versus weight supported by the suspension (known as sprung weight). Your wheels are directly connected to your suspension therefor they are a part of the suspension’s total weight (unsprung weight). Other components that are considered unsprung weight are wheel axels, bearings, hubs, tires, springs, parts of the driveshaft, and more. The benefits of reducing your wheel’s unsprung weight is an increase in acceleration - due to the reduction of rotating mass it’s easier for the vehicle to accelerate, and an increase of grip over bumpy roads - since they tend to rebound faster and be more nimble over their heavier counterparts. A negative of lighter wheels is that you can feel the road and vibrations more since you do not have as much mass to absorb the irregularities of the road.
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Originally Posted by richib86
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