A few pics on a nice order ready for pick up...

Vintage Motorcars - Alex posted:

Robert M (Not a Poopiehead) posted:

Vintage Motorcars - Alex posted:

*LongFella posted:

If any one is curious, here are the weight differences between the chrome 5-wides and the Vintage Motorcars silver 5-wides I picked up. I would agree with Alex and the 10lbs. The tires on the new rims are slightly heavier then the Pirrellis on the chrome rims. Either way, thats a LOT of rotational weight savings! Another thing to note is the scale is a basic indoor "and I fat or not" bathroom scale, so it's probably not the most accurate...

Lets remove the argument of the tire weight deferential and give it a conservative difference of 8lb, wow that still huge and very noticeable in driving performance. 

We are very happy with the results..... 

Thanks for posting it, its good to have unbiased confirmation of the wheel. 

Consider making a 4 bolt stock looking wheel with the 10 cutouts. That would be very nice for those don't run wide fives.

That would be a tough call, not sure there is enough market for those wheels.  Most people that would want a wide 5 look alike would just convert to wide 5. Our wheel cost is pretty low and doing a full conversion is feasible.

Alex.  I would respectfully disagree.  We 4 bolt guys would love to have an aluminum wheel option that looks vintage. Some folks don't like wide 5s and some don't want the added expense switching to wide 5.   I think people would buy them even if you used 8 hole pattern but 10 hole pattern would be a bonus.  Obviously they would need to be fitted with hub caps.  I have a 914 4 bolt sutup so I can't go the wide 5s.  I would buy them immediately.  I bought Carey's wheels and powdercoated them black.  But they are HEAVY.  Would love to have that wheel in aluminum.  Anyone else????  Think 4 bolt replica of 356C wheel.

Phil IM356D posted:

Vintage Motorcars - Alex posted:

Robert M (Not a Poopiehead) posted:

Vintage Motorcars - Alex posted:

*LongFella posted:

If any one is curious, here are the weight differences between the chrome 5-wides and the Vintage Motorcars silver 5-wides I picked up. I would agree with Alex and the 10lbs. The tires on the new rims are slightly heavier then the Pirrellis on the chrome rims. Either way, thats a LOT of rotational weight savings! Another thing to note is the scale is a basic indoor "and I fat or not" bathroom scale, so it's probably not the most accurate...

Lets remove the argument of the tire weight deferential and give it a conservative difference of 8lb, wow that still huge and very noticeable in driving performance. 

We are very happy with the results..... 

Thanks for posting it, its good to have unbiased confirmation of the wheel. 

Consider making a 4 bolt stock looking wheel with the 10 cutouts. That would be very nice for those don't run wide fives.

That would be a tough call, not sure there is enough market for those wheels.  Most people that would want a wide 5 look alike would just convert to wide 5. Our wheel cost is pretty low and doing a full conversion is feasible.

Alex.  I would respectfully disagree.  We 4 bolt guys would love to have an aluminum wheel option that looks vintage. Some folks don't like wide 5s and some don't want the added expense switching to wide 5.   I think people would buy them even if you used 8 hole pattern but 10 hole pattern would be a bonus.  Obviously they would need to be fitted with hub caps.  I have a 914 4 bolt sutup so I can't go the wide 5s.  I would buy them immediately.  I bought Carey's wheels and powdercoated them black.  But they are HEAVY.  Would love to have that wheel in aluminum.  Anyone else????  Think 4 bolt replica of 356C wheel.

You might be right, but you might be wrong.  I guess our fear is there is so much to invest to get wheels in production.  Unless someone wants to fund the project? 

Vintage Motorcars - Alex posted:

Phil IM356D posted:

Vintage Motorcars - Alex posted:

Robert M (Not a Poopiehead) posted:

Vintage Motorcars - Alex posted:

*LongFella posted:

If any one is curious, here are the weight differences between the chrome 5-wides and the Vintage Motorcars silver 5-wides I picked up. I would agree with Alex and the 10lbs. The tires on the new rims are slightly heavier then the Pirrellis on the chrome rims. Either way, thats a LOT of rotational weight savings! Another thing to note is the scale is a basic indoor "and I fat or not" bathroom scale, so it's probably not the most accurate...

