wheel advice - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

***DAMON*** · 09-12-2003, 09:41 AM

alright guys, i need your expert toyota nation advice. I have a gen 3 94 4cyl and i just saw today on wheelmax.com that they are having a huge sale. my birthday is a few months away and so is christmas and i was considering asking for just a set of wheels from my mom. the wheels are currently on sale for $79 each. I dont think my family can afford tires as well at this time, but i would plan on getting a job through winter and buying tires in the spring. my question is is it a good idea to get wheels now and tires later? is it going to be more costly or difficult to find tires a few months after ihave wheels? the sale only lasts through this sunday, so i need to think fast. any advice is apreciated!

the wheels are these- Exel - TZ-7 (White) - 5 Lug Only (et45 Only)

***Eye8Pussies*** · 09-12-2003, 01:16 PM

that depends....if you can find good deals on wheels and a good deal on tires in different places, then it might be worth it to do everything separately

but most of the times the best way is to go to a shop, find some wheels that you like, and then pick the tires and deal with them until they give you a good deal....

but hey....it all depends.....

HoeBag · 09-12-2003, 01:44 PM

this says $125 each...
http://www.wheelmax.com/Wheels/exel/exel.htm#TZ7%20(White)
dunno if those would look good...but u can chop the wheels onto a pic of ur car and decide whether it looks right

btw...are they the correct offset you need??

***EKam*** · 09-12-2003, 02:09 PM

All the wheels that they sell looks like replicas from all other brands.

The one you're looking at is an exact replica of Motegi MR7 of replica of Konig Tantrums.

***DAMON*** · 09-12-2003, 02:38 PM

it says 125 on the regular list but on the sale list it says 79.... i dont know maybe this is too much of a rush, i guess i should just wait until i can afford both and buy the ones i know i want and get tires at the same time... thanks guys

***DAMON*** · 09-15-2003, 07:05 PM

well, after taking the advice of tn veterans and using the search button

i have discovered that the wheels i was looking at are junk. if they look just like motegis, then they are really junk, as it seems to be that these "pep boys wheels" are junk. so my question now is where do you guys find wheels online? i can find good wheel sites, but not too many with white wheels- what i want. i also like the look of a six or seven spoke white wheel, if that helps. thanks guys, i hoipe your not sick of helping me yet

Ikon · 09-15-2003, 08:19 PM

www.tirerack.com
www.discounttiredirect.com
Discount Tire Direct has auctions online as well so sometimes you can catch a nice set of used wheels. Plus they sell real stuff like enkei, and packages with pirelli, kumho, and dunlop rubber.

Tirerack also has the select vehicle and see how the rims would look on your car as well. So it helps cause you can see the result before buying.

brink · 09-15-2003, 08:27 PM

Added plus to tirerack, depending on where you live in michigan, you can just head down here south of the border and pick them up yourself from the warehouse. Saves shipping charges. The tirerack headquarters/warehouse is approx 15 minutes south of the michigan/indiana line.

***DAMON*** · 09-15-2003, 08:34 PM

i live in ann arbor in south eastern michigan, so maybe that could be possible. ive been on tirerack and tires.com before but they dont seem to carry many wheels that come in with for my gen 3 (1994) what about tenzo? are their wheels any good? they have some neat designs and they come in white.

Ikon · 09-15-2003, 08:40 PM

As long as its a 5 x 114.3 you should be ok. Then you just have to decide if you want 16, 17, or 18's. Tenzo are really nice but pretty hefty on the price tag.

khanhdom · 09-15-2003, 08:43 PM

I have tenzo and they been on for like 3 months...love them so far...and I got 18s

brink · 09-15-2003, 08:45 PM

Well, when I do a shop for wheels by your car on tirerack, I get 81 different entries. Is it just you're not liking the selections? You know, you may get better results if you're able to call and talk with someone and simultaneously browse. The people there are really knowledgable.

888-541-1777 I used to know a guy who worked there that I'd recommend, but he left. Just tell 'em you'd like to talk with someone about getting the correct wheels for your car and they'll get you someone to talk to.

I suggest you call cause the website may not be 100% everything that works on your car -- there may be other combinations that the site isn't necessarily able to check. (I say this because I used to work for the company that designed the backend code for their site, and I can't vouch for how Tirerack's maintained it since they took ownership of the whole thing. Not to cast doubt on tirerack or anything... It's rock solid in its results, but there is the potential for it to miss certain wheels that would in fact fit your car. Wow, this is a long parenthetical thought.)

woshiagni · 09-15-2003, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by EKam
All the wheels that they sell looks like replicas from all other brands.

The one you're looking at is an exact replica of Motegi MR7 of replica of Konig Tantrums.

... and Konig Tantrums were a replica of the Advan (Yokohama) Model 7's.

Just to be on topic... I don't think anyone's ever complained about Exel or other replica wheels, not here or on SC3, in terms of quality. Yes, they are replica wheels, and no one steps out of their way to recommend them, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're of poor quality. Typically, the difference comes in two areas between replica rims and rims made by "tier 1" companies: manufacturing strength in the casting process (replicas will be slightly weaker) and the weight of the rim itself (replicas will be heavier).

DrtySthV6SE · 09-15-2003, 10:25 PM

My 17's are ADR RS Limited Mase, which is a replica of the Racing Hart C5 ?? I think. My wheels have been great though, i have jumped curbs and they take a beating from the crappy roads down here but are in great condition and look shinny like bling bling (when clean of course) and that is rare

***DAMON*** · 09-16-2003, 02:25 PM

maybe the replicas wouldnt be that bad then... my cars slow as hell and i dont really want to mess up the engine (or have the cash to, for that matter) so the weight isnt too much of an issue. the sale is through next sunday, not last sunday like i thought. my next question would be what is the difference in ride quality for rim sizes? ive heard its really rough with bigger wheels. I was thinking seventeens but hey, you guys are the experts. thanks again.