New VMR 718s for the winter

**torinalth** · 11-26-2015 06:49 AM

I wanted to get a set of cold weather wheels for my S4 so I contacted Tracy at VMR about a set of wheels. We talked for quite a while going over options and prices. Honestly he's one of the most enjoyable reps I've had a chance to speak with and kinda wish he was local. Anyhow, we decided on the 718s in gunmetal setup as 18x9.5 and stock et. I was able to snag an unbeatable deal on tires so instead of going with his winter package he was kind enough to work a great deal on the wheels themselves. They came pretty quick. Looked even better in person and on the car. Well, I know the old saying "this thread is worthless without pics" so, here we go.

Some big boxes

Unboxed.... but stil boxes.

They came well packaged, very tight, plastic outer wrap, and a black cloth "sock" on the wheel face to prevent scratching.

Pretty, right? Was kinda worried about Gunmetal, but it was nicer in person than I expected

So I decided to unbox them all, give them a nice clean, and then a good coat of Wheel Guard from Chemical Guys. The gloss on these things is extreme, but the wax will hopefully help repel the brake dust. Contemplating changing to Akebonons to help this aspect.

Wrapped in 245/40-18 Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4s.

Then Fully mounted and installed. They look really good. Only concern is for some reason the 18 make the fender gap look worse now. was not really contemplating lowing until now.... will probably still hold off, but making me think. Also looking for different lug studs that may look a bit better.

Well, thats all. hope you enjoyed. I'm contemplating calling Tracy back in the spring for a set of his 804s..... If I need wheels I'd definitely suggest calling Tracy at VMR.

**n8henn** · 11-26-2015 07:05 AM

Rad wheels man! Damn near too nice for ol man winter to ruin. lol!

**Evan2** · 11-26-2015 07:14 AM

I got the same set up coming soon from Tracy but with tires. Looks great man

**jsh139** · 11-26-2015 07:21 AM

Really nice.

**MrFunk** · 11-26-2015 07:37 AM

Good winter boots! Less gap tho

**torinalth** · 11-26-2015 08:46 AM

Thanks all for the compliments

Originally Posted by n8henn

Rad wheels man! Damn near too nice for ol man winter to ruin. lol!

You are entirely correct. Once I put them on I just got sad. they REALLY make the car stand out and just outclass the peelers. I honestly was just looking for cheap wheels and Tracy just offered me something epic.... and now I'm considering the 804s for spring. But I did give them a good wax with the Wheel Guard to protect from the weather, and salt/sand. It's hard to consider your better wheels will only be on for 3-4 months. So..... as long as I can get funds together I'll probably get more for spring. Damn you Tracy.

Originally Posted by MrFunk

Good winter boots! Less gap tho

Yeah. I didn't mind the gap on the stockers.... but the 18s though, just seem to make it look more apparent. not sure if I wanna just live with it or grab the HAS kit. sigh. so many expenses I have to deal with.

**adamkb26** · 11-26-2015 08:48 AM

Looks great! The gunmetal looks perfect with the blue. I just got some V718s in matte black from Tracy. Put 2 coats of ceramic pro 9h on them and they repel everything like crazy.

**AWDLover** · 11-26-2015 11:01 AM

Looks good. Smaller wheel with more stretch in the tire will make the wheel gap look bigger.

**torinalth** · 11-27-2015 06:30 AM

Originally Posted by AWDLover

Looks good. Smaller wheel with more stretch in the tire will make the wheel gap look bigger.

seems to be the case. thanks for the explanation.

**PSUGOLD** · 11-27-2015 07:09 AM

Looks good....love the color with the blue

**Fobia** · 11-27-2015 08:45 AM

yeah i am really on the fence .. i might just get new all seasons for my peelers and say f it.. but i am really not sure yet..

**torinalth** · 11-27-2015 11:00 AM

The decision sucks to be sure. Spend a fairly large chunk of money on a separate set of wheels and tires, have the car unusable in the snow and ice but epic in the summer, or have the car do ok in everything but not great it anything. Since I'll be doing a lot of hospital rotations in a wide area over the next 2 years I can't just say F-it and take my wife to work in the truck any more. So I had to decide to let her take the truck (biggest and safest vehicle we have) when it gets bad and get a dedicated set to make sure I can easily get around in any scenario the winter might throw my way when I have to be in a separate location. It's difficult when she owns her own business and I work in the medical field.

If you do have to be on the roads, if you do have to contend with ice and/or snow, and you can possibly make it happen, I'd recommend the second set. Not only might you get the pleasure of talking to Tracy, but you can always sell the wheels and tires second hand to recoup some of the expenditure if you ever feel you no longer need the setup.

**VMRWheels** · 12-08-2015 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by torinalth

I wanted to get a set of cold weather wheels for my S4 so I contacted Tracy at VMR about a set of wheels. We talked for quite a while going over options and prices. Honestly he's one of the most enjoyable reps I've had a chance to speak with and kinda wish he was local. Anyhow, we decided on the 718s in gunmetal setup as 18x9.5 and stock et. I was able to snag an unbeatable deal on tires so instead of going with his winter package he was kind enough to work a great deal on the wheels themselves. They came pretty quick. Looked even better in person and on the car. Well, I know the old saying "this thread is worthless without pics" so, here we go.

