n00b wants new wheel advice

[oolunchbox]

Hello all, i'm new to the forums and i'm seeking some help and or advice.. ive got a 2004 Monotone Shadow Base Vibe with the moon & tunes package, I've had it for a lil over a month and i have to say, i love it. well almost, i've got the stock wheels/hubcaps on it and i want new ones.. i've done some searching and think i want something like the AT Italia Double Faces in 17" or 18" (depending on which will fit better) but i'm not prepared to shell out 200 bucks a pop for new rims, plus whatever new tires will cost as well. My question to you.. where can i get a nice 5spoke similar to the AT Italia Double Faces for relatively cheap and what size do you recommend?thanks in advance-LuNCH

[DavidPIL]

Hey there,Tirerack.com has the 17" @ $195 and the 18" @ $229. A set of 4 would be well under $200 with a decent tire as well. Look through the tirerack site for decent tire prices as well. A lot of wheel manufacturers have a 5 spoke wheel though they can vary greatly in design. I'm looking at something very similar to those AT Italia's in the Moda R6. I like the rounded edges. Had also been looking at split spoked wheels but I think I'll go with the slightly more esoteric 5 spoke.Dave

[savedbyzero]

I know this company has got some bad press, but my friend just order some rims and had no problems..... www.wheelmax.com

[oolunchbox]

Thanks, i found those @ tirerack.com, i guess i figured that the price listed was per wheel, but if theyre listing the price per set that's awesome!thanks a ton!-LuNCH

[DavidPIL]

hmm, nope, it would be $199 per wheel x4 would be $796 + Oh, let's say $150 per tire x4 would be $600 + $796 for the wheels =$1396 which would be a good chunck under $2000...I bought an Ultra-High Performance tire for $151 per tire locally then they gave me $20 per old tire in a trade. I went wider instead of larger wheel @ 235/45R17. Tirerack has the same tire for $111.If you want am Ultra-High performance All-Season tire, look into the Pirelli PZero Nero M+S or the Continental ExtremeContact. For non-All Season, I would't know what to suggest..Dave

[redtrdmatrix]

May I suggest http://www.wheelsmarket.com

[wicked1981]

wheelmax.com screwed me over. they sent me wrong pattern then I called them they said send them back (with my own money) they recieved them and sent them back because someone forgot to tell me a number was supposed to be written on box. It was the return # I guess they were too lazy to look in the computer because the rep told me theat they had recieved the wheels and sent them back because it was missing the #. The wheels are siting in my garage. any one interested?

[Stang2Vibe]

What a bunch of crap. Someone over at wheelmax needs me to slap them around a bit.

[JustinVGT]

Yeah, I came pretty close to buying some rims through wheelmax.com. I think I'm going to pass on them and probably go with tires.com. Reasons:1. I just am not sure of the quality of the wheels and tires they sell. I found Exel's website: www.exelwheels.com. Well, it is the only website I could find that looks like it would be Exel's. Doesn't look very professional and does not give much information on the company or their products. Then you see at the bottom there is a link to buy them at wheelmax.2. I have not been impressed with their phone reps. John just seemed to BS about some things. Oscar whom I spoke to several times does not know much either. When they answer the phone, they do not give their names. Okay, and with Oscar, he gave me some very wrong information. I asked about getting a package with all season tires mounted. He then told me that these Hancook tires they had are all season and they run the same price. I said cool, let me just think about it. I then researched Hancook's website and it says they are high performance summer tires. I called Oscar back and he says they are still all season because they have a H-rating. I asked isn't that the speed rating. He told me it also means it is for snow. I then emailed Hancook saying I am thinking about purchasing from wheelmax and they claim the tire is all season because of the H-rating when I thought the H-rating only has to do with the speed (up to 130mph) and not anything to do with winter driving. I then received a response within a few hours saying that I am correct and that they do not make any all season tires.3. I've heard a lot of mixed experiences from them. People receiving something other than they ordered and not being able to return it. I don't know if I want to risk around $1k on them. They have some pretty good prices, but I'm afraid I might get what I pay for through them.4. One other thing about Exel wheels. I read on some major wheel manufacturer (was it Enkei?, forgot) that Exel is manufacturing copies of their wheels and that wheelmax was originally sellling them under that manufacturer's name. It was under the company's news saying that wheelmax is not an authorized reseller and that the wheels sold at wheelmax are copies.I'm currently looking at some packages at www.tires.com and it looks like I will spend a couple hundred dollars more, but I know it is a reputable company and I would get quality wheels and tires.

[Stang2Vibe]

I would certainly say then that you are very wise to avoid wheelmax. Sounds like they are into some bogus business deals. When I see/hear things like this, I keep away from these types of places. Better off spending your money somewhere else, even if the prices are a bit higher. To me, at least, it is definately not worth it to get involved in some crooked company's bogus scheme.And I would bet that wheelmax.com is an outlet for those Exel wheels or something. Wheelmax and Exel may actually be owned/operated by the same people. If that is the case, I wouldn't trust the quality of the Exel wheels then, either. I would definately look somewhere else for wheels if I were you. Thanks for passing along the info so hopefully nobody here gets defrauded by these people.