Anyone have cool aftermarket wheels installed ?

[caseyc]

Does anyone have cool aftermarket wheels installed for your van? &nbsp;I was thinking of maybe getting something nice in black color, but not flashy. &nbsp;I'd rather not have chrome, just jet black. &nbsp;I'm sort of bored of my stock Ford rims/wheels, just want something decent but not overboard. &nbsp;Or would this be a wasteful expense, haha! &nbsp;<br><br>I was thinking about something like this from Tire Rack, see link below. Price seems reasonable at around $135 each. &nbsp;I wouldn't think of getting anything in the $300 to $500 range, as that price level would be over the top for me.<br><br>I also ordered a chrome tailpipe tip...unnecessary, I know, haha! &nbsp;Actually, it will be stainless steel instead of chrome, because I want for it to be rust-proof.<br><br><a href="http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Whee...erNew=All&amp;filterWeight=All&amp;sort=Brand" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Whee...erNew=All&amp;filterWeight=All&amp;sort=Brand<br><br></a>

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

When i bought mine, it came with some nice wheels.&nbsp; I like them but I want to stay as low profile as I can.&nbsp; <br><br><br> <br><br><br>Look at that sexy rust...

 

[baronmcginty]

Summit Racing has a good selection of Wheels at good prices.<br><br><a href="http://www.summitracing.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.summitracing.com/</a>

 

[Lostinspace]

Just do the "Rat" van look to be totally stealth.<img class="emoticon bbc_img" src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif">

 

[caseyc]

Hi baronmcginty,<br><br>Thanks, cool website.&nbsp; Many of the wheels are almost too low priced, and makes me wonder if there might be something wrong?&nbsp; Nice selections though.<br><br>Casey

 

[caseyc]

<p>Hi Lostinspace,<br><br>Actually, I'm taking a diferent approach.&nbsp; In my neck of the woods (a major large city), the "rat" look (meaning run-down, I think), makes a van look more like someone is living in it, hence more suspicious by residents.&nbsp; When a van (or vehicle) looks "cool", residents will simply think I have a nice ride, as opposed to something run-down.&nbsp; I've seen lots of run-down looking vans and it's so obvious that someone is probably living in it.&nbsp; You can tell by the&nbsp;condition of the exterior body, and by other tell-tale clues like homemade drapes or towels to cover the windows, etc.&nbsp; Where I'm located, there are plenty of cool-looking and expensive SUVs, exotic&nbsp;sports cars, and imports.&nbsp; My other vehicle is a red BMW convertible, which I use as my daily driver, and nobody thinks twice about that vehicle because there are so many similar ones on the road.&nbsp; When someone looks at my van, I don't want them to think anyone is living in it, but rather that it's a nice tricked out ride for weekend and recreational use.&nbsp; Similarly, I see Class C RVs in certain parts of the city that look very run-down, and worse, the residents complain about them parked in their neighborhood.&nbsp; As a result, these RVs get ticketed, and sometimes get the "boot" (wheel getting locked).&nbsp;Conversely, I never see a ritzy RV (or super nice van)&nbsp;getting ticketed or the boot, and most residents&nbsp;would probably never complain about them.&nbsp; Obviously, it's different everywhere in the country, but I'm just giving my own observation for where I'm located.&nbsp; In summary, I just want new wheels that look a little nicer, as opposed to the "boring" stock Ford rim covers that came with the van. I'm not looking to be flashy with 22" chrome&nbsp;wheels and low-profile tires, haha! <br><br>Casey<br><br>Casey</p>

 

[Willy]

Had 'em.. 'n took em off. Middle of the road and not attracting attention is my motto. 'Sides, steel rims are tougher for backwoods travel. ..Willy.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I like aftermarket wheels, they look cool and they are usually lighter then stock steel wheels improving efficiancy. I put plastic spoked hubcaps on my Kurbmaster and they look ok, a lot of people mistake them for real mags, I would like to change them from the 16 inch steel to&nbsp;20 inch mags&nbsp;&nbsp;and will when the right deal comes along and my current tires wear out. On my Toyota Townace when my tires wore out I upsized from 14 inch steel&nbsp;to 15 inch&nbsp;mags&nbsp;giving me bigger gearing along with lighter wheels, improved my&nbsp;fuel economy, If you click on my user name,&nbsp;then profile, then albums you can see what&nbsp;both vans look like with the upgrades. It is a major expense though and unless my tires were&nbsp;worn and the rims were&nbsp;a bargain, the&nbsp;money you save on fuel&nbsp;is not a&nbsp;game&nbsp;changer, but feeling&nbsp;good about your ride if you&nbsp;can afford is worth it for some&nbsp;people, I agree it is a good idea to have a tidy rig as long as it is not over the top and attracts too much attention.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

I do agree with the run down being suspicious.&nbsp; I think if your vehicle looks nice but nothing flashy, that is probably the best balance.

 

[caseyc]

Flying Curbmaster,

I dig your wheels. Looks nice without being flashy. I'm thinking of black wheels and chrome trim for my van.

By the way, should I get all steel wheels for my van? My van is carrying a lot of weight and I don't want the wheels to crack under the pressure.

