FAQ: Rims, Wheels that Look Good on the Riv

damn that blue looks nice. It looks aftermarket

Jack the R wrote:

ManofMany I would go for the first set! I think they are knock-offs of the rims Buick has been using lately on their concept cars - like the Chinese Riviera concept -





It's almost like putting the concept's rims on your Riv.

I would like to find something that is close to the top set of wheels that isnt ridiculously overpriced. Either that or go with the factory 18 from the Lucerne. Theres plenty of rim shops here that do specials for around $1000 for rims and tires but I want something that looks stock, but bigger and expensive looking. Like those new Linclon rims. Those look like they belong on a luxury car.

Sport Editions are now down to $129 ea for 18", $115 for 17":

Link

I'm a little disturbed by the way all these rims are closing out. I don't see new models taking their place.

They're probably just trying to get a head start at moving them. New models should be here by end of summer. They're more apt to sell with few choices, right? I was at the mall the other day and noticed almost every retail store had markdowns of 50-75%. Now is a good time to shop.

I don't think it's model specific. I checked wheels for an Audi A4 and found 6 pages of clearance items.

maybe a theory.....there was such a markup on them and they werent selling due to the bad economy..so they knocked off a bunch.

That Buick knock off rim would be mighty tempting if I didn't like the MB knock off rim better.

I think I'd have Snowdog's rims if I could afford them. Which MB knock-off are you thinking of?

The chrome ones.

AA wrote:

Sport Editions are now down to $129 ea for 18", $115 for 17":

You also need to consider these wheels are made in China and are 1 piece cast, the least expensive method of manufacture.

AA wrote:

I think I'd have Snowdog's rims if I could afford them.

I would buy them too if they were available in the US.
If anyone can find a vendor here, let me know.

I Googled up a couple forums, here are some comments I found -

Quote :

Finally e-mailed Tirerack. Jake replied that Sport Edition is a house brand and the wheels were made for them by Kosei, a Japanese company. I got the wheels (w/ Kumho tires) a few days ago and they look good on the old car. The wheels are made in China but this isn't an issue w/ me (especially for the price) because I knew that Kosei has factories in China, Philippines, etc., and that Kosei manufactures quality wheels.

Quote :

These wheels are engineered in Germany to meet TUV specifications. These will be as durable if not more then the O.E. wheels. They are manufactured in China using the most modern low pressure casting process. Please contact me by phone to place your order or if you have more questions.

Link

Quote :

Hey guys I just thought to let you know to BE CAREFUL when you buy from Tirerack.com. As I had mentioned earlier I was going to buy a set of Sport Editon KV5 replica of evo-5 18x8.0. I received my set of wheels on the end of July and mounted them on some new Bf Goodrich sport tires from Discountire near my home. I began to get vibration at speeds of 70-80 mph.I took them back to Discountire for another recheck wheel balance and no luck.I took my car for a wheel alignment at two different places and no luck. I then took it back to Discountire to remove the tires off the wheels so that we can check the wheel on the wheel hunter balancer without the tires.I was mad the 4 wheels were OUT OF ROUND.So I called Tirerack and told them whats up with that and they said that all wheels were to their spec that maybe it was my alignment so I had to send them proof of my alignment receipts and balance "TWICE". So after so many phone calls they finally decided to send me shipping packages so that I could send the wheels back to them"AUGUST'.First call I get they said that all 4 wheels were fine to their spec" I was mad" I told them to please recheck them so they did. Second call they said only 2 wheels were OUT OF ROUND. So they told me that they were going to send me back my 2 used good wheels according to them and 2 new replacement of the bad ones. After 1 MONTH of crap I finally received my wheels and guess "WHAT" when I open the boxes and took my wheels out the 2 new replacement wheels were a lighter color silver to the 2 used one I first purchased, the whole point was that the colors did not match.Yes I was pist off ....its the last week of "AUGUST" I called them up and I told them that the color does not completely match one pair is dark smoke silver color and the other is lighter silver color. First call #1 they ask me to send them pictures of all 4 wheels so I did. After 3 days second call #2 they then ask me to write down all the information thats on the back of the wheels so I did. After 4 days third call #3 "NOW" they wanted a picture of the back of the wheels and I said bull !@#$% do you think Im lying or what .Naw man I said you send me another shipping package so that I can send you the wheels back for the !@#$% second time and so that when you received them you can check for yourself PERIOD!Well Mr. Mendoza let me check with my technician and we'll call you back. Yes my fello friends at this point I am boiling mad and its "SEPTEMBER" still waiting for the !@#$% phone call........................Im tired of this !@#$%. DONT ORDER FROM THEM take my advice

Link

Other Sport Edition owners on the Maxima forum had better luck with their rims.

Sounds like it's another case of "You pays your money and you takes your chances." If you get 4 good rims, it's a good deal, if you get a dud, don't expect them to stand by their product or give good customer service. It's a budget operation after all.

