i've had many sets of used alloys, and only ever had problems with 1. it
was a set that came from a crashed car, and 2 of them wouldn't balance.
personally i would think that is should be fine. i take it that its an ebay
sale? if he's described them as perfect and you find problems with them,
then you should be able to open a "not as described" strike against him and
(jopefully) get it sorted out

"Signal" <medic (AT) alara (DOT) net> wrote

TIA,

Many years ago I bought a set of used wheels for my 1976 Rabbit, from a guy
in a neighboring city. They looked nice, ran true, and fit well. Then a
week or two later I noticed a tire was going flat. I didn't think much of
it at the time and just aired it up again. A week or two later, it was flat
again. I needed new tires anyway, so I bought new tires thinking that was
the problem. But, a week later, the tire was going flat again. After a
little research with soap and water, I discovered air was bleeding through
the metal of the rim itself...

Still, I liked the wheels and just learned to air up my tires every week. I
ran them almost 10 years this way, while I kept my eye out for another set
of gold mesh wheels.

Then, about a year ago, I purchased a set of refurbished wheels from Wheel
Collision center (www.wheelcollision.com). They look great and fit even
better. They're worth more than my entire car...

Anthony

Signal wrote:
Keep in mind, I don't see the excitement about Allow wheels.

I would be a little skeptical as most alloy wheels are not as durable as
steel wheels and some, especially the older ones had a tendency to slow
leaks.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

I have heard of leaking alloys being sealed by painting the inside with some
POR-15 paint That should seal it so no more leaks.

I have bought a used alloy wheel for my 83 Audi 4000s from Joel and it was
in perfect shape. So if the person is honest you should not have a problem!

But to buy 3 used/refurb wheels instead of 4 new
ones.........................well that is up to you. I guess it depends on
if you like that style and if the price is right. ;-)

JMHO
later,
dave
(One out of many daves)

"Joseph Meehan" <sligojoe_Spamno (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote

There were some alloy wheels that were standard equipment on Europe spec VW
models a few years ago that were fine in Germany but broke up here in the
US. These were actually made by another well known wheel maker for VW and
were OK for German roads but we have a lot more potholes and gravel roads
which caused the wheels to break. They don't sell these on VW's here
anymore. BL is that some alloy wheels are not as strong as steel wheels so
you have to be careful.

TL





"Signal" <medic (AT) alara (DOT) net> wrote

You don't think they look better, & don't care about the better ride &
handling 'cause of the less unsprung weight?
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

If guns cause crime, all of mine are defective.

In rec.autos.makers.vw.watercooled, ThaDriver wrote:

Do alloy wheels have less unsprung weight? How much less?

I used to think that that was the purpose of "mags", but lifting
those wheels made me think that the purpose was something else these
days. If the purpose were weight, wouldn't the ads list the weight?

My theory is that it is like the roll bar evolving to a "light bar".

"ThaDriver" <imangeloneAThotmailDOTcom@> wrote

most alloys are actually heavier than standard steel wheels, unless you
spend silly amount of money on magnesium alloy ones. they should help
conduct heat away from the brakes better though

Depends on the type, size, & manufacturer. How much do your 16x8 (or
whatever) steel wheels weigh? Plus, most folks usually go to lower profile
tires which save weight in rubber. Of course, it you go wider than stock
you can't compare the weight of say, a 10" wide wheel/tire combo to a
stock 6" one.

days. If the purpose were weight, wouldn't the ads list the weight?
*************
You would think. But most kids these days don't care about anything but
how much they cost & how much that will impress their friends.

Huh? How do you turn a rollbar in a car into a light bar? This is not a
4x4 board...

conduct heat away from the brakes better though
*********
See above. Do you think these wheels (in the mouse-over image) will weigh
more than the stock steel wheels/tires I took off of my '90 Cabriolet, in
spite of the fact that they are 15x7's (50 series)? I doubt it. Might
weigh about the same, with about twice as much rubber on the ground. (by
the way this is not my car - just an image I used; It's basicly what I
have in mind for my LT1 mid-engine project)
http://AngelOnEarth.net/Cabrio/BlackCabriolet.html
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

Easy on the Giggle Cream!

In rec.autos.makers.vw.watercooled, ThaDriver wrote:

It was the best example I could think of to illustrate a concept of
something that was originally a primarily functional thing having
evolved into a primarily appearance thing.

I consider aluminum wheels to be somewhat fragile compared to steel.
I think that squat tires are not so good on roads with potholes, and
that a pothole edge can damage that aluminum wheel. I wish that the
manufacturers would let one go with the more durable tire/wheel
combos on better performance cars.

Your point that aluminum alloy wheels usually go with wider,
squatter tires, making the wheel itself larger and heavier, is quite
valid.

I suspect a high-strength steel alloy would be as light as a typical
aluminum casting, even for the same tires. Yet I have no numbers.
For racing they probably use something beyond ordinary aluminum
casting.