Ever since its launch in 1992 and World Rally Championship debut in 1993, the Subaru Impreza has captured the hearts of enthusiasts the world over. Now we look at brands like BC Forged, Rotiform, Rota, and many more that offer the great wheels for this car.

Beyond being affordable and powerful, it toed the line between a hardcore sports car and a comfortable family car so well. It was a well-packaged combination of weekday grocery getter and weekend warrior for the everyman.

Subaru's Rally Experiment

It was such a success that Subaru continues to manufacture Imprezas generation after generation. The latest Impreza WRX dominates the import scene today while also retaining some of its predecessor’s rallying success. 

Its pedigree doesn’t go unappreciated in the aftermarket scene. The Impreza WRX is one of the hottest vehicles to modify. The latest body kits, exhaust, intakes, intercoolers, and turbos are probably being made for you as we speak.

In that respect, a good upgrade starting point for most owners has to be new Impreza WRX wheels.

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WRX Wheels and You: Beginner Mods

The WRX is one of the darlings of the aftermarket scene. This has made it more difficult for owners to stand out in the crowd.

Luckily, its popularity helped increase WRX-specific parts and accessories. And that means owners are tripping over a bunch of wheel brands for their builds.

Picking Your WRX Wheels

To say that these are the only WRX wheels you should choose from is not the best way to put this article.

Building your vehicle is a personal journey. So, don’t take this article as the gospel truth. Instead, take what we say and use it as inspiration for your build. 

Do you like one of our WRX wheels pick? Then go and get them.

If you don’t like any, feel free to keep searching until you can say, “These are the wheels I am looking for.” 

It’s a process, dear reader. Trust the process.

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Cast Wheels

To start, the most popular wheel choices for any vehicle are the single-piece, cast wheels. Because of all the advances in casting techniques, these wheels have seen many improvements in strength, weight, material quality, and design while still being reasonably affordable.

What used to be heavy, brittle, and boring to look at can now rival most forged wheels on durability and aesthetic appeal.

Vors Wheels

Vors Wheels is driven by the heart and enthusiasm of grassroots car guys. For this brand, nothing beats being a part of an enthusiast’s journey, regardless of the build. And this means affordable wheels for your WRX project. 

Its selection caters to a variety of popular cars. The wheels come in standard and custom specs to allow different fitment options so you can do anything between modest and crazy. Quality is also important so Vors follows the Japan Light Alloy Wheel and Japanese Vehicle Inspection Association standards.

And now to present you its best-selling wheel:

Vors TR4

The Vors TR4 is popular with tuners, making it one of the go-to wheels for WRX owners as well. 

It comes with five split spokes and has design inspiration from top-tier sports wheels. These things match the Subaru WRX’s sporty character. 

Throw in the right finish, and the car will look track-ready right away.

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Rota

On the modest end of the spectrum, we have budget brand Rota Wheels. These wheels come from a Filipino company that produces facsimiles of branded designs, but that’s not to say they’re cheap knockoffs.

For starters, Rota Wheels’ bread and butter is contract work with car assembly lines in the Philippines. On top of this, its designs are used in many FIA homologated racing series. To date, there are Formula Drift competitors who swear by these wheels.

On that note, our first personal pick for any Subaru owner from the Rota catalog are wheels that have track performance in mind.  

Rota Flow Forged FF01 

The Rota Flow Forged FF01 is a flow forged aluminum wheel, which is significantly lighter than Rota’s typical cast-aluminum wheels. 

The flow forged process is new and more resource-intensive than their traditional wheel manufacturing process. 

One could argue that you cannot put a price on progress, but it will still cost the buyer more on the bottom line.

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Our next selections are more for the rally-inspired builds, or perhaps even actual rally builds for people. 

Rota Reece 

This rally-inspired wheel takes you back to the times when manufacturers needed turbofan covers for their wheels to cool the brakes. The vents seem capable of channeling air into the wheel well.

Though we can’t exactly confirm if it does, it still looks pretty cool.

 

 

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Rota Crest

The Rota Crest is a dead ringer for current WRC wheel choices It has a multi-spoke design and dished center. 

While not every vehicle that will wear these wheels will actually touch dirt or gravel, looking the part is enough for any local car meet.

 

 

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Rally-Bred Wheels

As we edge closer to the WRX’s heritage, we venture into the territory of Rally-bred wheels. These wheels are more function than form, and it shows in the number of racing teams that use them straight off the shelf.

O.Z. Racing

Brands that have a strong presence in this market include the venerable O.Z. Racing.

This powerhouse has found favor with many professional motorsports teams as well as privateers. It eventually found a market in the civilian car scene for those looking to emulate that rally look. 

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O.Z. Racing Rally Racing 

The Rally Racing from O.Z. Racing could be today’s quintessential rally wheel, making it instantly recognizable by any enthusiast. 

Alone, the Rally Racing can make any WRX look like a pre-sponsor WRC car, ready for the rally stage - at least for the WRX that likes to thread the city streets instead of forest backroads. 

For the more adventurous WRX owner with the right set of safety and performance mods, the Rally Racing is the crème de la crème when it comes to the WRC aesthetic.

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O.Z. Racing Alleggerita HLT 

If the rally-ready look isn’t for you, the O.Z. Racing Alleggerita HLT has a more tarmac-focused design. It makes appearances on the racetrack and autocross circuit. 

