Roush May be selling my 90 Saleen 5 spokes, need accurate info on them

[2000xp8]

Hey guys, i have 5 1990 saleen 5 star rims, and they been in my garage since i replaced them with my 95 saleen rims.

I think i may list them on ebay, they are just taking up room. I'd like to be able to list them as accurate as possible, so what years where they put on?

They were originally black, but i stripped every ounce of black paint off of them and redid them silver, and i've just done the same thing again but this time primer only because i never decided on a color, and i figured if i sell them that people can make them silver, black or white (which i think they came).
These particular ones were purchased from saleen in 90-91.

I have 2 fronts that are (i think) 7 inches wide, and 3 rears, 8 inches wide (or at least 1 inch wider than the fronts). 2 rears have and extra inch of depth on the outside, and one of them has it on the inside. The one with it on the inside was a replacement because one of the original rears was damaged, and back then they were discontinued and there wasn't many places to fix rims. Doesn't really matter much, because it's not like you can see both sides of the car at the same time anyway, i just used a spacer on one side. But the damaged one should be able to be repaired.

So my questions are, what model and years did these come on?

Edit: Just so you guys know, on the different rear one, according to the markings on the back, the star section was still cut from the same mold as the rest of them.

 

[marcus95]

So, which wheels are we talking about?

1. The American Racing 5 spokes 16 X 7 and 16 X 8's or

2. The DP5's?

 

[2000xp8]

The american racing ones.

Except the rears are more of a deep dish look, i still have all the center caps with decals too.

I'm torn about selling them, i don't part with things well, but i haven't used them in years, they are extremely light weight.

 

[marcus95]

Ok, good. So you have the American Racing 5 spoke wheels that came on some of the late 88 thru early 91 Saleen Mustangs. For Fox body Saleen wheels, these are the most abundant. My 89 came with and I still have these wheels in white. ( my hatch is white ) If you have two sizes that's all there is. The rears have a little more polished lip. 16 X 7's and 16 X 8's. It's difficult to tell from that pic but those are fronts and rears. I just sold a near perfect set of grey basketweave wheels on E-bay for $685. Thet guy who bought mine is restoring his grey 88' hatch. Guys like this are few and far between.

Different colors command different prices. Your replica looks great with the 18's. Are those 18 x 8.5's ( front offset ) all the way around? Still running your quad shocks?
If you had an authentic fox Saleen and the wheels came with the car then I would tell you to keep them. If they had original paint and they were straight you could get around what I just did for mine. I have a white basketweave set that is perfect and that set would go for about $900 only because the white basket weave is rare. Colors for the ARE Saleen specific wheels came in order of rarity, Less rare first, grey, white, black, gold and red, cabernet.
If yours are primer and not pretty you may be able to get $400 if you are lucky. Probably less. If you can have them painted for free and they spin true you could get more money for them. Paint them in grey if you do. More cars came with the grey 5 spoke so there is a wider market for exact replacement ( those guys ) Good luck. And yes, these wheels are as light as hell. The DP5's are pretty but crack and are worthless for autocrossing. I know, i have a white SSC set.

take care

 

[2000xp8]

Thanks marcus, condition is as follows.

Front 2 near perfect, 8 inch rear with extra inch on the inside is good, one 8 inch with the extra inch on the outside is bent up, doesn't hold air, but probably can be fixed, and the other is nic'ed up around the lip, but i used a sanding wheel to make it look neat, it's about a 6.5 out of 10, but on the car they all look fine. 4 of them are 100% straight, i removed them for the 18's, but i could of kept using them.

I used something abrasive to get 10 years of brake dust off the insides, so it's a bit swirled up, but clean. But you really can't see back there too well when they are on the car anyway.

I figured the 2 rears that are deep dish would be worth something since i never see them on ebay, i figured they were just rare.

I left them primered because i figured with all the different available colors someone could just paint them whatever they like or needed to replace on their own car. Believe it or not, at first look, they look painted, the primer is a blueish gray, almost could get away with them on the car that way. If i did paint them, i think black would be the best idea, because i have no idea what the real gray color is, i painted them every few years, stripping all old paint off. Takes forever to tape them up,

$400 would be acceptable on ebay, but anything lower and i'd just keep them.
Maybe i'll take some pics and post them and you can tell me what you think. With the advent of 18 inch drag radials, i really don't need them though.

