1 Piece wheels VS. 3 Piece wheels...... Please help

[fesler]

I own Fesler Built and we also have a wheel line built by Asanti wheels, I have 7 wheels in the Fesler line now but can change any of my centers to what Asanti wheels have so there are like over 60 wheels to choose from. :wow:

The three piece wheels are very strong, easy to take care of and clean up quick. I have been running them on my cars now for about 4 years and have not bent a wheel yet. I can get any color or finish you can think off. The great thing about the three piece wheels is if in a year or so you want to change them its just a matter of changing out the center and that only takes a week you dont have to order a complete new wheel and wait for ever to get them again. Or if for some reason you curb a wheel you can get the otter hoop fixed in a few days for a couple hundred bucks, not the cost of the wheel again and weeks to fix.

With that being said, how are some of the billet companies staying in business with how long they take to get people wheels? For instance I bought a set of one piece billet wheels (wont mention company) 19X10F & 19X12.5R and it took over 12 weeks to get them. :question: Reason it takes them so long to do it is most of the companies have to send them out to go wide. I can do this same wheel for less money in a 3rd of the time. :woot: its all done in house so no down time waiting for someone.

So my questions to you guys is I want to figure out how to make the three piece stuff more of a first option for you guys. Most of the PT style cars are having a hard time getting into the three peice stuff. If you look at all the billet companies making wheels you can get into a three piece wheel for almost the same cost and if its a wide wheel they end up being cheaper and faster to get.

Most of the billet wheels out there today are soft, dent easy and a pain in the butt to keep clean not to mention they take months to get. No joke there :(

As for the three piece stuff you can pretty much do any offset, size and style you want depending on fitments like brakes and stuff. We do most of our cars with three piece wheels on them and we usually have the wheels with in three weeks.

I know I dont have the styles that everyone wants and that is not the reason for the post, I would like some input as to how to get the three piece stuff more popular with these guys. The prices are not that far off and the quality is 10 times better. Please help

[Spiffav8]

Maybe I missed it but are you asking what kind of style we would like to see?

[radrambler]

ok
id say its about style and price .also giving us the knowledge of how strong and how much quicker they can get the wheels will help.
i looked at your wheels on your site .in my opinion you have a couple of designs that would fit the pt -muscle car look that most go for ...most of the pt cars are 60-70s cars..most seem to go with a 5 spoke design .i would probably add a new style that is real close to what alot of people are buying if thats possible.if you could get some of us in wheels at a good price id say you need to give an example so it gets discussed in the forums .
ill pm you....i have a question

radrambler

[rjsjea]

Price........I am in the market for 3pc wheels and have gotten quotes from some of the regular dealers here and on PT.com.

Prices for the 3pc wheels are all over from $3400-over $5000 in the size I want (18x8.5, 18x12). I have gotten prices on Boze, IDluxury(intro), Forgeline, HRE's......why are the prices so different, quality??, dealer pricing vs factory direct??

--Rob

[bigtyme1]

I think quality and price is the biggest concern, I never did understand what the bennifit was to 3 piece over 1 or 2 piece was.

[ProdigyCustoms]

Mark, Fesler summed it up pretty well but may not have been clear enough for some. So at the risk of being a echo............

A few of the benefits are with a 3 piece wheels are:

Stonger and lighter shells. Not all, but most of the better 3 piece wheels outer shells are often made of stronger and lighter material like 6061-T6 aluminum, Lighter is better!

Forged centers: The centers of most 3 piece wheeels are forged meaning they are stronger instead of machined billet, and the centers can be lighter because more material can be removed and still be strong, Lighter is better!

Repair. When you get up into larger diameter wheels and lower profile tires, your exposing the rim to more potential for damage. Pot holes are hell on low profile large diamter wheel / tire combos. A 3 piece 6061-T6 shell will be a lot more resistant to bending and if it does get bent, you send it in have a shell changed and your rolling.

Wide wheels: 18" and 19" drums, the outer shell (drum), are made in sizes up to 10" width only, so if doing a 12" (2) piece welded wheel, instead of having a 2 piece welded wheel (RE: center welded into a drum), you end up with a sliced shell with a 2" band added to it, so you have a welded in center and 2 ring welds around the drum. Not the hot set up! My experiance trying to balacne multi welded 12" wheels with 335s has not been that the welded wheels do not balance as good as 3 piece wheels.

Cost: If your doing a 12" wheel, figure on a $400 to $500 per wheel fee for the added strap of widening material. And if you add the $1000 to the cost of the wheels, you will usually find yourself within striking difference of a racing quality 3 piece wheel. I am not into up selling products, but when I have a customer doing 12" wheels, I usually highly suggest speding the extra change for the 3 piece.

