Well, I got the wheels back and they look awesome!! I didn't know how bad of a job the guys in Phoenix did on them until I see how they "should" have looked. I put Michellin Pilot Sport 245/40's up front and 275/35's out back. So...last weekend I washed and waxed the car and went out for some fall pictures. I think cosmetically and engine wise, the car is done. I've still got some suspension things and brakes to do, then I'll be completely done (yea, right...) All of the pictures are in the "Main" area at http://ml.truckmoxie.com/sal07b. However, here is a smattering:
Do you have the 9" magnesium wheels all the way around or the 10" in the rear? I have the 9" with the OEM 245/40 BFG's & would like to increase the rear tire width. I'm curious how you fit a 275 tire in the rear if you have the 9" wheels as I thought the widest is a 265/35.
They are actually 8.5" all around and the 275's fit on them just fine. I had 245's all the way around and hated it from the rear. That's why I stepped up to the 275's. No rubbing, and no problems. Looks much, much better with the wider rear tires. The wider tires also bring the tread out to the lip, which is great! I basically gave up on finding a set of the 10" speedlines and had the entire set of 8.5's refurbished. They did an awesome job...
The top signature is Liz Saleen and the bottom is Steve. They were going around signing them together at the Saleen Annual Car Show last year, so I was kind of stuck. Hey, some argue that she's running the place anyways...lol
You can go 285-35-18's on the 8.5's in the rear if you want with ZERO problems. The tire upgrade on the 8.5 magnesium from Saleen came with the 285 Dunlops. You could get the tire upgrade, which gave you 255's on the front and 285's on the rear, or 295's on the tire and wheel (18x10) upgrade. If not, and your car came with the magnesiums then it's possible you could have 245,255's all the way around.
Ur, uh, that would be wife...lol In case you haven't figured it out, the Liz everyone calls at Saleen to verify VIN numbers is, in fact, Liz Saleen. I'll have to admit, she is pretty cool. She is much more personable then her hubby. To say that she is the more outgoing of the two would definately be an understatement...
yeah see i have never been to the Saleen show or any saleen event so there for i have never seen her. after they named the paint liz stick red after her i kinda thought she was his wife.
:Zip2: What do you know about tires?? It's not like you drive the S351 enough to ever replace them. Most people drive their cars and wear their tires out. Marcus' probably stand a better chance of dry rot... (had to you bro, you've only got what, 1600 miles on your S351??)
Ha ha. You know that's exactly what I have laying around are "original" tire and wheel combo's that came on the cars so that's why I know all about what the cars actually came with because I'm lookin at em here at Saleen West. I also have some crica 1995 orignal tires on another set of 18x8.5's and 18x10's also. he he. The tires are dry rotted but those magnesium speedlines sure are pretty. big smile, biiiiiiiiig smile.
Hey Dave, Your wheels look good. How many times have you had them re-done? Oh yea, the R-code just turned 7,000 miles.
Twice actually amnit: This is going to be kind of long, so here goes: The first time was in AZ. I had sent them to a shop to be dipped since I was worried about having them sand blasted or touched for that matter (magnesium is pretty soft/porus, as I'm sure you already know...) Anyways, when I picked them up, the a$$hole took a wire wheel to them. Told me he "had to" because they couldn't get it all off. Well, as mad as I was, there wasn't much I could do. The damage was done. So, I had the guy come over from Allow Wheel Repair and he said the primer/paint would pretty much cover up the marks left from the wire wheel. That made me feel a little better about it. When he brings them back...yep, you guessed it, looked like $hit! So now I'm about $800 into a crapola job so what do I do. Well, when I moved back to OH I went to have the Pilot Sports put on. I called the shop and told them that the wheels were Magnesium and to be extremely careful with them. An hour after I drop the car off the guy calls me and says that when they broke the bead on the wheel it "blew" the paint off. Needless to say, I went right over. I get there and it is painfully obvious that the idiot hit the front of the wheel with the blade used to break the bead. Hell, it was shiny where metal hit metal (obviously took the paint off rather nicely...) So, I took the car to a reputable refurbishing shop, Wheel Warehouse. The guy said, "dude, whoever did these rims before suck!". Like I needed that tid bit of info. The good news is that there are no Alloy Wheel Repair reps in Ohio and the paint used was proprietary. Therefore, I tell the regional manager for Discount Tire that they are going to have to do all four wheels to ensure they match. He has a fit and says they'll send it to AZ. I say OK, but if something happens in the mail, the wheel is not replacable, therefore I want him to sign a paper stating he understands this. To make a long story short, he payed for the entire refurbishing of the one they damaged and 1/2 of the other three. It cost me $285.00. They chemically stripped the paint, Straightened three of the four on their lathe, fixed every blemish, painted/baked/clear coated and baked the set, and mounted the tires. They look like brand new...
sal, your wheels look fantabulous. And the car ain't bad either. Thanks for the info on the tire sizes. I checked Discount Tire Direct & there are not many options in the 255/40 & 285/35 size, so 245/40 & 275/35 appear to be the ideal choice in regards to availability. Unfortunately since my Saleen Cobra only has 5100 miles on it, I won't be changing tires anytime soon as I won't be able to convince my wife it needs them.
Two pieces of information for you. One, vandalism can strike at the most unopportune times Two, vandals usually puncture tires on the sidewall, which is impossible to fix Should a vandal strike, you would really have no option but to buy new tires...
My wife is way too savvy to fall for that one, sal. Plus she knows how much I baby my cars so she'd never believe a random act of vandalism would befall my latest stablemate. Besides, I'd be loathe to do the deed myself for the simple fact that the current tires are still perfectly good. Now, if I purchased another set of standard Saleen wheels as I originally intended to do, I would need a set of new tires to go along with them...
They were done here in town at a place called Wheel Warehouse. Their website is http://www.thewheelwarehouse.com. Call and ask for Brian. Tell him Dave West sent you and they are the same type of Magnesium wheels that he did for me. They did an absolutely awesome job. I had them painted inside and out, which cost a little more. You really have to do that since they are so open. I think it was around $180 a wheel plus tax. You probably wouldn't have to pay tax since you're out of town. They do a fantastic job. Maybe he would cut you a dea since you need two sets done. I can tell you, they look better then new. I had them painted in their bright silver metallic paint, which has a lot of metal flake. They pop in the sun. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help...
