I Tried Building $6000 Custom Wheels

[@Ween3]

James looks way healthier and happier lately, love to see it 🫡

[@ChuckWood]

Looks like he's lost a good bit of weight

[@dallebull]

@@LongDaysVideo He had a heart attack? Damn.

[@bonkman6463]

@@dallebull like 2 years ago I think, maybe 3. now that I think about it I'm not sure because 2020 feels like a long time ago but I remember it happening around the pandemic Edit: it happened in November 2019, which was when donut was releasing videos nearly everyday of the week, including all the shows everyone likes. I find it hard to believe its already been 4 years

[@patatasbravas5188]

Was thinking the same thing, looking great brother!

[@jcase123]

Svelt horse

[@tomquade7686]

James was a prominent member of the VW community in the "baller wheel" era of fitment and style. Dude is more than qualified to walk us through this. Also, James certainly knows his way around 3 piece wheels more than he's letting on here. Anyone from the VWVortex pre-server change community knows this.

[@TerribleUsernameAmirite]

Damn I’d love to know more about that

[@joe_lucid00]

Tomquade7686 gives us an Up2Speed on James?? Edit: they should definitely do an up to speed on all the hosts and their journey with cars

[@thehaze17]

this is a great idea @@joe_lucid00

[@JaredConnell]

​@@joe_lucid00they should do an up to speed about james andw also about donut itself. I think a lot of people would love to know how it came to be and when james came into the mix and what exactly he does. I think most people assume James is the creator of donut but that isn't true.

[@ericpullen524]

I can attest to this, being in the Louisville VW scene for over 25 years.

[@kevinsellsit5584]

In my teens, circa 1980-83, I worked at Jongbloed Modular Wheels aka Jongbloed Racing Wheels. We manufactured 3-piece wheels for racing and street applications. Expensive, but worth it. This was a great job and I learned many skills to help me through life. At 8:01 you mentioned "forged", that is a process in which the aluminum is hit so hard it becomes elastic (almost liquid) but without melting as shown at 8:13, but technically cut out of a forging as opposed to being "cut out of a single piece of metal" which implies billet. Forging is waaay better. What you didn't show is how the inner and outer (barrel and lip in Donut terms) are made. We started with a square flat sheet of soft aluminum and stretched it around a die on a lathe. By hand, with a steel pipe with a steel wheel on the end...not easy! Then cut the corners and center off and sent it out to be hardened. It comes back ugly but hard and rigid. We checked for cracks then it would then get put in another lathe where we would do the precise machining. Finally, it would be put in a jig with hardened inserts for drilling the bolt holes. It's still ugly, and that won't do. We did all our own polishing, and if you've never had a 10 inch wheel inner (barrel) get away from you at 100 MPH you don't know what exciting is! I don't recommend it. A 2 HP 3 phase buffer-grinder can throw a wheel pretty damn far. That being said, I can say "Building Custom Wheels" is EASY! Manufacturing them is quite challenging.

[@Ochumvru]

8:10 Slight correction. Forged wheels aren't cut from metal. They're made from compacting hot metal into a shape, kinda like making a snowball. Billet is where it's cut from a single block, like the Pagani Huayra wheels. 🫱🏾‍🫲🏻

[@PanditaP]

Yeah, I caught that too 😅

[@aussiebloke609]

Ditto. I mean, they're still finished on a CNC (or a lathe and/or mill, if you're feeling old school), but that's not what defines them as "forged." 👍

[@coreydabrowski2249]

Came here to say this. Glad someone caught it before me

[@Anthonybrother]

Yeah the right term i think would be that the wheels are machined, not forged. Striking and reshaping hot metal is what makes it forging.

[@Stan_the_Belgian]

It's so refreshing to have James as a solo presenter, loved it, reminds me why I started watching the channel at first!

[@DaveKootchie]

I'm gunna be that guy. Forging is heating up the metal and using a big ass press to mash them in shape. What James described was billet machining. Melting the alloy down for casting caused the grain structure of the metal to dissolve and come apart, once cooled the grains are spaced unevenly and in random chunks. Since forging never gets to the melting point the grains remain in tact and are just stretched in the mold. The still intact and stretched grains are what gives the wheels their strength because there is no pockets and a longer path for cracks to form like a cast wheel.

