S type wheels gunmetal

[Meng]

Hey guys, i'm looking to get a set of 19" S wheels in gunmetal:

http://www.ebspares.co.uk/PNF/PNF.cfm?id=/alfa_159/19inch_Brera_S_wheels_Gun_metal_grey/info.cfm&CFID=648125&CFTOKEN=4d74dd2d1955b691-3AF98DCE-155D-210D-9BF6EA2A6568FCAA&jsessionid=f03059de266ce01b13e05d7d3c3f632e5971

Any ideas on all up cost (wheels, tyres and fitting)?  Not sure where to start, was thinking of going to one of the Alfa workshops?

[shiny_car]

Well, start with contacting EB Spares for a quote on shipping. They are excellent to deal with; I have bought lots of gear from them.

Then consider tyres. If you want cheap, then buy from www.tirerack.com , and I have also had great dealings with them. If the 4 tyres equate to over A$1K, then you will incur import duties. So ask them to send them in 2 lots (of 2 tyres), separated in time. They will happily oblige, and then you avoid your import duties.

Any local tyre place will fit the tyres for you, for a nominal charge. No big deal. Might be $60-80 for fitment and balancing, at a guess.

So it will be an easy process. And they are nice wheels for sure!

btw, I presume they will be for a 159/Brera/Spider, or else they won't fit.

[Meng]

Great, thanks mate!  Yep it's for a black 159.

[wankski]

real nice choice - but i'm tipping in the region of AUD$3.6-4k  

assuming of course you select tyres worth a damn... shipping 4 tyres from the US is pretty expensive - expect b/w 250-300 bux... so it only makes sense buying some pretty high end rubber, otherwise its not worth the hassle!

tire cost is not helped by the fact its 19" we are talking about here... i believe the brera s spec is 235/40 on 19s.. not a lot of choice at that size.... what is your 159 currently on? if standard 225/50x17, the stock brera s spec will understate speed by about 2% (i.e. indicated 100 will be actual 102km)....

if you don't mind sacrificing a bit more sidewall, u could drop to 225/35s and overstate by 1.5% (i.e. indicated 100 = 98.5km/h actual), so nice safety factor, but also there is a much greater choice of tyres in the 225/35x19 size cf 225/40...

HTHs..

[Meng]

I currently have the stock standard 17" x 7.5" rim, running 225/50 Turanzas.  Actually just looking for a nice gunmetal or black wheelset, as the car is black so will look quite nice.  But finding suitable rims for an Alfa is pretty hard.  Figured it would look like this:

http://cdn.motors.co.uk/d/used-photos/27941/400x/0/0/DY09XXS.jpg

Although the straight spokes were quite nice, though I have no idea what make they are, as I can't find these colour rims anywhere:

http://portal.motorplex.co.uk/image/veloces-75c60c7c7114f7b4/1.lrg?nsi=34

http://cdn.motors.co.uk/d/used-photos/63953/400x/0/0/WV09KKJ.jpg

I'm open to any suggestions you might have re vendor etc, would be good to get a tyre+wheel package though for Alfa-specific it's almost non-existent.

These seem pretty nice:

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?wheelFinish=Black+Painted&wheelMake=O.Z.&target=wheelCloseUp&wheelModel=Superturismo+GT

http://www.mswt.com.au/products_closeup.asp?part=&part_no=2017

[wankski]

those straight spokes are the 19 'ti' 159 spec

can get em here:
http://www.mangoletsi.com/alfa/parts-shop/view/9144-19-10-spoke-ti-alloy-wheel-kit.html

[Meng]

Great, I also just found out the others were OZ Superturismo GT blacks, I think they're around $2k+ for a set.  All up including tyres fitting and alignment looking at $3k?

[shiny_car]

OE spec tyres are Continental ContiSportContact3 (previously Pirelli PZero), 235/40ZR19. I think you'll find a set of 4 will be over $1000, even from tirerack, once delivered.

Ti wheels will fit straight on, obviously. You can have them repainted whatever colour you like. But a 'limited' version is available in dark metallic grey as OE-spec on some 159 Ti's. They would be expensive from an Alfa Dealer (probably $1200+ per wheel) but it's an option!

I'm unsure if OZ are available in 5x110mm PCD; they may be. Then of course you want the width, offset, and centre bore to be appropriate. If you have a JTD (and presumably you don't have a Ti), then also ensure the wheel spokes have adequate clearance for the front Brembo brake calipers (the Ti and Brera S wheels do). These specs may seem confusing, but they are really quite straight forward. However, to keep it simple, stick with Alfa wheels like the Ti and S.

[wankski]

you mentioned u just like the dark colors...

is there any reason to go 19"? are your current tyres fine?

might sound dumb, but why don't you get your originals professionally painted? with used rubber I doubt you could recover much in resale if that is what you were planning in acquiring 19s...

the other option is to go the 'horseshoe' 18" and get those painted.... much cheaper @ ~650 quid from mangoletsi...

the 18s would also afford you further options in terms of sidewall height depending if you stay w/ 225s or go 235s...

[Meng]

I have a 2.2 JTS.

No reason to go 19", from the suggestions here I gather 18" would be the better option?  Looking to get a lower ride and larger rims which should look nice (which means getting lower profile tyres).  My current tyres are fine, good condition.

If I were to get new rims and tyres, I'd pretty much write off the current rims and tyres.  I have the stock standard rims at the moment:

http://i16.ebayimg.com/08/i/001/49/d2/bcf6_12.JPG

18" 5 hole horseshoe painted gunmetal would go well, and 225 would be the better bet.  Got a quote from these guys for restoring and painting wheels to gunmetal or black, approx $200 each, not sure what the market rate is:

http://www.advancedalloys.com.au/our-services/refurbishment-of-wheels.php

[wankski]

ouch... 200 per wheel is kinda rediculous!

maybe better off going powdercoat if you are sure that color is what u want...

I have a guy in moorabbin that is excellent... should be much cheaper and powder is of course, much more durable...

[Meng]

Does powercoating add a lot more weight to the wheels?

[wankski]

ha, no... it's a fine powder that is electro-statically sprayed on the alloy and then melted...

few grams heavier than paint sure, but next to the heavy rims, totally negligible.  Figure each alfa wheel in the 18-19" range will be at least 12kg... soo...

[Meng]

Proving to be difficult finding 5x110 pcd 18" or 19", will keep hunting around.

A mate pointed me to this, anyone know anything about it?

http://www.performancechipsdirect.com/Alfa-Romeo/159/

I'm doubtful it could have that big of an impact without drinking some serious litres, has anyone had any experience in this?

[wankski]

please tell me you're joking...