Used rims - 5Zigen GN+ Pro Racer - take a look at them and tell me....

What do you think? 18x8.5" +48. They were sandblasted and then primed rather crappy. I can fix that. Now for those who don't know these were made in Japan and the name meant "5th Dimension" and pronounced 5 GeeGan (sp?) I believe. Center caps included and painted anodized valve stems.

Here they are from the factory. $1700 brand new:


Here is how I got them:





Here is a quick fit on the rear and boy are these large:







Bout 1/2" from the control arm:


And here is my issue. One of them has a weld on the back and some weights. The weld looks really quality actually and I can see no signs of cracking or weld on the inner lip. The outer lip is a tiny bit out of round but the sealing surface is smooth as can be.





So, for $200 did I score or do I have a set of 3 wheels and need a new rim?

I weighed one and they are 22 pounds each! But what can ya do. I will finish them in gun metal and mount some 225/40/R18's.

Let me know if I should make these into a coffee table or go mount them up.

Thanks.
Jon

Forgot to add the weld stops after three weights. So it is about 6" long.

Turn the welded wheel into a chair.

Those wheels look pretty sweet. As for the weld, idk how I feel about that, I'd be a little nervous about spending a lot of money for a powder coat or paint job to have it crack again later down the road. As far as safety goes I don't think it would hurt anything if it were to crack again in that spot, most likely just throw it way off balanced. Those are pretty damn heavy for the 350+ price tag.

Are these available to buy on the US market?

I looked all over but didn't want to spend that much. I really chased these down.

Originally they were being sold in another town and the guy said they were mine. The day I was gonna buy them he backed out. I was pissed.

A month later I check Craigslist on a whim and another person just posted these wheels in my city.

Turns out he bought them from the guy I was trying to buy from. They didn't fit his car so he put them up. I got them for WAYYYY below what the original guy wanted.

They were meant for my car, lol.

Crap so 2 negatives on that wheel then?

Or you could dip it in gold and wear it like pendant.

Originally Posted by O.C.D.

Crap so 2 negatives on that wheel then?

Its hard to say because you don't know who welded that wheel. First I would make sure that the wheel is able to be balanced, for a wheel to crack like that he must have hit something hard which could have bent the wheel slightly.

Are you getting these wheels powder coated or are you painting them? After it checks out being balanced, If your just painting them I would get them mounted and drive around on them primered for a couple weeks to make sure it doesn't crack again, THEN paint them.

This is just my opinion as this could be a safety concern.

Originally Posted by Kumiho

Or you could dip it in gold and wear it like pendant.

If your not going to help the OP keep your comments to yourself and stop trolling.

I think they'll be good looking wheels once you get them cleaned up. As for the weld, I know a few people who had theirs welded with no issues. But I know nothing about the process ect.

As for the smart @$$ comment I will give you one of these and you can wear it. I am sure your going to love the weight.

The weld appears to be very good. The penetration is great for an aluminum weld. I can see a little valley at the head of the weld where it looks like they ground a valley to do the weld which is proper technique. I think I might take the wheel to a shop and see if ti balances without a tire?

Anyone else that may be lurking please add if you can.

Thanks

Come on LGT let me know. I am sure you all can lend an opinion.

Thanks.

Ok I guess I will try a few more questions even though no responses.

I have about a fingers width from the inner lip edge to the control arms. I also measured the inner fender flares near the rear strut setups and there is about the same fingers width for tire movement.

I'd like to go 225 but am thinking 235 as well. Most say 225 but these rims are 8.5" wide. Any insights please?

Based on how flush these will mount will I need a roll for these rims?

Learning as I can and stickies help but personal experience always helps.

So I got my tires in last week.

225/40/R18 Kumho Ecsta SPT's. Got them through TireBuyer.com for a song. I highly recommend them. Free shipping and a Kumho special means $475 to my door. I couldn't pass it up.




After 4 cans of aircraft stripper the rims were 100% ready to be repainted. Removing the primer was a bear so I can only imagine how bad all the paint would have been.




Here they are before the mineral spirits bath. Used a scotchbrite and scrubbed away. I read a bunch about water shearing and residues that can be left behind from cleaners. Mineral spirits cleaned them and no residue.