EvilRufusKay Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 Someone splain to me "JDM" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jjohart Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 Well, as I understand it, JDM means "Japanese Domestic Market", but I would bet my car there's no equivalent term in the Japanese language or syntax. In the short, practical US resident analysis, if you hit JDM wheels on E bay, you'll get about two pages of wheels that were supposedly available to Japanese citizens. I would doubt if that was the true geographic limitation, since many of these products were probably available on order from secondary markets, be it western Europe, other parts of Asia, or elsewhere. Nissan Skylines were independently imported to the UK for many years, without protest from the home companies (being that they both drive on the left/RHD), but only a trickle of Japanese version 280Z's ever made it to the US! I'm sure anyone with enough patience and money, or perhaps a proper overseas contact, could have gotten these things out in time. Only when DEMAND kicked in did the manufacturers protest and create an atmosphere of forbidden/yet more desirable unobtainables (kind of like a run on films/music with a recently deceased actor/artist! The key marketing gimmick/terminology factoid would have it translated into U.S English as "you couldn't get it here!" AFAICT, that is a half-truth, sort of like the grey market automobiles of the eighties, such as high powered Euro editions of BMWs and Mercedes that weren't distributed in the US except through independent channels. They still made it in, until the "original" distributors for German marques had to chase them down through the government here to get them outlawed. Fortunately, the past few years have proven that there just aren't that many substantial differences between, say, an 'official' Ferrari import for 250,000USD vs. an independent federalizer for $111,000 selling the same car, much to the parent company's disgust!! There's no such thing as EDM (European domestic market) anymore (and there never was!), if there ever was, unless you count mini-cars and super exotics..the bulk of automobile output is becoming ever more "world car" than Ford ever dreamed of marketing in the days of Escort! All it takes is money, and decentralization of production content, so everything is more individual market tuned, but basically the same product, different flavors! JDM is likewise disappearing as a true descriptor, and becoming nothing more than a marketing tag! Because there are more young folks owning Hondas/Toyotas, there's more of a market for beef-up with "JDM" parts. If they were just called "Taiwan assembled versions of Tenessee made US market car PARTS", there wouldn't be much exclusivity to buying them at high prices! A few years ago, most smaller Japanese cars WERE N.American editions of existing Japanese cars, so Japanese domestic market would have been limited to parts from cars that weren't distributed in the US, or parts for Japanese editions that weren't designated for US content. Nowadays, many more US only designated/built cars exist than imported content vehicles. Where 'JDM' becomes a cloudy, moronic terminology is thus in the present day, where MOST "Japanese" cars are essentially domesticized, i.e made in America, high US/Canadian content, or never distributed in Japan/other home markets. The best example of the misuse of JDM would be, IMHO, the "PAIA high output replacement headlamp bulbs". Not only are these bulbs not for sale in Japan, even though they've Japanese characters all over them, they are actually inferior products, claiming an electrical impossiblity of making 130W of "light output" from 60W of power (this is like saying you've a larger water output on an outdoor hose if you squeeze your thumb over the hose head!). I know that's not a universal example...there are wheels and other equipment that are being sold as JDM that have never indeed been sold ORIGINALLY to US citizens. The point is they could strap a Toyota Corolla onto a LA plane which was made/assembled in Louisiana, fly the plane to Japan, drop a few parts on it and call it "ADM" these days (American Domestic Market)...and sell it for way cheaper than home market. I doubt that smart Asian consumers would pay triple original cost for a part from a US Solara that wasn't available in their home country (but then I can't be sure!). In sum, that's what is cheapening the JDM term these days...anything could be "anywhere DOMESTIC MARKET", it's just a jaded term used to sell you on something whose origins may seem exotic, but may have been made right next door, but it wouldn't sell if they just said that in the first place!! Cheers John don't forget "ADM-supermarket to the world"..uggh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 sorry if this sounds stupid but i got way to confused reading your posts, maybe its because im hungry.. i dunno lol. but theres nothing wrong with having headseats, modern wheel, body kits, leather, and a 4 cyl in a S30 Z.. there isnt, its your car and you do what you want to it. IF Mr. K dont like him then who cares, he dont own it or spent the time and money on it. JDM term is being used WAYYYYY TO loosely, i remember when it came a blaze a few years back, people were naming this and that "JDM" and etc, its dumb but yet not i guess. Do what you want to the car and do it correctly, thats all. i know people puke when they see my green Z, more non Z people then Z guys. i mean the color is on a high level of being cool, and the interior looks like a bomb went off in there. but i dont care... and also for Euro cars people use Euro-spec as a title, because back in the day i remember J-spec being used for Jap cars. mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jjohart Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 No, I was confusing as a given...a bit of a communication disorder, otherwise known as anal explusion, but nevermind that. I have to totally agree with you as well, you've said in a short paragraph what I should have said in equally spartan terms. Funny, I write more cohesively when I'm wicked overtired/hungry...seems to set the stage for short and sweet prose, all apologies for being all over the place! Cheers-happy Chinese New Year, FWIW! John-83 280ZXT I/C'd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 lol im whiter then a white boy , but yes same to you. like i said build the car to your liken, it is yours. i still say oldschool wheel though mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilRufusKay Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 Thanx....would anybody be interested in buying any of these wheels if they were aluminum copies? Not an original wheel ...but one that was created exactly as the original ...except it would be machined aluminum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Drewz Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 Evil you are bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I could find a set of some of those styles I would buy but the price may derail my plan. What you got in mind?