Watanabe are restored and fitted... Photos inside.

[ChrisA]

Hi Ben,

Great wheels on an even greater car. Very Nice!!

Chris A.

[xray]

Ben,

Great work! Since I bought your 14 x 5.5 slots, I feel I may have helped (in some small way) fund the upgrade.....

Steve

[v12horse]

1. where you got them (imported or ?)

2. what shop restored them, what did they do?

3. how much total did you pay in the end...

4. so far, in your opinion (and I know what you'll say, just want to hear it) are you glad you got these, as opposed to rewinds or panasports? I personally think they are so much rarer in the USA that man, they are AWESOME!

Thanks! and congrats on making your Zed look so perfect!!!!

Hello Dave,

1. I got them actually off of ebay about a year and a half ago from a guy on the east coast who imported them from Japan.

2. I had them done at a shop in Walnut Creek (Northern California). They are called Riteway Wire and Wheels

*They bead blasted the wheels.

* Machine cut the back of the wheels to factory spec. (made the groves

like a record on them.)

* Primed the front and backs(the Front wheels had original paint, so I had them just paint the front side of the front wheels.)

* Color matched the paint as best they could using a computer. This was to the original flat Watanabe gunmetal paint. The wheels are slightly more shiney, but I am really happy with how they came out.

* They balanced the wheels on the tires using a machine. They put the weights on the reverse side of the lip.

* They fitted the wheels to the car and balanced the front wheels on the car.

* And they did all this with a hand jack and a hand wrench to be as careful as possible. NO lug nut guns!!!

3. All this was done for 300USD even.

4. As you would guess, I am really glad I chose Watanabes over the other 8-spoke style wheels. I can guaruntee that the Watanabes were a little bit more money than Panasports or Rewinds, but I was in no rush. The Pans and Rewinds look very nice, but my ultimate goal was to get Watanabe's. It took me 1.5 years to find the right set (offset, condition, size), but it was well worth it. I am sure that I would of been happy with Panasports or Rewinds, but I am interested in Japan in many ways and it was only natural for me to get these.

If you or anyone wants to get a set of Watanabes, but is worried about price, availibility, just talk to me and I will try to help/encourage. I thought of buying Pans or Konigs while in search for Watanabes, and money was an issue for me. I don't have that many connections, but I would like to think that I know where and what to look for. I have a certain pride for these wheels, that I don't think I would have had for another wheel (besides Kobe Sieko wheels). I know that Panasports are excellent wheels, and I have heard Konigs are pretty good too, but I went with Watanabe for the look, Japanese influence, excellent quality, and its heritage with Nissan. This is just my opinion, so it is neither right or wrong. I am not trying to offend anyone on wheels either. It is just different strokes for different folks as many would say.

Please, whether you want Panasports, Konigs, 14 by 7 slots, steelies and caps, Watanabes, Libres, etc. Please get exactly what you want, even if you have to wait because you will be so much happier with your choice.

Thanks for the complement Dave, Steve, Ron, Chris, Chris, and Pete for the compliments.

I still have my steel wheels and caps in a safe spot in storage.

-Ben

[Victor Laury]

Ben's got his his JDM street cred hapenen now!

It was worth the wait and effort, good for you!

Will we see it at MSA THIS year??? uh? Will we? Well?

[ncz]

Ben, the wheels look great, and the shop fees seemed real reasonable for the work. Do you know if these exist in 15's?. Again, looks great!!

[v12horse]

Ben, the wheels look great, and the shop fees seemed real reasonable for the work. Do you know if these exist in 15's?. Again, looks great!!

They come in 15" and 16" for nice fitment on a Z.

Check out the website. It is in Japanese, but find the eight-spoke style and you will see the sizes and offsets. There is a fitment page and scroll to S30 and it will give you a list of the recommended sizes. EricB is a member here and he has some really nice 15" Watanabe's on his car. He has over-fender flares though, so his wheels are DEEEEEP .

www.rs-watanabe.co.jp

Thanks for giving me the JDM street cred Victor. You got JDM street Cred too X2. I am not sure if I will be at MSA. It all depends on my schedule. I would love to go again.

-Ben

[pecx]

Anybody know the color code?