Wednesday, September 14, 2005

GT Incorporated This Hummer H3 wears GT Incorporated wheels with the simulated and body-colored beadlock design.

Soup it up

Enhancements add muscle to Hummer H3

H1-style wheels don't let anything stand in drivers' way despite the new model's smaller size.

By Larry Edsall / Special to The Detroit News

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The avalanche has begun: The Hummer H3 has just hit the market and already aftermarket enhancements are rolling in, ready for installation. Among them are H1-style wheels from GT Incorporated -- and these wheels are strong enough to get your vehicle through an avalanche or seemingly anything else that might stand in its way.

Las Vegas-based GT Incorporated was founded by R. Thomas Cepek Sr., son of the late and acclaimed aftermarket equipment producer Dick Cepek, who started producing equipment for four-wheel-drive vehicles more than 40 years ago.

The family wheel and tire business was sold after Dick's death -- and later it was sold again. Tom then launched his own business to produce aluminum wheels and other aftermarket equipment for Hummers and other serious off-road vehicles, including Land Rovers, Land Cruisers and the European-built Pinzgauer. He also supplies several off-road racing teams.

Cepek's H3 wheel is based on the heavy-duty wheel he produces for the H1, but this accepts the factory H3 wheel center and factory-installed tire pressure monitoring equipment.

"Some people will buy them for their load rating," says Cepek. "Some will want them for cosmetic reasons."

The wheel is available in 17- or 18-inch diameters. Prices start at $350 per wheel.

GT wheels are rated to carry as much as 4,500 pounds. Cepek's frequent customers include heavy-duty pickup owners with extreme cargo loads and the armoring industry, where vehicles can weigh 14,000 pounds after being equipped with bullet- and bomb-proofing materials.

The H3 wheel is available with a fully functioning beadlock ring or with a beadlock look that Cepek calls Simulock. In either case, the rings are available in a variety of colors.

While the heavy-duty H3 wheel weighs 37 pounds, the 17-inch cosmetic version, wrapped with a BFGoodrich 285/70-aspect "mud" tire, adds only two pounds per corner compared to the factory wheel/tire package.

For more information, including a list of retail outlets carrying the wheels, visit the GT Incorporated Web site at www.hummerproducts.com or call (949) 394-1578.

Larry Edsall is a Phoenix-based freelance writer. You can reach him at (602) 300-4518 or ledsall@cox.net.