It’s time again for another round of OE roulette. By that I mean new applications that will either cause us grief or give us new opportunities.

First off the block is the new Cadillac CTS.

This car had been changed and we didn’t find out until the last minute before it was released for production. Gone are the easy to fit, high offset 5-115mm bolt pattern and 12mmx1.5 lugs, now replaced by 5-120mm and 14mmx1.5. I don’t know who dreamed up this combination, but we have seen it on the Honda Ridgeline and the Lexus LS460.

Just as before, the 5-120mm isn’t the worst part, it’s the huge 14mm studs that cause the problem. The lug holes have to be drilled specifically to accommodate them. So far, the car has done well in sales, but for a car whose target market is to compete with BMW instead of Lincoln, you would have thought that “performance upgrades” like, oh say, wheels, would be high on the priority list. As it stands, expect to order wheels for this ride from a company that can drill the bolt pattern or for a full performance upgrade, call on the high-end forged manufacturers and be ready to ask a healthy price from your customer.

Next up, the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class. This is a stunning car for the money. Right out of the box, it has been a hit. Styling cues taken from the S-Class have transcended down and this car is hot.

Two versions are offered: luxury and sport. The luxury model retains the traditional hood ornament and subtle styling, whereas the sport gets a unique grill, bolder styling and a more aggressive stance. Chassis code for this model is W204. Don’t even think about putting wheels from an older model on this one. It retains the same 5-112mm bolt pattern as before, but pushes the offset well into the +45mm to +55mm range and requires the 14mmx1.5 lug bolts that have been on the larger cars and SUVs.

Lorinser, Brabus and other high-end lines will be about the only choice for a while. Out of the box one-piece wheels will be scarce until production numbers get up a bit to make sense to build new molds.

Moving to Toyota, the new Sequoia is arriving at dealerships right now.

Based on the Tundra platform using the same 5-150mm bolt pattern and 14mmx1.5 lugs, expect to see this much larger second generation SUV muscling in on the Tahoe/Yukon and Expedition/Navigator turf. The current Tundra wheel and tire packages look like they will work as well. One note though, the Sequoia has a tow rating of 10,000 pounds, which far exceeds the others. Make sure you know how much load capacity the wheel that you sell has and understand how to make air pressure adjustments to maintain the required load capacity of the OE tire. The same platform is also shared with the Land Cruiser, although I don’t see it being restyled like the Sequoia.

Expect to see the Lexus LX570 sibling arrive shortly afterwards. Although it has never been a platform for aftermarket wheels, mainly due to the 5-150mm bolt pattern and low production numbers, you may see it starting to vie for the attention of a potential Escalade owner if the body lines look right and other bolt-on accessories become available. Speaking of which, Toyota held a press conference at SEMA announcing the launch of a new OE accessory program to be offered through its dealerships.

Also at SEMA, Lexus unveiled a new IS f that according to the company “is everything that you thought we weren’t.”

By that, they mean a dual overhead cam 5.0 liter pushing over 400 HP and nearly as much torque delivered through the very first eight-speed direct shift sport automatic with paddle shifters. It will come with 19-inch wheels and enough electronic stuff to make an F1 car take notice. Looks like the 5-4.5 bolt pattern will remain along with the 12mmx1.5 lugs and high offset.

Moving a little further out, the all-new 2009 Corolla and Matrix will see the streets later in the year. I’ll check them out for you in the July issue.

While we are on the subject of the future, I want to point out something that is going to become more and more of our present day lives: Hybrid vehicles.

As you know, most automakers are introducing medium to large SUVs with hybrid technology. Most of us, myself included, do not have a great deal of experience with these vehicles. What I do know is this: Customers will want to personalize their vehicles and will look to us to make it happen. If you sell a plus-sized application for a hybrid vehicle, I would suggest that you either explain to the owner that the potential gas mileage may be affected if they opt for a heavy wheel and tire package over the stock assembly.

That being said, I believe that this is a selling point for the usually more expensive light alloy wheels. This is because at $3-$4 per gallon, a reduction of just three miles per gallon can cost them $300-$400 per year based on driving 12,000 miles per year. If they drive 20,000 miles per year, this number goes up to as much as $700! This is a reasonable argument even for all-gas models, as well.

The new Scion xD appeared a few months ago and is targeted toward the same market as the Honda Fit and Nissan Versa.

It has a 5-100mm bolt pattern and 12×1.5mm lugs. No-brainer here. For $17,000, it is a platform to help a future enthusiast get their feet wet in aftermarket goodies. Speaking of which, Scion is offering an abundance of bolt-on parts for the car.

Be ready to offer your own products, because Toyota is gaining strength in this program.
Nissan has rolled out the new Rogue, which is a slightly smaller and much less expensive CUV that takes styling cues from the Murano.

It has the usual 5-4.5 bolt pattern, 12mmx1.25 lugs and high offset. Helping us out is the fact that the OE 215/70R16 tires have an OD of almost 28 inches. This allows us to run 245/40R20 or maybe a 255/35R20 if the offset is right. Check the inside clearances, it gets a little close in some areas near the body with an 8.5-inch wide wheel.

By the way, Nissan is implementing a gauge into their 2008 cars to show fuel economy. I would bet more people pay closer attention to unsprung weight in the very near future, now that they can visually see the effect of heavy wheels.

Around the corner is the new Murano and beyond that is the new 4WD twin-turbo 3.8 GT-R to be released as a 2009 and sold for the first time through U.S. dealerships.

Lastly, back in July I updated you on the Chevy Cobalt LT now arriving with a 5-110mm bolt pattern and suggested that the LS would probably be the same because I didn’t have a 2008 to check. Looks like GM kept the 4-100 for the LS after all. Sorry about that. It just goes to show you how much we have to know just to sell a wheel.