It's not often that we get to see an updated version of a wheel side by side. In this case, we have the legendary but outgoing Volk Racing TE37SL and the current Volk Racing TE37 Saga. Both happen to be for the 10th Generation Honda Civic platform, and both are sized 18x9.5 +38 in Mag Blue finish.
On the left, we have the TE37SL - a classic design made with the original "OG" TE37 mold. This one is specifically sized for the FK8 Honda Civic Type R and is offered in the highly desirable concave profile.
In terms of concavity, we can see that the original TE37 concave profile (before they moved to the Face-# designation) has noticeably more concavity than the identically sized Face-3 TE37 Saga.
We're often asked why the TE37SL is being phased out. Unofficially, it's because of increasingly stringent JWL standards that have forced manufacturers to make stronger wheels. More on that in a moment. The TE37 Saga adopts engraved logos rather than stickers. In my view, this is a far more elegant approach and aids in further distinguishing itself from replica wheels.
The TE37 Saga also has a lot more machining to aid in weight reduction. We believe the wheels are made stronger via higher pressure forging (more material compacted) and more material left in certain areas. Despite the generous hollowing of the spokes, the TE37 Saga is still heavier than the TE37SL. That said, it is still a very lightweight, high end racing wheel. As a bonus, and perhaps more important than the weight, we can confidently say it is stronger as well.
Here are the results of the weigh-in:
| Volk Raacing TE37SL 18x9.5 +38 | 17.20 lbs |
| Volk Racing TE37 Saga 18x9.5 +38 | 18.65 lbs |
Since this blog post was published, the TE37 Saga experienced a minor update and is now sold as a TE37 Saga S-Plus (largely the same as the wheel in this post) and TE37 Saga SL (Same wheel but with spoke decals rather than logo engraving).
WheelFlip is one of the largest stocking dealers of Volk Racing wheels in the world.