Some big boxes

Unboxed.... but stil boxes.

They came well packaged, very tight, plastic outer wrap, and a black cloth "sock" on the wheel face to prevent scratching.

Pretty, right? Was kinda worried about Gunmetal, but it was nicer in person than I expected

So I decided to unbox them all, give them a nice clean, and then a good coat of Wheel Guard from Chemical Guys. The gloss on these things is extreme, but the wax will hopefully help repel the brake dust. Contemplating changing to Akebonons to help this aspect.

Wrapped in 245/40-18 Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4s.

Then Fully mounted and installed. They look really good. Only concern is for some reason the 18 make the fender gap look worse now. was not really contemplating lowing until now.... will probably still hold off, but making me think. Also looking for different lug studs that may look a bit better.

Well, thats all. hope you enjoyed. I'm contemplating calling Tracy back in the spring for a set of his 804s..... If I need wheels I'd definitely suggest calling Tracy at VMR.

Oh man how did I miss this thread!!

Thank you for the awesome Review! The wheels look great!

And yes, as explained later down the comments, the gap comes from the slight stretch. May be better for tackling treacherous snow for now though!

**VMRWheels** · 12-08-2015 05:16 PM

Originally Posted by Evan2

I got the same set up coming soon from Tracy but with tires. Looks great man

**VMRWheels** · 12-08-2015 05:18 PM

Originally Posted by torinalth

You are entirely correct. Once I put them on I just got sad. they REALLY make the car stand out and just outclass the peelers. I honestly was just looking for cheap wheels and Tracy just offered me something epic.... and now I'm considering the 804s for spring. But I did give them a good wax with the Wheel Guard to protect from the weather, and salt/sand. It's hard to consider your better wheels will only be on for 3-4 months. So..... as long as I can get funds together I'll probably get more for spring. Damn you Tracy.

Yeah. I didn't mind the gap on the stockers.... but the 18s though, just seem to make it look more apparent. not sure if I wanna just live with it or grab the HAS kit. sigh. so many expenses I have to deal with.

Haha the V804 would be perfect on your car! 19x9.5 ET45 I say!

Originally Posted by torinalth

The decision sucks to be sure. Spend a fairly large chunk of money on a separate set of wheels and tires, have the car unusable in the snow and ice but epic in the summer, or have the car do ok in everything but not great it anything. Since I'll be doing a lot of hospital rotations in a wide area over the next 2 years I can't just say F-it and take my wife to work in the truck any more. So I had to decide to let her take the truck (biggest and safest vehicle we have) when it gets bad and get a dedicated set to make sure I can easily get around in any scenario the winter might throw my way when I have to be in a separate location. It's difficult when she owns her own business and I work in the medical field.

If you do have to be on the roads, if you do have to contend with ice and/or snow, and you can possibly make it happen, I'd recommend the second set. Not only might you get the pleasure of talking to Tracy, but you can always sell the wheels and tires second hand to recoup some of the expenditure if you ever feel you no longer need the setup.

Ah man you're making me blush hahah

No but really; it is a difficult decision indeed!

**VMRWheels** · 12-08-2015 05:20 PM

Originally Posted by adamkb26

Looks great! The gunmetal looks perfect with the blue. I just got some V718s in matte black from Tracy. Put 2 coats of ceramic pro 9h on them and they repel everything like crazy.

Thanks for the input Adam!

**tyler180** · 12-08-2015 10:06 PM

I got the exact same winter wheel/tire setup and love it. Let me know if you find some lugs that fit the wheels better. I was also thinking it could use different ones.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

**torinalth** · 12-09-2015 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by tyler180

I got the exact same winter wheel/tire setup and love it. Let me know if you find some lugs that fit the wheels better. I was also thinking it could use different ones.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I actually just got in ECS black lugs. I'll put them on this saturday and see how they turn out and post pictures of the differences

**torinalth** · 12-12-2015 07:23 PM

Fresh wash and changed to ECS black lugs and locks. Also got the schwaban wheel lug sockets with the protective sleeve. cheap investment for high quality wheels, though I found a scratch on one during my wash today :( Anyhow. pictures of the new lugs.

**VMRWheels** · 12-18-2015 10:25 AM

Thanks for the update!
Those lugs look sweet! Nice and Stealthy

**mjt2470** · 12-18-2015 11:20 AM

Love the tire/wheel combination. I agree about the gap with the 18" as I have the same issue. My summer tires are 19" and when I switch to the 18" winter rig, I am bothered by the gap.

**mgaman** · 12-18-2015 12:37 PM

Who cares about gap for winter wheels? Running lowered in winter isn't fun, unless you guys don't get much snow in which case ignore my commentary :)

**torinalth** · 12-18-2015 02:06 PM

heh, don't get that much but it's more for every day stuff. the gap was noticeable on the 19s, but just accentuated on the 18s.... I was kicking around the idea but am much more heavily leaning towards getting the HAS kit now if I'll be changing out to 18s that make it this evident of the gap. meh, I'll sit on it till the summers go back on and decide then what I wanna do.