Shopping for inexpensive wheels... Sport Editions?

[larsrya8]

I'm in the market for some new wheels and tires, but I don't want to spend a fortune. I found the Sport Edition Fox 3 wheels on TireRack.com. They're listed as being only $99 per wheel. Most of the other similar wheels (17x7.5 or 17x8) are at least twice that price. What would I be sacrificing by going with the Sport Editions as opposed to more popular brands such as O.Z. or the SSRs (besides weight, and possible style). Would the Sport Editions be capable of handling road racing conditions or 400whp?

I'm aware that there are some performance aspects I'm not seeing here, but I'm more bothered by my stock 16x6 swirleys and my balding Eagle RS/As. All I want are some wider wheels that I can put some nice Yokos on. Also, if not the Sport Foxes, can some point me in the direction of an alternative wheel that won't break the bank? It needs to be around 7.5 inches wide. I'll post more questions if I have any. Thanks in advance.

Ryan

 

[weith1111]

Try some stock wheels from other cars. 17" 2g wheels are nice, Rx7 rims, Ford Probe rims (kinda swirly), etc.

I swear I saw a set of rx8 rims on someone's pic on here too. I paid $300 for wheels and tires for the 16" 5 spoke 2g rims. They are only like 6.5" wide though.

Just an idea, there are a bunch of options. Look at what other cars share lug patterns. You may find a deal!

 

[DGajre777]

www.wheelmax.com - They have a lot of wheels.

 

[larsrya8]

Does anyone have some opinions about the Sport Edition wheels?

 

[jtmcinder]

There's that saying about wheels: "cheap, strong, light ... choose two." We know you have the first and we know you don't have the third. What you want to know is if they're strong. If they are, then they'll be fine; if they aren't, then move on.

- Jtoby

 

[larsrya8]

Yeah, i figured there'd be a similar saying for wheels as there is for car performance (Fast, Reliable, Cheap). I guess you're point about whether they are strong or not ties into my original question, but it doesn't answer it. I don't want to buy the wheels only to run over a pothole one day in the near future and have the rim collapse... or whatever rims do when they "aren't strong".

You're suggestion sounds like I should either perform a "trial and error" experiment by purchasing the wheels and seeing what happens, or that I should continue hunting for information. I would prefer the latter obviously, which is why I made my original post.

Since the original post I have spent some more time on TireRack's website. I've found the "10 Razze" wheel made by AT Italia. It's a 16x7.5, so not only is the wheel cheaper then a 17 inch ($120 each), but the tires are about $20 cheaper for that rim. The wheels weigh 20.5 lbs each, which isn't super lightweight, but is hopefully similar or better than the stock weight.

Early I was set on getting the Kosei K1 Racing rims until I used the search and found the center cap problem. Having a nice silver rim accented by my rusty wheel hub didn't appeal to me, so I decided against them. That is the type of information I'm looking for when I ask the question "Does anybody have any experience with xxxx".

Hopefully someone with experience about either the Sport Edition or the AT Italia can shed some light on the question of their reliability and compatibility with DSMs. TireRack claims that they have extensively researched each wheel's compatibility with all cars, but real-world testimony is always nice.

Thanks again,


Ryan

 

[DGajre777]

Tirerack is a reputable website and don't sell crappy stuff. I don't think you have to worry about the wheel collapsing after you drive over a pot hole. If TireRack claims that they have extensively researched each wheel's compatibility with all cars, then they probably have. If you don't trust them, find some other place to buy your wheels.

 

[99redgst]

While working in a tire store in the Chicago area for a year and a half, I saw three different cars that had Sport editions that were bent. One was an Audi A6 that all 4 wheels were bent. Every one that I ever had on the balancer had at least a little hop to it. From what I have seen I would not reccomend them. Keep in mind I have never owned a set but this has been first hand experience I have had with them.

 

[larsrya8]

99redgst - Thank you.

This is the input I was looking for. I'm now leaning toward getting the 16x7.5 AT Italia 10 Razze wheels for my car. Not only will they be slightly less expensive (and lighter) than the Sport Editions, but the fact that they'll have more sidewall should not only improve ride quality but should protect the wheel from damaging jolts. I'll probably buy the wheels and tires soon.

This is unless somebody has information about the AT Italias too. But hurry! The 10 Razze wheels have been discontinued, hence their attractive price. If I'm going to buy them, I should probably do it soon.

