P.S.E and Vintage wheels

[cobrarob]

I am in the process of looking for 17" fully polished wheels for my newly arriving superformance cobra and I have spent time talking to Phil at PSE and Bob at Vintage wheels and as both guys are very accomadating and prices are simillar I was wondering if anyone has had any experieneces with Vintage wheels

As for PSE this forum is filled with compliments related to PSE service and quality product , no issues there that I can see

[mickmate]

I like Vintage wheels and service. Nothing but compliments for them on here.

[1985 CCX]

Vintage Wheels my vote...

[xlr8or]

Bob at Vintage Wheels is a first class vendor with a great product.

[RestoCreations]

Phil(pse wheels) is a great guy and will not treat you wrong. His wheels are top notch.

[venum14]

PSE and Vintage Wheels are top notch and very accommodating for ‘customizing” their wheels to your specific needs. I purchased a set of pin drive 17’s from PSE in 1994 and recently went with 15’s from Vintage. Both Phil and Bob are great to work with and are highly recommended on this site! In February, my son purchased a set of 17’s for his 1965 fastback and is very satisfied with the final product.

Jeff

[Hydramada]

From my experience, both companies do a stellar job at their craft. Check into the backspacing of the wheels from both companies. I believe that one sets a bit deeper than then other. I also believe that Phil will do custom backspacing if you special order them.

PSE appears to offer a wider rear wheel than the Vintage guys. From their websites:

Vintage:
HA6 17 x 8.5 knock off
HA6 17 x 10.5

PSE:
17x7
17x8
17x9
17x9.5
17x11

Not sure that PSE offers all these sizes on the 17" SC wheels but might be worth giving him a call. I spoke to both vendors at length before making the decision to purchase the PSE wheels. I don't think you will be disappointed with either vendor.

Hydramada
SPF1867

[cobrarob]

Hydramada

My potential SPF is #1698 , simmilar production time line as yours ( sort of ) , I like the way your wheels look so I diont think I want to mess with that

However the Vintage wheels are priced better and I dont think the 1/2" difference in width of wheel at the rear will make that big of a difference , especially when I am probably going to run sumitomo HTRZ 315/35/17 on the rear as they are very economical opposed to other tires in 335 size , I just hope the differeence in width is not to dramatic as I really want that big wide tire look at the back , did you consider the 315s

[Hydramada]

Originally Posted by cobrarob

I just hope the difference in width is not to dramatic as I really want that big wide tire look at the back , did you consider the 315s

Actually, even though I went with the larger rear wheel from PSE, I ended up putting 315s on the rear because that was the widest that GoodYear offered in the F1. The half an inch of offset CAN be a difference with the inside fender well on the drivers side. Dennis Olthoff modified my inner fender well to handle the 315 or 335 rear tires to keep them from rubbing under hard cornering. I am not sure but I think the issue is exaggerated with the Vintage Wheels. Not a major deal to mod the fender liner but something to be aware of.

Hydramada
SPF1867

[scootter]

I have PSE 17 with 9.5" n the front and 11.5" in the rear. I have had both 315 and 335 on the with no rubbing issue's. Back spacing is perfect.

Scott

[greg schroeder]

I've seen quite a few cars and trucks on the road with bent wheels from install issues. Usually they are from low profile tires on custom larger wheels.

Whatever type you end up getting be sure to look at the wheels in rotation after tires are mounted and on the balancing machine. They can bend and you'll rarely get a chance to see your own wheels spinning again because you'll be in the car driving.

For the set of 4 - 17 inch wheels that ended up on my Superformance it took 7 brand new wheels after three different tire shops severely bent three of them.

[cobrarob]

Scootter

As you have had both 315 and 335 on the rear can you tell me if there is any noticeable difference in width when the tires are mounted

Greg

Thanks for the advise , it sounds like I will have to stand right beside the guy mounting the tires to ensure he doesnt damage the wheels , unfortunately I am not a tire installer and I am not quite sure what to be looking for

Rob

[greg schroeder]

Vintage 17 inch wheels on Superformance

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d...2007_pic_1.jpg
http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d...eels_tires.JPG

[greg schroeder]

Originally Posted by cobrarob

Greg

Thanks for the advise , it sounds like I will have to stand right beside the guy mounting the tires to ensure he doesnt damage the wheels , unfortunately I am not a tire installer and I am not quite sure what to be looking for

Rob

He's going to tell you how good he is because he does Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes, Bently while he's bending them.

Turn the wheel and it will look like the lip is bent. It's really obvious at low speed rotation. They tend to use the pry bar really abruptly to try and hurry and it bends if you have a tire that's stiff enough to give resistance. Try to get the tires installed on a hot day and let them sit in the direct sun for an hour or so first so they are more flexible. The highest performance tires will be the most challenging to install without bending because they are stiffest.

[cobrarob]

Greg

Your car looks sweet with those wheels

Can I assume that your car is SPF titanium in color , as that is the same color of my potential car

I am looking at going with the fully polished version of the vintage wheels you have on , I think they should look awesome against the titanium car color , have you seen the fully polished version in person , do they do a good job of fully polishing

Rob

[greg schroeder]

Originally Posted by cobrarob

Greg

Your car looks sweet with those wheels

Can I assume that your car is SPF titanium in color , as that is the same color of my potential car

I am looking at going with the fully polished version of the vintage wheels you have on , I think they should look awesome against the titanium car color , have you seen the fully polished version in person , do they do a good job of fully polishing

Rob

Yes, the all polish looks really good when clean and new.

With the gray centers you can get away with less center wheel cleaning and give the outside aluminum a quick wipe down to look fresh. Still looks awesome on a car of a similar color like the Superformance lighter color silver. Superformance has a darker silver also.

[Foghorn]

Also keep in mind the construction of the wheels.

Vintage Wheels are one-piece, pressure cast aluminum.

PSE wheels are two-piece: a cast center section welded to an spun aluminum outer hoop. This is how Phil can offer more widths with any offset.

From a performance street/ occassional open track orientation, there aren't any strength compromises from choosing one type of wheel over the other.

The PSE wheels will be slightly heavier when compared to a wheel from Vintage of the exact same dimentions.

[Hydramada]

'nuff said....



Seriously, you can't go wrong with either brand. Just pull the damn trigger!