[@badjujubeans5836]

James makes me feel comfortable to be a "car person" with minimal car mechanical knowledge and experience lmao

[@Thestrikeronin]

I agree. Half my family grew up on farms building olld mopars and restos. I grew up in the city but ended up being a millwright. Everyone i worked with works on cars, I can build machines and love cars and know about them but never got around to tearing apart and going for it. Seeing these guys do it makes me feel like I can do it no problem if I have the balls n money.

[@adamhayden5152]

Then you’re not a car person. You’re just a poser.

[@MrTruehoustonian]

You and James ain't car people, yous guys are more car enthusiasts cause if you can't fix them you ain't car people, and if you say different that's exactly what a car enthusiasts would say

[@ontheopps]

@@MrTruehoustonian same thing bruh so negative for what

[@bwofficial1776]

There's no purity test to be a car guy. Do you like cars? Welcome to the club. I can't do much beyond changing my oil and spark plugs or basic wiring but I'm still a car guy.

[@4RILDIGITAL]

The wheels turned out amazing!

[@NWEDC]

Pumphrey is dropping some weight! Looking good brother. I actually helped my neighbors dad build wheels for his race car when I was like 8 years old, waaay back in the 80's. I remember doing something that really stunk, and later was told that it was highly toxic and I should not have inhaled it. It was the 80's, so it makes sense, and come to think of it, it actually answers a lot of questions today..... I did not realize I am almost 3 years old in Donut Underground years. Love you guys!

[@rawalqayyum5128]

6k for filled and drilled is wild. Especially when the redrill didn't line up with the original chamfers.

[@latinpimp27]

Bullshit prices. If he paid that much for them, he got taken advantage of.

[@czattew]

They mentioned they used a 3rd party company, and it still took 5 months. I get your point completely, but it like ordering a big Mac combo with a drink and fries through a delivery app. The 10$ meal shows up somewhat cold, and by the end cost 32$ if anything is messed up now you have to contact the 3rd party, ask them to tell the restaurant and ever step points the finger somewhere else until you give up. This is what would happen if they tried to get it fixed. Instead, they understand the cost of replacing vs fixing. They also have the caps to hide the clearancing. Again it took 5 months to show up. For donut it makes sense to modify. If this is your dream car you spent 15 years slowly building then it might be worth the time/effort

[@EmersonRay]

it was done based off of measurements, so not the companies fault, it was a simple mistake by james.

[@mirfalltnixein.1]

I gotta say, the editing on this episode is top notch. Also, James looks really good.

[@MichiganFishers]

after a heart attack , anyone would take care of themselves moren

[@Stan_the_Belgian]

No they wouldn't, many fat positive people remain fat. Dieting is fatphobic

[@OMG_No_Way]

@@MichiganFisherswhat’s “moren”

[@EPiQ_cR]

@@MichiganFishers counter-point...why do so many people have repeat heart attacks?

[@crownvicmusiccvm904]

@@EPiQ_cRnot taking care of themselves, some people it’s hereditary

[@blautens]

Glad to see James looking well. I gotta be honest, it's hard for me to see a big enough difference in the wheels to care, but I'm all about sleepers anyway.

[@robochoa7387]

If you see real wheels compared to reps in person, you’ll definitely notice a difference. It’s the same thing as seeing te37 reps compared to the real thing. You noticed the craftsmanship, even the finish more, and refined design. Makes the car look way better compared to a rep.

[@chefcc90]

Adam died a little when he heard the cost lol!

[@TheSphynx311]

Was just gonna comment on his reaction to the $6k price tag 😅

[@bananasInpajamas358]

$6k for the exact same rims in a different color, hilarious

[@Niraol]

​@@bananasInpajamas358exactly, weren't the wheels he already had on also 3 piece wheels that look almost the same?!