Lets remove the argument of the tire weight deferential and give it a conservative difference of 8lb, wow that still huge and very noticeable in driving performance. 

We are very happy with the results..... 

Thanks for posting it, its good to have unbiased confirmation of the wheel. 

Consider making a 4 bolt stock looking wheel with the 10 cutouts. That would be very nice for those don't run wide fives.

That would be a tough call, not sure there is enough market for those wheels.  Most people that would want a wide 5 look alike would just convert to wide 5. Our wheel cost is pretty low and doing a full conversion is feasible.

Alex.  I would respectfully disagree.  We 4 bolt guys would love to have an aluminum wheel option that looks vintage. Some folks don't like wide 5s and some don't want the added expense switching to wide 5.   I think people would buy them even if you used 8 hole pattern but 10 hole pattern would be a bonus.  Obviously they would need to be fitted with hub caps.  I have a 914 4 bolt sutup so I can't go the wide 5s.  I would buy them immediately.  I bought Carey's wheels and powdercoated them black.  But they are HEAVY.  Would love to have that wheel in aluminum.  Anyone else????  Think 4 bolt replica of 356C wheel.

You might be right, but you might be wrong.  I guess our fear is there is so much to invest to get wheels in production.  Unless someone wants to fund the project? 

 

I'm posting this half to see how many previous posts can be nested in one reply.

But also to vote for these wheels in a four-bolt pattern. Probably more than half the Vintage Speedsters out there shipped with the four-bolt wheels, so that's a sizable market right there. The wheels VS currently mounts are 8-hole Chinese repops of the old Mangels. And those need their own special Chinese hub caps because..., well I've never heard a good explanation why.

So, a nice quality reasonably-priced 10-hole wheel in the four-bolt pattern would be huge, and in aluminum would be more huge. Beck does offer something in steel (apparently they saw a market and a need), but again, aluminum would be mo' better.

And the market isn't just for Speedsters, of course. There are a few zillion VW drivers out there with that pattern, too, looking to out-bling the competition at the next Bugorama.

I'm going to reply without copying.  Yes Mitch.  That's where I was going.  An aluminum 4 bolt wheel certainly is not for a Spyder.  Vast majority of Spyder owners will opt for the wide 5s with no hubcaps.  Many more 356 owners will want wheels with hubcaps.  Many would be sold to current 356 replica owners. Vast majority of the 10s of thousands of 356 replicas are 4 bolt.  Only the 356 vendors like Kirk, Carey and Henry would know if this would be a desired option.  What is the difference in price of wide 5 running gear vs 4 bolt running gear when building a car?  I guess if the difference is small just use the aluminum wide 5s with hubcaps.  But if the difference in price is large, say $1000, it would be better to go with aluminum 4 bolt wheels with hub caps.  And yes Carey's wheels are nice.  I can cruise 100 mph+ with no problem.  But less weight would be huge.  I have no skin in this game.  But look at the options out there for aluminum 4 bolt wheels.  Its horrible.  I guess some 914 fuchs look nice but kind of out of place on our cars.  Pic of my Beck steel wheel powder coated.  Peace out.  I'll stop now.

Well you could always find out how many sets you need to sell to do the set up cost then do a pre-order deposit deal to get as many sets pre sold .... to list members... just saying.  Not sure what the break even point would be but you need to find that out. 

Phil;

I'm a 4 bolt 356 owner. I have 914 Fuchs which I like and dislike. Too much chrome. What I've done to appeal to my outlaw side is  to paint the hub caps and wheel studs flat black.

I can not afford to switch to 5 wides, but I would love to have Alex's silver matte finish. But leave them naked no chrome half moon hub cap for me. (Remember  they were called Moons, not PC now)

pic of my 914 Fuchs, 2.0l.

