*89x2*

I just noticed that 4 of your Vettes have DYMAGS on them... Are they all the same style of DYMAG? I know of at least 3 different DYMAGS for Vettes... The CALLAWAY DYMAGS 9.5x17 , the MidAmerica DYMAGS 9.5x17&11x17, and the "exposed lug nut DYMAGS"... Do companies (DYMAG) still sell those wheels? I was curious as to your choice of putting them on 4 Vettes :cool:
Thanks!!!

Ultra Slow

Hi.. I'll give you the dymag story as I know it,

Yes 4 cars have the 5 star 17" dymags. The 2 callaways and the supercharged 88-anniversary with white dymags and the ZR1 has a rare set of ZR1 dymags. All the 5 star dymags are the same except callaway dymags say "callaway" and the ones sold through mid america say "corvette" . You can run any of them open cap or closed cap if you want and they were built to use the factory 88-89 corvette center cap and lock bolt. I run 2 of my cars closed cap and 2 open. You can see some pics of the 89 callaway with the open cap. The non ZR1 cars above are 17x9.5's or 17x10's, as I think they really are as they measure wider than the stock 17x9.5's and bulge the tires more too.

The ZR1 has a very rare set of the 17x9.5's or 10's and 17x12's that were used in the 90 ZR1 world endurance test. I was told they had 5 sets of these for the race. The wheels were originally black and were on a car that was owned by Tommy Morrison that I bought the car to get the wheels and sold it with stock ZR1 wheels. They were in fair shape so I had them refinished and painted the silver color. I was never able to verify if they were the actual wheels used in the race, but their condition looked as if they were. I was offered quite a bit for these wheels once and almost sold them for 6K, but decided to keep and bought a nice ZR1 to house them. There was a set of dymags that sold on ebay that were from tommy morrisons shop about a year ago. They were not the ZR1 size and sold for 3K if I remember and were in not so good shape. Callaway thierselves will pay good money for these wheels for customers that are in need. If I could find more I'd have them as the dymag is the single most impressive improvment on a corevette in the handeling arena. Not only are they ultra light, but they have a more positive offset and wider stance than the "sunk in look" A-mold factory 5 star or the insane heavy AFS repros. The only other wheel that has this similar offset is the fikse line of wheel that I am aware of but are by no means as light. Even the BBS RS and other good aftermarkets do not have quite this offset.

If you know where any dymags are, I am always looking as I consider this wheel to be the best wheel ever for the 88-96 corvette. Unfortunatly (or fortunatly for us that have them and value) they are not making any like this anymore, but Dymag is still in business and manufacture a $3000 pair of race motorcycle wheels. They company is in England and I have talked to them on the phone a while back to try and ask them to reproduce the wheel at a decent cost. They said they were just to expensive to make and there were never enough sales to justify.

Another interesting story about Dymag and the relationship with Callaway is that apparantly sometime in 90 callaway got crossed with Dymag and stopped using the wheels. They switched to the 3 piece OZ futura wheel, which is also a great "correct" aftermarket wheel for a corvette and are the next best thing to the dymag. I'm guessing that callaway had a contract for so many orders and callaway sales were just not there and the ZR1 was under way. Also around this time mid-america started offering the wheel for 1K each with the "corvette" logo instead of callaway. I'm thinking callaway helped set this up to help dymag out for the low orders. I also talked to mid-america during this time to see if there were any "deals" on the wheels. They informed me that they were not selling that hot due to the fact it was 4K a set. They later dropped them and closed out the few remaining at $749 a wheel. Still very expensive, but better than 1K. The word too was that Callaway owed Dymag money so Callaway gave Dymag a 91 B2K aerobody for the compensation. This just happens to be the car 8388 has. It came back from europe and he purchased it.... But the dymags were missing.





[Modified by Ultra Slow, 4:47 AM 9/27/2001]

*89x2*

Thanks for the info! It sounds like a chapter of Corvette and CALLAWAY history there!!! I will add this... maybe it is folklore or real, I don't know but... I was told by Reeves Callaway that the mold wore out on the DYMAG mold for CALLAWAY DAYMAGS and it would cost roughly 30k to refurbish it... I do not have any info to really add on the MidAmerica DYMAGS other than the Corvette Challenge cars used those wheels cast w/ Corvette instead of CALLAWAY... There is a 3rd DYMAG 5 spoke (That Mid America used to sell) and now http://www.exoticmuscle.com has them and are listed as "W340 DYMAG WHEEL Starting at $3400.00 ". and are a 1 pc. wheel (avail in 17x9.5 and larger!!!) I was told by Reeves , as well as others to remove my DYMAGS if I planned to drive it (as another fella w/ an 87 w/ the 17" DY's did)
I contacted the place that makes the motorcycle wheels and they in turn were going to get me original DYMAGS until "someone" stepped in and ended that deal... :cuss anyways... thanks again for the info!!!Later...

Ultra Slow

Hey thanks for the info too. Thats funny the the "mold" wore out! Thats quite possible, but for as few of these things that were built, that must have been a cheap mold. Yes thats true about the challange cars, they were the exact wheel that was sold through mid-america. I also remember that "later" dymag you mentioned. If memory serves, I think it was not a magnesium wheel but aluminum. That wheel was very similar to the a-mold and I wonder if they had built it to try and get the factory business. Thats too bad they did not as it would have been much better than a wheel made in japan as the a-molds are. The a-molds are very nice looking for factory wheels, I have several myself, but they are heavy and too negative of offset. I'm sure the offset is GM's specs as they dont want anyone scraping a curb by mistake... They would rather have the fender hit. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, one day the dymag is going to be an extremely rare wheel possibly bringing more than an entire corvette in the future.

*89x2*

UlatraSlow...the 3rd type of DYMAG is still avail. (!!!) at http://www.exoticmuscle.com , here is their quote on the wheel... "W340 DYMAG WHEEL Starting at $3400.00

1 piece magnesium wheel, very light "
If you go here>>> http://www.exoticmuscle.com/vette/default.htm it will give you a pic of the wheels on a black C4 on the top of the page...
I am STRONGLY thinking about getting a set of these and "might" be interested in how a 315 would fit under my Aerobody...(???) on a 17x10 or 17x11 wheel.(DYMAGS)
Check 'em out and let me know what you think (I wonder if they would do a group purchase???????? I would be tempted to buy 5 of the 17x9.5's (4 to ride, and a spare)
Later,

Ultra Slow

Thats great. The 315 will fit on the back just fine. I run them on ALL my non zr1 cars with the 17x10 dymags on the rear. They work and look great and are not all "bowed" in like as if you stuck them on a regular corvette wheel. Since you have the aerobody and it is just a "tac on" to the stock body making the wheels look even more sunk in, I would get the grand sport offset wheels (if they have them) and use the 315's. Its a world of difference.

*89x2*

Ultraslow...what did you think of the DYMAGS that exoticmuscle has? I was thinking of getting those and "shelving" my original DY's...
thanks for the input...Later,