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[frankzlin79]

I just received my VMR 710s in the exclusive color called "Solar Black" from Pyspeed.com.

Front: 19 x 8.5 ET20
Rear: 19 x 9.5 ET22

The wheels are actually powder coated, instead of being painted (which has a higher tendency to chip). Powder coating can be applied thicker than paint and is much more durable than paint. The powder coating has a warranty of one year and is done by a reputable shop with a good relationship with Pyspeed.com.

The Solar Black looks very close to matte black, but my understanding is that matte black is just a painted color. The Solar Black appears to have a slightly bit more sheen to them compared to the matte black, but I'll admit I've never seen matte black in real life. The quality of the powder coating is very good, very smooth on all surfaces.

All pictures below were taken with a flash, so the wheels appear slightly lighter than the actual color. I haven't had a chance to see what these wheels look like in the sun as I received late in the evening. But I will be taking pictures once they are mounted on the car (probably Wed or Thur).

A big thanks to Eric at Pyspeed.com for giving me a good price on these powder coated wheels. I'll post pictures once they are mounted on the car!

[STALKER]

Very nice.
Similar to Anthracite some other brands have.

[frankzlin79]

I'd say Solar Black is darker than Anthracite. Anthracite looks like a darker version of Gun Metal. Solar Black is definitely darker than Gun Metal and Anthracite. Solar Black looks very similar to Matte Black, but a bit lighter.

[M3_LIN]

hrm, very interesting. Its matte but not. I actually like this more than matte. It gives it a more shine on it it seems.

Ed Lin

[MrHarris]

The finish looks much better than the ones offered standard on the 710's.

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by frankzlin79

The wheels are actually powder coated, instead of being painted (which has a higher tendency to chip). Powder coating can be applied thicker than paint and is much more durable than paint. The powder coating has a warranty of one year and is done by a reputable shop with a good relationship with Pyspeed.com.

Just want to clear a few things up:

The standard VMR finishes (HyperSilver, HyperBlack, Gunmetal and Matte Black have a painted & oven-baked finish, then are applied with a protective clearcoat using powdercoating. These finishes carry a 1 year warranty from VMR.

FYI: The custom powdercoating finish that you chose will have to be covered by PYSpeed's powdercoating service, since they are essentially stripping VMR's factory finish and using their own, providing a couple of extra colors to choose from.

Congrats on the unique color, you should be very happy for years to come with your new wheels.

[TLud]

I like 'em, Frank. They have a little more sheen than the matte black finish, which can look flat and dirty in certain lights. I'm looking forward to seeing them installed on the car.

[isugoo]

PY did great job.
Lovin the color.

[psuwcc112]

nice wheels! What kind of tires are you planning to put?

[PYSpeed.com]

Originally Posted by tom @ eas

Just want to clear a few things up:

The standard VMR finishes (HyperSilver, HyperBlack, Gunmetal and Matte Black have a painted & oven-baked finish, then are applied with a protective clearcoat using powdercoating. These finishes carry a 1 year warranty from VMR.

FYI: The custom powdercoating finish that you chose will have to be covered by PYSpeed's powdercoating service, since they are essentially stripping VMR's factory finish and using their own, providing a couple of extra colors to choose from.

Congrats on the unique color, you should be very happy for years to come with your new wheels.

Thanks for clearing things up, Tom! As a matter of fact, we are so confident of our powdercoating services that we actually have 2 years warranty against defects.

[frankzlin79]

I can't decide among Verdenstein Sensattas, Hankook Ventus V12 Evo, or Bridgestone RE-11. I can't even decide on what size to get. I want something that is stocked by Discount Tire or NTB so I can buy tire insurance and go to a large chain store to easily claim my tire insurance no matter where I'm at. I'm also trying to spend less than $1000 for four tires.

Further, I'm going for something with good performance yet has very good comfort...so maybe the stock size of 245/35/19 and 265/35/19 would be best. PS2s at the price of the Verdensteins and Hankooks would be ideal!

What kind of tires do people with this wheel size (including the stock wheel size) suggest for my needs?

[frankzlin79]

Originally Posted by Eric@PYSpeed.com

Thanks for clearing things up, Tom! As a matter of fact, we are so confident of our powdercoating services that we actually have 2 years warranty against defects.

Whoa, that's even better. Two years of powder coating warranty makes this an even better buy.

[tunawi7cheese]

Originally Posted by tom @ eas

Just want to clear a few things up:

The standard VMR finishes (HyperSilver, HyperBlack, Gunmetal and Matte Black have a painted & oven-baked finish, then are applied with a protective clearcoat using powdercoating. These finishes carry a 1 year warranty from VMR.