[@las3k91]

@@Niraol absolutely xD

[@nubreed13]

It physically hurts me to think about such spendy wheels. My last set of muscle car wheels only cost me $600

[@alexisestrada3768]

Seeing James back in a car and building it makes me so happy. He looks so happy🥹

[@bradleyisfishing]

Car looks so sick. That being said, the final side by side was a little like the office “it’s the same picture”. It’s more like a “I’m you, but stronger”

[@416ix]

You’re not wrong. They could’ve got the old ones a good polish and it would be identical

[@DrazerTM]

Forged whells do use CNC but the part that makes them sturdier is the actual forging part where the metal is hammered into shape while red hot. Then CNCd to finish it.

[@poorboychevelle]

Bingo. They conflated forged and billet.

[@kobi399]

This might be 50 year old tech but the style is 10 years ahead.

[@nikostalk5730]

10 yrs ahead of 90's? Then ok.

[@FuckGoogle502]

@@nikostalk5730 Yeah, gonna say. I feel like I saw these everywhere growing up, only they weren't split rims.

[@fourseven6202]

its timeless

[@mattparkin7224]

you what

[@czattew]

The style works because it's an older car that fits the look. If someone spent 6k on rims for most vehicles after 2005 it would be ridiculous. That was the entire point of a "3 peice wheel" video.

[@drpritchett91ify]

14:07 "Good things come to those who wait" like banana bread at work.

[@tinncan]

The darker contrast of the old ones honestly looked a little better...

[@landonmatthew]

james dude you’re looking so dang good dude. your health journey is super inspiring

[@patrick03333]

“I can’t wait till I run these into a curb.” 😂😂😂😂

[@therealforestelf]

I just love seeing James healthier than ever in recent videos, I think it's pretty chad to take care of your own physical health while also taking care of your cars physical health! just love to see it

[@rhouser1280]

14:16 maybe I’m missing something but I barely see a difference? Not worth $6K to me anyways? They look nice dude but, you could’ve dropped in an 600-800hp engine for that price.

[@drewski5730]

If you want custom fitment (especially with an old school spec wheel that has to be sourced from parts), that’s what it costs. Fitment isn’t just how the vehicle looks, it ultimately affects how much traction your vehicle is capable of producing on a given set of tires; in short it’s the largest factor with regards to how much cornering traction you’re capable of producing, and how much stopping power you have, it’s also a major factor with how much grip the vehicle has for acceleration (although not the as important as mass and horsepower). My car for example with 500hp has a factory fitment of 245mm wide rubber, most 1 piece wheels can be a maximum of 275mm rubber or 285 with a rolled fender, but with custom wheels you can fit a 315mm rear tire ->that’s an incredible difference in terms of drag or road racing, and the lip goes from like 1/2in from factory to like 5in with a custom 3 piece ->they look #$*)ing sick. Ultimately the biggest change you can make to the way your car handles and brakes is the wheels and tires (and the size of them), you put on.

[@dazedfrog700]

funny thing is those are completely diffrent wheels, first one is a set of 2 piece RC090 second ones are redrilled RS

[@NegativeSpacesPositiveEntropy]

I had 3 piece Compomotive wheels on my 1979 Fiat Dallara X1/9 the centres were custom drilled to match the lug pattern and center hole. If I wasn’t sponsored there’s no way I could have afforded 3 sets wheels and enough rim halves to repair them 4 times over. I was running magnesium centres, size 13x8.5” on the front and the rears were a beefy 13x10. All I can see is if you have the means, save it the only reason to build wheels is if your racing and need specific offsets.

[@datjp]

That fitment is to die for. Beautiful James.

[@andrewharrison1197]

@14:26 The outer centre cap is out by 1 or 2mm clockwise and it screwed with my OCD

[@conorfraser5893]

Those center caps are way too cool, love them

[@mc_barnicleboi]

James taste in cars is so good, bro does not miss

[@bryanjohnson8162]

The tiniest bump is going to rub those tires right into the inner wheel well especially when turning😂😂

[@cr-x7344]

at least it will look good rubbing the fender. there shouldnt be many times where he will hit a big bump while turning for that to happen tho

[@drunkenhobo8020]

@@cr-x7344 Dang where do you live that the roads are that smooth?

