How do you find cheap wheels??

I working on my 325i for the Challenge and while the 14" bottle caps look nice I can't find decently priced rubber for them. So I decided to run 15", 16" or 17" wheels instead and have been on the lookout for cheap wheels and tires for about a month now. So far I've found (and purchased) great deals on a set of 15" tires and just picked up some used 17" tires off a Corvette tonight ($40!!).

So at this point I have an impressive stack of tires (in an already overcrowded 12' x 20' shop) in two diameters and a set of 5 wheels in a different diameter with bad tires. Nothing I can find at the right price is matching up. So is it just me or are cheap wheels much harder to come by than tires? At the rate I'm going I'll have a well stocked used tire store by October with just the OE bottle cap wheels and no appropriately sized tires for them.

/rant

Im in the same boat... i have "want ads on many boards, including this one. i have already found some incomplete sets, but im still short one 15" and one 16" wheel to make two matching sets. my back up plan will be to FMV a set of four i already have from other car, but those go for a bit more than what i want to budget.

I dont want to show up with less than two sets of wheels/tires. I already know Murphy hates me, if i have an extra set the mounted set will be fine and never a problem, if i dont have a back up set, all four tires will blow out the minute i start the engine and ill sit there all day..

If you hang out at the Challenge Autocross wheels just come rolling by every now and then.

I find cheap wheels attached to overpriced hunks of junk that I somehow think I can make cool race cars out of. Duh.

In reply to 924guy:

Are the wheels you need for a Porsche? If they are, I have a bunch of 924 & 944 parts cars and I can probably help you out on the cheap.

Brian

i've got some cheap 15" BMW wheels i'm trying to get rid of: http://charleston.craigslist.org/pts/1636473368.html

If they don't sell soon they're going to the metal recycler.

I found that my truck takes stock Jeep TJ pulloffs. That's what I shopped for, and I found a nice set of tires for $100 on CL. With that said, I say find the most common wheel/ tire size that will fit your car and shop those. Also beware the terms "tyre," "rim," "weel" and so forth in your searches.

Beats me... When I needed wheels & tires for my '95 Cummins, I figured (in my best Clarkson imitation): "How hard could it be?"

Turns out - very hard. And expensive... and I was happy (after months of searching eBay, CL and Dodge forums) to finally find a set of 17" OE steel wheels with incorrect tires locally for $500 on Ebay... Keep in mind, each one of these SOB's weighs about 70 lbs, so "local" was somewhat important (shipping estimates for some auctions were murder).

I buy Rotas with curb rash from ricers who have determined that curb rash isn't TYTE YO.

I sand down the damage and repaint them. Install on car. ????? Profit.

I buy wheels with bolt patterns that don't fit much and redrill them to fit what I need. I just recently bought a set of 3 pc 13x8's for really cheap because they were 4x 4 1/4". A few hours later they were 4x100 and on my miata.

Go racing. Talk to everyone. Make lots of friends. Good deals are way more often found talking to people than on CL/Ebay.

I've found pretty cheap wheels in the Bimmerforums classifieds and on Craig's List. Where is the OP located?

That's what I do anyway. shrugs

vwvortex cheap wheels can be found but you might have to dig and deal with some asshats.

mrhappy wrote: vwvortex cheap wheels can be found but you might have to dig and deal with some asshats.

Agreed. There might also be a local "enthusiast" site in your area. I've had good luck finding a deal or two with importatlanta.com, but you certainly have to deal with the aforementioned derriere-headgear individuals.

Still, I am surprised and somewhat amused at what most people try to get for their used wheels. Even when they're all too common, damaged, or just hideously painted post-production.

http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2006/02/Steelies/index.php

If you need a 4X100 the Scion and some Pontiac models have factory steelies in a 4X100. Scion wheels go for around $100 on Craigslist.

Thanks for the sugestions. I'm glad to see it's not just me also (misery loves company I guess??).

Nedc, why do they always have to 5 lug!?!?!?! I would jump on those in a second if they were 4 lug. I've had to pass up so many BMW wheels because they're 5 lug. I wonder if I could squeeze a 5 lug swap into the budget.....

I also have want ads in several forums and I'm regulary checking for OE wheels from cars with the same bolt pattern. I just haven't had any luck.

On the upside my Craigslist want ad for wheels has produced a bunch of leads on very nice people that want to help me become more financially stable.

have a pull a part nearby?

i brought home 16" wheels for my truck in the proper bolt pattern with excellent tires for $68 out the door.

patgizz wrote: have a pull a part nearby? i brought home 16" wheels for my truck in the proper bolt pattern with excellent tires for $68 out the door.

There are a couple in Atlanta, north of me. I've been wanting to head up and check them out but things keep getting in the way. I just need to jump in the truck and go.