Wheel advice needed !!!!!!!!

[thedutchguy]

Last weekend I decided to give my Vx very good cleaning.
However when I was busy with the wheels, I cut my hand?????
I gave the wheels a closer inspection and.................Major chrome peeling!!!
Unbelievable , out of the blue on all the 4 wheels.
So what now?
To have the wheels rechromed will take a long time because the chrome removal proces which has to be done before you can start chroming them again is illegal here in the Netherlands, so I will have to ship them to polen first.Furthermore to total sum of the costs will exceed the price of new rims, I guess.

Question what rims are the ones to go for when I want to retain my Bridgestone 245/60-18 Duellers?

Every advice, links to sites etc. welcome.

[thedutchguy]

Thanks guys,
I'm overwhelmed by all the replies :confused: :confused: :confused:

over 40 views and no comments, come on!

[transio]

I got American Eagle Wheels Series 178's size 18x9 for my VX. You need some wider tires for them, though. I went with 285/60/18s and trimmed my cladding (a lot). You could probably go with 285/55 or 285/50 and have little to no trimming though.

http://www.aewheel.com/eagle_alloy_wheels.cfm?id=39

They're cheap, give you that bulldog stance, and look great!

I got them in polished alum. finish cause I like that look with the VX, but chrome would be a lot easier to maintain (obviously).

Good look for a tonka VX might be to powdercoat them yellow or black. :D

[thedutchguy]

Thanks Transio , Yes these rims look great, what number did you get, cause there are so many? Offset +20 mm?

[transio]

I got the 18x9, +2mm offset, 6 on 5.5 bolt pattern.

The VX stock wheels are -38mm iirc, so you don't wanna go +20 or they'll stick out quite a bit.

Even with +2mm and 285 aspect ratio tires, my tires stick out about 1-1.5" (25-38mm). It looks "just about right" to me. If anything, I'd go about 1/2" less (so about -10mm offset), if that were available.

Pics:

http://stevenmoseley.com/vehicross/Wheels-001.jpg
http://stevenmoseley.com/vehicross/Wheels-006.jpg
http://stevenmoseley.com/vehicross/Wheels-007.jpg

[rowhard]

Transio, do you have any close-up photo's of those wheels? What are they. I thought our offset was a +38 mm

[Chopper]

If finances alow, spend the euros and go as light as possible.Lose a kilo at each corner, and you will be suprised at the handling difference---lose two, you'll be startled. Unsprung weight is the enemy.

[mbeach]

...That's why I have a set of 2003 Nissan Frontier SC wheels on their way. 16x7, +20. Cast, but strong and light at 19 lbs. I'll pick up 36mm (1.5") of track width, yet I'll still be able to run the narrower tires that I like.

I might be the only fool on earth who puts on the 18s in the winter, and saves the 16s for summer.

Being that you're on the righthand side of the Atlantic, you should have a lot of choices in the lightweight wheel department. Compomotive and Kosei immediately come to mind. I couldn't find a US dealer for either.

[thedutchguy]

I thought our offset was a +38 mm

I was under the same impression., since you posted this remark in the thread below.

Stock wheels are offset +38mm, which means they're inset 1.5". I'll try to get pics soon of how much I had to trim.

Transio, you posted this thread a while back:
http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=6873&page=2&pp=15&highlight=offset

The offset of a wheel is the distance from its hub mounting surface to the centerline of the wheel. The offset can be one of three types.

Zero Offset
The hub mounting surface is even with the centerline of the wheel.

Positive
The hub mounting surface is toward the front or wheel side of the wheel. Positive offset wheels are generally found on front wheel drive cars and newer rear drive cars.

Negative
The hub mounting surface is toward the back or brake side of the wheels centerline. "Deep dish" wheels are typically a negative offset.

If the offset of the wheel is not correct for the car, the handling can be adversely affected. When the width of the wheel changes, the offset also changes numerically. If the offset were to stay the same while you added width, the additional width would be split evenly between the inside and outside. For most cars, this won't work correctly.
http://www.tirerack.com/images/wheels/tech/offset.gif

I have to order the wheels in the USA so they will have to fit perfectly, cause I probably won't be able to return them.

[Ruflyf]

Mbeach, you have any ideas what the stock 16in rims weigh?

[mbeach]

I don't know about the 16s -the 18s are in the 25-30lb range (I'll find out next week for sure).

To get an idea, look for "wheelweights.com" or something similar. It's a large database of user submitted wheel weights for both factory and aftermarket wheels.

dutchguy, there's no reason to order from the US -you have a larger selection in Europe.
If you look for any 6x139.7 large bore wheels in the US, all you will be able to find are 20+ inch bling wheels.
It's just about impossible to find any quality forged SUV wheels under 19" in the 'States.

Don't limit yourself to the +38 offset -you won't find another in the aftermarket.

[Ldub]

Check out the Centerline site...16,17,18 & 20" all in 8" widths in the "Tomahawk" series. Rotary forged, strong & light. Slightly more neg. offset than stock (about an inch).
I ordered the Toyota 6 holers, but ck. with them to be sure the c. bore is large enough.
Also if you order from them, make sure to indicate that you need 4 deep c. caps.
Ck. my gallery for pic's.

[transio]

Right... I got my pluses and minuses mixed up. :)

Stock offset is +38mm (inset), not -38mm (outset).

The wheels I have are +2mm (about neutral).

[transio]

By the way, dutch... I should warn you that my handling and acceleration have been negatively affected by these wheels, especially at high speeds.

[Chopper]

Mbeach- my personal favorite, high horsepowerand skinny tires always fun. Weld also makes a nice product. We hung some big Evo wheels and giantNitto Grapplers on the Hummer. One balanced straight out of the box, none took more than half an ounce...impressive

[mbeach]

That's the second time that I've heard about the Nittos and their quality (ease of balance, etc.). I wish that there were some out there that I could use.

As it stands, I am looking at 245/75R16 Goodyear MT/Rs for summer rubber.
I can't run fat tires up here -the roads are really rutted and the VX gets tossed about too easily. I look like I put away a few before I got behind the wheel. I figure that I can pick up the handling (and looks) with the wider track, but maintain stability and speed with the skinnier tire.

[thedutchguy]

I was thinking of getting these, they have 35mm offset.
http://www.antera.de/T_345SUV18.jpg

[Ldub]

Very nice !

[Kenny]

Those are slick. I like the spacing so it can show off painted brake calipers and discs.

One comment I have on rim offset-
If the wheels stick out too much you'll get very dirty side mirrors and some cool rooster tails front and back. (add mudflaps)
But I think it's well worth it for the wider stance look!

Good Luck.

[transio]

Dutch,

You better make sure they'll fit the big hubs of our VX. Usually, wheels with lug-nut covers (and a big positive offset) are for FWD cars with mini-hubs.

Do a search for "lexani" or "wheel hub" and you'll find some posts of mine about hub-fitment nightmares.

Generally, anything with an extended pop-in hub cover (like the 178's i have) will fit no problem. Make very sure of other wheels before putting $$$ down!!!

Steve

[transio]

PS - here's the drawing I made of the front hub (side elevation) to give you a general idea of the dimensions:

http://www.stevenmoseley.com/vehicross/hub.gif