[@cr-x7344]

@@drunkenhobo8020 southern mountains

[@yatox8]

Those are some of the nicest rims I've ever seen, I'm not a fan of that design but rethinking now because the chrome and gold bolts make it pop! BBS center floaters is also a nice touch.

[@DonutMediacars]

@Donutmedia777carz

[@jamessizemore7103]

I feel like been a while since James hosted a video, forgot how much I missed it.

[@dmdestroyer]

6k to get wheels that look nearly identical to the original ones lol 14:16 not exactly the same but pretty close

[@phoenixgaming240]

I love watching donut, they teach you tons of car information while making it fun and educational.

[@jasonyoung6420]

Until my most recent set, I always approached wheels from a "performance" viewpoint: weight, followed by width, followed by looks (all measured against cost obviously). This usually meant I had silver 6/12 spork wheels (RPF1s, it's always RPF1s). This was similar with cars, I focused on performance, and didn't really care what color it was, and inevitably, it was usually a silver car because they make the most of those. In my current car, I decided that color was important, so I wasn't going to settle for silver/white/black or any boring colors. I have an IS350 F-Sport RWD in Matador Red Mica. It came with staggered black F-sport wheels, when the tires were spent, I started looking for wheels & tires. I took measurements and went somewhat conservative, as front clearance of these cars is notoriously tight, ended up with a bronze 18x9 +35 square setup with 255/35R18; wheels are 19.4lbs each, tires are 23lbs each, so the combo is lighter than the stock setup will providing way more grip, and the car handles more neutral-leaning towards oversteer at the limit (which is preferred over understeer at the limit when stock). Now that I've been living with them for ~three years, I'm going to move to 265/35 on the 9" wheels as they will fit & give me a little more sidewall as my town does not take care of potholes as well as they should. The wheel & tire combo did not set me back $6,000, not even close to it.

[@misterj2875]

Those wheels look sick. Great work.

[@0Rookie0]

I put wheels on my car after one of the cast ones that came with it cracked. They were not common so I had no luck getting just one. I did not want to be spending so much money, especially with the chance of getting it wrong. It took so much time to find all the specs and when they arrived, the unrolled fenders in the rear cleared the tire at full compression by an index card. I'm not kidding, I got SO freakin' lucky. In hindsight, I shouldn't have pushed for flush, but the broken ones were a bit conservative and tucked and I was spending the money anyway, and it worked out.

[@brandon-kg2vd]

Can't believe how similar they look to the original

[@IAmarCassI]

James is looking so much healthier now, not trying to shit on his previous condition. Just happy to see the new one.

[@Tminus89]

Such a beautiful car, truly deserving of a bespoke set of wheels

[@Send4Rich]

I think I would source out another vendor after the clearance issue with the lug nuts. Donut paid them for a service and they fell short. Reputable vendors catch issues like this and communicate with you to come up with a solution. I just feel that a reputable vendor would quickly see that a modified stud piloted wheel would have clearance issues with that large of a center hub opening. Another issue that caught my eye is the poor plug welding job they performed while filling in the original stud hole pattern which leads me to believe they have poor QC procedures. There is a very visible lack of filler metal in the spots they attempted to fill with plug welds leaving a visible recess around each of the old stud holes, that then was sent off to the next department to be either painted or powder coated with a clearly visible defect. Good on Donut, Bad on the Vendor!

[@1972mdc]

Can we do a video of him cleaning the brake dust off those?! That should be hilarious/painful

[@drewski5730]

It’s actually a non event now with a ceramic coating, and a proper brush. It’s not the 90’s anymore dude.

[@dat_bouy]

I'm surprised there weren't pages upon pages in the forums talking about perfect fitment specs for this car

[@davidpruittmusic]

I've never understood why people would leave the tire stickers on. Other than that, looks good. Nice vid.

