Received my 15x8's from 949Racing.com

[pcmx5]

Thanks mate - I am envisaging probs with customs too however the whole reason why I did not patronise a local distributor is that even if hit with the full 15%, it'd still work out cheaper than having ordered it here.

Those wheels are nice and at least they are a good weight too. I have performance superlites and there's nothing lite about them at all.

Fwiw ... there are quite a few good rims worth ordering from the states at the moment. Rota, Axis etc just to name a few.

My understanding is that the price of the goods and the frieght is used to calculate duty(15%) then you pay GST (10%) on the goods, freight and the duty, so it is important to keep the cost of goods and freight under $1000.

I have just imported some Rota RB's in 15x7 for Johnd and they cost under $900 AUS with nuts and have some 16x7's on the way for $815US.($934 AUS)

Most US suppliers will make sure that they keep the declaration down for you.

Johnd, about time you put up the photo's!!!!

Peter.

[irwin83r]

Everythings now fitted to the car - very happy!!

Tyres are 225/45x15 Kumho V70A's.

I'll post some pics ASAP!

WOOooOOoo thats a nice tyre size!

when i wanted some fat wheels all the 225's in R15s i could find were 50 profile these should be a good size and by the calculator i use only a difference of : 1.31% from the original tyre rolling dia of a 195/50R15 should look tasty

[Alfadog]

How did you get the Customs office to NOT include postage in value of goods?!

I have shipped quite a few parcels here and every time they're over $1000 worth I get stung. The value includes postage charges - very silly I know - but I could not get them to budge on this.

I had two parcels come in, joint worth $600. They came in through EMS though, postage was $500. Total value $1100. I told them this and sent them receipts for the goods... but the answer was a blunt NO. Had to pay customs duty, GST, tax, and a few other bogus fees they like to chuck in for good measure.

So I'd be very interested as to how you got around that!

[Mactype]

I've no idea how I didn't get stung by customs, I was happy to pay and just filled out the forms and sent em in! Although I do feel it may have something to do with the fact that they'd already delivered 3 of the 4 boxes.

Anyway....

A dodgy pic I took this morning (I'll get some better ones over the weekend).

[Cal]

They look great.

How long between each box arriving was it? I'm a little nervous that I received 1 the other day and nothing since. I have no way of tracking them either.

Cal.

[Mactype]

3 came at once the other was a couple of days later.

You should have got 4 emails from service@paypal.com saying that your parcel was sent by PayPal Postage with US Postal Service.

These have your tracking numbers in them. Although tracking was iffy, worked on the US postal services site till it left LAX and then disappeared from Aus Posts service when they landed. Found I had to call to get updates.

Get in touch with Emillio for your tracking numbers if your concerned.

...odds on their probably all in customs.

[Cal]

Found I had to call to get updates.

Get in touch with Emillio for your tracking numbers if your concerned.

I've checked the website and same as you said. Once they left the Us, they diappeared off the radar. Who did you call? I called Australia Post and quoted the number on their sticker and was told the number didn't exist on their system. Sometimes dealing with bureaucracy in this country is like in the 3rd world. They told me it could be looked into, but it would take 2 months.

I've emailed Emillio to see if he can track them.

Cal.

[bruce]

Nice looking rims. The two valves per wheel look very ho-hum.

[Mactype]

For some reason the way Emillio sends his parcels, requires you to be sent to some other extension at Aus post for tracking. I found once I started telling them my tracking numbers (that all started with the prefix: CJ) they immediately asked what state I was in and transferred me to another extension where they could track the parcels ok.

BTW the ho hum two valves per wheel mean't that none of the rims required any weights at all when balanced - I was impressed.

[bruce]

I don't think having a second valve would influence the balance of the wheels much at all. It is more the weight balance of the actual tyre.

[Cal]

For some reason the way Emillio sends his parcels, requires you to be sent to some other extension at Aus post for tracking. I found once I started telling them my tracking numbers (that all started with the prefix: CJ) they immediately asked what state I was in and transferred me to another extension where they could track the parcels ok.

This is starting to piss me off. Emillio hasn't answered email since Tuesday and Australia Post have no record of either tracking number. On the up side, they could track a CJ number this time. They did have record of the one that was delivered, but that number didn't correspond to either of the numbers emailed to me from paypal.

Cal.

[Mactype]

I don't think having a second valve would influence the balance of the wheels much at all. It is more the weight balance of the actual tyre.

Agree to a point, although normally if your balancing for as little added weight as possible you would fit the tyre and spin it up on the balancer and then mark the heaviest spot on the tyre and move that around to be opposite the valve and rebalance.

I've never had a complete set of rims that require no weight at all. So I put some of that down to the pair of valves.

[Cal]

He generally is very very good with communication so there must be a reason....

he has a very good name on miata.net when it comes to shipping wheels to the USA and internationally.

hope it all works out Cal!

Oh I don't doubt he is doing the right thing. He must be away or something. I just want him to see if he can track them from his end.

Cal.

[Mactype]

Do you have the other 3 numbers Cal? have they left LAX according to the USPS tracking site?

He's been quite good with responding to my emails too.

[AB7]

I don't think having a second valve would influence the balance of the wheels much at all. It is more the weight balance of the actual tyre.

Agree to a point, although normally if your balancing for as little added weight as possible you would fit the tyre and spin it up on the balancer and then mark the heaviest spot on the tyre and move that around to be opposite the valve and rebalance.

I've never had a complete set of rims that require no weight at all. So I put some of that down to the pair of valves.

Two valves thing is for Nitrogen purging. Either way, the wheels must be prefect!...thats quality stuff. I only ever seen 1 rim that require now weights at all, it was HRE...forged and cost $1300 EACH!!!