Thanks again

Ryan

 

[Slow99x]

Never buy a discontinued wheel or tire due to the fact that if the wheel as a problem either in manufacturing or in shipping you get screwed. The Fox Spot Editions are only used by my customers for winter wheels. I have never sold a set for daily driving year round. Konig has some very nice wheels that are very inexpensive. I have a set of Konig "Next" on my car that only weigh 15.5 lbs. and I only payed $800 with tires but it helps that I do work at a tire store.

 

[larsrya8]

What size tire did you put on the Konigs? Also, did you need to purchase hub rings with those wheels or did they fit the stock hub? I'm looking at the Konigs now, seeing as the 10 Razzes are sold out.

 

[maroon_98_RS]

well my advice to you coming from a freind experience is that you dont buy cheap wheels. you dont have to buy rely expensive wheels but don tbuy chepos. my freind had some 17 inch isr? or someting like that. they bent in like 2 weeks and where he lives the roads are REAL smoothe. had he have them in NY he would not have gone down the street without faking them up.

 

[larsrya8]

I've researched a little more and came across www.victoriatire.com.
On the last page of wheels for our cars, there are the stock wheels for the 2004 Infiniti G35. The front wheels are 17x7.5, and the rear are 17x8. The price is right, at about $130 for the front and $170 for the rear. Of course I'll have to find out what the offset is on the wheels, but other than that it looks like a really good deal. Victoria Tire also has the Yokohamas that I wanted to put on the wheels.

The question is if that seems like a really low price. Infiniti is selling the wheels for about $450 each, which seems really high. What I'm wondering is if the wheels on Victoria are replicas, and therefore won't have the OEM strength.

Does anyone have input on this subject? If you have purchased OEM wheels from a different vehicle, let me know from where and what your results were. I plan on calling Victoria tomorrow or Friday when I have more time to talk to them, but I still will appreciate any input people have.

Thanks


Ryan

 

[UMR98GSX]

Check around ebay for some good deals. I got my 5Zigen FNO1R-C's, 17x8" for $350 shipped and only installed and driven 100 miles. Sure beats paying $198 a wheel.

--Anson

 

[boostin94]

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/se...HI&rc=TFWINT&yr=1994&wd=16&rw=&vid=006304&bp=

Lots of wheels

 

[gibby]

I just sold my sport edition FOX2 wheels. I had no problems with them and they were not that much heavier than the stock wheels and tires. well maybe a small bit heavier. they looked good and were strong. I never had a problem with the bent rims or anything. i sold them cause i am selling the DSM. just my 2 cents.

 

[jim97gst]

Having a nice silver rim accented by my rusty wheel hub didn't appeal to me, so I decided against them.

I have Enkei RPF1s and the center caps were optional and not cheap. I had nice rusty hubs. I took some naval jelly to them, cleaned them up good, and painted them black. I haven't had any problems with rust coming back (although I live in Arizona now). Some people like the black center capless look, others don't.

Here's a link to a pic:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=44461&password=0&sort=1&cat=500&page=1

 

[larsrya8]

More updates of my search

I visited Konig's site and decided that I wanted the Next wheels. I searched and found this thread about the quality of the Konig wheels. I know that things break all the time, but the fact that Konig's warranty is one year and then you're off on your own bothers me. I called them and the sales guy said each wheel is rated to 690KG (about 1500 pounds). He said all of their wheels were rated to 690, even the really thin spoke wheels. I then asked what they would do if my wheel were to fail after 18 months while I was on the freeway and my car were to be totaled, his response was "One year".

So it appears that Konig's customer service leaves something to be desired. If you make a product that people's lives rely on and then hide behind a one year warranty when it fails... that isn't a company I want to deal with, especially when the wheels have failed before, despite the load rating being higher than most tires.

So my question is not "post all of your Konig success or horror stories". What I want to know is people's experience with other wheel manufacturers and their warranties. These are the ones I'm most interested in:

Enkei - Couldn't find anything on their site
ADR - Warranty says "workmanship, material, and structure of the wheel is guaranteed for life". Can anyone vouch for that?
ASA - Can't find any warranty information either
5zigen - No information found on site
Motegi - No information found on site (why is this seeming like a trend? Am I blind?)

I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones I can think of off of the top of my head. If anyone has had a good experience with a company not listed, please post it. I couldn't find a thread on this topic so this seems to be something we need. The Konig story is a tad bit disturbing, so it seems like a good idea to determine what other companies will give us trouble if their wheel fails. So far the ADR warranty seems the best, but only because it was the only one I could find. Still.. those M Classics look hot...