[@jacksonlehmann9691]

bc they wear off on the first drive. No need to spend the extra time getting them off. Unless u care abt the environment

[@crimson6640]

for me its an indicator for when the tire is worn in

[@Gizmetti]

Tell us you've never driven a car without telling us you've never driven a car

[@g.tucker8682]

So you can demount and return them if the fit isn't good

[@thehorsefromhorsinabout]

so old tire plebs can see your fresh rubbers.

[@Darkmasterassasin420]

james is looking really good! we need more of him solo hosting

[@ukanakhona5273]

Watching James do car stuff is so 👌

[@BubbaSnek]

Paul redrilled and refinished my OG Work Emitz. I got them as an already redrilled 5x114>5x120. I can confidently say I was one of his hardest jobs. He COMPLETELY rebuilt the hubs to make them a single 5x110 drill. They were for my Pontiac G6.

[@IoSkyBoyoI]

The new wheels are sick. But seeing the side by side for 6 grand. Wouldn't refurbing and cleaning up the old wheels give the same result but for a fraction of the cost. As in a lip swap and colour is all youd need. Plus the centre caps and 50 quid on floaters. Sick flex those new wheels are though.

[@CameronAlford]

I did not expect these wheels to look THAT good!! Bravo. Loved this episode and learned so much.

[@insaneiceage9719]

When you apply the silicone you have to put some tape on both sides so you have a straight line of silicone when you remove the tape

[@danielamezquita3246]

He drove off before taking off the tire stickers. That's how excited he was to go out for a drive in the new set up lol

[@digitalkov]

Next video: "Wheel theft is getting out of hand!"

[@gregoryfranks7347]

i love old school bbs mesh. i had a set back before the scene started in '93. bucky lasig and i had the first 2 custom honda civics in baltimore. i found some silver mesh single pc. bbs. it eas awesome. memories. i actually was posting to say you look great. much more healthy than before. keep it up.!! its hard A.F.!

[@maqqlowicz]

Whoa, this is kinda insane price for BBS RS. In Poland you can get these for like $2k less. I’ve actually owned a set of 16 to 18 5x114.3 with wider slants than yours and sold them recently for like 3.5k, and rotors haven’t been redrilled lol

[@user-eu9ub8kj9j]

Thats what i said lol, i can find these wheels on offerup in mint condition for 2k non redrilled, 6 month wait on top too is crazy. Dude definitely got ripped off to the moon

[@michaelurena7324]

Well yeah, wheels can be built for much cheaper had he sourced everything separately. Here it seems that he went directly to a well renown builder here in the US, @ewheelworks and simply purchased a fully refinished set of wheels without being rebuilt for the sake of building them himself for the channel.

[@dazedfrog700]

any reputable builder would know that you should drill 4x100 in a big center bore face, there is a reason 4x100 BBS RS came with smaller center bore@@michaelurena7324

[@dudemanproductions6532]

really digging the solo presentation in this video, it reminds me a lot more of old donut and I love it

[@anonimushbosh]

Are we all pretending the old wheels don't look the same as the new wheels 😮😮 Fkn love the Emporer's new wheels 😂

[@rebeccahudgins99]

Y’all should do a low Supra and a high Supra

[@joetambasco1904]

If I spend 6k on a set or wheels and they aren't assembled. I'm sending them back lol

[@cljay25]

I like how the gold reflects off the chrome. Very nice!

[@SullySadface]

I like how they look exactly the same as the old ones

[@milimakes]

I like how james is more in shape but he's less goofy now

[@erikcollins3598]

To each their own, but 6k to look almost the same with no performance upgrade is crazy.

[@pepi678]

It's good to see James back, I like everyone on the team but there has been a lack of James lately and well we just love him.

[@petkokrushev3840]

aren't the previous wheels were like 99% the exact same wheels?

[@shoobert]

James has cemented himself as one of the greats of automotive entertainment. I will tell him I love him back the first chance i get.

[@roushstge2]

Ngl, they look pretty much just like the old wheels, just newer, even though they probably aren't

[@CBMedia404]

Nice E30 dude!

