So quick summary on the wheel concern:

Can mis-matched / or maybe more correctly: MIS-STYLED front wheels cause an inbalance or other issue over time? While my recently swapped / reconditioned front L & R wheels are coded with the exact same Model #, it appears they were manufactured by different companies or at different times as they have slightly different styling on the inside (non-visible) edge that includes some sort of groove and a flange on the inside lip (see photos below). Will this cause problems or am I being too picky? (skip to pictures at the end if you don't want to fall asleep over your computer reading the detailed explanation).

More detailed info:

On my recent (few months ago) 2013 XK purchase it still had its original wheels and the chrome was a little pitted/worn/had road rash. In looking for replacements I decided to use a PVD (similar to re-chroming) company about 5 hours away near where I grew up in Michigan as they would swap your wheel out for similar reconditioned wheels with a PVD coating. I placed an initial deposit of $400 which set the process in motion. About 60 days later they contacted me to setup an appointment to get the fronts and rears installed. Luckily my wife's mother who lives in Shelby Twp. wanted to see her that weekend to go over some trust paperwork, so we drove the 300 miles from Cincy up to MI, I dropped my wife at her moms, then took the XK a few cities over to Troy to get the wheels swapped and installed. I kick myself now for not inspecting them right when I got there when they were off the vehicle prior to installation. I might have noticed the front wheels were slightly different and told them I'd wait for a new one that matched.

Swapping of the tires, balancing, and installation overall went fine and I paid the remaining $1,300. They DID hit me with a repair fee on 3 of my wheels I was turning in for what they called cracked / bent repair charge, and I'm not sure if it was a ploy to firk more cash out of me, but I just paid it. I inspected the reconditioned ones right before I drove away and they looked great on the exterior face, and the PVD re-chroming was indeed VERY good, so I got in and drove away. As i drove back to dinner with my wife and her mother, I of course was analyzing if the swap has done any significant change to the driving performance, and all I might have detected was an ever so slight pull to the left that hadn't been there before. But it was so minor, like 1 or 2 on a scale of 100, I figured it was just maybe they swapped the tire positions, or just having put all new / reconditioned wheels in the balance weight may be ever so slightly off. The car's driving was 98% similar to what it was before so I dismissed it. 2,500 miles later it still has that 1-2% pull to the left but it's SOOO minor I usually don't notice it at all.

Now two and half months and 2,500 miles later I start my Fall detailed cleaning process in the last few nice days we have in Northern Kentucky. This involves removing the wheels to deep clean both sides and the wheelwells. I had done this once before right when I purchased the car so I knew the exact state of both sides of all the wheels and in my mind I knew what they looked like. All of the first 3 looked great, just a small dusting of brake dust build up. When I pulled the last one, the front driver's side I immediately noticed a build up of crud in a “groove” about 2 inches from the inside edge of the wheel (see photo pointing to groove labeled "? Different Wheel"). It's rounded and about 5mm wide and maybe about 2mm in depth. Inspecting it further I realized the edge that folds around the edge isn't smooth an around like all my other 3 wheel styles, but has more of an edge and also a flange that sticks out about 3mm. (I took photos of all of it including close-ups of manufacturing code #'s to try to figure this all out). So I put the driver side front back on and re-pulled the front passenger wheel again to compare it to make sure I wasn't going out of my mind and sure enough: no grove / no flange.

Weird thing was the part #'s match: they both are BW9M-1007-EA, 9.0Jx20CHx49mm, D22FA, Made by ATS, Made in Germany, etc.

I got a hold of a sales person at the Wheel / Tire place and sent the photos over. They called me back a little later and said manufacturers do this all the time swapping wheel manufacturers and slight differences are common on wheels of the same part #. He said I shouldn't worry about it, especially since it's only on the internal surface and doesn't affect function. I asked him if I had any way to swap it out with a similar style they had on hand to keep the 4 wheels matching, but he said he doubted his Supervisor would allow him to take back a “used” wheel without my buying a new one. I told him I wasn't happy with this resolution, especially since all 4 of mine were matching (so I guess the next guy gets matching wheels!) and coordinating getting a replacement shipped down to me, having it swapped out by a local tire dealer, and shipping the odd one out back to him would be somewhat of an ordeal for me, but I didn't know what other resolution to suggest, especially when he made it sounds like 1) they don't consider this an issue they need to address since it's the same part # and 2) his boss would most like not allow any reimbursement or a straight swap out anyway, I'd have to buy a new one since mine is now “used”.

If you've read this far I appreciate your patience, but I guess my real concern is if the two different styles will cause any issues down the road with suspension, steering, etc. I didn't weigh them when I had them off yesterday and I probably should have, but that may be hard to ascertain a manufacturing material difference with a tire mounted on it anyway.

Can anyone tell me if I'm just being too OCD about this, should I sit back and not worry about it, or should a press the company for a resolution, or even as a last resort, next time I go up to see relatives, just purchase an entire new one that matches (~$400) and go through the pains of swapping it out.

Thanks!

View of driver's front wheel that is different from the other three showing the manufacturing codes.

Pointing at "groove". It's really hard to see in this photo but it's about 5-8mm wide and 2-3mm in depth, and collected a bunch of crud before washing.


Same wheel pointing at "edge flange", you somewhat see the groove in this photo better at this angle.


Passenger front that has the style that matches the rears and what I saw on my old ones I turned in for the swap.


Notice no groove and how the edge smooth folds over and has no flange sticking out.

 

Kevad68, that difference in manufacturing is not something I would be worried about. If anything, the wheel with the larger radius bend I would prefer (due to ability to handle stress). But, I am sure both wheels are mechanically sound and will handle whatever you put the car through. Now, if the wheels are physically a different diameter, then that can lead to problems. But, having a 1/2" radius bend at one point and a 1/8" bend at the same point on a different wheel is nothing to be concerning. A little bit on manufacturing and why they put curves on things, especially those that see a large load. If the manufacturer was to put a sharp corner at where you are pointing to, as you side load the wheel, all the forces would concentrate at the point of the 90 degree bend. This would cause a lot of stress to be focused on a very specific point and could lead to exceeding the strength of the metal. Where, you put a 1/8" radius, now the stress is "focused" over the entire 1/8" bend (a lot more surface). So, exceeding the strength of the material becomes less of a worry. You go up to a 1/2" radius, the stress is "focused" over an even larger area, definitely not exceeding the materials strength.

Now, I would be asking why the wheel is different more from a historical point of view and being able to explain why the car may not be a "numbers matching" vehicle (lowering the value of the car). If that is how it came from the factory, then all is good. But, if someone was to notice, then it could lead to the question of "why was the rim replaced" which is normally immediately associated with "the wheel hit a curb" and "what other damage has happened to the suspension".

 

Thanks for the reassurance, I guess I won’t worry about it then!