Wadaya think?

[GunnerRob]

I'm seriously thinking of putting these wheels on my bone stock '75 280z for two reasons.

1. I want to upsize my tire/wheel size.

2. Because they are a "race wheel" manufactured by Bassett, I feel reasonably assured that they can be balanced off the car. Currently the tires have to be balanced on the car to avoid shake.

So...has anyone had experience with this wheel (or manufacturer)?

Thanks,

Rob

web site:http://www.bassettwheel.com/dot.html

[sblake01]

Looks like they only come in 5 bolt.

[GunnerRob]

I called them to see if they are available in a 4x4-1/2" pattern and here's thier response:

Yes that wheel is available in a 4 on 4.5" bolt pattern.

Cost is $57.10 each.

Thanks

Steve

and:

"You would need to order direct with us. I do not have this wheel at any of my dealers at this time."

Thanks for the heads-up sblake01!

:classic:

[1975yellowBSPZ]

I was looking at something similar from Diamond, No up charge for the 4 bolt pattern. I was looking in a 15X7 so I could run victoracers or azenis. Several scca Z guys run them. There is a weight penalty but a lot of aftermarket alloys weigh more. For the money they seem to be the ticket, as you can get basicly any size/ offset you need.

Let me know how it works out for you as I'll be likely doing the same as budget allows.

http://www.diamondracingwheels.com/ProSeries.htm

[Victor Laury]

The price is right, but they're HEAVY! you could get a much lighter wheel in alum, or even steel, for 3 times more cash.

These would look perfect on a mid 80's Buick turbo coupe.

[frank13]

Gunnerrob how did you get them balanced ON THE CAR?? The only method I am aware of to balance A tire on the car is a very old method to balance Bias ply tires. It required a drum and motor to spin the rim/tire while a very sharp blade "trimmed" the tread somewhats round. This was called "Speed Balancing". The end result was a larger more even contact patch. But this was for Bias ply tires. What are you refering to? A yeah you asked. Those rims are IMO ugly! Sorry. :devious:

[GunnerRob]

1975yellowBSPZ. The only size I know of that is available with the correct bolt pattern are the 15x7's. I'll have to check out the Diamond wheel.

Victor. "The price is right, but they're HEAVY! you could get a much lighter wheel in alum, or even steel, for 3 times more cash". The key word here is 'cash'. If I had more I'd look at alot more choices.

frank13. I don't know that much about tire balancing, but I know that the tires were spun up on the car to high speed (90-100 mph), stopped, and weights applied to correct the imbalance. This procedure was the only way to get them balanced. I like the style of these wheels and will probably get them in silver powdercoat. I agree they're not the most beautiful wheel, they're more no nonsense and functional, and they are what I can afford right now.

[2ManyZs]

For the money they are hard to beat...

Yes, they are a bit heavy, but, so are the older mag wheels compared to whats on the market today.

Wonder if you could use a trim ring like what was on the Chevy Ralley wheels to dress them up, and powder coat the center a nice dark color to offset the trim ring or argent like the Ralley wheels.... Might not look too bad if the car is a dark color.

For the price of 4 of these, you'd only get one Panasport in 15x7....:disappoin

Make a good investment, if someday you have some money to throw out for a set of Pana's or Watanabe's, you could always sell these to a racer or auto-Xer....

A set of 15x10's would be nice if I ever get to do anything with my second car.....:devious:

[Walter Moore]

Just about any tire and wheel assembly can be balanced off the car. The wheels for ALL new cars are balanced on an assembly line conveyor system immediately after the tires are mounted on them, a long way from where they are bolted to the car. Frequently they are actually balanced in a totally separate factory by the out-sourcing company that mounts the tires to the wheels.

I should know, I have worked for companies that build balancing equipment for more than 20 years.

If as you say you couldn't get rid of the wheel shake except to balance the wheels with them attached to the vehicle then there is a problem with either one of the wheels, or with a hub, rotor, or brake drum.

