mx5cartalk.com

Hi Guys
I was looking for some new wheels for the work car, and noticed a lot of the wheels had a symbol the same as we have on the stock MX wheels so I did some research and found out what the Symbol meant. Below is the breakdown, but basically if they have this symbol they are as good as stock wheels.



For more info here is the site
http://www.jwtc.jp/open/html/e/situmon1.html#a01


Q1:What do the JWL marks denote? What does the VIA mark mean?

A１: We will provide descriptions and the background of each mark and its related organization.
(1) The JWL mark
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism established the quality and performance criteria of light alloy wheels. There are standards “Technical standards for Light Alloy Disc Wheels for Passenger Cars” and “Technical standards for Light Alloy Disc Wheels for Trucks and Buses,” and products that have passed these Standards, by voluntary inspection, should have JWL (for passenger cars) and JWL-T (for tracks and buses) engraved on them.
Incidentally JWL comes from “Japan Light Alloy Wheel”.
(2) VIA mark
As a light alloy wheel is an important safety part for vehicles and its safety quality can affect human lives, any organizations that manufacture and sell light alloy wheels or testing organizations that inspect and check aftermarket wheels need to do so based upon the technical standards approved by MLIT, and to have them registered accordingly. This is known as VIA registration.
Registration is performed by the Japan Light Alloy Automotive Wheel Testing Council (hereafter referred to as “the Council”) and testing and registration are performed by the Japan Vehicle Inspection Association (hereafter referred to as Vehicle Inspection).
VIA is a registered trademark of the Japan Vehicle Inspection Association.
The JWL mark and VIA mark are applied in Japan.
The council is made up of the Nippon Auto Parts Aftermarket Committee (NAPAC) JAWA Division and the Japan Aluminum Association (JAA) along with the Japan Vehicle Inspection Association.

Hope this helps anyone in the same situation

Cheers
Dale

some claim that blatant copy/fake wheels could carry these symbols even though they don't meet the standard, as some simply are made from a mould of the originals.

buyer beware.

these are japanese standards, and only required if the wheel is to be sold/used in japan.

Old Dude wrote:... JAWA Division ....

Represent Yo!

Locutus wrote:some claim that blatant copy/fake wheels could carry these symbols even though they don't meet the standard, as some simply are made from a mould of the originals.

buyer beware.

these are japanese standards, and only required if the wheel is to be sold/used in japan.

Good point I was looking at F1 wheels here on the Gold Coast, I asked him about the cheap Chinese copies and the problems mentioned on this forum, he said that ALL wheels are made in China now and then said they won't sell a rim that doesn't have a warranty, so if you buy from a recognised supplier you should be OK
Cheers
Dale