Hey guys, just wanted to give everyone an update on the continuing story of the new 26'er I recently bought two weeks ago and the upgraded wheels I was having so much trouble getting from Weber. About a day or two after a Weber CSR refused to sell me a set of the new 2015 rubber wheels, I called back late in the evening and tried again. I had better luck on the second try.
This time, I didn't mention anything about already owning a 26'er, I simply stated I wanted to buy a set of the new 2015 wheels for a 26.75 kettle. The woman I talked to didn't ask any questions. She simply looked up the price and I told her I would take two. Problem solved!
The wheels arrived today and I have already installed them on my 26'er and I must say, they are a significant improvement over the old plastic ones. I figured they would be better just by their appearance on the floor model of the new grills on display at my local HD.
First of all, I don't know how many of you have had a chance to see these new wheels up close or have had a chance to try them out and play with them, but they are sharp! Holding an old one in one hand and a new one in the other hand to compare the two, I would say the new one is almost double the weight (or at least 1.5x the weight of the old one). Although they don't have ball bearings in them, when they roll they seem as if they do. The wheels roll heavy, quiet, and smooth. No rumble, wobble, or noise when your rolling them. The sound of the old wheels rolling remind me of the sound of the plastic wheels on a kid's Big Wheel tricycle. It has that distinctive rumble of hollow plastic rolling across concrete.
The new wheels come with spacers that fit between the flat end of the leg and the inside hub of the wheel. The wheel covers are different as well. The old covers (pre 2015) won't fit the new wheels (I tried already). The look and the design are different as well. Overall, I would definitely say that it is a significant improvement in looks and function.
I have the old set of wheels w/wheel covers and new nut caps if anyone is interested or needs to upgrade their wheels? I'll let them go cheap. I don't need them and just want to recoup some of my money back for the upgrade. These are 8" wheels for a 26, so they won't fit a 22.5. Send me a PM if you're interested? Thanks.