Help et mags 18" rims dont match! pics

[ponchopwr70]

Hi guys ordered new wheels from team 3 et mags. The sizes I ordered were 18x9-1/2 with 5 5/8 back spacing and 18x10-1/2 with 6 1/4 backspacing. So I get the wheels two fronts first mount my tires and damn they looked sick, waited for the rears to come and what!!! They looked different. So I noticed the whole outside rim is different, the lug nut depth is different and the hoop to center transition is different. Im currently trying to get this propblem figured out but wtf! I just want my rears to match the front. I just spent all this money ($2400) on them and My torq thrust looked better. Help guys what do I do??? I'm hoping that they can make me a new pair for the rear that fits but it sounds like I'm stuck with wheels like this. Visually when both wheels are mounted and the car is on the ground the back looks almost like a 17" wheel. The fronts I have no complaints. here are the fronts









here are the rears

[ponchopwr70]

Here are 2 more pics rear has less lip and lugs go deeper into the wheel. Obviously this does not look to apealing on a muscle car thatalways run a deeper dish in the rear compared to the front.

[Daren]

I'm not seeing it. Can you place the wheels side by side outside in the day light? By hoops you mean rims and by rims you actually mean wheels correct? Do to the stepped rim appearance of these wheels the deeper rear wheels may actually have a very different looking rim on the wider versions than on the more narrow front wheels. This could be normal or a vendor flaw. Better pic will help.

[ponchopwr70]

If you look at the two pics with the dollar bill, you can see that on the fronts you can actually put the dollar between the hoop and the center (which is what I like) on the rear the center and outter rim look like they are one piece (almost like they are molded together) There is no gap for the dollar to fit into. The outside of the rim lips are both different look at the front edge of both wheels. The lug nut seats are easy to notice. The rear rim has a higher mounting pad than the fronts.

[buickfunnycar.com]

Well that's not good...any why such a lousy polish job on the hoops...or is that just me?

[ponchopwr70]

I know am I wrong for not being happy?! Actually the polish job was awesome when they came out of the package but since being out of the box they hazed up and I dont want to wipe them down just yet

[muthstryker]

Well for starters, a shorter mounting pad in the rear would give you more lip. But I see what your saying about the wheels being different, it looks like the rears were moulded... I would be un happy if I were you.

The wheels will appear smaller in the rear if your running a taller tire then the front. I had the same problem on my truck when I had 20s on it. The back tire was 2"s taller and made the wheel look 2"s smaller then the front.

[ponchopwr70]

tire sizes are 275/35 and 295/35 the rears are .3 taller than fronts. They were telling me that because they used a 13" hoop and narrowed it they had to put the center where it is. Then to get my back spacing they needed the taller mounting pad and thats pretty much how it is. What the rear should look like is the same as the front but with 3/8 more lip and the same mounting pad. To me having exposed lugs in front and hidden lugs in the back looks like the car was pieced together, and the whole moulded look yuck!

[Daren]

So the vendor basically told you to F/off? Their reasoning is "This is just the way these wheels are given your provided diameters and backspacing." correct? The colored center section of the rear wheels are of the same diameter as the colored center section of the front wheels? If not, raise hell. I'm not sure if I, or anyone here can help you but I'm learning a few things as I read this.

1) You need to speak to the vendor and get this issue corrected

3) My guess is that they look nothing like the picture on the website that you bought them off of huh?

2) May I have some more detailed information as to what you spoke to them about what you wanted in those wheels and what your expectations where? Not that I can help you, but I would not like to have this happen to me (or anyone else) as I am also in the market for some new wheels.

[mc84_zz4]

I have to agree with you, the front wheels look great, the rear wheels suck.
For $2400, those damn things better look amazing, no BS about not matching.
I understand engineering limitations, because of hoops, etc, but those should have been made VERY clear
before taking your money, specially them knowing that their wheels look VERY different.
I'd be considering buying another brand of wheels, I hope you can return them ugly mo-fo's.
Friends don't let friends drive on ugly wheels.

