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.

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. 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. 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.

Originally Posted by 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

[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]

Originally Posted by ProdigyCustoms

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.