FYI: The custom powdercoating finish that you chose will have to be covered by PYSpeed's powdercoating service, since they are essentially stripping VMR's factory finish and using their own, providing a couple of extra colors to choose from.

Congrats on the unique color, you should be very happy for years to come with your new wheels.

oh really? Tom, do you have a link to the warranty information?

[TLud]

Originally Posted by frankzlin79

I can't decide among Verdenstein Sensattas, Hankook Ventus V12 Evo, or Bridgestone RE-11. I can't even decide on what size to get. I want something that is stocked by Discount Tire or NTB so I can buy tire insurance and go to a large chain store to easily claim my tire insurance no matter where I'm at. I'm also trying to spend less than $1000 for four tires.

Further, I'm going for something with good performance yet has very good comfort...so maybe the stock size of 245/35/19 and 265/35/19 would be best. PS2s at the price of the Verdensteins and Hankooks would be ideal!

What kind of tires do people with this wheel size (including the stock wheel size) suggest for my needs?

Frank, based on the professional and user reviews I've read, I'm going to give the Vreds a shot when my new wheels arrive. They seem like the best bang for the buck and offer 95%+ of the PS2's performance at half the price.

I'll be going with 255/35/19 in front and 275/35/19 in back, which should work for you too, but we could give you a definitive answer if you post your new wheels sizes and offsets.

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by hvd.kevin

oh really? Tom, do you have a link to the warranty information?

Contacting VMR directly can get the info you need at info@velocitymotoring.com.

[Ajax-Prime]

Originally Posted by TLud

I'm looking forward to seeing them installed on the car.

+1

[frankzlin79]

Originally Posted by TLud

I'll be going with 255/35/19 in front and 275/35/19 in back, which should work for you too, but we could give you a definitive answer if you post your new wheels sizes and offsets.

I did post my wheel size and offsets in the original post which are:

Front: 19 x 8.5 ET20
Rear: 19 x 9.5 ET22

I'm leaning toward Hankook Ventus V12 Evo. After the $50 mail in rebate, they are about $755 shipped for 255/35/19 and 275/35/19 from tirerack.com. With tires so cheap, I guess I don't need insurance. Ventus V12 Evos are stocked by Discount Tire, so if I'm in a bind and need a new tire quick, Discount Tire should be able to get me one.

[frankzlin79]

My local NTB did a good job. It only cost $132 after tax to take off my stock PS2s and TPMS and mount and balance them on the VMRs; they did the job in 1 hour. They had zero issues with balancing the wheels. I was also able to re-use my CF BMW wheel caps I got from EAS and the OEM lugs.

I'm not that happy with my pictures, since I was working with very poor lighting. All pictures below are photoshopped so that the detail of the wheel stands out more. At night, these wheels look like matte black. Supposedly, in the day time, they are slightly lighter than matte black and will have a slight shine to them. I'll be sure to update with some day time pictures.





JL-Motoring VRS Type II Style Rear Diffuser - Still Holding Up Strong








And finally, just for fun...bet ya'll didn't now that AW could shine like black, eh?

[Trier Germany]

Those wheels look so so gooooooood!!!!!!!!!!!!!. They really look awsome love the color!!!!

I have 4 Original BMW CSL wheels 19x9.5 ET 27. I plan on powder coating them. I hope I find a color that looks as good as this.


Good choice of wheel best bang for your buck!!!

[VMRWheels]

The car is looking great! What front lip is that?

-Charles@VMRWheels

[KMIII]

damn!

[GregW / Oregon]

Originally Posted by frankzlin79

I just received my VMR 710s in the exclusive color called "Solar Black" from Pyspeed.com.

Front: 19 x 8.5 ET20
Rear: 19 x 9.5 ET22

The wheels are actually powder coated, instead of being painted (which has a higher tendency to chip). Powder coating can be applied thicker than paint and is much more durable than paint. The powder coating has a warranty of one year and is done by a reputable shop with a good relationship with Pyspeed.com.

The Solar Black looks very close to matte black, but my understanding is that matte black is just a painted color. The Solar Black appears to have a slightly bit more sheen to them compared to the matte black, but I'll admit I've never seen matte black in real life. The quality of the powder coating is very good, very smooth on all surfaces.

All pictures below were taken with a flash, so the wheels appear slightly lighter than the actual color. I haven't had a chance to see what these wheels look like in the sun as I received late in the evening. But I will be taking pictures once they are mounted on the car (probably Wed or Thur).

A big thanks to Eric at Pyspeed.com for giving me a good price on these powder coated wheels. I'll post pictures once they are mounted on the car!

Nice achromatic. I don't know how black can be described as "solar", though!