Changes: And as Fesler said, making changes to the wheels is simple. Most of us have short attention spans and style change. In a couple days I will post up some pictures of Michaels Monte Carlo SS we finished up last year at this time. We removed the centers from his wheels, striped the chrome from the centers for $75 and painted the centers magic black to match the top color on the car. After one year, we totally changed the look of the car for a net cost of a few hundred dollars.

[fesler]

PM me I can get you a way better deal if you want a 3 piece wheel.

Price........I am in the market for 3pc wheels and have gotten quotes from some of the regular dealers here and on PT.com.

Prices for the 3pc wheels are all over from $3400-over $5000 in the size I want (18x8.5, 18x12). I have gotten prices on Boze, IDluxury(intro), Forgeline, HRE's......why are the prices so different, quality??, dealer pricing vs factory direct??

--Rob

[fesler]

I guess this was a good thing to post up here to inform people of wheels.

Well said ProdigyCustoms, my wheels are made from Asanti and they use the highest quality metals you can buy on every product they sale. They are a completly forged wheel all parts so they are super strong.

I run 25 series tires on Tahoes and Luxurys sedans and have not bent a wheel yet and they weight more than most of the cars on this site with billet wheels. That alone proves how strong our wheels are.

A polished billet wheel is a pain in the butt to keep clean and you have to polishe them a few times a year.

I can do a 18X8 - 18X12, 19X8 - 19X12, 20X12 and so on 3 piece wheel with a powdercoated center (black, silver or gun metal) standard for about $3600-$4000 depending on finish a set under 20-inch, what is Budnik, Intro, Billet Specialties, Boze and so on charge for that same wheel and why do they charge more to do that finish. How about Fikse and HRE what are they charging.

If you want to go to a strong three piece wheel that will out last a one piece wheel PM me for a price, I might be able to get close to what you are going to pay for the other brands.

here are a few samples of cars with low profile tires

25 series tires
http://www.feslerbuilt.com/2007LexusLS460L.htm

http://www.feslerbuilt.com/2004Chevy1500.htm

30 Series tires
http://www.feslerbuilt.com/1969CAMAROBLK.htm

http://www.feslerbuilt.com/1966MustangGT.htm

http://www.feslerbuilt.com/1949MERC.htm

http://www.feslerbuilt.com/1969redcamaro.htm

[slownova]

we have alot of issues with our 3 peice ashantis leaking. have you ever had much issues? we get at least 1 set back out of every 4 that leaks where the wheel bolts togther.

[XcYZ]

Cost: If your doing a 12" wheel, figure on a $400 to $500 per wheel fee for the added strap of widening material. And if you add the $1000 to the cost of the wheels, you will usually find yourself within striking difference of a racing quality 3 piece wheel. I am not into up selling products, but when I have a customer doing 12" wheels, I usually highly suggest speding the extra change for the 3 piece.

I totally agree, Frank. :yes:

[fesler]

Yes they use to have problems but have changed the way they seal them now so they are better, I have had no problems with the new seals yet, the only other thing is on the new cars if you dont put the wheel sensor in right you can get a leak there as well. that is not their fault though

we have alot of issues with our 3 peice ashantis leaking. have you ever had much issues? we get at least 1 set back out of every 4 that leaks where the wheel bolts togther.

[bucks69]

Chris did u get my p.m.? if not i will resend

[OTE Design & Fabrication]

I guess this was a good thing to post up here to inform people of wheels.

I can do a 18X8 - 18X12, 19X8 - 19X12, 20X12 and so on 3 piece wheel with a powdercoated center (black, silver or gun metal) standard for about $3600-$4000 depending on finish a set under 20-inch, what is Budnik, Intro, Billet Specialties, Boze and so on charge for that same wheel and why do they charge more to do that finish. How about Fikse and HRE what are they charging.

That's a good price range for some good looking wheels. I think when people hear the words 3 piece they assume it's going to cost a lot more. It might help to list wheel and option pricing on your wheel site. People might not take the time to, "call for price", if they find a wheel they like on another site that lists a price that's in range of what they want to spend. They might cost more than your wheels but they won't know.

Tom

[ccracin]

That's a good price range for some good looking wheels. I think when people hear the words 3 piece they assume it's going to cost a lot more. It might help to list wheel and option pricing on your wheel site. People might not take the time to, "call for price", if they find a wheel they like on another site that lists a price that's in range of what they want to spend. They might cost more than your wheels but they won't know.