The 18's on the car now are all 8.5, 2 rears, 2 fronts, but they are reversed from how they would go on a 95. I also use 1/4 spacers in the back, but you can't tell.
They hit nothing at all, when driving straight, but when under super heavy cornering they will rub the unrolled part of the fender if there is more there one person in the car.

 

[marcus95]

Yea, I know all about wheels taking up space. Post a pick of those rears with the "deep dish". Would like to see them. Still tough call whether to keep them or not. 400 bucks is 400 bucks though.

So what you are telling me is that you have the 18 X 8.5 Saleen fronts on the rear of your red fox car with 1/4 " spacers and the rear offset 18 x 8.5's on the front? "reversed on the 95?" Or do I have it wrong and you have the fronts on the front and the rears running the spacer. Also, what brand and size tire are you running front and rear? They look perfect.

 

[2000xp8]

Yea, I know all about wheels taking up space. Post a pick of those rears with the "deep dish". Would like to see them. Still tough call whether to keep them or not. 400 bucks is 400 bucks though.

So what you are telling me is that you have the 18 X 8.5 Saleen fronts on the rear of your red fox car with 3/8 spacers and the rear offset 18 x 8.5's on the front? "reversed on the 95?" Or do I have it wrong and you have the fronts on the front and the rears running the spacer. Also, what brand and size tire are you running front and rear? They look perfect.

I'll post pics late today of the rims.

As for the 18's i think you have the idea, here's the reasoning behind it.

I got them off ebay and there was 2 fronts and 2 rears, 4 rears would of been better.
Because i still have stock fox spindles up front, the wheels don't stick out that far, so that has to be made up somehow, either with using spacers are just putting the wider offset rims up there. IMO spacers are not a good idea on the front, i've heard horror stories of them loosening up. So i just put the back ones in the front to make them stick out further, as if there was 95 spindles up there.

Tires i use are
front-235 40 18
rear -265 35 18 soon to be 275 35 18 (quads still are on, if i didnt' say that above)

I really want a set of the 18x10's for the rear but everyone tells me they won't fit, but if they are the same offset as the 8.5 rears (ones that are now on the front) i see no reason they won't fit with the removal of the quads, rolling of the fender and use of a 1/4 spacer. If i could find the matching 10's i would buy them, then i could use the 305 and 315 drag radials.

Tire brands i have are pirelli on the front, the rim stretches the tire a bit, making for less sidewall.
Rear i have sumitomo, and just a quick insight, sumitomo owns dunlop, there is a perfect match in the dunlop brand for 290 a pop, sumitomos are 150 or so. I'll be going to bfg 275 35 drag radials very soon.

BTW, thanks for the compliments, the 18's wow everyone, They are literally the perfect design for my car.

 

[2000xp8]

Here they are marcus, lmk what you think.

3rd one up is the 8 inch wide rear that's identical to the fronts except wider

Front rim

Bent rim

 

[marcus95]

I'll be honest. I have never seen one of those ARE wheels with that much "dish" on it before. You have two fronts 16 X 7 and one rear 16 X 8 and then those two mutant things. They look to be even wider than 8 inches wide. You are measuring the distance across the profile between the lips? How did they look on the rear of your car? There are hundreds of places that can repair the lip of that wheel, polish it and you would never know it was damaged. What a find though. Where did you ever get them? If I read right that lone 16 x 8 was a replacement wheel that you purchased long ago? That makes sense since that "single" rear wheel you have is the correct ARE 16 x 8 rear wheel for fox body Saleens. Depending on how they look on your car I would get that one fixed, paint them and keep them. My two cents.

 

[marcus95]

Oh yea, to get the 18 X 10's to fit on the rear you have to use a spacer and lose the quads. Some guys are running ranger axles so they can keep the quads and run no spacer. No need for those quads anyway if you have your rear suspention set up anyway. Let me know if you really want two 18 x 10's in that 94-98 Saleen aluminum speedline style. I'll go in that back at Saleen and see if they have a couple laying around.