Sorry about dragging this thread out, but I feel like I haven't gotten enough information to make an educated decision. I know there are many people on this site with each brand of these wheels, and I'm pretty sure a few have had failures. Let us know how it was handled!

Thanks again,


Ryan

 

[ian7321]

Alright what is a name of wheels that just goes along with DSM's? Kosei is one. The reason that it is used around DSMs is bc one we are cheap bastards and their wheels are cheap for the quality/look/weight of the wheel. So I say shell out the cash for some Kosei rims put on some Toyo Ra-1's and you will never look back.

 

[larsrya8]

Early I was set on getting the Kosei K1 Racing rims until I used the search and found the center cap problem. Having a nice silver rim accented by my rusty wheel hub didn't appeal to me, so I decided against them. That is the type of information I'm looking for when I ask the question "Does anybody have any experience with xxxx".

The other wheels Kosei makes aren't cheap, at least when comparted to the K1 Racing wheels.

I have decided to just rewrap my stock swirleys with Yoko Avid V4S in the stock size and call it a day. Later when I have more money to burn I'll look into new wheels and summer tires, but I'm not ready to justify spending $1000 or more on wheels and tires. I'll put that money into my EVO3 16G and supporting mods.

Thanks to those that posted.

Ryan

P.S. Not all of us are cheap bastards. Such a generalization hurts our reputation. I would like to think that I spend money to do things right instead of cutting corners whenever I work on a project, including my DSM. I'm sure I'm not alone.

 

[boostin94]

P.S. Not all of us are cheap bastards. Such a generalization hurts our reputation. I would like to think that I spend money to do things right instead of cutting corners whenever I work on a project, including my DSM. I'm sure I'm not alone.

I don't think that it hurts our reputation at all. We are cheap. As a *general* statement, we are cheap bastards. There is no need to spend a lot of money to make our cars fast. The money that needs to be spent is that that makes our cars pretty. Those of you that own a 2g have less of this trouble, and those of us that own a 1g don't care.

1g guys are fast and ugly. The looks of a 1g are like beer. It's an aquired taste. I hated the way that my Eclipse looked for the first year and a half (at least). Now, I think that the car looks great. I look at it and smile everytime.

2g guys, you guys do whatever with your cars that make you happy. Mostly rice the **** out of them. For the guys that make them fast, they uphold the *DSM* name. I thank you for that. You hold the last of a 10 year heritage and decide to do the right thing.

My only intensions for my GST was to make a FWD that would pull mid-to-low 13 second passes with a system that would pressure in the low to mid 140s (really loud for you gear heads that don't know about car audio). This week, I hope to install the said system, and this spring, I hope to tune said car. I have all of the makings of both. I just have to tune both to do what I want.

And she will be "ugly"..... to *you*....

 

[wret]

We're selectively cheap. I, for instance, have oodles of money in my suspension and an intake box made out of an old waste basket.

 

[larsrya8]

Whoa... quicker responses about something off-topic than there were to my original question.

I know it doesn't take a lot of money to make our cars fast (thats why I bought mine). The thing is some people don't even want to spend that much to make their car fast. Despite its HORRIBLE reputation, SSAutochrome still is able to sell stuff to informed DSMers who know what they're getting into. How many threads are there that have "SSAutochrome" and "don't flame" or something equivalent in the title? They know they bought something that is going to fail soon, but they bought it anyway. If someone says that all DSMers are cheap, these people's experiences are going to come up, despite the fact that most DSMers know to stay away from SSA.

The point is that money is spent where it counts, which i thought meant reliability and performance. This can come cheap, and it usually isn't too much more expensive than the cheapest alternative. Also, having "oodles of money in my suspension" matters more than what your intake box is made of. If your suspension fails while on the highway, your life is definitely at risk. If your intake box fails... I'm actually not sure if you mean an intake "shroud" or not, but the results would be much less life threatening, if at all.

When the thread was started I was looking at a certain brand of wheel, which happened to be really cheap. After educating myself as time when on (you can see my progression if you read my posts) I realized that there are many better brands that people choose. After seeing the Konig story I tried to determine which wheel manufacturers would stand behind their product. Its at this point that the thread fizzled out. Now it is off-topic.

No more talk about how cheap we are or aren't. Does anyone have information about their wheel's warranty?


Ryan