Just my two cents.

"10s of thousands"?

Maybe 10,000... but probably not. I'll bet there's not been 5000 made, and probably half that many on the road. 75% of those are owned by people who couldn't care less.

There may be a market, but Alex and Greg aren't seeing it. If you believe there is one, contact them and commission a run of what you are after. I'd bet you'll need to order 1000 or so wheels (250 sets). Selling them for the price they are cannot possibly be a money-maker, if sitting on what isn't sold of the production run is taken into consideration.

You're right Stan.  Big exaggeration.  Probably 5000 max.  I still think it's a bigger market than wide 5's.

I think the VW market might be interested and I agree with Phil that the numbers have to be much larger in that group.

I don't know. You see a lot of VW's with a ton of bling on them. I think these wheels, while attractive to some, might be a little too subtle for a big part of that market. No question that is a much larger market than ours.

Why is it that I seem to be the only one with this 'speedster affliction' that's Ga-Ga over light weight (aluminum?) Centerline wheels with the 30 'buttons' circling the rim diameter?......although I do keep my eyes open on The Samba for an 'affordable' set of the ten venting holed wheels mounted on Allan Shapiro's red speedster!!!  

I hate to say it, but I think (for the most part) what these wheels are about will be pretty much lost on the VW market. A good part of the VW hobby these days is cruising and hanging out and not so much about performance any more, so the benefits of a really lightweight wheel will only be appreciated by a select few. At the next VW show look at the number of cars with 4-6" narrowed front beams, lowered so far that they're seriously prematurely wearing the spade ends of the swing axles, and with roof racks and you'll see what I mean. It would be interesting to take a wheel to a show and see the response, though, as I could be totally off the mark.

And yeah, Carl, that's why I hunted down a set of real Fuchs alloys (after buying a set of cast copies). Dropping 4 1/2 lbs of unsprung weight a corner is a lot. I know I still owe you a pm...

I'd love to see an inexpensive reproduction of the Porsche aluminum spare in a 5x130 bolt pattern.

They seem to sell VERY quickly when they come up for sale, and usually for a princely price.

It's a typo. Look at the bolt pattern in the pic.

ALB posted:

It's a typo. Look at the bolt pattern in the pic.

Got it.  Thanks.

Phil IM356D posted:

ALB posted:

It's a typo. Look at the bolt pattern in the pic.

Got it.  Thanks.

Yeah, we fixed it.  Sneaky guys got there before we finished uploading and proofing it.  Got any inside emails from .gov you want to share?  LOL

I think the builders using the 4 bolt pattern would be your biggest market.

You could always put a poll up on various VW sites and gauge the interest...but again as stated, slammed narrowed and functional seems to be the direction these days not performance.

Yeah, the VW crowd is a lot about JFL (just for looks) and not a lot of attention to performance.  Me, I like scrubbing tires up in the canyons and am the anti JFL guy.  If it dose not make it better, what's the point?  If you doubt what I say ask some of the guys when I go on the club rides in a stock 72 Super.  Always on the bumper in corners. Yeah, I got to control it, but some times I can't help it.  Got to go fast man.

Ron O posted:

I'd love to see an inexpensive reproduction of the Porsche aluminum spare in a 5x130 bolt pattern.

They seem to sell VERY quickly when they come up for sale, and usually for a princely price.

X10. I'd take them if the weren't inexpensive. They're definitely and acquired taste, but once the taste is acquired... nothing else will do.

Marty's wheels come close, but they have the hubcap hump, where these come off the center, and radius pretty smoothly out towards the rim.

Do them in a 16x6 or 8 and the world really would beat a path to your door. Porsche guys love stuff like this, and they have money.

Not exactly the same thing.  But powdercoat these and put knock off hubs on. Might look ok?

Art

"...and am the anti JFL guy.  If it does not make it better, what's the point?"

