Can really use some help from those of you who have the 5 spoke 610C Cragar rims. I just when to pick them up from the speed shop and was disappointed to see gouges and scratches on the flat side of the rim opposite the spokes. You can see this mess through the space in the spokes. It even looks like they are already bubbling under the chrome. Should they be like this? The spokes looks great but the inside look like s**t. There is also some heat discoloration. I love this rim and was wondering if this is a bad batch or is this something I should expect. It almost looks like the rim was set into a vice of some sort during manufacturing.They were all dated 4/26/06 so I'm hoping they corrected this problem with a new batch. The shop is going to call his warehouse on Monday but I have a feeling the others might have the same problem. They are made in China of course but for $250 each, I was hoping for a bit better. Thanks for the help.

 

Are there tires on these rims? Some tire machines clamp on the
back inside edge. Some wheel manufacturers clamp there also
to do the initial turning after casting? For $250 each they should
have been made in the good ol USA.

 

F--- China

 

These were brand new out of the box. Does this problem exist which other rims? I just can't see having a good looking rim only to be distracted by the flaws between the spokes.

 

I wouldn't accept them. For that kind of money they better be flawless.

 

Dude, take em back for sure, don't except that kind of crap, Cragar should know better than to try selling import garbage with that poor of a finish.

 

First off, chrome wheels are never finished on the backside. To have finished chrome on the backside of the wheel you would end up spending 600 per wheel for the additional work. Plus, yourchrome warranty will only cover the front face of the wheel.Second, what looks to be a heat spot is where the wire was connected for the electroplating. Every chrome wheel will have one somewhere. Its the way of life anymore, not too many wheels are made entirely in the US anymore. Most blanks are cast in China and then sent to the US for finish work and plating.

 

I'm not concerned with the chroming of the backside as I am with the gouging and deep scratching of the rim. It's very noticeable when looking through the spokes due to its brightness. Also, I'm not sure if the spokes are aluminum and the rim is steel, but to me, any breaks in the surface area will surely lead to either rust or lifting of the surface coating. I guess we can always fall back on the argument that if we wanted something manufactured correctly, we would have to spend three times as much to get it. Maybe when you look at the pretty pictures in the catalog and website, Cragar should provide a disclaimer that says "Actual product quality may differ from what is expected by the consumeras displayed in the provided picture". On the other hand, some people just don't give a crap and install them anyway.

 

Its an all aluminum wheel, if the barrel was steel then you would have bolts attaching the center section to the barrel and it would then be either a 2 or 3 piece wheel. 2 and 3 piece wheels are expensive and for $200 I highly doubt it. See what you can do with the retailer, they may be able to warranty you for them. I imagine the gouges are clamp marks since the manufacturing process is automated and it marks from the CNC grabbing onto the wheel to move it around

 

Thanks offrdmania. You are correct as it appears to be some type clamping onto the wheel. I spoke with the retailer and he said most wheels will be like this and the marks were normal. The funny thing was I looked at other wheels (other companies) on his store floor and the backs looked great with some minor scraping. We are going to return one as it has excessive marks near the spoke area which is highly visable. Thanks all for your responses.