AFS Machine Faced Wheel Comparison to Stock?

[dsm2cobra]

Thinking of picking a set of AFS 10.5 x 17 satin wheels. How well do these match the stock wheels? Can you tell any difference? Any issues with quality, cracking, balancing, etc. Thanks.

AFS Wheels Mustang 03 Cobra Wheel Machined Face SVT

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

theres a bunch of us mach1 guys running the afs machined mach1 wheels (stock in the front, afs 10.5 in the rear) and Ive never seen anything that made them stand out as being noticeably different from the factory machined finish wheels

 

[1wild-horse]

I'm happy with mine. If you put the SVT centercaps in they are dead ringers. One thing I did notice was a difference in the center of one of the wheels I have. It was different than the other and the cap didnt fit correctly. I had a friend of mine who is a machinist mill out the lip in the wheel and made a different lip to press in there. Now the cap is tight and fits flush. Bought em used here so who knows what the deal was.

 

[707svt]

These were mine with no spacer and was happy with them even tho on the painted part was alil bit more gold vs silver and lighter.

 

[computer_nerd]

i just bought a set..but in chrome. havent mounted them yet. still tryin to figure out if i need to replace the stock studs or go with a spacer.

 

[tdunn02289]

i love mine, 18x9 and 18x10.5. great quality and just as good as stock IMO

 

[SLPRCTM]

Just bought a set. Balanced out fine and looks great.

 

[CobraHuck]

Bringing an old thread back since there's no need to repeat. I just picked up my machined AFS 18" 03 Cobra reps.
There are some scratches on 2 wheels on the faces that won't seem to just come out (just wiped a little with a microfiber). I don't think they're clear coated and I'm worried about how bad they'll look in a few months.

Should I take them to get them cleared? Any ideas on how to get those scratches off the machined parts? The grey painted ares look great....

 

[CobraHuck]

"We offer a "Machined Face" finish option with the 2003 Cobra wheels. The wheel goes through several steps. First the wheel is prepped for paint. The entire wheel face is painted with the base color. In this case, it is a silver. The wheel then goes to the machine line and the face of the wheel is machined to take of the paint on the flat surface. Then the entire wheel goes back to the paint shop for a final clear coat that is baked onto the rim. The end result is a wheel with a machined face and silver cutouts. The contrast in texture and color, gives this wheel a fresh, modern look."

They're cleared but good god they scratch easy. I'm not going to try to polish or anything till I talk to AFS tomorrow but how do y'all with the machined ones keep them up?

 

[SLPRCTM]

I actually clay bar mine to get the deposits off and use a good paste wax.

 

[CobraHuck]

I sent them an email with the pictures today, I'll call them at lunch tomorrow to see what they say. As long as they can confirm there is clear coat on them, then I'll try to buff the scratches out and take them to a bodyshop to get them buried in clear.