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Discussion starter · #61 · (Edited)
More Custom Wheel Photos:

With their permission, here are some more photos of custom wheels that some of the fanatics are running.

The pairs of thumbnail photos from left to right are:

1. "Purple Penelope" - Complete Custom Wheels (CCW) - Model 505A
polished, 19"/20" setup
2. "SSR290" - Complete Custom Wheels (CCW) - Model SP20A
polished, 19"/20" setup
 

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Discussion starter · #62 ·
And Yet Some More Photos.....

Again, with their permission, here are some more photos of custom wheels that some of the fanatics are running.

The pairs of thumbnail photos from left to right are:

1. "Parothed97" - Diamo 15 Karat Wheels - chrome, 20"/22" setup
2. "mr.merlin" - Helo Skid Wheels - chrome, 20"/22" setup
 

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Alex thank you for pulling together this needed coherent thread on wheels. It will hopefully continue to evolve as a useful tool to Fanatics. I also want to compliment on your wheels. Very nice!
There is no single custom item that has as much impact on both looks and performance as wheels. Hence the term "nice wheels", "new wheels. cool wheels etc when referring to a vehicle as a whole.
The issue that is as important to me as looks is function. Without getting into a long technical discussion on the merits/demerits of large diameter wheels, a very big issue for me is wheel weight. The SSR has very high unsprung weight for my likes. My last car had 19 x 9 1/2 rear wheels. The stock wheel weighed about 27 lbs. I swithced those for the same size wheel that weighed 22 lbs, and you can't believe the transformation in ride, handling, and throttle response. I think that the SSR rears weigh in at about 35 lbs.
I also bought and liked my ssr with the stock silver wheels and wasn't willing to pay almost 2K for the chrome upgrade. In the meantime I did find a chrome exchange for 600 bucks so I went ahead with that, to hold me until I find the "right " wheels for me.
Another company that should be mentioned is iForged. They custom make attractive lilght weight alloys. I will be checking int them when my $1000 set of goodrich KDW's wear out,because at that time I will be seeking wider rims so I can get needed wider rubber on the back of my S/C 05.
For those interested, iForged (i have no connection with them) has a gallery and there is one yellow SSR on there with their wheels.
 
Discussion starter · #64 · (Edited)
iForged Wheels:

6.0scSSR:

Thanks for the compliment on this thread and my new custom wheels. Since wheels are a very personal taste type matter, actually your compliment on this thread means even more to me than your one on the wheels....although it IS still appreciated.

I agree with you and also hope that this thread will continue to evolve, becoming a great single source of info. I'll certainly do my part.

As for the iForged wheels that you mentioned, with GuppySSR's permission, here are the photos from his thread tonight on his 20"/22" wheels that he is selling at half price:

For those interested, here is the link to his thread:
http://www.ssrfanatic.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12252

And here is the link to the iForged wheels website:
http://www.iforged.com/v3/main.php
 

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heres my smoothies

originally I was running the stock tire size on the rear (295/40/20) and 255/35/20's on the front. I don't suggest that small of a sidewall unless you're very careful to watch for road hazards:eek
now I'm running 315/35/20 and 275/40/20 they're the same outside diameter so it changes the stance of the ssR.
there are lots of good choices, happy hunting :flag
p.s. manure...
 

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mikepowell said:
originally I was running the stock tire size on the rear (295/40/20) and 255/35/20's on the rear. I don't suggest that small of a sidewall unless you're very careful to watch for road hazards:eek
now I'm running 315/35/20 and 275/40/20 they're the same outside diameter so it changes the stance of the ssR.
there are lots of good choices, happy hunting :flag
Mike you are showing 2 rears...LOL
 
Discussion starter · #69 · (Edited)
Mike:

Many thanks for posting the pic's., particularly since you opted for a different setup than most people, in the 20"/20".

The P255/35 front tire size that you originally went with gave you only 3-1/2" of sidewall height, as compared to the P255/40 front tire that I went with giving a 4" sidewall height. Yes, I could see why you changed later. One would have to be REAL careful and lucky too.

BTW, Mike, Boosted was referring to the fact that the second "rear" at the end of your first sentence should have been "front".
 