 

[2000xp8]

Marcus, i'm told all my rims came from saleen, i bought the car in 93 from a guy i know, and he took the car in 1990 from the ford dealer straight to the body shop, had the saleen kit put on, and he added the wheels when he got home. I seen the original 10 holes, they never had more than 500 miles on them. I haven't seen the guy in years, but i knew him back when i was in high school.

He told me the wheels were real saleens. I measured from the inside of the lips. They looked awesome on the back of the car, especially with a 265 40 tire on them, like a serious road race machine. All 3 rears i have are all the same exact width. What's cool about the deep ones is that when you walk up on the car you can see the stars on the fronts but you know the rears are wide because you can't see the stars out back.

The one replacement that looks like fronts only wider, didn't come from saleen, but as i said the star has identical mold markings on the inside.

I figured the deep dish rears i had were rare and i migh be able to get a few xtra bucks out of them, maybe i'll have the other one fixed, i knew it could be done, i just didn't want to dump money into rims i have no need for.

Overall what do you think of the condition?

I may keep them and put 215 55 16's up front and 255 50 16 bfg drag radials on the back and use them as track tires.

You speak like you have a saleen connection is this true? I'd kill for an original saleen xp8 shadowed winshield banner. I'm getting tired of cutting up mustang ones to make it work, takes forever and lasts less than a year.

On the 10's for the back, i'd need to know the price, as for i'm into so many projects i have to keep a budget. BTW, i don't have discs in the back, just 5 lug conversion, so my axles should be ranger equivalent.

thanks,
Joe

Oh, one more thing, as much as i loved my 1990 5 stars, i love the 18's more, i tried switching back to the 16's but i feel naked without the big rims. I'm a go and show guy, if it looks like crap and is fast, i don't care for it, if it looks great and is slow, i don't care for it. I need a mix of both.

I'd also be using the money from the sale of the rims to finish funding my new heads.

 

[marcus95]

Well, like I said , I have never seen those wheels before. They are deeep! I would still keep them, but I am a packrat. Not always a good thing. Depending on how much it would take to paint the set and fix that one rim, it may be worth it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2491771653&category=6755

$685 for those. The buyer paid shipping. The proof is right there. Look at the condition though. Do you think you could get yours to look like the set I just sold. A hardcore Saleen nut like myself will pay through the nose for something they need if it's in near perfect condition.

I'll ask tomorrow if they still stock any XP8 windshield banners. You should really just get a graphics/vinyl guy to make you a few so you always have them. Easy to duplicate. I'll see if there are any 18 X 10's and for how much. Someone owes me a few favors.

 

[2000xp8]

I'll ask tomorrow if they still stock any XP8 windshield banners. You should really just get a graphics/vinyl guy to make you a few so you always have them. Easy to duplicate. I'll see if there are any 18 X 10's and for how much. Someone owes me a few favors.

I've been told a dozen times they do not stock the xp8 banner, it's not just a simple Saleen decal, the winshield is curved different so when you use one from a mustang, it's shaped like a rainbow, if you know what i'm saying.

As far as the rims go
I think, i'll send the busted one out to be fixed and then see where it goes from there. Maybe i'll put them on ebay for something high so if they sell i feel good, i'd be heart broken if they sold dirt cheap. So if they don't sell, i'm still happy.

Joe

 

[marcus95]

No XP8 windshield banners anywhere in the back at Saleen. I tried though.

 

[2000xp8]

No XP8 windshield banners anywhere in the back at Saleen. I tried though.

Thanks for trying.

Is it possible you talk to some important people there and find out exactly what they did with the molds to the xp8 kit? There's so many rumors to the fact that they destroyed them. That would of been senseless. There's also the issue that saleen is a manufacturer, and according to the laws they must make replacement parts for 5 years, and it has not been 5 years. Any thoughts on this? Please if you see any xp8 parts let me know, almost 100% chance i will buy them.

Any sign of the 10 inch wide rims?

Thanks again, no rush on the info
Joe

 

[Saleen Mike]

Thanks for trying.

Is it possible you talk to some important people there and find out exactly what they did with the molds to the xp8 kit? There's so many rumors to the fact that they destroyed them. That would of been senseless. There's also the issue that saleen is a manufacturer, and according to the laws they must make replacement parts for 5 years, and it has not been 5 years. Any thoughts on this? Please if you see any xp8 parts let me know, almost 100% chance i will buy them.

Any sign of the 10 inch wide rims?

