Watanabe Price Opinions

[kyteler]

If I could get a set of 14x6 Watanabe's for around the $200NZD mark, should I grab the bull by the horns so to speak, this would be before freight (in NZ though so shouldn't be tooooo much).

Obviously the 6's are probably a smidge too small but I can always get bigger ones later right?

Oh and would a 205 fit snuggly on a 6" rim or would it be pushing it?

BTW;

$200NZD =

Â¥14500 JPY

$175 AUD

£73 GBP

$136 USD

€106 EUR

Any thoughts and views appreciated.

:classic:

[NickF]

Think you might have to pay that per wheel !.

Nick

[Alfadog]

Go for it!

[kyteler]

I am trying to get them but it's a bit up in the air at the moment, I'll let you guys know whether it goes through.

Any idea on whether 205's fit on 6" rims? Because I'll be putting the Watanabe's on the 240K and then my brother will be getting the 15x7's that are on their now for his Supra which is currently wearing a set of 205/60/14's which would go onto the Watanabe's IF they fit.

[2ManyZs]

205/60's will fit on a 6 inch rim, although, they would be close to the max you'd want to put on a 6 inch rim due to the tires tread and section width...You'll need to keep an eye on the tire wear, and adjust your tire pressure accordingly, as they may have a bit of odd wear (if you don't have the optimum tire pressure) due to it being about as wide as you'd want to go for a 6 inch rim

If you got to a 50 series or 55 series, you would probably want to drop it back to a 195 for better tire wear.

[kyteler]

Excellent, thanks 2ManyZs.

With a bit of luck and time I may have some new rims that aren't gold. ewwww, gold rims :sick: It is nice having 15x7's however.

[kyteler]

Sorry, there's been a mistake.

The rims are actually going to cost me $180 and not $200, so I'll have to amend those other currencies.

Â¥13000 JPY

$157 AUD

£66 GBP

$122 USD

€95 EUR

:classic:

[Go240Zags]

Speaking of Watanabes: Anyone ever do business with this company? http://www.magnesiumwheels.com/wheel.php?wid=1

They advertise 15x7 in the 114.3 4 lug size for $199 each, but I think the company is in Russia, not Japan, and that makes me somewhat leary. I seriously considered ordering some before I got my Panasports at a much better deal -- used of course. I'm not recommending these folks, just curious if anyone has dealt with them. Gary

[HS30-H]

That's a very low price, in my opinion.

Watch out for offset / backspacing though; you might find that they have more positive offset than you would like ( more suited to an '80s / '90s "modern" car than your '70s Skyline ).

In my experience, used but decent condition A or B-type 8-Spoke Watanabes in that size tend to sell for anything between 10,000 and 30,000 Yen EACH in Japan ( which is, of course, where most of them are to be found ). You can see this kind of price in the Japanese used-wheel shops, as well as on Japanese internet auctions. Quite often they are sold in pairs rather than sets of four, and I would not expect to see a pair of 6x14 for less than 15,000 Yen - let alone a set of four...

Of course it CAN sometimes be possible to strike it lucky and find a set in a used-wheel shop in Japan for a very low price, but the average used market price is higher than the prices you have quoted. If you are shipping from Japan you might find that the shipping for these wheels actually costs a fair bit more than the price you are paying for them.

If the condition / offset looks good then it will be a very good deal at the prices you quoted. However, I'm a little worried by your exchange rate comparisons. The rate you are quoting for the £STG to JPY is way out of date, and makes me wonder if you are working on old information for your NZD comparison? Be careful and check out the latest and most up to date rate you can find.

Good luck:classic:

Alan T.

[kyteler]

Hey there Alan,

I was hoping you might offer some advice, the wheels are indeed that price for the four, they also are either being freighted from just a little further up country from me (roughly 2-300km) or are possibly being delivered as the V8 National Series is in my home town this weekend and the seller may be coming down for that.

I was definately a bit worried about the offset but I guess we'll have to see when I get them, it would be kind of disappointing should they arrive and then not be able to be used.

As for those exhange rate quotes, I used the Yahoo Currency Converter website, I guess that must be a bit out of whack then perhaps?

However, the price I'm paying is $180NZD as they are in NZ not being imported or anything.

I'll be sure to let people know both ways once I get them, as to whether they don't fit or they do.

Thanks for your input Alan, it's muchly appreciated.

-Michael

[HS30-H]

Hi Michael,

Ah, that explains the cheap price. I thought they were coming from Japan, and were not already in NZ.

I've got to say, even if they were indeed not the ideal offset for your car, it would be hard to turn down genuine Watanabes at that price!

I'm always cautious of quoted currency exchange rates, as I deal with them on a day-to-day basis for my work ( especially the £STG to JPY rate ). You might find that what you pay on a 'real world' transaction is rather more expensive than these rate converters would lead you to believe. In any case, you seem to be paying in NZD - so you can forget about exchange rates :classic:

Good luck with the deal:classic:

Alan T.

[sjcurtis]

kyteler,

Sounds like you have got yourself a bargain. You did say 14X6. I can't wait to see the pictures of the Watanabes on your car. Hope the deal goes well.

cheers

Steve :classic: