[jocko124]

I have been talking/PMing with Jon at Driverz Inc. for the last two weeks trying to give him every opportunity to fix what I believe to be an error on his part in recommending wheels and tires for my 1966 Cutlass. Unfortunately, this boils down to just money for Jon and he is absolutely not open to owning up to his mistake and fixing the problem. To Jon, it's all about the next sale and customer service is nothing more than a slogan. Bottom line, if you decide to make a purchase from Driverz Inc., and I’m not recommending that you do, at least you’ll be making an informed decision.

Let’s start at the beginning. I participated in a group buy that Driverz Inc. had on 8/21/2009. I paid 50% down for a set of Rushforths. He recommended a set of 18x8’s for the front and 19x10 for the rears. The backspace on the rears was 6”, but I wanted to maximize the wheel lip and Jon recommended a 5” backspace, but warned I could not drop the rear of the car lower until I narrowed my rear end. This was based on his vast experience with A Bodies—or at least that’s what he told me. I ended up not pulling the trigger until 8/11/2010. I had my front end torn apart and did not need the wheels; Jon was fully aware of this. He charged me for the price increase in the wheels for 2010 and I was promised wheels 6 weeks later. As the weeks went on 6, 8, 10, 12…more excuses were made: 1) Rushforth is out of 18” hoops; 2) there’s been a delay with the manufacturer and they’re 2 weeks out; 3) the 19” wheels were stolen and have to be remade. At week 11 Jon and I agreed that if the wheels were not at least at his shop by week 12 I would drop the order and buy something else. Some of the excuses were more believable than others and to be fair I have no idea whether these were Jon’s issues or Rushforth’s—and frankly I don’t care! We moved on, I ordered a set of Forgelines for $1000 more. They were promised in 5 weeks and God bless Forgeline, they were ready at 5 weeks to the day. I remember because it was early Thanksgiving week and when I called Forgeline to check up on the wheels (read: check up on Jon) they told me the wheels were ready to go and they were waiting to get paid by Jon. I called Jon to ask about the wheels and he had no idea and said he would call. Long story short I finally received the wheels and tires a couple of weeks later (4 months after I originally made full payment) and slapped them on the car which was up on stands because I was redoing the front end and forgot about them until a month ago.

About a month ago I took the car to Tim Bruning to do a T-56 Magnum swap for me. There were some complications (due to my crank not having a pilot bearing hole machined in it) and therefore I asked Tim to drop my rear end in the meanwhile. Tim obviously has done this a time or two before and even when he picked the car up originally said the rear end did not need to be narrowed. He took the springs out and ended up dropping the rear all the way down. There is approximately 3/8”-1/2” clearance to the fender and about 2” of clearance to the frame and inner fender well. I felt the fitment was incorrect and needed to be fixed. I spoke to Tim and few other members of lateral-g and even another supporting wheel vendor of Lateral-G over the next week to make sure that my expectations were not unreasonable before approaching Jon. Then & only then did I approach Jon. Now based on the rave reviews I’ve seen for Driverz Inc on Lateral-G.net and Pro-touring.com and Jon’s own advertising on these websites and the Driverz Inc website I figured this would literally be a walk in the park. Let me give you some examples:

1) An excerpt from the Driverz Inc. website tech section regarding recommended fitments:

Q: Do you have recommended fitments?
A: Yes! From years of measuring and recording basic measurements on muscle cars, hot rods, classic cars and production cars, we have complied recommended fitments that we can suggest with 100% confidence. We also have installed, built, worked on, and are familiar with the majority of the most popular aftermarket upgrades, and understand how these modifications relate to wheel and tire fitment. So whether it’s a full restoration, or a fully built custom, we have the knowledge to fit you with the perfect set of wheels.

2) An excerpt from the Driverz Inc. website tech section regarding tire/wheel and fender spacing:

Q: How much room should I leave between my outer fender, my inner fender, and my tire?
A: This question is relative to the size of the tire, and the sidewall height. Tires that are 65 series or higher will experience sidewall flex more so than a lower pro-file tire. For tires that are 65 series or higher, and street driven, the accepted clearance is .75" to the outer fender, and 1" to the inner fender. For tires lower in profile, in most cases, a .5" outer fender and .75" inner fender clearance is acceptable. Ride height and suspension modifications all play a vital role in wheel and tire fitment. For the widest wheel and tire option, please download our custom fitment form, and/or give us a call for technical assistance.

3) An excerpt from his introduction of Driverz Inc. on Chevelles.com:

For those of you who don't know me, and DriverzInc.com, here's the Reader's Digest version. I started Driverz 4 years ago after leaving another major custom wheel manufacturer with one goal in mind: Help customers with their custom wheel fitment by taking out all the guess work and the mystery of custom wheel applications, and to provide an honest, and over the top approach to customer service.

We pride ourselves on our product knowledge, especially when it comes to how these parts work together. We try and make your car building/modifying experience as easy and as fun as possible, making sure your brakes, work with your suspension, which will work with your wheels, and tires, and so on.

Well, after reading all that wonderful marketing material I feel like ordering another set of wheels from Driverz Inc. ...Almost!