Tom

I couldn't agree more. The "Call For Pricing" label says to me I am going to have to deal with a sales routine. Frankly, I don't want to be bothered with that. This may not be the case in all situations, but I'm not willing to try. Give me the initial information and I can take it from there if I need more info. But when you see 3 piece wills and call for pricing, I think $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. JM2Cents. Anyway I'm a fan of your work Chris. Keep up the good work.

[DDY RCKT]

One of the problems I see with 3-piece wheels is the hardware. Those bolts all along the outer rim do not work with all designs. What you have is a mix of fantastic designs for centers that work great with a shallow lip, some with a deep lip, some with the hardware, and some without. I don't see enough provisions for making the hardware more subtle, personally. Flush mounted hardware, shallow heads, etc. On some wheels, the big bolts work wonders. I love the way they look on my GM Prototype wheels. But a lot of the time they just look bad. Id say if there were more choices on how that hardware looked, the 3-piece wheel would be more popular.

That's just my opinion, though.

[ccracin]

One of the problems I see with 3-piece wheels is the hardware. Those bolts all along the outer rim do not work with all designs. What you have is a mix of fantastic designs for centers that work great with a shallow lip, some with a deep lip, some with the hardware, and some without. I don't see enough provisions for making the hardware more subtle, personally. Flush mounted hardware, shallow heads, etc. On some wheels, the big bolts work wonders. I love the way they look on my GM Prototype wheels. But a lot of the time they just look bad. Id say if there were more choices on how that hardware looked, the 3-piece wheel would be more popular.

That's just my opinion, though.

Ditto, probably the main reason we are not looking at any three piece stuff is because of the hardware. My Dad does not like that look, plus he hates the prospect of keeping the areas around that hardware clean. If you are driving the car the area around these fasteners will collect dirt. Anyway, if that hardware could be done differently it may open up the market.

[jsr69]

Chris

PM with a price for some 18 x 12 and 18 x 9's in the FS905, 906, & 907.

I've gotten pricing on billet and other 3-piece wheels and agree that the 12" wheel is the same price. The cost savings for the initial purchase of the billet wheel comes in with narrower wheel that doesn't have to be widened. With that being said, I concur with all the advantages that you and others have stated.

I'm still a while out before needing wheels, but the more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards 3-piece.

Let me know.

Thanks

[slownova]

Yes they use to have problems but have changed the way they seal them now so they are better, I have had no problems with the new seals yet, the only other thing is on the new cars if you dont put the wheel sensor in right you can get a leak there as well. that is not their fault though

none of them have been on the wheel sensors. all have leaked where the wheel goes togther. when did they change that seal?

[andrewmp6]

I'm kinda old school like the look of the 1 piece and the style of something like a Cragar American racing weld etc etc.

[MtotheIKEo]

The only thing I dont like about 3-piece wheels is the exposed bolts to hold the sections together. I know it is a necessary evil, but it kills it for me.

[street3285]

Rushforth wheels are available with hidden hardware. Jon @ DriverzInc will be able to confirm this......

[DriverzInc]

Rushforth wheels are available with hidden hardware. Jon @ DriverzInc will be able to confirm this......

Yes, Rushforth Wheels two piece and three piece wheels are available now with our without exposed hardware. :thumbsup:

Also, this same thread over at Pro-Touring sparked some good conversation as well. Check it out if you get a chance.....some vendors really chimed in.

[rjsjea]

Yes, Rushforth Wheels two piece and three piece wheels are available now with our without exposed hardware. :thumbsup:

Also, this same thread over at Pro-Touring sparked some good conversation as well. Check it out if you get a chance.....some vendors really chimed in.


without exposed hardware?? do you have any pics of the Rated X w/o hardware??

[DriverzInc]

without exposed hardware?? do you have any pics of the Rated X w/o hardware??

No one has ordered it that way, so I don't have pictures yet, but here is a picture of a Super Spoke we did without hardware to help you with an idea:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e99/Hensons/superspoke_norivet.jpg

[DDY RCKT]

How do you hold them together!? :willy:

[DriverzInc]

How do you hold them together!? :willy:

The two piece is welded, the three piece hidden hardware gets tapped into the wheel center, and threads directly into it.

[DDY RCKT]

The two piece is welded, the three piece hidden hardware gets tapped into the wheel center, and threads directly into it.

Oh, cool! So they secure into the center section from behind. Nice. So that begs the question, can you make it selective so you show some of the hardware, but not all of it?

[DriverzInc]

Oh, cool! So they secure into the center section from behind. Nice. So that begs the question, can you make it selective so you show some of the hardware, but not all of it?

Well, yes its certainly possible, but now we're talking about custom program time do that.

[DDY RCKT]

Well, yes its certainly possible, but now we're talking about custom program time do that.

I figured. I was just saying, there are certainly some styles of wheel where that could work very well.