Are your existing wheels OEM, or aftermarket? Most aftermarket wheels have an oversized centerbore to accomidate a wide range of vehicles. When wheels are balanced on a free-standing machine the wheel is located by this centerbore, and the balance measurements are taken from that centerline.

When a wheel with the correct centerbore diameter is mounted on a car, the pilot of the hub engages the wheel by the centerbore and aligns to the same centerline that was used on the balancer. (There is some interference between the centerbore and the wheel studs, but mostly it locates by the centerbore.)

But when a wheel with an oversized centerbore is bolted in place, the centerbore clears the center alignment pilot on the hub all the way around, and the wheel ends up centered on the lug hole pattern instead. If the centerline of the wheel's lug hole pattern is as little as 0.005" out of alignment with the centerline of the hub you will experience vibration at highway speeds.

The car companies all have pretty rigid standards for the wheels that they buy, so OEM wheels are usually fairly easy to balance. (Aluminum wheels more so than steel ones.)

I hate to mention this, but a lot of aftermarket wheels are... well... let's just say that in the U.S. there aren't any government requirements that aftermarket wheels be checked for runout, or that the centerline of the lug hole pattern be concentric with the center pilot hole. If it will safely hold air, bolt in place, and support the weight of the car it's typically good enough to sell.

(And the price tag of the wheel doesn't tell you very much about the runout either.)

It is also common for brake rotors and brake drums to be out of balance, particularly when they get old. Usually however it takes a lot of imbalance in a brake part to produce significant vibration.

Balancing the "wheels" on the vehicle will compensate for all these problems, temporarily.

If you buy new wheels you should attempt to get wheels with a pilot ( center bore ) diameter that is appropriate for the car. Because if on even one hub you have say a bent wheel stud that moves the effective centerline of the bolt pattern off center, and you install a new wheel with an oversized pilot hole on that hub the problem will still be there.

Those wheel adapters that I see on Ebay all the time that let you put Honda wheels on your Z (I am sorely tempted...) could also cause this problem if you had one that was improperly made, or not mounted correctly. When you space the wheel out 40mm, it is almost a sure thing that the hub's pilot isn't doing anything for you.

Sorry I got so long winded there.

Walter Moore

[GunnerRob]

Walter. I want to thank you for your comprehensive reply. Thorough and to the point! I love it. Not to minumize the other replies. All you guys have been very helpful/supportive.

My Z has the dealer installed, aftermarket, aluminum slotted wheels still on it from when my dad bought it new. They were made by Western Wheel and have always been hard to balance since new. I remember my dad telling me about replacing brand new tires with different brands, the tire store shaving the tires to get them to balance, flipping the over, and on and on. Also, the rotors have been replaced as well as the drums. People have said these old, crude wheels weren't very precise to begin with. As far as the lug bolts are concerned, these wheels have lug nuts that are a threaded collar style, meaning they have a shaft that goes between the wheel and stud and is a very tight fit (and a PITA to install). So, if the studs are bent, they've been that way since new, on all four corners.

Another reason I'm going with a simple steel wheel is because I can get the offset that'll work without using spacers or adapters.

[260DET]

They look ok to me, functional if not pretty. Make a statement, get them chromed.

[Zvoiture]

I have a set of the Diamonds in 15X8 (most of the Neckar wheels only come in 15.....AERO, Basset, Diamond, etc...although Basset makes 13 and 14 and Diamond has 13-16). Very utilitarian. Not somehting you would put on a show car, but mean looking! Lots of racers use them. Can't beat the price. Yes, they are a tad heavy, but not much. Here is what I have in my garage right now. Check this out:

14X7 AR 'Turbine' with 225/50/14 Kumho V700 @ 30%: 38.8 lbs.

15X7 Eagle Alloy five-spoke with 225/50/15 BFG Touring T'A at 70%: 37.6 lbs.

15X8 Diamond with 225/50/15 Kumho V700 @ 30%: 40.2 lbs.

Several of the steel wheel makers mention in their listings, "Cannot be balanced by centerbore. Must be balanced by bolt holes." Don't really know the ins and outs of that edict, but thought I might throw it in.

steve