| Author |
Message |
Sean Welsh (Sean)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 10:21 pm: | |
Folks,
I was hoping to defer this problem until we are in Oregon/Washington in July, but the current condition of our drive tires no longer permits that -- they're done.
I am in the market for a set of six aluminum wheels plus two matching steel wheels for the inner duals. I also now need new tires all the way around, and I'd love to do this whole thing all in one shot.
What I need is specific recommendations, based on experience, for a good tire-and-wheel place somewhere in California. Ideally, this would be a place with decent prices and a good labor rate, so I am thinking maybe central valley, vs. either the bay area or metro LA, but beggars can't be choosers.
Our route will take us from Death Valley to the SF Bay Area, where we will stay for three weeks or so before heading down to LA and San Diego. That puts us in good reach of almost anywhere in CA south of I-80.
Please post recommendations here, or better still, email them to me at swelsh-at-ix.netcom.com (replace the "-at-" with "@").
In anticipation of the many responses that may be posted here advising me to get used wheels, or take-offs, or surplus. etc., let me say that I have *very* unusual wheels, and, AFAIK, the only take-offs or surplus I can use would be from a Van Hool or another German-built Neoplan (both very rare). I've already checked with Van Hool's parts.
(For the curious: I have "European" wheels, and specifically a style known as a MAN wheel. These are hub-piloted wheels with a very large hub bore, and a metric stud size. The existing steel wheels have beveled lug holes, as one might find on a budd-type wheel, but they take flat nuts with a separate, conical-shaped split washer. The replacements from, for example, Alcoa, have a straight lug hole and take a flat nut/washer assembly, requiring longer studs on all six hubs. Lastly, the need for steel inners has to do with the fact that the pilot "lands" on my Mercedes drive axle are not long enough to accept dualed aluminums.)
Thanks, everyone.
-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.US |
Brian (Bigbusguy)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 11:37 pm: | |
There was a set on eBay 7953124888
Brian 4905 Klamath Falls Oregon |
user
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 11:57 pm: | |
check over at the 'flea mkt' |
ChuckMC9 (Chucks)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 12:54 am: | |
Hey Sean! Enable the RSS Feed for your blog, OK? It's somewhere under prefs. |
Sean Welsh (Sean)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 1:14 am: | |
Perhaps I was unclear, or, more to the point, incomplete in my original post...
I am not looking to "buy" a set of wheels, or tires, from, for example, eBay or the BNO flea market section. I have no means whereby I could receive said merchandise, nor do I have the means to change out the wheels and tires myself, let alone replace all the studs.
What I am looking for is a pointer to a full-service professional shop that can both sell me the tires and wheels AND mount, balance, and install them, including replacement of the studs.
Since I do not think I can get more than another, say, 1,000 miles out of my current tires, I'm hoping to find such a professional in California, as described in my original post. Certainly I can find such by looking in the yellow pages -- I'm hoping, here, for a more personal recommendation.
All that being said, the eBay item number that Brian posted refers to exactly the type of wheel I need -- I just need more of a full-service dealer.
-Sean |
Sean Welsh (Sean)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 1:33 am: | |
(Off Topic) Chuck -- I just enabled "Site Feed" which only has settings of "on" and "off." I think the blogger default is Atom, not RSS, but there is no place I found to change this. Let me know if you can pick it up. --Sean |
Bob Compton (Allboyzoo)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 8:37 am: | |
Sean,
Try Les Schwab in Livermore, CA. You said you would be in the Bay Area. Very reputable dealer with outlets all over the Pacific Northwest. Can't say enough good about him.
Bob |
BrianMCI
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 8:51 am: | |
I can't tell you the best place to accomplish what you need but...I was told that mixing steel rims with aluminum rims is a no-no, and it seems logical... mixing dis-similar metals can cause problems...
Brian |
ChuckMC9 (Chucks)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 9:32 am: | |
(OT) Bingo, Sean. You did what I meant. I'm agnostic about the turf/format wars.
Thanks for trouble, and hope you get re-shod and back on the road soon. |
Sean Welsh (Sean)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 11:13 am: | |
BrianMCI -- steel inners with aluminum outers is done all the time. There is really no choice if your pilots are not long enough. A thin dielectric spacer is used to mitigate galvanic issues.
Bob -- Thanks for the recommendation. |
Brian (Bigbusguy)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 12:26 pm: | |
"I have no means whereby I could receive said merchandise"
Dont you have a bus with a open bay? Or just put them in side . Unless you have a endless supply of $$ Id bid on them and when your in Los Angles Ca. just pick them up and take them to the dealer to have him install them Those wheels go for over $325 + each. Bid and save $600 or $700. But do it your way.
I would go to a chain type tire shop you will have less of a chance of getting ripped off. If your going to have to have longer studs put in Id find out from your bus MFG if there is a dealer or recomended repair shop becouse I would think you may have a problem finding the right studs .
Go to a bus repair shop have the studs and seals done first then go look for wheels and tires or you will end up with some 18 yr high school dropOut hammer the wrong size studs in becouse thats all they have in stock and it looks like it fits. And I doubt you can find a tire shop the will have the right seals or studs or find a bus shop that has good prices on tires and wheels. You may be stuck with the ugly European looking wheels.
There is bad shops that will rip you off bad my freind got bent over in the L A area with his MC5 they told him he needed specal bus tires and he payed over $700 a tire each for all 6 of them.
I dont know the name of the shop or if they are still there sorry.
Brian 4905 Klamath Falls Oregon |
RJ Long (Rjlong)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 1:18 pm: | |
Sean -
Check your private email. . .
RJ
PD4106-2784
Fresno CA |
Sean Welsh (Sean)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 1:34 pm: | |
Brian,
No open bays -- we're full timers, so carting around six extra wheels for more than a couple days would be out of the question. That being said, I have made some inquiries of the eBay seller, such as will he hold them for me until I can get everything else lined up.
Your point about the studs is exactly what I am worried about, and why I want a quality professional. The bus manufacturer is out of the picture -- I am on my own. This is the down-side to owning a 20 year old, German-built bus with no US support. I need to rely on someone who can look at the studs, get the correct replacements from his own supplier, and properly install them.
Thanks for the help.
-Sean |
Sean Welsh (Sean)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 1:40 pm: | |
RJ,
I was hoping you'd chime in...
I checked all my email and don't have anything from you... where'd you send it?
-Sean |
RJ Long (Rjlong)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 13, 2005 - 2:48 pm: | |
Check it again. . . got side-tracked while writing talking to Marc.
RJ |
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