Discussion starter · #72 · (Edited)
Diablo Halo Wheels:

Fellow fanatic, "Wolf", has advised me that he has been told that the Diablo Halo wheel model will fit the SSR. I looked it up, and this cast chrome wheel is available in 18"x7.5", 20"x8.5", and 22"x9.5" sizes.....nice variety.

Here's a vendor photo of the Diablo Halo wheel:
 

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Discussion starter · #73 ·
Wheels and Tires "Tech Data"

Everyone:

I've attached some information on general technical wheel and tire data that I got from the 1010Tires website:
http://www.1010tires.com

I've presented the files in PDF file format.

Again, this is a great website, if nothing else, to help you make tire decisions and choices based on ratings.
 

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Rims, rims, rims . . . what's a guy to do ?

First of all, Thanks, Alex for this thread. :thumbs

You and the members that are responding to you are so knowledgeable, I feel like an absolute dunce. :mad

I just traded my '04 Ricochet for a NEW '06 Redline yesterday. The standard rims on my Ricochet looked great and I never considered changing them. It seems like the color of the "standard" rims looks very good with the Silver of the Ricochet.

But, I'm sorry if others like it, but I think the standard rims on my new Redline look dorky. With the chrome package it appears as if I spent all the money on the chrome on the inside and ran out of money for the outside. :lol I'm an Olde Pharte and have no idea what is considered a good-looking rim today, so I went to America's Tire (a tire chain in So Cal) and preceded to go through all the possible combinations and did, indeed, discover that its hard to find a wheel builder that builds BOTH 19" and 20" rims THAT MATCH ! !

Changing wheel size is not an option, at this point, since I have these BRAND NEW Goodyears on my truck already with a mere 140 miles.

Sure I could go with Boyd-Cottington's for $2,400 ! ! Is this what I'm expected to pay and are some of the beautiful wheels I've seen in the past several posts going to cost as much as BCs ? :eek

I'm told I could have my existing rims (I really like the style) chromed, but the whole process would take 3-4 weeks. Is this true ? And is the chroming process going to last like regular chrome wheels ? I'm a contractor and my truck is a daily driver. I can't be without paws for 3-4 weeks ! ! 8 hours would be my limit ! ! :lol

Again, I want to thank you for this exploration into yet another SSR "problem". You guys and the other members on this website are just spectacular. :thumbs
 
Gary,

The one factor that keeps me from buying chromes of any kind is that any damage from rubbing curbs is permanent. The only recourse for repair is to lathe the wheel, and rechrome it.

A polished aluminum wheel can be wet sanded and repolished if the damage is minor. Keep in mind that all these wheels, chrome or not, are aluminum - very soft and easy to damage. I had a tire shop tech insist on "helping" me take my wheels off, even though I came with my own torque wrench and socket. He dropped one nut on the face of the wheel, leaving a nice little dent. Got it home, took out the sandpaper, cleaned it up and polished it.

The major downside of polished aluminum, unless it's clearcoated (that creates its own set of problems, because it might as well be chromed when it comes to repairs) is the need to work at keeping the wheels clean. Not a problem if your truck is a summer only toy, and parked before the salt gets on the road, but not an acceptable product for year round use.

As for selection, there are many suppliers for custom wheels, some very good, some not so much. BC does not have a strong reputation for the best finish.

After much searching, including going to SEMA specifically to look for wheels, the most helpful company was Colorado Customs. They have many styles available in 19s and 20s, and every wheel is custom built to required specs. They were very good to work with, and the product was everything I expected. Not cheap - about $900/corner.

Mine were semi-custom. The design was a one-off they had at SEMA - not in their catalogue or on their website, but now that they have the specs, it is available for sale. The hub area had to be modified to work with a 6 bolt pattern. I like the big/little look - the factory design hides that, rather than feature it.

If you decide to go that route, the best pricing I was able to find was through newstalgiawheel.com

They are the same people who own Coker Tire. David was excellent to deal with.

Attached a couple of photos - factory vs aftermarket.

Hope that helps a bit.
 

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Discussion starter · #76 ·
Gary:

You’re most welcome, and remember, it’s always been OUR thread, not my thread.

You could possibly look into buying a used set of stock SSR painted wheels and then select the best to send off to have them chromed. Then when you get the chromed ones back you could sell the other 4 leftover painted wheels to help you reduce your overall investment.

