"Original" 95 R wheels vs. FMS wheels
- Thread starter hollant
- Start date
Original 95 R wheels have some letters on the face of the wheel, they sort of are molded in and stand out from the wheel. The FRPP or FMS wheels are smooth, no letters
If the tires are in good shape and you like originality, then yes , try and preserve them.
If the tires are in good shape and you like originality, then yes , try and preserve them.
hollant said:
Beside the difference(s) Terry mentioned, if you are buying a set of used Cobra R's, ask the seller to send you a picture of the date stamped into the wheel. This will be on the backside either on a spoke or in the center area. The date will be a good indicator of "original" or "reproduction".
As for the correct 95R BFG's, a used set just recently sold for just over $300 plus shipping, on eBay. Some correct NOS BFG's came up for sale on eBay a while back. They were old stock offered by a tire retailer in GA. They quickly sold for $109ea. plus shipping.
Robert
The 1995 R wheels I bought from Diversified Products had the raised text around the valve stem. All the ones I've seen that came from Ford (on the actual R or over the parts counter) had them.
The knock offs didn't have it like from- OE Performance and AFS <--these really sucked when they came out, talk about being out of round!! :uh oh:
The knock offs didn't have it like from- OE Performance and AFS <--these really sucked when they came out, talk about being out of round!! :uh oh:
I like this spreadsheet, nice research!
hollant said:
I have not looked at the inside of my 95R wheels recently so I cannot comment on this inkstamp. I can say that I have never seen a factory wheel, steel or alum. without a date stamp. This stamp is not an inkstamp, it is "hard stamped" with a die, into the metal. The original 95R wheels will either have a 1994 or 1995 date stamping. It won't necessarily be a "1994 or 1995", but a code with possibly a "4" (1994) or "5" (1995) in the date stamp. An original date code for a correct 95R BFG "494" looks strange at first, but after further investigation, the "494" is the 49th week of 1994, date coded "494". The wheels are "probably" coded the same way, maybe a little more obvious, maybe even 1994/1995. Any reproduction wheel will be dated after the original. I'm not sure when Ford Motorsport began to offer the replacement 95R wheels, maybe 1996? The aftermarket even later?
R
Original 95R rims are a developing study and still not finalized. Ford has offered the R58 and R50 rim through the catalog. A correct R58 has the raised lettering on each side of the stem as Terry mentioned. A few years ago Ford decided to quit fighting the knock-offs and offered the R50 rim at a lower price than the R58 which didn't have the raised lettering and was noticeably thicker in the hub area around the lug holes. More recently, Ford started offering the R58 again with the lettering. I have both the old and new R58. One difference I can verify is the older version had a brushed aluminum finish on the inside of the rim towards the hub. The new version has overspray all over the inside that is not uniform--rather tacky.
I have not had a chance to compare the codes on the inside of the spokes between the two.
Tom
I have not had a chance to compare the codes on the inside of the spokes between the two.
Tom
Users who are viewing this thread
