The Short Version
- Still independent, still family-run, still in Higashiosaka.
- Techno is die-cast. Yayoi is sand-cast. Hayashi states both on its own pages.
- 13, 14 and 15-inch are current catalogue sizes, not old stock — the answer restorers want.
- Two of Hayashi’s own pages disagree about whether Techno is still available.
The Company
Hayashi Racing traces to 1969, when 林将一 (Shoichi Hayashi), running Hayashi Car Shop in Higashiosaka, built the “Kalman Apache” racing car for the Japan GP. The road wheel later sold as Hayashi Street was a civilian adaptation of the wheel made for that car.
The racing-car side was spun off to a Suzuka factory in 1977 and sold to Tokyo R&D in 1985, ending Hayashi-branded race car production. The wheel business stayed and continued.
Today the company is 有限会社ハヤシレーシング (Hayashi Racing Ltd.), still in Higashiosaka, Osaka, with 林将一 as chairman and 林ひでこ as president. Independent, not part of a group, and apparently still in the founding family’s hands after fifty-seven years.
The Lines, and How They Are Made
Hayashi is unusually explicit about construction — it is in the page headings.
| Line | Construction, per Hayashi’s own pages | Sizes | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Techno (NEW TECHNO T.R.V) | 金型鋳造 — permanent-mould die casting, “MADE IN JAPAN” | 15 inch, 7.0J–10.0J, PCD 114.3 4H | Stated JWL 適合品 |
| Yayoi | 砂型鋳造 — sand-mould casting | — | Not stated on the page we read |
| TYPE ST (classic Street) | Not stated explicitly | 13, 14, 15 inch | Not stated for the line |
| TYPE ST-D | Not stated explicitly | 16 inch only, PCD 139.7 5H | Stated JWL, VIA 規格適合品 |
The die-cast versus sand-cast distinction is worth understanding. Sand casting is the older method: cheaper tooling, coarser surface, and — as we found with RS Watanabe — often the sizes that do not carry JWL certification. Permanent-mould die casting gives finer grain and better consistency.
So when Hayashi splits its lines that way, it is telling you something real about the product, not just using different words.
The Answer Restorers Want
The question we get most about classic Japanese wheels is whether small diameters are still made or whether you are hunting old stock.
For Hayashi, they are still made. The TYPE ST current price list includes:
- 13×6.0J +15, PCD 130, 5H
- 13×6.0J +20, PCD 100 and 114.3, 4H
- 14×6.0J to 14×9.0J
- 15×6.0J and 15×7.0J, PCD 114.3, 4H
That is a live catalogue, not a legacy list. For anyone restoring a Levin, a S30, a Hakosuka or anything else on 13 and 14-inch, that matters enormously. Note the 4×114.3 options, which suit exactly the awkward-pattern cars we keep documenting.
Lead Times, and a Contradiction We Could Not Resolve
Hayashi states that the Techno and limited lines are 小ロット生産 — small-lot production — and that lead times are therefore longer than for the standard Street lineup. No specific figure is given anywhere.
Now the awkward part. The Yayoi page states that the limited revival production of both Techno and Yayoi has sold out, with no next production run planned at this stage. But a separate Techno T.R.V page still shows an active current price table.
We cannot resolve that from the site alone. It may be that specific past colourways sold out while a current T.R.V run remains orderable. If you want a Techno, ask Hayashi directly before assuming either way.
Buying
Hayashi is a small manufacturer making low volumes of specialist sizes. That has consequences: expect to order rather than buy from stock, expect a wait on anything outside the core Street catalogue, and expect the price to reflect small-lot economics.
It also means a used set in an unusual size is worth taking seriously, because the replacement route is slow.
On certification: JWL is confirmed for Techno and JWL/VIA for the ST-D, but not stated for the classic Street line. If your car must pass shaken in Japan, verify the specific size before committing. This is the same situation we documented at Watanabe, where certification varies by size within one model.
What We Could Not Verify
- Construction method for the core Hayashi Street line (ST, CR, STF, STH, STL). Cast is likely from the pricing, but no page states it.
- JWL or VIA status for the Street line specifically. Confirmed only for ST-D and Techno.
- Whether Techno and Yayoi are currently in production — two official pages give contradictory signals.
- Any lead time in days or weeks, for either standard or small-lot lines.