Wheels for Smart

[garys]

Hi,

I was at the dealer today getting my stereo installed and checked out the newest accessories that they had in stock.

The one thing that grabbed my attention was a set of semi custom wheels. I say semi custom because they were smart takeoffs that had been painted.

The spokes and most of the rim were painted black with only the outer ring left silver. This makes for a very striking wheel.

The only problem is that the dealer wanted $1,500 for the set of four and that didn't include any tires. Not a bad deal for the dealer as they probably didn't give the original owner more than a few dollars for the wheels.

So my question is has anyone had any experience with pwder coating the smart wheels. The parts guy said that the wheels were painted with an epoxy paint because it gave a better black than powder coating.

Any thoughts? It would seem to me that I should be able to get all four wheels powder coated for $500-$600 and spend less than $100 having the tires taken off and remounted which would put me into them less than half what the dealer wants.

Should I powder coat the wheels or epoxy pant them?

gary

[hrbone]

goto tire rack ..they have alot better looking rim then the stock rims.. 138.00 a piece

[John_H]

Glad you saw my wheels, gary (or at least the wheels that were painted in the same batch as mine). I should have my set on right now - the car's still in the PDX shop for the added install of a set of Eibach springs. I did custom paint on the car. BMW's Merlot Red is a deep, rich metallic red; with the black trim and tridon, the black painted rims with bright edge should be striking. I'll be posting most of my pictures on the Pacific Northwest Chapter subforum in a few days.

I preferred staying with the stock rims because the weight - I believe - is less than you'd get for typical rims. I've seen a mention that every added pound on the wheel is like adding 4 pounds of weight to the car. I think that has to do with the power required to spin-up the wheels v(ersus move the car in a straight line) and not just the fact that there's 4 wheels on the car. The lighter the wheels, the less torque to get the system moving.

- John

[saronian]

John - I'm really excited to see your pics, the car should be a real standout. Be sure and let us know how it preforms once you've tested it out.

[garys]

Hi John,

I saw your car in the service bay. The parts guy told me that he had to put your springs in after he finished my stereo install. Did the springs make a noticable difference in handling? Does the car ride rougher?

Its a nice looking car without a doubt.

As for the wheel weight thing its simple physics. The first ten or fifteen miles per hour are the most costly in terms of gas consumption. One of the big reasons that I didn't reach for my wallet to buy the set of 17" wheels and tires that they have there.

I'd be interested in seeing your car once you have the wheels installed.

BTW, Darrin told me that you put a bunch of sound deadening in the doors. Do you feel that it was worth it both from the stereo aspect and the ride comfort standpoint.

gary

[bull8042]

Not speaking for John, but I put Dynamat Extreme on the inside of my doors and it really seemed to make a difference in perceivable road noise.

[Smartbillet]

Whatever savings you made in not going with 17s, you blew by putting Dynamat in the doors!

[craven3557]

How cum? does Dyname weigh that much?

[John_H]

I didn't have a "before" to compare to - the sound deadening was done before I took delivery. With the deadening, however, there's no need for a sub - especially the Smart sub. The upgraded speakers with the deadening really brings out the sound. My next trick is to figure out how to properly vent the sound pressure (like home speakers that have a hole in addition to the speaker cones on the front or rear of the speaker box) because the sealed door cavity leads to stronger vibrations for the base than the inside door panel is prepared for.

People complain about road noise. I haven't had a hint of an issue. I did deadening for more than just the doors and it's one very solid car.

I'm looking forward to driving with the new springs - this afternoon, perhaps. I saw another post on springs in the forum that mentioned the rocking on gear shifts after their new lowering springs is reduced 80%. Also, since I'm used to a Z4 roadster, the added road feel (the smart is very soft) should bring me back toward what I'm used to. I'll let you know.

- John

[Smartbillet]

Originally Posted by craven3557

How cum? does Dyname weigh that much?

Dynamat is EXTREMELY heavy