Rays Wheels Explained

Rays Co., Ltd.
Native Name:	株式会社レイズ
Native Name Lang:	ja
Romanized Name:	Kabushiki-gaisha Reizu
Type:	Private KK
Hq Location City:	Higashiosaka-shi, Osaka Prefecture
Hq Location Country:	Japan
Key People:	Masumi Shiba (CEO)
Industry:	Automotive aftermarket
Products:	Wheels
Area Served:	Worldwide
Subsid:	Rays Engineering
Footnotes:	^[1] ^[2]

is a high-end Japanese wheel manufacturer for both motorsport and street use. Their flagship brand, Volk Racing, features a high-tech forging process exclusive to Rays Engineering.^[3]

Wheel construction

Rays wheels are manufactured through two different processes: forging and casting. After each wheel is manufactured, the wheel goes through strenuous inspection before being packaged and shipped out. The following is a video showing each manufacturing process of a Rays Engineering wheel: Rays Engineering Manufacturing Process.

Forging

The forging process for a Rays Wheel consists of seven steps:

1. Hot Forging – Takes a billet and creates metal lines through volume distribution with a hot press.
2. RM Forging – Forging method exclusively developed Rays Engineering. Finishing of designed parts on the wheel is completed during this process.
3. Cold Spinning – Width of wheel is constructed during this process with a high-speed spinning machine.
4. Heat Treatment – Wheel is quickly heated then immediately cooled down with a solution to form a strong structure for the wheel.
5. Machine Work – Special cutting device used to improve roundness of the wheel.
6. Shot Blast – This process smooths the surface of the wheel to prepare of aesthetic finishing.
7. Surface Finishing – Various chemicals are used to prevent corrosion and protect the surface of the wheel

Types of forged wheels

• Forged 1 Piece Magnesium
• Forged 1 Piece Aluminum
• Forged (Seamless) Rim 2 Piece Wheel Aluminum

Casting

The casting process for a Rays Wheel consists of four steps:

1. Fusion – Aluminum metal is heated up into molten liquid.
2. Molten Metal Treating – Process of removing impurities from molten aluminum. Molten aluminum with no impurities are moved into a holding furnace.
3. Casting – Molten aluminum is poured into a die to form the wheel.
4. Machine Work – Various chemicals are used to prevent corrosion and protect the surface of the wheel

Types of cast wheels

• Cast 1 Piece Aluminum
• RCF (Rays Cast Flow Forming) Casting 1 Piece Aluminum

Products

• Volk Racing – Flagship forged sport wheels brand name of Rays Engineering.^[4]
• Gram Lights – Lightweight wheels manufactured through casting process.
• Eco Drive Gear – Lightweight wheels focused on being eco friendly.
• 57 Motor Sport – Cast racing wheels used in World Touring Car Championship and British Touring Car Championship.
• Versus – Fashion brand of wheels with influences from European styling.
• G-Games – Wheels used in the JDM scene with influences from American styling.
• Daytona – Performance wheels produced for Japanese Kei car.
• Black Fleet – Japan's dress-up culture for the sedan scene brings the newest design with a tuner taste.
• Garcia – Wheels bringing in the latest design trends for vans and Kei car.
• A/X RePLA/Y – The Arthur Exchange brand is revamped from 2010 with fresh new design wheels.
• Vesta
• Sebring – also the Japanese distributor for its exhaust pipes

They are the current wheel suppliers to winning factory race teams of Nissan, Honda, Toyota, and Mazda in racing series such as Super GT, Japanese Touring Car Championship (JTCC), British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), Formula Nippon, Formula D, and Formula One.^[5] Their Volk Racing wheels are popular with owners of sport compact and import cars on the race and show circuits.

Rays Engineering also manufactures wheels for car manufacturers' in-house tuning teams such as Nismo, Ralliart, STi, Mazdaspeed and Toyota Racing Development and also supply wheels to Williams Formula One team^[6] as well as the cars that appeared in .^[7]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Company Profile . RAYS . March 7, 2019.
2. Web site: Company Overview of Rays Co., Ltd. . . March 7, 2018.
3. Web site: What makes Volk Racing's TE37 wheels legendary? . Enrico Miguel Subido . March 5, 2018 . . . March 7, 2018.
4. Web site: 2023-07-09 . CE28N-Plus: RAYS Revitalize A Volk Racing Icon . 2024-03-31 . Speedhunters . en-US.
5. Web site: Nexen partners with Rays wheels at N.Y. show . April 17, 2017 . Tire Business . . March 7, 2018.
6. Web site: Williams F1. www.attwilliams.com. June 29, 2017.
7. Web site: The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) — Trivia . . June 29, 2017.