Pics or it didn't happen.
:worthless
It happened for several days, but turned into a complete nightmare. In my first post, I gave the link to the lug centric wheel adapters I bought from Wheel Adapter USA. At any rate, it turns out, they sent me three adapters that converted the lug pattern to the correct Ford 6x135 and one adapter that was a 6x139.7. I didn't notice this when I mounted the adapters and wheels because the wheels still slide onto the adapter studs, but each stud is one or two millimeters out from center in the lug holes in the wheels. At any rate, I spent the next several days battling vibration issues. I got an alignement, and the tech said he couldn't quite get it in spec and with lug centric wheel spacers, you typically just have to live with some vibration anyway. I then did some research online and found advice on hub rings for better mating the adapters to the vehicle hub and advice to get extended thread (ET) lug nuts to reduce torque and potential vibration between wheel and adapter. So, at this point, I had spent $90 to get the tires mounted on the new whee, $80 on the alignment, $50 on the hub rings and ET lugs, and there was still vibration. I took it to another alignment shop to get their take on alignment, and they pointed out that the studs on one wheel were slightly outside of center at the lug holes and two lugs were loose on that tire. We had a long discussion before they would allow me to tighten everything up and drive it home as opposed to them forcing me to get a tow. Luckily, they gave me some leeway since I had been driving in that condition for several days, and I was driving a short distance home with everything tightened back up as much as it could be.
I pulled the wheel off when I got home, and sure enough, I discovered that adapter was the wrong size. Wheel Adapters USA had sent me the wrong size for one adapter in the pack of 4. Obviously, I couldn't continue to drive like that, and luckily, I still had the stock wheels, so I got the tires moved back to my original wheels (another $90), got an alignment again (another $80), pulled the adapters off and mounted the original wheels.
Tried to get in touch via email and phone with wheel adapters USA during their business hours to no avail. A few days later, I finally got a hold of a sales rep who threw it back on me saying I should have notices one was the wrong adapter, and I should have had it done professionally in the first place.
From their Website:
"Our number one goal is total customer satisfaction, so you can rest assured knowing you’ll promptly get exactly what you ordered."
From the adapter description on their Website:
"Installation is as simple as changing a tire!"
He also said that I bought the wrong adapters as there's a line in the description that says "Will not work on OEM Ford Wheels." My contention with that is the title of the product on the page says "4 Wheel Adapters 6X5.5 To 6X135 1.5 inch thick 12X1.5 Studs Converts Toyota to Ford Wheels". I was frustrated given what I'd been through with the adapters and wheels, so far, and tried to revert the conversation back to my point which was:
Wheel Adapters USA sent me the wrong part for one of the four adapters. I spent a few hundred dollars mounting them and trying to make the ride better with them the whole time having my and my family's safety be put at risk every time I unknowingly drove with the wrong adapter. I requested a full refund for the adapters because I will not use the adapters if they don't have the quality control to prevent one adapter in a set of four from being the wrong adapter, and I requested reimbursement for the costs I had incurred trying to troubleshoot and fix the vibration that at this point, I attribute to an incorrect size wheel adapter.
The rep said all he could do was send me a replacement for the correct wheel adapter, and he would not refund me any money for any reason since they had been mounted and used. I refused that offer, and he said he would let his owner know the situation, and the owner would call me back. It's been four days, and I haven't heard from the owner. I've called them daily, and only managed to talk to someone once, and they had no update, and said the owner would be in later and call me then.
At any rate, the current situation is a S&*T SHOW. I'm very frustrated with Wheel Adapters USA. I just want them to stand behind their site statement and make it right in a better way than offering to send me the correct adapter. My wife refuses to let me mount the wheels regardless after this fiasco. I refuse to use their products EVER going forward for multiple reasons, so me having the set is useless. Oh well. We'll see if I ever actually talk to the owner, and we'll see if they do "make it right" in a better way. I'll keep the thread apprised. I hope that I am able to say Wheel Adapters USA is a stand up company that stands behind what they say, but time will tell.
In the meantime, to answer the pics request, here are raptor wheels on the 4runner while the glory did last.