[@parthyadav46]

This is called class love you donut media

[@samuelfune1464]

those set of wheels alone made the e30 by far the coolest car at donut

[@Adam-nv9zo]

Well, at least we know it's worth it less than 30 seconds into the video because we know he's not getting a Tesla.😂

[@JamieDion]

4:41 This is mad impressive, James 🙌🏾💯🔥

[@nielspieter]

Nice job. Although I prefer the old wheels, suits the car better somehow :)

[@StefanBeckford]

Mans was so ready to flex didnt even take the tire stickers off LMAO I love it

[@DanielJamesEgan]

Cool wheels but the old ones had a better pattern.

[@brettdwigans2758]

I like the old rims better.

[@childishchunks8432]

song at 9:00 is called Sherm Stick by Jharee. song at 13:55 is called Steak Frites by Dylan Sitts

[@tristangillis7365]

For $6K I don't know that I'd accept such a slapdash mounting area. This isn't a cheap, entry-level DIY option. This is an expensive, premium ask - it should provide that.

[@Kumquat_Lord]

2:24 my mans bought 6000 dollar wheels but still uses a 20 dollar caliper

[@AnthonyEsposito-w1u]

They look great and should last about 3 days in LA before they are stolen, good luck.

[@adamsfusion]

Keep us up to date with how those tires perform

[@jakewhitman01]

Love you guys, but for real, $6K on Wheels only to hog them out manually at each lug hole? It seems like that would wheels to potentially be off balance? Curious how that worked out

[@0SuperTacoMan0]

i always wondered who owned that gorgeous E30. Props to James for such exquisit car taste

[@alexvalentim1418]

6k on redrilled wheels? It's a joke, right?

[@dazedfrog700]

yes

[@Darktemplar1305]

the front tires have to be eating up the fender when rolling up an inclined corner xD

[@R1chardB1ngham]

Start buying toothbrushes in bulk

[@robo1000]

$6k is so nuts. Unless it’s for competition on a track. There are just so many wheel options and with the forums, sizing is so easy.

[@chris2414]

James is like a completely different person! Its nice to see cos for so long he looked miserable like he didn't want to be there filming. Hope to see more episodes like this one it really makes it great to watch

[@cenciende9401]

When? 5 years ago before I started watching?

[@chris2414]

@@cenciende9401 read the comments buddy everyone's noticed how he has changed. Everyone apart from you.

[@TalentlessCooking]

I worked in a wheel shop for about 8 years, love this stuff! I waited 4 years to get the right wheels for my forester, worth it, looks dope!

[@CELproductions]

Worth the wait for classic bbs goodness. Suit the car perfectly

[@Squidslife18]

Watching this on my lunch break while sitting in my E30 just feels right

[@geraldd500]

Easy way to cut time on the building tires is use a low power impact. I used one that was 10ftlbs and it sped up my time when I was a tire tech

[@Luijazo]

We love you James, top notch editing and episode!

[@alfredotovar8984]

D O N U T W A V E is a officially a new music genre, you saw it so know you know too 😎

[@Palvader]

2:31 - I've been eyeing that HF off-road jack for working on a gravel driveway. How does it hold up in the great outdoors?

[@lucagentile4674]

If you think it’s difficult assembling three-piece wheels then you’ve never dealt with putting together Lowrider Dayton wire wheels. The process is somewhat similar, there’s the dish and the inner hub except instead of 35 bolts, it’s 100 individual spokes and nipples that have to be individually screwed in such a way that the wheel is trued. Similar to a bicycle wheel.

[@Astro-M0]

The "before" ones aren't even OEM 😂😂

[@patrick-121]

James has one of the best taste in cars

[@blakehunter2946]

6k for redrills. Man remember being able to get these back on the tex for 2k at the top end back in the day.

[@princechingo]

I’m playing Dirt5 right now and I didn’t know y’all are the podcast in the game. So dope seeing y’all there !

[@DJGRoc]

Either James messed up on his bolt pattern, or whoever drilled the holes messed up. Should've just painted or powder coated what he had. They look the same.

[@rdlm38]

Tought so to

[@T25de]

12:54 👑 Make ‘em fit take your crown 😂