My sentiments exactly, Anthony! The JFL thing doesn't makes sense at all, especially with these cars. Afterall, (as Stan has so succintly pointed out), it does say Speedster on the side, you know... 

Stan Galat, '05 IM, 2276, Nowhere, USA posted:

Ron O posted:

I'd love to see an inexpensive reproduction of the Porsche aluminum spare in a 5x130 bolt pattern.

They seem to sell VERY quickly when they come up for sale, and usually for a princely price.

X10. I'd take them if the weren't inexpensive. They're definitely and acquired taste, but once the taste is acquired... nothing else will do.

Marty's wheels come close, but they have the hubcap hump, where these come off the center, and radius pretty smoothly out towards the rim.

Do them in a 16x6 or 8 and the world really would beat a path to your door. Porsche guys love stuff like this, and they have money.

Stan, I don't think that my wheels have a hubcap hump, they are designed to run without.  I just asked them for a center peice to cover the hub.  

Marty,

What size tire and height is that?

I see that it's a Vredesten, which model?

How wide is that wheel?

Doesn't anyone make smooth walled tires anymore.......

Thanks

CG

If you look closely along the bottom you can see that they're 195/60's, Carlos.

PS- I clicked on the photo as an attachment and it was big enough to read.

Hi Guys,

We started a small shopping cart for the wheels, but will be adding more stuff that we think will be of interest to you.

Check it out.

http://vintagespyders.com/shop/

Thanks,

Alex

These would be sweet, 16x7&8. But you know those "P" guys don't like replica stuff...

Carlos G posted:

Marty,

What size tire and height is that?

I see that it's a Vredesten, which model?

How wide is that wheel?

Doesn't anyone make smooth walled tires anymore.......

Thanks

CG

Carlos. smoothed walled tires exist but they cost a mint.  Here is a link to my Vreds.  Harder to find in the US but they are out there.

http://www.vredestein.com/car-...mer/sportrac-5/info/

These are the best old school look tires that I know of http://www.avonmotorsport.com/historic/historic/cr6zz

or even more $$$$ https://www.cokertire.com/michelin-tb5.html

This is a good a compromise http://www.tires-easy.com/185-...recode/8714692053344

I just did a search for Sportrac 5s and found at least three websites that sell this tire.  Heck, I even found one in Canada.

Cool.

That rim looked like it was 4.5 wide. I liked the way the tire looks in relation to the rim. That texture that they put on the sidewalls nowadays is pretty sad looking though, at least to me. I was just hoping there was a tire for a 4.5 that looked as good as a 195 on a 5.5 and had smooth walls. That's all.

1. My wheels are 6 inches in front and 7.5 in the rear.  I think this is the look you want, no? These Fuchs appear to be 4.5.  

https://www.google.com/search?...rc=xfsXgYgFaNAzrM%3A

Fuchs make that wheel  

I would like to see those tires on a Spyder with 4.5 wide fives up front and the 5.5s out back. My car has 185s on the front and 195s on the back. The 195s look great, but the 185s on the 4.5s look a little too wide, and they rub the fenders during hard turns.

Though narrower, I do love the look of the taller smooth walled tire.

Now if someone were to mount a 165 Vredestein on an ALUMINUM 4.5"  wide five and the same tire in a 195 on a 5.5" wide five and then mount them up on a Vintage Spyder, for us to drool over, that would be so bad ass. Hint hint........... 

Damn. I should have bought a spider.

TRP posted:

Damn. I should have bought a spider.

I think that a lot.

TRP posted:

Damn. I should have bought a spider.

I think that a lot, too.

But then I realize there are times when I need to carry an extra pair of reading glasses.

There is something about that shot above that just struck me. I've always been a fan of a 550. But a 550 on 4.5's X 16"s.  Gorgeous. 

Will those 4.5 x 16s fit on a Vintage 550????

Carlos ,Yes 16" wheels will fit on a vintage...just sold a set to a guy last month. email me info@vintagespyders.com and I will get you pricing.