[ponchopwr70]

Haha thanks Dave! Yea I need to call them back again and see if they came up with a solution. I do not want to bad mouth anyone yet but today is friday I want this resolved and I'm hoping that I'll be able to just swap my rears and call it a day. I been speaking with them all this week and to be honest its kinda stressful. On the rear wheels the lack of that small step on the centers in the rear, makes the rear wheel look smaller. I will be calling them back today and may pass on this thread. I really don't want to have to get a different rim I want this one! After spending some time online and looking at the wheels I kinda feel that the rears were made by using a one piece cast wheel (which would explaing the different style outside hoop and the moulded center) Then a rear hoop was welded to that.

[ponchopwr70]

Forgot to answer your question Darren. When I was wheel shopping I spoke to them (I'm not going to be using names and bashing anyone) told them what I needed and if it was possible to get my widths and backspacing which I got a yes too, also i asked if it was possible to have as much rear lip as possible(because giving my specs I knew I should have 3/8 more lip than the front but was hoping for more if possible and I do understand there is only so much you can do within my specs) and I was told yea depending on how they machine them and that it was a little more work but can be done. So i said great I'll spend the cash to get wheels made to my specs. Never once did anyone tell me that they would look different, I ended up getting the opposite! I really think its just my luck

[66SuperSport]

Hope you get this worked out. I'm a big fan of how these weheels look and have considered a set myself. I would not accept these "as is". They either need to build you the rear wheels you were told you were going to get, or they need to send you a stack of call tags and a refund.

I certainly hope that ET stands by their product and takes care of this problem.

[ponchopwr70]

Well just spoke with them again and the best they can do is cut the front wheel and put a matching lip to the rear on the fronts. Still doesnt fix the lugnut problem. Their solution is to run a taller lugnut. Neither of these options to me is going to look good. So to me my only options are to get a matching set of 9.5's for the back with 5-1/4 bs and have them widened in the back of the wheel 1" or ship them all back try and get a refund and go with a different wheel.

[lvrpool32]

Sadly I had a similar problem. I ordered 18 x 10 and 18 x 12 LT wheels from Scott (team III), gave them the pad clearence and the backspace I wanted, 4.5" front and 5" back and was expecting a sizeable dish difference when I got the wheels. When they arrived I found I only had about an inch difference front to back, the explanation is that when they make a 12" hoop, the cut and weld two hoops together and they like to position the center piece over the hoop joint for strength reasons...and then machine the pad depth on the center to suit. What it resulted in is that my 3" long wheel nuts only come out about an inch past the face of the wheel. I solved the "looks" issue by first putting on a cheap open acorn nut on first, but I know the difference is there..and it bugs the *rap out of me.
I too was thinking of getting another pair of wheels with the largest dish I can get (with a one piece hoop) and then adding the necessary width and repolishing.

Nick

[ponchopwr70]

Wow wish I knew this, either I get a pair of 18x9.5 with 3/8 more lip with the same mounting pad as the fronts same hoop same gap between the center and hoop with added material (1") behind it to make it a 10.5 or I'm returning them period. I called the bank I have my proof of a product that doesnt look correct, no one tells you " oh btw the wheels will visually look different if you want them like that" Its all after the fact. I would have went about it a different way if that was the case. But hopefully we can work things out and get two new rear wheels I will be everyone posted.

[ponchopwr70]

Just spoke with them and they are re making my rears! Can't wait to see them will post pics as soon as I get them thanks for all the help and input guys!

[Johnny Blaze]

Great to hear it sounds like you may actually get what you ordered!

[muthstryker]

Thats good news, the should have jumped on that right away!

[ponchopwr70]

I sent the wheels back fed-ex picked them up on 4-22-11, I will keep updating this thread. Hopefully have them in a week or two according to my phone call today.