Since you have the chrome package, your SSR is a daily driver, and if you don't want to/can’t go through the process I listed above, if you're going to change at all IMHO I would go for the custom chrome rims. Yes, the problem is that you will have much difficulty in finding custom chrome rims in both 19"/20" sizes to keep your stock tires. However, I got my entire 20”/22” wheels/tires setup for just under $2,400, $235/each for the 20” wheels and $330/each for the 22” wheels. You could then sell your stock wheels and tires, particularly with the very low mileage that you have on the tires.

As we all know, you can find the custom polished wheels in stock diameters which lets you keep your stock tires. As has been stated, minor nicks and wheel scrubs can be polished out with polished wheels. However, more major scrubs, even if polished out, will leave dimples or low spots which are unacceptable, at least to me. Also, let me emphasize again that I was told by literally everyone that I spoke to who sells both types of wheels that if your ride is a year round daily driver, polished wheels are NOT recommended, and I know that from personal experience. Polished wheels are in fact BEAUTIFUL and for the most part better made, but as you have found out, at the sacrifice of a premium price. The Boyd Coddington Smoothie II’s that you mentioned are very nice wheels, but even at $2,400 for the set, they are some of the less expensive polished wheels available.

All you can do is try to be extra careful and cautious to protect your investment. If I scrub a wheel bad…..only one person to blame, and I will replace it. But the same can be said for stock SSR wheels, painted or chrome, once damaged it’s expensive refinishing or replacement time.

As far as what looks good today, that’s totally up to you. You pick out what YOU like from the choices available for the SSR, because you have only one person to please….YOU.

Good luck.
 
Discussion starter · #77 ·
Flassh:

I just wanted to comment on how gorgeous those 3 photos are that you posted in post #75. One 3-letter word says it best.....WOW!
 
wheels

Hey Folks
Switzerland is far away and overhere we nearly know nothing about the SSRs.
But maybe this could be a great deal for you: check Billet-Specialties! They have arround 40 different wheel-styles which they can custom-made for the SSR!!This is a great company and they made the wheels in the size, style, backspacing, bolt pattern you want/need to have!...at reasonable prices...! All in all they have about
70 wheel-styles available, but i guess that only about 40 styles will be possible to made for the SSR (because of 6-lug bolt pattern) The wheels will be custom made to your specifications, then it takes about 4weeks until theyr done/finished. You can chose the backspace in 1/8" inch steps. Quality & price is great!

The company i work for, is the General-Importer for Billet-Specialties wheels in Switzerland and we have great experiences with them, we order custom-made wheels for exotic cars, for american cars (Trailblazers, Camaros,Mustangs etc.) and also all custom-made wheels for the european cars (Mercedes, BMW, etc).
So far as i can say, all the GTP-Serie styles, Vintec-Styles, GS-styles, and all six-spoke styles would be possible to custom-made for the SSR. They do everything (exept 19 inch wheels) up to 22" and some 24". I guess pricing for a set of 20 inches would start/cost somewhere arround $2800 custom made to your specs.

check www.billetspecialties.com , helpful persons there: Keith Kern, Kevin, or Marcie

Regards from Switzerland
Swisser (Angelo)


Sorry, i just checked the US-pricings again and pricings starts at around $2000/Set allready! Helpfull: for 10" inch wide wheels you have to chose styles with "soft-lip"rim, the others are 9,5"wide only.
 
WearyEagle said:
I'm told I could have my existing rims (I really like the style) chromed, but the whole process would take 3-4 weeks. Is this true ? And is the chroming process going to last like regular chrome wheels ? I'm a contractor and my truck is a daily driver. I can't be without paws for 3-4 weeks ! ! 8 hours would be my limit ! ! :lol
There are companies that will do a chrome exchange where by they will send you a complete chromed set with a deposit that will be refunded when they receive your stock rims. There is a supporting manufacturer here that posted awhile back, here is the link to the post and one of his old auctions. I've been told that the aftermarket chrome is usually better than the stock chrome on these wheels for whatever reason but I cannot verify it.

http://www.ssrfanatic.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12183&highlight=chrome+exchange
or
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CHEV...-RIM-EXCHANGE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ43959QQihZ001QQitemZ110007999108QQrdZ1

Good luck
:flag
 
Great thread. Thanks everyone. I'm a year away from any wheel changes...but I'll have a good idea what to look for. I would also upgrade to drilled/slotted rotors & powder coated calipers.
 
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