About Bavaria/Nutek Wheels


Unlike many companies today that are merely “marketers” of wheels produced by some offshore factory in a remote location of the world, Nutek is in fact the “manufacturer” of their entire line of wheels. More to the point, our wheels are made in the USA, where Nutek can closely oversee the production and quality processes that define every Nutek wheel. While we believe this to be essential, the real story lies in what’s behind the scenes, owners with more than 40 years of combined experience. One of our owners was the founder of HRE, a company well known as an industry leader in three piece modular wheels. Prior to selling the company 1998, he invested nearly 20 years in developing the technology that has set the industry standard for quality and excellence in modular wheel products.

So, it is no secret that Nutek has the experience to build quality three piece wheels. What is more compelling is the fact that we have focused all of this experience on taking the modular wheel to the next level in its evolution. With so many companies getting into the three piece wheel business, we realized that it would be essential for us to set ourselves apart from the pack, and to do that, we decided to challenge the status quo. Only at Nutek, will you find the highest levels of precision machining. While the others produce designs for 3 axis mills, we’re pushing the envelope with designs that require 5 axis milling. We thrive on complex surfaces while our competitors must walk away. This allows us to offer unique and creative designs and unusual finish combinations in two and three color combinations. But we didn’t stop there, we obviously offer the standard finishes like chrome and paint, but we also offer anodized, ceramic and carbon fiber combinations as well.

Our goal, in fact, our passion, is to offer serious motoring enthusiasts wheel products that stand above all others. At Nutek, we believe we accomplish our goal by ensuring the highest quality, the most innovative designs, and the most “unique finishes” available in the wheel industry today.

Who are the founders of Nutek Wheels and what is their background?

Only two founders, Gene Howald and Dan Lezotte. Gene is best known as the founder of HRE Performance wheels, a company whose roots date back nearly 30 years ago. Prior to that, Gene was involved in Formula 2 car racing and it was from his involvement in racing that HRE was formed. The name actually was merely an adaptation of Howald Racing Enterprises, hence using the first letters of each word. Since Gene’s family was from Switzerland, he opted to incorporate the Swiss flag in the logo and that icon has remained a part of the brand identity ever since. Gene has always been a motorsports enthusiast, starting out as a sponsor in AA Fuel drag racing and then on to his personal involvement in formula car racing and racecar fabrication. He is a member of the SEMA Wheel and Tire Council and was nominated in 2011 for the “Lifetime Achievement” award.

Dan Lezotte became a manufacturer’s rep and product engineer right after graduating from college. He has worked in the automotive industry exclusively since he began his career. The past 12 years have been dedicated solely to wheels and the growth of Custom Wheel Solutions (CWS). Dan worked primarily in the OEM segment of the wheel industry until he and Gene decided to step across the line and rejoin the aftermarket by setting up Nutek as a small manufacturing facility in Southern California.

Today, Gene and Dan own two separate companies to address the needs of their growing list of customers. Custom Wheel Solutions focuses primarily on larger OEM customers where complete turnkey product development support is required, while CWS California, or Nutek as the company is known in the industry, specializes in providing private label manufacturing as well as marketing its own brands under the Nutek and Bavaria labels.

You can read more about Nutek in Secret Entourage's interview here:
http://www.secretentourage.com/lifes...-nutek-wheels/