CamaroFreak85

I plan on getting the ZO6 rims in 17x9.5 but i have heard that certain brands are crap and certain types of these rims like silver and polished and chrome make a differenece too and some are not and i would like to get this straightened out and i would like to know what brands are the best and where to get them and how much or a link to the site would be good too and anyone with these rims if you could post pics of them that would be sweet to and any information is greatly appreciated thanks

Kandied91z

iTrader: (7)

well it depends on how you approach the subject. by meaning best do you mean with no cost inherant where you will find the best casting, lightest weight and brightest chrome? it all depends.

oe. concepts is the only manufacturer that uses the true gm casting so it's counterbalance and design as as original as can be. you pay a bit more, especially for the chrome but it's worth it. so long as you plan to keep them anyhow.

there have been issues with AAA, performance wheel outlet, wheel replicas, etc. in the past with casting problems and whatnot but it has been hit or miss and typically the price difference is substantial. however the downside is you do take that chance. the wheels from these companies are cheaper however they are also heavier and if you do have a problem it isn't always fixed as quickly as some would like.......if at all. i have yet to see a polished version offered as typically they are either painted or chrome. figure on the the chrome versions weighing substantially more then the painted with any company you go with as it's a given.

if i were going to deal with one of the cheaper brands i would go through a local place that has a good reputation. an example would be any major tire chain in your area where you may find the above brands or a few others as apposed to going through ebay. the reason being if you were to have a problem you will have someone whom you can deal with in person. that alone is worth a little more. mail order on high price items is just asking for trouble.

not to dissuade you but unfortunately the companies who make replica z06 wheels have yet to make them in an offset that directly bolts to our cars. in fact most of the offsets are of the larger fwd type which will require thicker adapters. all of which i'm sure you already know but it's just that much more to account into the cost of things. at least your looking into 17's so your prices on tires alone will be dramatically cheaper. alot more info can be found out about these wheels as well as many pictures just by searching as this topic comes up at least every other day.

good luck.

DURTYBIRD

Last time I looked, I didn't see them on Ebay anymore, but I got my 18" Z06 wheels (polished finish) from AFSWheels. $475 to my door for the SET (from Ebay). They weighted only 21lbs each. So far, I've had no problems with the wheels....it's been about 6-8 months.

HTH!

Kandied91z

iTrader: (7)

well most places don't offer polished versions. i have yet to see one new. however places like pwo and aaa do offer what they consider to be refurbished polished wheels. these typically are wheels that have been "fixed" which are then polished and sold at a discounted price.

sounds like you got quite the deal if everything is ok with them. 21lbs for each for those cast wheels is also quite light sounds like they took alot of metal off during the polish process. i'd be a little worried as a cast wheel shouldn't be that light and you might be sacrificing strength which could put you in danger.

lets see some pictures as i haven't seen a polished set on a car.

1bad91Z

iTrader: (1)

Here's a photo-shopped pic of my car with chrome Z06's (18's on back, 17's on front).

NEEDforSPEED

Yummm....

Kandied91z

iTrader: (7)

looks funny with the odd size wheel. much more suited for the vette the way it's body is designed. still nicer then steel wheels though.

CamaroFreak85

thanks for all the info and more stories and pics would be nice thanks

Kandied91z

iTrader: (7)

try the little search button at the top of the page.......works wonders i tell ya!

quadgoat

iTrader: (1)

Hey guys, I've been trying to dig up more pics of thirdgens with the 18" rear / 17" front Zo6 wheel combo. I know some people think it looks funny, but I am considering grabbing a set of them with tires for a decent price, I just don't want them to look weird. I'd also be interested in opinions on how the Zo6's look in silver, rather than polished, since that's what the ones are that I'm thinking about. I appreciate any info and pics you can provide. I thought this fit here decently rather than starting a new thread

-Paul

Kandied91z

iTrader: (7)

where are these polished sets coming from?

you want to know why people think they look weird going with staggered sizes just look below. these wheels may look alright on angled shots and even when sitting still when the car is adjusted right but the body of a thirdgen wasn't designed for it and it looks silly rolling......

quadgoat

iTrader: (1)

hmm....I can notice a difference, but they really don't look all that bad to me. I think they also might look better on a Firebird, since the nose slopes down more than on a Camaro, but I could be mistaken. The rims I'm considering aren't polished, they're silver, and I believe are OEM '02 Zo6 rims, not aftermarket ones. Thanks for the pic tho Kandied, I see what you're saying, but the difference really doesn't stand out all that badly to me. I've gotta think about it more though. One of the rims in the set I'm looking at has a bend on the inside I'm told. The guy says it doesn't affect anything but is noticable, I'm not sure how I feel about that though, especially since he wants over a grand for the wheels/tires, but like i said, I've gotta think about it some more, thanks in advance for any and all additional input!

-Paul

tpiroc

Nothin' wrong with AFS 18's if you ask me;

Kandied91z

iTrader: (7)

those are polished.....??

tpiroc

Yes

Kandied91z

iTrader: (7)

why did you get polished when you could have had chrome for the same price...? well either way your still one of the lucky ones, so many horror stories from those companies on the net it's not worth the gamble. luckily it worked out for you though.

tpiroc

The chrome set on ebay had higher prices pretty consistently. Also, even if the polishing job is crummy, I can rectify the problem. With crome, if it were a bad job I'd be out of luck. With a lower cost brand, the chrome is probably prone to flake eventually. Also, repairing a chrome rim means rechroming rather than re-polishing. Lastly, chrome is guady, I like the finish of polished aluminum.

Kandied91z

iTrader: (7)

good points except the last one....a truly high polished piece essentially looks chrome. i agree on all points except maintenance though as it can be a pita unlike chrome however your absolutely right about the quality of chrome. if it's not up to par it's very expensive to fix and looks like hell.

tpiroc

Yeah, maintainence is a pita And I too am glad they're performing well for me. I've thoroughly examined them and found no flaws in the casting. A couple sketchy spots on the polishing job, but NO biggie

Kandied91z

iTrader: (7)

that's the advantage to polish over plating....at least you can fix it if something was overlooked.

89_IROC-Z_350

There's yours tpiroc?? Where did you buy you spacers? what if any adjustments did you make for 18's?

tpiroc

Yes that is my car. I used 2" adapters on all four and got them from an outfit on eBay called WestCoast Motorsports (I think). Not the best customer service but good quality. No mods made, but 10.7" of tire barely fits in the front

89_IROC-Z_350

but 10.7" of tire barely fits in the front? So is there a rubing issue? or how does that work?

tpiroc

Yes, it barely fits, implying that it does in fact fit. I've had it rub a couple times when hitting a "dip" too fast in the road. As far as turning movement, there are no rubbing issues.

iansane

iTrader: (1)

What does that 10" tire equate to in normal tire measurements....aka, what size are you running up front? How much were your wheels and adapters?