is a high-end

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

ese

wheel A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be ...

manufacturer for both

motorsport Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of t ...

and street use. Their flagship brand, Volk Racing wheels, features a high-tech forging process exclusive to Rays Engineering. They are the current wheel suppliers to winning factory race teams of

Nissan , trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun bra ...

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

, and

Mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one ...

in racing series such as

Super GT Super GT (stylized as SUPER GT) is a grand touring car racing series that began in 1993. Launched as the , generally referred to as either the JGTC or the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship, the series was renamed to Super GT in 2005. It is ...

Japanese Touring Car Championship The Japanese Touring Car Championship (abbr: 1985–1993: JTC, 1994–1998: JTCC, officially known as All Japan Touring Car Championship, ja, 全日本ツーリングカー選手権, link=no), was a former touring car racing series held in Japan. ...

(JTCC),

British Touring Car Championship The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA. It was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and was renamed a ...

(BTCC),

Formula Nippon The Japanese Super Formula Championship is a formula racing series. It is considered as being the top level of single-seater racing in Japan and regional motorsports in Asia. The series is sanctioned by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) a ...

Formula D Formula Drift (also known as Formula D) is a United States-based motorsport drifting series. Formula Drift, Inc. was co-founded by Jim Liaw and Ryan Sage in 2003 as a sister company to Slipstream Global Marketing, the same partnership that int ...

and

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

. Their Volk Racing wheels are popular with owners of

sport compact Sport compact is an American car classification for a high-performance version of an affordable compact car or a subcompact car. There is no precise definition and the description is applied for marketing purposes to a wide variety of models. ...

and import cars on the race and show circuits. Rays Engineering also manufactures wheels for car manufacturers' in-house tuning teams such as

Nismo , abbreviated as Nismo, is a division of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing focused in motorsport and performance-oriented car models for Nissan. Nismo was initially a company, , formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departmen ...

Ralliart Ralliart is the high-performance and motorsports division of Mitsubishi Motors. It was responsible for development and preparation of the company's rally racing and off-road racing vehicles, as well as the development of high-performance models ...

, STi,

Mazdaspeed (often stylized in all-caps as MAZDASPEED) was Mazda's in-house performance division. The company was a grassroots racing team in Japan. Owned by Mazda Motor Corporation, they built production model vehicles, became involved in motorsports develop ...

and

Toyota Racing Development Toyota Racing Development (also known by its abbreviation TRD) is the in-house tuning shop for all Toyota, Lexus and formerly Scion cars. ''TRD'' is responsible both for improving street cars for more performance and supporting Toyota's racing ...

and also supply wheels to Williams Formula One team as well as the cars of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

History

RAYS was founded in 1973. The company opened a Tokyo sales office in 1980. In 1981, RAYS established their Racing Division, and the following year, the company opened their Two-Wheel Vehicle Division. In 1984, RAYS Engineering built a new plant in Yao. In 1986, the company brought in their first 5,500-ton forging press. They later purchased 2 3,500 presses, and in 2004, installed a 10,000-ton forging machine. In 2007, Rays began supplying wheels to the William F1 team.

Wheel construction

Rays Engineering 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: # Hot Forging – Takes a billet and creates metal lines through volume distribution with a hot press. # RM Forging – Forging method exclusively developed Rays Engineering. Finishing of designed parts on the wheel is completed during this process. # Cold Spinning – Width of wheel is constructed during this process with a high-speed spinning machine. # Heat Treatment – Wheel is quickly heated then immediately cooled down with a solution to form a strong structure for the wheel. # Machine Work – Special cutting device used to improve roundness of the wheel. # Shot Blast – This process smooths the surface of the wheel to prepare of aesthetic finishing. # 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: # Fusion – Aluminum metal is heated up into molten liquid. # Molten Metal Treating – Process of removing impurities from molten aluminum. Molten aluminum with no impurities are moved into a holding furnace. # Casting – Molten aluminum is poured into a die to form the wheel. # 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

Product lineup

*Volk Racing – Flagship forged sport wheels brand name of Rays Engineering. *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 The FIA World Touring Car Championship was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations, including a sin ...

and

. *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 Kei car (or , kanji: , "light automobile", ), known variously outside Japan as Japanese city car or Japanese microcar, is the Japanese vehicle category for the smallest highway-legal passenger cars with restricted dimensions and engine capaci ...

. *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

. *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 pipe An exhaust system is used to guide reaction exhaust gases away from a controlled combustion inside an engine or stove. The entire system conveys burnt gases from the engine and includes one or more exhaust pipes. Depending on the overall system ...

References

External links

RAYS Global site
{{Automotive industry in Japan Automotive companies of Japan Wheel manufacturers Automotive motorsports and performance companies Auto parts suppliers of Japan Manufacturing companies based in Osaka Manufacturing companies established in 1973 1973 establishments in Japan Automotive accessories Japanese brands