American Racing Wheels Brand anyone here have them ? How are they holding up ?

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Pictures don't always do wheels justice. Hard to pull the trigger when buying online. I will say though, those do look sharp on your car.

Thank man. I appreciate it

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[GTP]

... Just so everyone knows I am new to this aftermarket wheel stuff. This is the first time I am buying wheels ...

Some general observations based on my experience:

1. Wheels have a hard life. They are near ground and all the road dirt, chemicals, and debris. Their turning velocity is greater than the car's speed, so anything that hits them hits hard. Expect some paint chips. You can drop a socket or lug when putting them on or off and still ding the finish.

2. Don't pay $400 for ceramic coating thinking it will help what I said above. The environment is too harsh for it to help. That said, I do put wax (sealant) all over my wheels because it makes them clean easier. I have to re-wax them periodically. Again, see paragraph 1 above.

3. Take real good care when parking, because rim rash is so tricky to avoid next to curbs. One reason to back in is to use the rear car guidelines to keep you safe.

4. As for hub centric, the lugs themselves are 5 more votes for centering the wheel. I truly believe you could skip hub rings and rely on the lugs, even at top speed. Hub rings are useless. As already stated, the plastic ones don't last at all. You forget to check if they are still there, or inspect them for damage (they are). Don't waste your time or money on them. I never could even find metal versions. Let hub-centric spec influence your wheel choice, otherwise you can rely on the lugs. (I anticipate getting flamed for this.)

5. Keep in mind that the fancier the appearance and finish of your aftermarket wheel choice, the greater will be the risk and repair hassle to keep them looking like new. Learn how to DIY repair curb rash and the finish.

 

[jvezz]

1

Nice looks good that's actually same color as my Mustang !

 

[jvezz]

I now have a new worry when I take my car in for service if I have hub rings and the person they have rotating my tires misses putting a hub ring back will that throw off something ?

 

[GTP]

I now have a new worry when I take my car in for service if I have hub rings and the person they have rotating my tires misses putting a hub ring back will that throw off something ?

A valid worry, IMO.

The trouble I had with them was not thinking about them (only set of 3 wheels that used them). And so I would not notice if one was missing, or crooked, or damaged. I found it more reliable to push the ring onto the hub first, and then install the wheel. That way I knew it was there, undamaged, and properly seated.

 

[Sundyrse59]

Over the years, I have probably had 8 different sets of American Racing wheels. They are the best (and only) wheels on the market as far as I am concerned. Sometimes when you find something that is a superior product, You just have to stick with it, even though I do know there are other brands out there. I bought my first set of AR wheels in 1976

 

[sms2022]

The brand has been around forever. They make great classic muscle wheels. Haven’t seen a modern muscle set I like except the factory option they had for the challenger about 10 years ago.

 

[CXRs]

I used to think so, and have a whole drawer full. But the shops don't see them for what they are, and try to install on top and crush them, and obviously the wheel doesn't sit flat.

And the metals ones need some doing to get off, and by that time they are trash anyway.

So I switched to plastic. Black so it's bloody obvious they are on there, and I treat them as single-use.

I've never had issues with plastic ones. I run them on my winter car, and the worst I ever had was the ring lodging on the hub and I didn't notice it before swapping wheels. Takes like 2 seconds to pull it off, and you don't need tools. It never seizes on, and I've had no issues with them at >150.

 

[russd32]

I have the AR924 "Crossfire" wheels on my car. 20x9 and 20/10.5 if I recall correctly. They've been on the car for a few years now and they've been good.

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