So I ordered some unfinished vipers (20"...I know...I know...you guys are all hot for anything over 22") from Factory Reproductions a few months back. When I got them I found the surfaces rather rough and the back edges of the 'spokes' knife sharp...so I did some finishing work on them before sending them off to get powdercoated black (my plan from the beginning).
When you get wheels powdercoated, be ready for a less than absolutely perfect finish. There are some 'mounds' in the surface that you can't really tell are there (but I know). I was charged $25/rim which I though was reasonable.
The center caps are BT plain caps. They fit great...good retention on the back with the three screws.
I got the Kumho's mounted locally and that's when I found out about the quality/tolerance of the cast wheels. When the wheels were spinning you can literally see the uneveness of the inner rim where the spokes join (there is more mass on one side of the rim). This was worse for some of the wheels, and better for others. What resulted was two of the largest weights being put together (3oz I believe x 2) with another smaller weight. The one tech guy said that he had never seen a rim this out of balance. Two required ALOT of weights, and two had smaller weights.
I mounted the ones with the heavier weights on the rear of the car. Front had the smaller weights. Initial impressions were the ride hadn't changed that much from my 18's suspension wise. Cornering did feel tighter, but this was a given considering I bought the car and slapped winter tires on the next day. The ride is super smooth up until 110-120 km/hr. At that point I think the unbalance hits a resonant frequency and there is a little bit of vibration felt in the wheel. Afterwards it calms down (120+).
I love the looks of the wheel. So far I've encountered 50/50 opinions. I'd imagine it will be split here as well. Some people hated it...called them 'hideous'...other thought they looked 'cool...but you know you should have done <insert comment here>'. Other people said 'those are awesome...I've never seen a rim like that'.
Here's how I would rate them:
Price 9/10 (you will never find rims this cheap)
Looks 9+/10 (I like the aggressive look...other hate it though...matter of preference)
Ride/Quality 6/10 (you basically get what you pay for here...not fine tolerance products)
For the weight of the rims they are definitely a cosmetic addition to the car...not a performance feature by any means.
So what do you think?