Thanks again, no rush on the info
Joe

The molds are long gone.

Saleen XP8 owners have been out of luck for years on this.

One would have thought that Tony Johnson (former owner of Saleen Inc.), an XP8 owner himself for a while, would have kept the molds around. Guess that is why he put his up for sale on ebay, even he could no longer get the parts to fix the thing.

I know that their former VP (no longer with the company) told one XP8 owner to "search on ebay" for some, and their car was only 2 years old at the time. Point blank, they simply did not care.

This is one of the reasons why I can not bring myself to buy an XP8, even when offered the chance to pick one up for as little as $10k. Not worth the headaches IMHO.

Best of luck!

 

[2000xp8]

The molds are long gone.

Saleen XP8 owners have been out of luck for years on this.

One would have thought that Tony Johnson (former owner of Saleen Inc.), an XP8 owner himself for a while, would have kept the molds around. Guess that is why he put his up for sale on ebay, even he could no longer get the parts to fix the thing.

I know that their former VP (no longer with the company) told one XP8 owner to "search on ebay" for some, and their car was only 2 years old at the time. Point blank, they simply did not care.

This is one of the reasons why I can not bring myself to buy an XP8, even when offered the chance to pick one up for as little as $10k. Not worth the headaches IMHO.

Best of luck!

Isn't it true that manufacturers must make parts for 5 years from the time the last car was built, in according with automobile laws?

Since i owned my xp8 in 02, there hasn't been parts at saleen. But destroying the molds, does that make any freaken sense? WHY?

Wonder what the insurance companies do when they are damaged (not that i want to find out) but mine i know is insured as a Saleen, so they'd be obligated i hope to pay what it takes to fix it, or total it and give me probably twice the street value.

 

[Saleen Mike]

Isn't it true that manufacturers must make parts for 5 years from the time the last car was built, in according with automobile laws?

Actually, I think it is 7 years.

Since i owned my xp8 in 02, there has been parts at saleen. But destroying the molds, does that make any freaken sense? WHY?

Only Saleen knows the full story.

Wonder what the insurance companies do when they are damaged (not that i want to find out) but mine i know is insured as a Saleen, so they'd be obligated i hope to pay what it takes to fix it, or total it and give me probably twice the street value.

Well, the person I was talking about was hit by somebody, and wanted to get theirs fixed with new XP8 parts. They never did get the new parts, had to deal with trying to fix the ones that came on the truck. Kinda a raw deal considering it was not their fault.

Be happy you are only in need of a window banner.

Again, best of luck.

 

[marcus95]

Joe,

I will know on Monday if I can get a set of 18 X 10's. The problem is they may not be painted but they will be new. Are you still interested?

As for a manfacturer being required by the gov. to provide parts for 5 years is nice on paper but Saleen has never played by the rules. If you ever have the need for a serious bumper or any kind of repair there is a guy out here in Los Angeles that can fix urethane like magic. Don't ask how, and don't ask me I have never seen how he does it but he can so at least you can get a little sleep over that issue. Yea, Mike is correct. All of the molds are gone forever. Saleen is almost bankrupt again anyway so who knows what we will see in the near future.

 

[2000xp8]

Joe,

I will know on Monday if I can get a set of 18 X 10's. The problem is they may not be painted but they will be new. Are you still interested?

As for a manfacturer being required by the gov. to provide parts for 5 years is nice on paper but Saleen has never played by the rules. If you ever have the need for a serious bumper or any kind of repair there is a guy out here in Los Angeles that can fix urethane like magic. Don't ask how, and don't ask me I have never seen how he does it but he can so at least you can get a little sleep over that issue. Yea, Mike is correct. All of the molds are gone forever. Saleen is almost bankrupt again anyway so who knows what we will see in the near future.

Marcus, what exactly does not painted mean? I alway thought mine were powder coated. Hey, if unpainted takes a few bucks off the deal i'm definetely interested, i kinda need to know a price though before i obligate you and I to it. I hope you understand. What size tire can you get on those things? 305? Must look badass on a fox.

The whole non producion of parts for the required time period, sounds like a good issue for a class action law suit, i presently know about 20 xp8 owners.
Also if you guys know any yourself can you direct them to www.explorerx.com
thanks,
Joe