Casey

 

[highdesertranger]

yes kurbmaster you fooled me.&nbsp; however like willy said if you are driving allot of off road steel is better than 95% of the aluminum wheels.&nbsp; a rock in the wrong place will ruin an aluminum rim.&nbsp; I can repair most steel rim damage in the field to get you out.&nbsp; after stating that, &nbsp;I will say that I myself run Alcoa's they are forged 1 piece, &nbsp;not cast or 2piece forged like cheaper rims.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I doubt you would have problem, if you got the right rims, for your truck.&nbsp;I like the black ones. I am no expert I am sure the&nbsp;rim suppliers have the specs.&nbsp;I know they make heavy duty alloy rims for trucks,&nbsp;big&nbsp;trucks,&nbsp;I even saw a transport truck&nbsp;an 18 wheeler,&nbsp;a couple of weeks back with alloy wheels which caught my attentions. I have heard&nbsp;over the years&nbsp;that steel rims are stronger but I am not sure where that came from or if it is another myth or still holds truth.&nbsp;Formula one cars and large 18 wheelers have&nbsp;alloy wheels so maybe they have&nbsp;made big strides&nbsp;in manufacturing and mixing metals I would think those guys&nbsp;would put them under massive stress. Do monster trucks have alloy wheels????

 

[highdesertranger]

I believe the semi rims you are referring to are alcoas.&nbsp; they are the only manufacturer that I know of that make alloy rims that meet dot regs.&nbsp;for semis.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[Willy]

Formula 1/ 18 wheelers are on pavement. Stick aluminum rims where they might get nailed by large rocks and it can be a very different story. Steel is considerably harder, yet still malleable. ..Willy.

 

[caseyc]

Yesterday, I visited a small independent wheel/tire shop that specializes in custom wheels.&nbsp; The rep told me that it's hard to find a black colored wheel in my preferred style for my 15" tires.&nbsp; He said I would have to get 16" or larger wheels (and new tires) in order to have more selections of the type of&nbsp;black wheels I have in mind.&nbsp; Wells, that sucks!&nbsp; I'm going to try other shops, including large retailers like WheelWorks and Sears and see if they have better choices.&nbsp; By the way, this same small shops says steel&nbsp;wheels aren't available anymore, only alloy because it's stronger and lighter weight.&nbsp; I don't know if that's true or not, just telling you what the guy said.<br><br>I also told the rep I want wheels whereby the spokes are in-set deeper into the wheel so that I don't accidently scrape them when parallel parking.&nbsp; He then gave me all these technical jargon numbers like "-6" to "0" to "+20".&nbsp; I forgot the meaning of the&nbsp;terminology used, but it has to do with how deep the front part of the wheel goes in, or something like that.&nbsp; Again, he told me that for my current 15" tires, I was limited unless I'm willing to spend on larger wheels and tires, at greater additional cost of course.&nbsp; He wasn't trying to upsell me, and he spent a good 40 minutes looking through his online catalog and making phone calls, but he simply could not find what I want given my current 15" tires.&nbsp; Only thing available was an alloy (chrome-ish) wheel with small circles around the middle for my particular size tires.<br><br>Always something!<br><br>Casey

 

[flying kurbmaster]

i had a similar problem, I used to have a little 10 foot caravan that I towed with my Townace and I wanted to buy matching mags and couldn't get them in thirteen inch, i had just bougth new tires and didn't want to get new 14 inch. I checked a&nbsp;few places but always the same result. The only&nbsp;thing I would add about having wheels that stick out more then&nbsp;your stock ones is you are putting more strain on the spokes, leverage thing,&nbsp;not sure that is an issue though, they must&nbsp;think of this when they make them but I wouldn't want my wheels to stick out from&nbsp;the body anymore then they already do,&nbsp;even though that effect does look cool, it&nbsp;increases your frontal area, but if fuel economy is not an issue&nbsp;and it would be minimal, then it is not an issue. For me it is an issue, every little&nbsp;bit counts.&nbsp;If your tires are worn you could up size which would be an advantage&nbsp;lowering your rpm. or you could wait till you wear them out,&nbsp;if you are patient, or perhaps&nbsp;buy the 16 inch that you like and&nbsp;wear out&nbsp;the 15 inches&nbsp;in the winter, if you live in&nbsp;snow country.&nbsp;Good luck in your search.

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;Sticking out can put more strain on your rear axle (semi-floating) and/or your bearings, leading to premature wear/failure. ..Willy.

 

[highdesertranger]

listen to willy on this.&nbsp; stay with factory offset.&nbsp; casey you could always have rims colored, &nbsp;anodized,&nbsp; powdered coated.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[rokguy]

<SPAN style="COLOR: #888888"><EM>Paint them black and put some nice stainless dress rings on looks good without to much flash.</EM></SPAN>

 

[caseyc]

Here's an update.&nbsp; I contacted WheelWorks, the same place I have an account and go to regularly for new tires.&nbsp; Turns out they have black wheels available for my van.&nbsp; Decent price too at $109 each.&nbsp; This will fit&nbsp;with my existing tires.&nbsp; I will have this installed soon.&nbsp; <br><br>Check out the wheels here at:<br><br><a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...Aw&amp;sqi=2&amp;ved=0CDIQ9QEwAQ&amp;dur=1975" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...Aw&amp;sqi=2&amp;ved=0CDIQ9QEwAQ&amp;dur=1975</a>