That's a crazy story, but I bet it doesn't happen a lot. Still good to know it happened. I'd be pissed off too!

I think these would look good on the Riv
http://wheelvintiques.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/page12.html

They dont come in the correct bolt pattern though. Just a tad pricey also.


Bert

I don't know, after my experience with BD Trims, and the lack of response I've been getting from the Quart guy the last few days, it seems to be standard operating procedure for budget sellers. If you get it wrong - screw it, there are other customers coming in the door looking for a deal.

Would you put TireRack in the budget seller category? They are priced pretty high on a lot of their items. Brake components, for example, I never buy there. And having said that, I use few budget sellers for rotors and pads over and over, have never gotten the runaround yet.

Jack the R wrote:

I don't know, after my experience with BD Trims, and the lack of response I've been getting from the Quart guy the last few days, it seems to be standard operating procedure for budget sellers. If you get it wrong - screw it, their are other customers coming in the door looking for a deal.

Ive read of your experience with BD trims which is mostly why i went with the sherwood kit , but as for the speakers when i recieved speakers different then the ones pictures , he promptly offered to exchange them for the others. Just my 2 cents.

The only budget sellers I've had trouble with are on eBay, but I surely wouldn't put all ebay sellers in that same category.

The Sport Edition rims seem to be budget priced, I can't speak for the rest of Tire Rack's wares.

Maybe the guy who had problems with them is the problem himself, but it is worrisome.

Tirerack is only 'budget' on tire prices. For other things they charge pretty much the same as everyone else. Their tire/wheel packages can be hard to beat on price, sometimes. But if you are buying based on price alone... That third story is crazy, but then again that's what you get for buying on line. Buy from a local retailer and you can easily go back there and deal with an issue. Buy from an online shop with the chepaest prices, and sometimes them's the brakes (breaks?).

I know many people who have had great experiences with TireRack.

What do you think about these rims: http://www.elites-wholesale.com/Shop/Control/Product/fp/SFV/32431/vpid/7085071/vpcsid/0/rid/126374

Will they fit the Riv? How do you think they would look? I can't decide between 17" and 18". I want larger than the stock 16", but I don't think really large rims look that great on the Riv. (No offense intended for those who do have large rims.)

Steve,
Our bolt pattern is 5 X 115, and you want an offset of at least 40mm, So those wheels will fit.
My $.02 / opinion is go with the 18". I have had the opportunity to place an 18" wheel and tire combo up against my car and it is the same overall diameter, so it won't affect the speedometer reading, and it looks much better than the space left with a 17" combo.
Again just my opinion. If I recall correctly the tire was 245/45/18. Can't be absolutely sure though. I'll try to find out and post here later.
When I can find a set of 18's, that I can afford, that's what I'm going with.
I have found by researching that there are more 18" wheels available than 17"s for our car. It gives you more choices.

Steve, I think the rims in that link are a bit chunky, with a "West Coast Choppers" kind of feel, so if you like that look, it might work. Chrome is the best finish for that kind of rim, imo.

I agree with Rick on the 18" (+2) size. It's a very good size for the Riviera, which was designed when 16" was a large rim for big sedans. The 18" size fills the wheel well nicely, and brings the Riviera up to date with currant sedans in the $30-40k range.

I also think a 17" (+1) would look decent, but not worth the money. If I'm dropping $500-1000 on new rims and tires, I want to get the optimum size, which I feel is 18", and I think it is worth a little more to get the best size, but it is subjective of course. However, 17" has the advantage of less expensive tires, and it will let you accelerate a tiny bit faster than with larger wheels.

If 19" were more common, I think this would be the optimum size for my tastes.

20" (+4) is what I feel starts to be too big, but some have fitted 20" that look very good. I am surprised, because 20" just sounds so big, but with more and more cars coming stock with 19" and 20" rims, it may be smart to anticipate the future and go with the bigger size.

One thing to think about is handling and ride comfort. I think our stock 16" size is a good handler with firm, summer performance tires and inflated35-40 PSI, but it is still a little bouncy compared to a modern sedan with lower profile tires. The larger you go, the lower profile the tire will be, and thus the higher tire pressures you can run, and the firmer the ride will be. If you like that cushy old-school Caddy/Buick ride, smaller wheels might work best. If you are looking for a firmer "Euro" ride that lets you feel the road more, then it's ok to go big.

Sqrivi's 20's look good. I wouldn't have guessed they were 20's if he hadn't said they were.

I have to agree though, when you look at a 20" rim against smaller rims, 20's look gigantic. Way, way too large, like they belong on a truck.

They'll make our brakes look small too. But if I had the cash I might go that way, who knows.

Jack brings up a good point about the brakes - and they wouldn't just look small, they may actually be too small, as it takes more braking force to stop a car with larger rims due to the added leverage and rotating mass. So if you go with a larger wheel, try to get a lighter set if you want to keep the performance, and this may raise cost even more.