Russ

iTrader: (3)

Peter seemed like a knowledgable and responsible guy to me. He was very helpful when I talked to him over the phone. I certainly don't have a problem with wheelexperts being part of this thread.

I've also seen Avalon Racing post here and elsewhere numerous times on numerous subjects so although I haven't spoken to them personally, they appear to be knowledgable and responsible as well.

I hate to see this turn into a flame between buyers.

We should just send the requested info the each buyer willing to participate and then see who can get the best deal. Just my .02 cents

Avalon Racing

iTrader: (5)

No offense was taken.

The important thing here is to get other Z enthusiasts into the product they want at the best possible deal.

We already have pre-negoaited prices fro large volumes with HRE and feel confident we can get them great deals. HRE goes a long way to insure dealers in particular markets do not kill each other.

So the goal here is to get a large number of buyers together and get them in the wheels they want.

Regards

lee2375

I have taken what the Avalon racing people said to heart, and since they are Z specialists, I think they should get the GB opportunity. We sponsor the MB and BMW forums, and I would hate to see the same thing happen to us. I am a big believer in "what comes around goes around" so I will respectfully drop out of the GB.

Anyways, since Avalon is going to extend the offer to other Z forums (which we do not sponsor), he will probably be able to get more sets together and get you guys better pricing.

I do sincerely apologize to the Avalon racing team and the forum members for any trouble or confusion caused.

respectfully,

Peter Lee
Wheel Experts sales manager

Avalon Racing

iTrader: (5)

After we get all the data as requested above we can piece together the deals for everyone.

We have done these in the past and have pre-determined discount rates based on volume negotiated with HRE

After we get sizes and configurations we can then develop quotes for everyone.

We have no problems with other vendors - especially ones who we have never worked with.

Agian we need to centralize the activity to get the best for everyone.

Regards

Avalon Racing

iTrader: (5)

No offense taken and we, in repsect to you do not plan on or have worked BMW deals. That is your baby and not our expertise.

Thanks for your honesty.

Regards

Driven

Wow! I've got to say, there is some very uncommon/unusual consideration going on here! From a morality standpoint I am happy to see this...but from a competition standpoint I'm not so excited. Fact of the matter is...there may well be one distributor that is best suited to get us the best deal, but without friendly competition from others trying their best for the business...what is their incentive to squeeze the numbers the thinest?

Anyway, I am wondering a couple of things:

If it is best to get our group buy centralized, how do we best go about this? Do we use this forum and recruit from others asking them to come here and sign up with their interest? I for one would like to actually know the numbers of buyers to get a feel for our "pull" and am not excited about the list being compiled from various forums and being given a generic "with the numbers we have commitments from...we will offer the following..." I am more than willing to do more than my share of recruiting in order to get the best deal possible and would encourage others to do the same....but would like all the details expressed.

How do we go about sign up? And where can we do so publicly?

Will we set a deadline? If so, when will it be?

What exactly will be included? Lugs...what center caps etc..

What will shipping costs be...or will we be able to get this included if the orders are above "x"?

Would someone be willing to set up an interactive file so that we can encourage others to check out their specific color Z with various HRE wheels in various finishes??? This would be absolutely great for encouraging others to get involved and make many of us less leary of the final outcome prior to purchasing. I would do this...but I'm an idiot on a computer!

Lastly, would any knowledgable HRE rep please give us some factual information on the various finishes? Ie...what are standard finishes? Which finishes are upcharged? What are retail upcharges (just for general consideration)? What maintainance is required for each to keep them in pristine condition? Any considerations we should be aware of over time? Does one finish typically hold up longer or potentially chip or show oxidation more quickly? My concern is over possible "white rust" which may become visible under any given clear coat which then requires a good deal of money to refinish.

Opps...one more thing: If we get this put together with a good number of people is there any chance we could get HRE to provide us with a certificate or guarantee to provide outer lip repair/replacements at a discounted price? This is a huge factor for me in spending this much money on wheels.

Sorry for all the questions...I've been considering HRE as my wheel of choice for nearly 6 months now and am trying to find a way to justify the cost. Lets see what we can do as a group!

lee2375

I will be glad to help with the finish questions:

1. standard finish - silver paint and clearcoat face (AKA satin silver) with polished and non-clearcoated lip

2. optional paint finishes - black, charcoal, white, or gold paint and clearcoat center with polished and non-clearcoated lip - no extra charge

3. full polish - full polish center and lip, both without clearcoat - retail 158 per wheel

4. full polish with clearcoat - full polish center and lip, both with clearcoat - retail 227 per wheel

5. brushed aluminum with clearcoat - brushed aluminum (roughed raw aluminum) with clearcoat and with polished and non-clearcoated lip - retail 227 per wheel

6. chrome - retail 300 per wheel, not recommended

7. Anodize w/or w/o shot peen - varies by color

8. powder coat center - varies by color, not recommended

9. custom color match - customer provides custom color code, center is custom color with clearcoat and polished and non-clearcoated lip

lee2375

polished wheels w/o clearcoat are the hardest to maintain because they will oxidize, similar to a piece of sterling silver. They will need polishing using some type of aluminum polish one every 6-8 weeks or so. Mother's aluminum polish is a good inexpensive choice (about 5-6 per jar)

If you live where it snows or is extremely humid (Florida for instance), or you are extremely lazy like me, you can clearcoat the polish to prevent extensive polishing. You can do just the center, or the whole center and outer. The outer does chip easily during mounting/dismounting, so it is a good idea to do just the center.