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilRufusKay Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 I was thinkin...find someone who has a set of these rare wheels...offer them a fee for the use of just one of them for a couple of days...use a CMM or Corodinate Measuring Machine... and duplicate them using blank aluminum billet wheels and a CNC. Would it be illegal to copy these old wheels? Are they still made? Very small changes could be made so as to not completetly copy the original and not violate copyright laws...it is done all the time in manufacturing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deep Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 Rufus, that would be brilliant for the wheels that are no longer available. But keep in mind that these wheels were high tech 2 and 3 piece wheels in their day, lightweight and used for racing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Drewz Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 You are a bad man... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 81na ZX Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Billet AL wheels are fairly light, but if your copying wheels, your not looking for absolute lightest weight. As far as my knowledge: Early watanabe 8 spokes (68) were no copywritten at all, thus all the copys. International copyrights: If the wheels were never, ever officially sold here, it might be clear. International copyrights: If the wheel COMPANY never was in the states, I don't THINK theres any legal issues. If you copy a style and modify it, technically its not copyright infringment. If you copy a wheel and don't sell it, you won't get too much trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Drewz Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Okay so copy it but I won't pay for it but will donate money to your personal Xmas fund!!! That will work right??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JAMIE T Posted January 26, 2004 Share Posted January 26, 2004 http://www.centerlinewheels.com/wheel_deals_detail.php?id=28&type=bolt&data=5-4.5 I think this wheel would look like a "J-Spec", or "JDM" wheel if you coated or painted the center section gunmetal, or black. Just leave off the center cap. The Centerline billet wheels with that center cap look ugly. Besides, I like to see the lug nuts. You'll need to convert to 5 lug, but no biggie. The backspace of that wheel are ideal for a ZG flared Z. I have 14x8 Centerline Autodrags on my '71 with the same backspace. I have 235/60/14 tires on them and they fill the wheel well up great. It is lowered alittle. I laughed out loud when FL327 said his friend wanted Centerlines with white letter tires since that is exactly how my '71 is. LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Drewz Posted January 26, 2004 Share Posted January 26, 2004 3.5 inch backspacing leaves too much room inside for me. Want a full wheel well with my Zg's but the wheel is nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z_Master Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 hey thank you for your pics and help.do you know what the last ones are? thank you again.. mike The last ones that you are referring to (the red flower looking ones) are called Sakura Cherry Blossom wheels or something like that...VEREY VERY VERY HARD TO FIND! However I have a set of these old school JDM SSRs (Small but mine!) Sizes are 15x6.5 and 15x7 both with 0 offset so that's a 3.25 inch lip in the front an 3.5 inch lip in the rear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z_Master Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 also what wheels are these? im guessing work wheels but what model? i so would like those in a 15in wheel. any info mike These wheels should be work wheels from their Equip line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z_Master Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 A couple of links to some well known JDM Wheel Companies SSR http://www.speedstar.co.jp/ Work Wheels http://www.work-wheels.co.jp/ RS Watanabe http://www.rs-watanabe.co.jp Yokohama/Advan http://www.yokohamatire.jp/yrc/japan/wheel/index.jsp Hart Wheels (Racing Hart, Lowenhart, etc...) http://www.hartwheels.co.jp/cat_all/catalog.htm Let me know if you need some more links... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z_Master Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Work Equips on a Flared ZG from the Work website Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanomon Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 I've got 2 complete sets of aluminum mid 1970's Western style wheels and tires. I'd be willing to give someone here a sweet deal on-em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlalomz Posted June 30, 2004 Share Posted June 30, 2004 These are older 15x8 2 piece racing wheels like Andy Craig had on his championship FP autocross car. The 2 pieces are glued together! There are 4 small bolts added to later models of this wheel to apease safety concerns. I have retired these wheels at the advice of a racing shop. I think they are called "Wheel Specialties". Like Panasports, these are knock offs of the mini-lite wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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