New Hyper Black sample

I received a new sample of the Hyper Black finish wheel. The previous sample had to much silver sprayed onto it since it was hand painted. This new sample better illustrates what the final production finish will look like. It is diffucult to capture this finish in photography as it behaves different as the light changes. In low light it looks much darker. The last photo was taken with a flash and makes the wheel appear darker then it actually is. It's really more of a middle ground between the 3 photos.

4x100 fitment

We are currently looking at a 4x100 version of the 17x8" wheel. Engineers sent me a quick mock up of what an et25 4x100 wheel would look like. Ofsets are not finalized, this was just a quick computer test of it's feasbilty. Production is dependent on a minimum number of pre-order sales.

Test fitment on E36 M3 with Brembo BBK

The wheels were tested on the E36 running a TCK coilover kit and Brembo BBK. They cleared the caliper no problem. Spacers were needed to clear the strut tube properly, which is common for all 9" wide wheels that will run wide tires.

17x9" et42 clears tube with 10mm spacers

17x8.5" et40 clears tube with 5mm spacer17x8" et38 clears caliper with 10mm spacer

Out in the sun

Just some photos out in the sun. The wheels will also be produced in Matte black, but I don't have a sample wheel in that color.

Left to right -> Motorsport Silver, Hyper Silver, Hyper Black

Reversed Order

Hyper Silver and Hyper Black

Well UPS showed up today to my surprise. He dropped off a Hyper Black and Hyper Silver wheel. Hyper silver is two different coats of silver with a clear over it, while Hyper Black is a Black base coat with the silver misted on top. It seems they keep spraying the Hyper Black coatings too thick so beside the barrel color, it's only about 90% different. Because of this Hyper Black will no longer be a guaranteed option.  With 10 people it can still be had.

I was forced to take indoor photographs due to rain. Please note that Motorsport Silver looks very odd in this light with a flash.

Hyper Black

Hyper SilverMotorsport SilverYou Guess

Lee's Massive BBK fitment Images

I've done a test fitment on the 17x8" et20 APEX ARC-8 with one of Lee's Massive BBK templates. The testing was done with his largest 332mm x 32mm Kit using a 6 piston SL6R radial Wilwood caliper. There is about 6mm of clearance at the tighest point. From there the spokes angle outward leaving a lot of room. You can also see the metal removal around the lug area to save weight as discussed previously.

Purchasing information

A basic site has been put together to help organize pre-orders. It is having some issues, and will be up shortly.

I've posted the purchasing information on a new Blog until the problem is fixed. Please follow this link, or the link on the right to get product and purchasing information

PURCHASING INFORMATION

Hyper Silver and Hyper Black on the way

A Hyper Silver and Hyper Black is officially on the way. I was hoping for a greater difference between the two colors, but from the initial photos they sent me prior to shipping them out, they look very similar. It was worth testing though. Samples in the mail are 17x8.5 and 17x8 et38 (original size wheel was made in)

Hyper Silver

Hyper Black

Test Fitment

The wheels have been mounted onto an E30 M3 and fit perfectly with excellent BBK clearance. A 17x8 et20 wheel was mounted along with a 17x8.5 et40 wheel +15mm spacer. Both had excellent caliper clearance.

Physical Samples Arrived

All three wheel sizes arrived today. All in the motorsport finish. The color ended up being a 100% color match, and looks great. It will now be an official color option.

The wheels look great, and I snapped a few photos along with measuring their weights. Better product photography and information will be posted tomorrow so stay tuned as that update will include payment information!

Wheel weights are as follows:

17x8" et20: 16.95lbs

17x8.5" et40: 16.44lbs

17x9" et42: 16.60lbs

Hyper Silver, Hyper Black

The factory is rush shipping me a sample of hyper black and hyper silver, I should have all samle wheels early next week.

Sample wheels are on their way

I just checked my email to find that the 3 samples are on their way via DHL. Only problem is they are all coming in the motorsport silver. I've asked them what I can do to get two more samples (one in Hyper Silver, one in Hyper Black).

Rear pad modification

A minor tweak was made to the back of the hub pad which removes some excess material around the spokes (taking advantage of the bmw only fitment). on the 17x8 et38 this shaves off .15lbs, and about .4lbs on the et20 version. It was an easy change for them and I'm glad I caught it before everything was finally signed off.

First Draft

Final Design

A wheel with material removed around lugs

Color Samples Arrived

I received color swatches yesterday. This included a custom mix of motorsport silver which did not match up well, and two premium finishes called Hyper Black and Hyper silver (which look almost identical). The Hyper finishes look the most similar the silver most commonly used, but run a $10 premium per wheel. All other available finishes add no additional cost.

Wheels Back On Track

Had a meeting with the factory representative at the SEMA show. And we picked up where the project was left off. The mold is going in to production officially. I received revised 3D images and paint samples are on they way. The center cap area was tweaked for aesthetics as it was thicker and more square previously. It is more rounded around the center cap now.

The polling showed an interest in a 17x8.5 e30 m3 fitment, With enough pre-orders this could also be an option.

Additional Wheel Delay

As you all know this wheel project is behind schedule from what was originally anticipated.  Recently we’ve been waiting on getting sample.  As we were told that the mold was complete and they were just having quality issues on the first units which needed more modification of the mold.  Supposedly they were on round 3 of modifications, and then I stopped hearing from my contact.  I was not getting any responses to emails, and phone calls went unanswered.  This went on for basically two weeks.

