fiinally got those blasted wheels on the bbi

as per previous messages, had a 2 year horror story with these image wheels. but now they are finally on the car. 17'', 10 in back 8.5 up front. i tried to get something that looked more/less like the originals but allowed for modern rubber. have a sticky set of kumhos on there since the car needs all the gripping help it can get !
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They look TERRRIFIC!

Funny, but just this week, I was thinking about you and the worlds-longest-attempt-to-spend-big-bucks-on-wheels-ever. Now you post, and the result appears to have been fruitful.

Sorry to say that since the last installment, I can't recall whether the company made good, or whether you had to whip bootie to get them to respond.

Anyway, is the car's handling commensurate with the looks?

 

He had to custom fab the spinners, IIRC.......looks good!

Don't bend one.

 

Very nice.


Edwardo

 

i have had no time to drive it. i picked it up, put gas in it, and put it in the garage. will try to take it for a vigorous spin on the weekend.
the custom bit was the inner donut, and the outer hub, so that the stock spinners would have some thread to grip.
i was considering lowering the rear a bit but am undecided on how much i want to alter the original look. as it stands now, at 20 ft out, it looks like the original.
by the way, these are also the first pics of the car since it spent a year getting the bodywork redone after the theft last year.
its basically perfect now. i hope the mechanical work that was done to make that perfect has not deteriorated during its hibernation.

 

Awesome Ross......!!!!

 

I think "tail up" is the best for the air dynamics at higher speeds...

 

vigorous drive done.car behaved reasonably well. altho i think one of the belts is slipping. i had a momentary belt shriek on start up that lasted about a minute and then disappeared. but then in higher gears and on hard acceleration the engine would rev higher but the power lagged, and then came on. if anybody knows what that is, tell me pls.

the wheels worked well. i think i was right not to go to 18''. 17'' allows the tires to still have enough sidewall to absorb some of the shocks. and the kumhos stick like glue - very pleased with them.

 

That car looks incredible. Wow those wheels are perfect.

 

Love the look of the wheels - shame about the fiasco to get them to work. I'd love to get some 17" replacements......but they've got to be right.

 

Car looks good, wheels look good. Two thumbs up.

 

Ross...appologize if you mentioned it in a separate thread, but what size front/rear and type of Kumho are you running? Thanks.

 

Rims look very nice.

 

Looks great but I'd lower it to balance out the space around the wheel. Then again it might scrape more, but for me the gap as is would always be on my mind.

 

can you tell us about the overall wheel diameter in current trim as opposed to the stock od?

 

the kumhos are 235/45 in front and 285/40 in back.

i chose these as they were the closest performance tire, with new rim combo, to the original diameter rims and tires. and i am within a couple mil now. and i spent hours researching this on the web.

 

i tend to agree with you sometimes. the gaps are stock, despite the new wheels and tires. but it does bother me and i may still lower it. anybody have any pointers for doing that best?

 

20 second chop
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much better

 

This is why we all need to more highly value the black Boxers! (No affiliation, no benefit to me personally, except for owning one.)

Ross, still looks fantastic, regardless. Do Boxers sit up a bit because the height of the engine versus the suspension? Maybe the car CAN'T be lowered w/o sacrificing the sump clearance.

Soon as I need new tires, I want THIS set up you've got and greatly appreciate all your research and pain!

 

gonna bump this thread up.......just because I can....

 

I am liking these wheels. The photos seem to show the centers being a different shade - are these wheels all powder coated or the outer rim polished??

 

Painted billet centers, with polished rim (painted/anodized rim is an option). I've been looking at the 17" Billet 11 (with Billet 40 as an alternate) Classic Build "Front Mount" (hidden bolts, clean face, as on Ross' wheels), for both the Boxer and the 400GT for a while, but Ross' fiasco is part of what's made me not take the plunge yet.

http://www.imagewheels.co.uk/pages/wheels_billet.html

 

Maybe my age is showing....But!
and its just my opinion....Please!!

I would have gone the other way..wide 70 series 15's on 11 or 13 inch rears..
now that would be PRESENCE
Thats what the car was meant to have..

If you want a super driving handler that puts all to shame..buy a clk 63 black series..
you already bought the tires for it.

heres what I would have used..
need I say more?

*** These are pure magnesium competition wheels. ***
The following wheels are used for pin drive cars, such as the 512's.
WHL3A ... 11" x 15" ... $2,424 each
WHL3B ... 12" x 15" ... $2,488 each
WHL3C ... 16" x 15" ... $2,508 each
- - -
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works both ways..
in addition to the image wheels, i have a set of wide 365 15" wheels for the bbi too, that you can put wide new rubber on and retain the original look. depends on what you want. right this moment, the car is riding on the image wheels and kumhos. this is largely because the 15" rims need tires and those are impossible to find in switzerland.