The clearcoat on the polished wheels is good for about 5 years before it will turn yellowish. At this point it can be sent back to HRE for stripping, re-polishing, and re-clearcoating. There is no guarantee on polished outers against chipping, centers are warrantied for one year.

Hope this stuff helps!

lee2375

pic of our project car, just for fun

what do you guys think?

lee2375

closeup

Avalon Racing

iTrader: (5)

First of all Avalon has been known to squeeze the numbers better than most due to our volume with HRE. As volume gets larger on the group deal the prices will drop close to $300.00 off per wheel in volume (before savings on the options).


Here are the details:

All 540, 540R series wheels apply

All wheels are supplied with your choice of center caps, lugs, stems. Shipping is $15.00 per wheel.

The standard finish is silver painted with a polsihed lip.

Optional finishes are:

Custom painted
Fully polished
Brushed
Clearcoat
Anodized

Wheels will be first priced by size first:

Then you add in your options.

The group buy will be priced by the follwoing split:

1-4 sets = our normal low prices
5-8 sets will be an additional % off
9+ sets - a larger discount is applied.

Like I stated in the 9+ range we are looking at approix $300.00 per wheel off list.

How the process works:

I need an e-mail from each buyer. I need the follwoing data:

Name
Address
e-mail
size of wheels
style and series ( ie 547 R )
Options.

We will e-mail a formal quote back. The deadline line for the Group buy is 1/10/03 . All orders will be sent as we get them in.

Since they are custom built for you, a non refundable deposit of 50% is required. On the cut off date the discounts will be applied based on the total number of orders to the remaining balance. This way we can get all orders started immediately - no wait.

Worse case is the 1-4 price. This price alone will save hundreds of dollars per wheel.

We take Visa - Mastercard - Discover -
American Express and PayPal.

The e-mail address is paul@avalonracing.net

Regards

bigjonjuan

Does the brushed aluminum look that different then the standard finish? Can you post pics if possible? Especially with the 445Rs :O)!

Thanks!

John

Avalon Racing

iTrader: (5)

The standard finish is silver paint whereas the brushed is polished and then the brush texture is added.

Regards

Avalon Racing

iTrader: (5)

regards

bigjonjuan

Thanks, but I'm still unable to picture the difference...in the picture on the 1st page of this post (Le Mans Sunset 350Z w/ 445 HREs) do you know if those 445Rs are brushed with aluminum or not?

silverchrome

I will be looking for new tires in a short while, myself. Anyway to parlay this group purchase on some wheels as well?

I needs some 20s

SilverChrome

Avalon Racing

iTrader: (5)

From the links section of your web site go the the HRE site. you willsee the specific finishes there

Regards

Russ

iTrader: (3)

According to one of the HRE sales guys, the 445R's on their SEMA Z has the brushed aluminum finish.

Here's a quote from an email he sent me when I asked what finish it was and if he had any pictures comparing the brushed aluminum with the silver paint:

"It was the brushed aluminum center. The only thing is all pictures
make it look like a flat silver. If you go to our finishes section on our
web site you will get as good idea as any. Sorry I can't help out more
on that request, just for some reason the photos of the brushed just
don't do it justice. It is an absolutely stunning finish."

Russ

iTrader: (3)

We'll see if this works!

I'm not sure you can even make out the brushed aluminum finish in this hi-res shot over at nissannews.com

zland

I just spoke to Renee at HRE Wheels in Vista California. My intent is to go to see their wheels since I live about 5 miles from their facility. The phone conversation was very interesting. highlights:

1. They will not sell direct. They said that once I/we have decided on the wheels and specs we want, she can recommend me to a person that is their recommended person for group sales. She said that Avalon is that person and he has done a number of group sales in the past and does a great job.

2. She said it normally takes them 4-5 weks to complete an order once they have got it.

3. I am overloaded wit hwork before I depart out of the country but I am planning on taking a tour of their plant on or about Jan 6th. I want to see the various finishes before I place an order.

4. She personally likes the brushed alum finish but said some people do not like the "swirls" it has on it.

5. The Lemans show car with the HRE's had 445's polished on one side and 449's brushed on the other side. The car had 19x9.5 fts w/27530 tires. Rears had 19x10.5 w/9530 tires. She rode in the car and felt it rode great but on the otherhand, she did not ride in the stock version before the upgrade.

6. She was more than happy to reply to questions you had about specific wheel specs or finishes. Renee's e-mail address is reneej@hrewheels.com

7. I asked if it was ok for me to pick up my order since i live so close to the factory. She said i just need to ok it with whatever vendor we pick. Avalon, if we pick you, that is what I want to do and of course that will reduce my price due to no shipping charges.

8. She promised to e-mail me a lot of picks of their tires such as 445's and 545's on cars. She was going to eat lunch and do it this afternoon. I will post those pics when I get them so all of us can see what each wheel looks like in application. As they say, a picture is worth a 100 words.

9. she said they are still working on final quality control on the 840 series so if you want them, you have to wait a little longer. Those are the wheels that do not have exposed fasteners on the front.

I hope all of this helps...Jeff