I became rather pissed off and started do some detective work to try and figure out what is going on.  When I originally sent some wheels for them to get an idea of the design I'm considering, I was given a shipping address.  Using this address I was able to get in contact with the factory directly.  When I mentioned the name of the guy I’ve been working with, their staff immediately recognized him, as they have been working on wheels together for the past 15 years.  The Gentleman I was speaking with had been working for the same factory for the past 23 years.  I asked him what the status was of the wheel order, and he told me that the 2d and 3d designs were completed back in June, and then they never heard from my contact again.  No mold was created, nothing had been done since then.

This whole time I’ve been lied to.  I sent a partial payment for a mold deposit (almost $4k) back in August to the guy I’ve been working with, and nothing has been done.  What’s sick is I would routinely talk to him, for 30 minutes on the phone, and he would go in to these detailed stories about what progress had been made.  Apparently he did similar things to other long time business partners of his.  Somebody else that worked with him for the past 15 years finally stumbled onto the factory a month ago when he was trying to figure out what the hell was going on.  And his complaint was the same.  Earlier in the year the guy that did this to us mentioned that he would be going to SEMA, and that we could meet there to talk.  I looked up his registration and he’s now working for some wholesale tire company.  I called him up at his work, and he still claims that that everything he says is true, enough though he can’t prove any of it.  He hasn’t returned my calls since.  From conversations with other people that have worked with him, it seems he’s going through some kind of personal crisis.  Foreclosure, or bankruptcy possibly.  I can believe it since it can be tough running your own business, and problems seem to be more common in our economy these days.  But I’m disgusted by his behavior, and I can’t believe he’s destroying his reputation with people he’s known and worked with for so long.  It’s a mistake I hope he pays for dearly.

I spent a long time on the phone with the factory and they went ahead and explained the process of the wheel production again to me.  They were very sorry to hear what had been done and how much time had been wasted.  We basically have to start the wheel production from the beginning again. Luckily the design phase is complete and they could start in on a mold asap if they get the ok.  I’ll be meeting in person with their rep at SEMA on Tuesday next week.  They are sending out paint samples to me, which I didn’t get when working with the other guy.  I was given a pretty firm time table for how the process should flow, and am very pleased to see that 3 sales reps would be working on this project.  They are doing this so that I get immediate responses for any questions along with updates.  That way if any of them are out, somebody is there to cover me.

What this means is that from start to finish it will be another 4-5 months before final products are in hand.  It will be 45-55 days before I have samples in hand that we can look at.  I know this is a let down.  There’s nobody that this hurts more then me, and I know how many of you have been patiently waiting.

Things won’t be finalized till next week, none of this was the factories fault at all, but they are going to help me out how ever they can.  5 people moved their partial deposits over when we declined the shipment of Rota wheels (that too was a fun experience).  I would like to compensate them with a 5^th spare wheel for free.  For those who have been waiting, I’m sorry that we have additional delays.  I’m so glad I did not accept preorders until I had a sample in my hand.  I didn’t want to believe that something like this would go wrong (nobody could have predicted this), but experiencing a mistake from the last order made me realize the importance of waiting.  I’m sure everybody else is glad too that they didn’t put down money early.  What I will be able to do is when the pre-order does officially open (after samples arrive), Then, I can implement a tiered pricing groupbuy, meaning that additional discounts will be given out depending on how many people pre-order there are.  Previously it was just going to be one set price.

I’d like to apologize for the delays.  It’s extremely embarrassing to have to explain this news.  On the internet it is hard to build trust, and for me to explain here that nothing has been done in months, just sounds terrible.  I hope everyone can understand the situation, and knows my reputation from previous transactions.  This whole situation has cost me significantly, which is even more reason I cannot give up on it.  I also know how important a product like this is, and I’d really like to see them complete.  These wheels will be very much worth the wait.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Wheel Update

I just received word that the molds were modified a second time to add additional material to the main hub of the wheel where the spokes meet. I believe this is related to the porosity issue from before. I was told excess material will be milled off, so we'll have to wait and see what the final weight of the wheel will be. The mold is returning to the production facility for the 3rd time for samples to be produced.

I'm not pleased with the delays, but I am glad to see they are putting an emphasis on quality and not rushing anything through. Our dealings with Rota previously showed us what kind of problems that can cause.

Sample wheel update

Sample wheels were produced. They had some porosity problems which is very common with mesh wheels on the first test samples produced. They require a few more days to make tweaks to the mold to fix this problem. Porosity is caused by air in the mold in narrow passages (like the thin spokes of a mesh wheel). By adding more material to the spokes they will solve the problem, then they will machine off the extra material after it comes out of the mold to bring the wheel back to its original specs and weight.

The samples I'll be receiving are et20

Mold complete

As of Sept. the 9Th the mold should be officially complete.  Samples will be produced for testing and acquiring certification.  I will also be receiving a few samples.  I should have them in a week.  Once they arrive and are approved the pre-order will officially open. It will be open for 2-3 weeks depending on which production cycle the wheels get done on.

A website will be created to accept pre-orders to make organization and communication easier.

Colorized versions of the wheel

Here are some images of the wheel, and what it could look like in different color variations. These aren't official images, just modified in Photoshop. These aren't official colors, just options. Official colors will be selected soon, which is why taking the survey is important.

Gold

Diamond Black

Bronze

Black

Time Attack