Because of O.Z. Racing’s heritage as a premiere performance wheel manufacturer, you can trust that the Alleggerita HLT will perform flawlessly on and off the track.

 

 

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fifteen52

If you’d rather go for a Gymkhana look on your build, then fifteen52’s wheels are for you.

fifteen52 Chicane

Subarus are often associated with golden wheels. The Chicane in gold finish offers WRX owners a slice of that history but with the timeless look of a five-spoke wheel.

It isn’t quite as popular as the Tarmac and Turbomac, but the Chicane offers a more subdued and refined look, and would definitely stand out.

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fifteen52 Tarmac EVO

 

If five spokes don’t work for you, then perhaps the Tarmac EVO is more your speed with an added sixth spoke. 

While it doesn’t look all that different from the Chicane, you can be swayed to pick the Tarmac EVO because of its resemblance to the original Pro-Drive 555 Impreza wheel.

We’re a fan of Group B and Group A World Rally Championships, which is why we decided to include this wheel in the selection.

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fifteen52 Integrale Gravel

If a retro rally vibe isn’t enough,  the Integrale Gravel might just be the perfect throwback look for you.

It shares some design cues from an old Turbofan wheel, offering you some nostalgia.

  

 

 

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fifteen52 Turbomac 

However, if you want that nostalgic race car look that only Turbofans can give, there are companies that make Turbofan covers for the Turbomac. 

Do that now. Seriously, you won’t regret Turbofans. Ever. They made everything look cool in the ‘80s, and they’re still doing it, nearly 40 years later.

 

 

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Forged Wheels

Now that we have discussed cast wheels, let’s discuss forged wheels. 

Forged wheels require more labor to make because the entire manufacturing process is different. The end result is wheels that are incredibly strong and durable while being relatively lightweight compared to a cast wheel.

Forging eliminates many of the microscopic imperfections found in casting. 

This is why a forged wheel will bend if it is curbed at speed, while a cast wheel will usually shatter – vestigial aspects of forged wheels from their time as primarily racing wheels before hitting the streets for civilian use.

In the forged wheel category, high-end brands like BC, and Rotiform, as well as the more budget-conscious Work produce some of the best-looking wheels for the Impreza line.

Their designs draw inspiration from – you guessed it – racing cars, particularly cars that race in Touring and GT championships. 

BC Forged

Now, while Imprezas aren’t exactly developed for these races, we think BC Forged wheels are a very good fit for the WRX’s proportions.

BC RZ24

And since we’re talking about flash, BC has a wild, floral pattern wheel called the RZ24. It comes with way more spokes, courtesy of its intricate design. 

While it may be too out there for most, it toes the border between subdued and outlandish quite well.

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BC RZ23 

The BC RZ23 has a subtle, universal design. It has a split five-spoke design that emulates designs commonly found on cars that participate in endurance racing as well as in touring car racing. 

While they may generate more turbulent air on the race track to cool down the brakes, they are wonderfully open to show off any brake and suspension modifications. 

After all, the street scene is all about the aesthetic.

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Rotiform

For Rotiform, you should first ask: Do I want to drive this car, or show it off? 

Rotiform SJC 

If you love your WRX slammed to the ground and cruise down the car park lo’ n slo’, then Rotiform’s polished-lip wheels should work for you.

As they glint in the afternoon sun, any passers-by will be drawn to the polished, fan-like metallic face of the BWE, or the retro gold Rotiform SJC on the car beside you. 

Either way, Rotiform has made three wheels that make any generation of WRX look exactly how you want it to be.

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Rotiform KB1 

 

If you want to drive it the way it should be, then it makes sense to get the Rotiform KB1, which – as always – is inspired by rally car wheels. 

It’s hard not to love racecars and the way those slits look. The fact that they’re derived from a functional brake cooling function just ups the appeal.

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Work 

Now we tackle Work. This JDM wheel manufacturer will produce decent wheels that look good on just about any import car. However, decided to pick this distinct model – the Work Meister S1. 

Work Meister S1 

As one of the universally good-looking wheels on the market, it would be a travesty not to include the Work Meister S1 in the top WRX wheels list.

Because of its popularity, it is difficult to get a set of Meisters and still stand out at meets. But it’s always fun to see owners try interesting ways to differentiate their Meisters from each other.

Some go for three-piece assemblies instead of cast or forged. Others paint theirs in colorshift pearl to make the already eye-catching wheel stand out even more.

With a much-loved wheel as the Work Meister, the sky is really the limit when it comes to making this wheel your own.

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Our Love for Motorsports

If it wasn’t obvious by now, this article is partial towards race and rally-inspired aesthetics because of our love for motorsports. 

As always, personal preference plays the biggest role in choosing what aesthetic you wish to emulate. We don’t intend to limit you with the motorsports theme we presented here. 

They are merely some of the WRX wheels we think would look best on builds. Our opinion is only an opinion, and it should not replace yours.

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Follow What You Want

Our advice to you, dear reader, is to decide for yourself what kind of aesthetic you want to follow and choose a WRX wheel that goes with it best. 

The WRX really lends itself to the race car aesthetic – after all, its DNA is directly derived from World Rally Championship winners. 

But if you want something different, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Different is interesting. Different should be the norm. Different should be the standard.