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I've been in negotiations with Panasport for two years working on a set of 17" C8 wheels. I've gone so far as to have two different translators try to contact the Panasport president in Japan and the sole distributor in the US (I learned they are brothers). Panasport is notoriously difficult to deal with from the US, and after finally settling on an acceptable fitment and agreeing to their newly insane $800 shipping charge the final word in 2014 seems to be that they are no longer shipping C8 wheels to the US.
I'm not sure if that is the truth, but it is the best info I have to go on. I've been told by someone raised in Japan that they are probably (incorrectly) worried that if the wheels don't fit my application (they have never supplied for my chassis before) then I will sue the crap out of them?!
Needless to say, I've contacted every US reseller and since they all have to go through Mas in California (the brother of the Panasport president) they all have the same story. They can't help me.
I'm not aware of any Panasport C8 wheels in a 5x120 bolt pattern (BMW) so I've given up there. I'd love to find a set of C8-17 in a 5 lug, but I would settle for a set in 4 lug. At this point I realize I'm going to have to have them filled and re-drilled anyway. I don't care what barrels they come with, or if they have none at all. Wheel bore is also of no concern anymore. I will settle for ANYTHING in a 17" configuration.
I'm looking for a used set, or someone who can magically get a new set out of Panasport.
I've considered getting some contacts in Japan to buy me a used set and ship them over, but they don't seem to come up for sale in Japan's auction sites nearly as often as you'd expect. 17" sets seem to be extremely rare. I only know of 4-6 sets in the US.
I'm so desperate I'm willing to offer a $200-$500 finders fee (depending on how well they match my needs) to anyone who can get these wheel centers in my hands.
Any and all advice is welcome. Please do not feel bad if you suggest another brand of wheel that "looks the same" and I find some flaw with the idea. I believe I am aware of the alternatives and they are not adequate for my needs.
I will update this thread with more information as I find it. I feel like I'm a Minilite and Minilite knock-off expert now having researched the topic for the past decade.
And so we can have an idea of what we're talking about here. This is a confirmed C8-17 wheel (originally with a gold center that I photoshopped silver).
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Edit From The Future: I obtained the wheels. Skip to post #30 for the first of MANY pics.
I've been in negotiations with Panasport for two years working on a set of 17" C8 wheels. I've gone so far as to have two different translators try to contact the Panasport president in Japan and the sole distributor in the US (I learned they are brothers). Panasport is notoriously difficult to deal with from the US, and after finally settling on an acceptable fitment and agreeing to their newly insane $800 shipping charge the final word in 2014 seems to be that they are no longer shipping C8 wheels to the US.
I'm not sure if that is the truth, but it is the best info I have to go on. I've been told by someone raised in Japan that they are probably (incorrectly) worried that if the wheels don't fit my application (they have never supplied for my chassis before) then I will sue the crap out of them?!
Needless to say, I've contacted every US reseller and since they all have to go through Mas in California (the brother of the Panasport president) they all have the same story. They can't help me.
I'm not aware of any Panasport C8 wheels in a 5x120 bolt pattern (BMW) so I've given up there. I'd love to find a set of C8-17 in a 5 lug, but I would settle for a set in 4 lug. At this point I realize I'm going to have to have them filled and re-drilled anyway. I don't care what barrels they come with, or if they have none at all. Wheel bore is also of no concern anymore. I will settle for ANYTHING in a 17" configuration.
I'm looking for a used set, or someone who can magically get a new set out of Panasport.
I've considered getting some contacts in Japan to buy me a used set and ship them over, but they don't seem to come up for sale in Japan's auction sites nearly as often as you'd expect. 17" sets seem to be extremely rare. I only know of 4-6 sets in the US.
I'm so desperate I'm willing to offer a $200-$500 finders fee (depending on how well they match my needs) to anyone who can get these wheel centers in my hands.
Any and all advice is welcome. Please do not feel bad if you suggest another brand of wheel that "looks the same" and I find some flaw with the idea. I believe I am aware of the alternatives and they are not adequate for my needs.
I will update this thread with more information as I find it. I feel like I'm a Minilite and Minilite knock-off expert now having researched the topic for the past decade.
And so we can have an idea of what we're talking about here. This is a confirmed C8-17 wheel (originally with a gold center that I photoshopped silver).
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