Wheel $olution$
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Senior User
Joined: Feb 2007
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From: KC Kansas metro
Wheel $olution$
From time to time we see many questions on this site regarding wheel availability, sizes etc. This past weekend my brother was wheel shopping for his wife's car and I tagged along. While at one shop I asked if they could get wheel blanks; order a wheel with no bolt pattern drilled. Surprisingly he said some of his suppliers would do that but they would have to be special order and take a little extra time. He acted like it would be no additional charge, just longer to deliver. I did not notice the exact brand or name of the wheel but we looked at something similar to the American Eagle model 058 and it was around $110. Did not get into the details of shipping costs and all that , as I am not planning on a purchase anytime soon; but it was encouraging to know I had one more option if I get tired of my 7.25x17.5 steel originals. Of course I'd have the cost of the machine work to get the blanks drilled. The guy at the wheel shop also thought they would supply a number of different center holes sized to be compatible (or at least a smaller one that could be machined). Might be worth further inquiry if a person was looking for new wheels.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 16,887
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From: SE Wisc. (the Rust Belt)
I don't see why this would such a problem other than liability issues for the wheel manufacturers. I would think they would want control over the modifications to their products.
This idea has popped up for the larger trucks. Rickson Wheel makes 19.5" wheels for all kinds of applications but they all have a eight bolt hole pattern. In a video on their web site they showed how they made their wheels. The only thing they'd have to do to make the five hole pattern for the larger trucks is reprogram they CNC drill to make five holes instead of eight, that doesn't seem like it would be a hard thing to do, maybe five minutes, or less, of programming but they won't do it unless they have a huge order.
This idea has popped up for the larger trucks. Rickson Wheel makes 19.5" wheels for all kinds of applications but they all have a eight bolt hole pattern. In a video on their web site they showed how they made their wheels. The only thing they'd have to do to make the five hole pattern for the larger trucks is reprogram they CNC drill to make five holes instead of eight, that doesn't seem like it would be a hard thing to do, maybe five minutes, or less, of programming but they won't do it unless they have a huge order.
