Today I bought some Magnesium BBS wheels. Yipeee.... But it now also means I can get on with referbing my speedlines. One problem, I have no idea how.

So here is my list of questions:

1) I want to chemically strip the old laquer off, so I keep the Speedline for Porsche. What should I use? Would paint stripper be ok?

2) Where can I get a new set of seals from?

3) What tools do I need to undo the bolts?

4) Do I need to use Lock-Tight (sp) when putting them back together?

5) What torque do I use when putting the wheels back together

6) What sequence do I use for the bolts when putting them back together?

7) Any one else done this?

He is a pic of one of my new wheels:

 

James,
Love those BBS wheels. Are they 3 piece wheels and how much you pick them up for?

 

They are 3 piece, with a magnesium centre. They weigh about 6kg each apparently, but i'll check once I find the time.

I got them through a friend at a good price.

 

I would assume if you use a chemical stripper you will destroy the polished finish and be forced to repolish the lip which will in turn remove the Speedline for Porsche marking.

Why don't you post a pic of the wheels so we can get a better idea of what needs to be refinished. It may be possible, depending on the issues, to do a local polish and re-clear coat the lip without touching the label.

BTW does it indicate what alloy the centers of the BBS's are made of. The centers of the Speedlines are also a Mag alloy so be careful not to damage the surface as corrosion will set in quickly.

 

James,
Can you post pics of your car with the BBS on them after your done. I'm really lusting for one and wanna see how it looks.

 

I have done that.
The bolts use a Torx head, and an 11 hex nut in the back. Loctite on the bolts. Do yourself a favor, and use a pneumatic wrench when taking them apart.
The lacquer comes off with std paint stripper. This will not remove teh etchings and not harm the polished finish. Then you polish them *by hand*, and simply avoid the etchings, though it takes quite some effort to remove the etchings if you polish by hand.
If you repaint the centers, do not put paint on the periphery where there is comtact with the inner and outer halves.
Do NOT clear coat the rims. It will peel off when you tighten the bolts, and you can then start over.
The seals are usually good enough to be reused. Speedline will rape you on prices. Use some hi-temp sealer from the industry and put a bead there.

 

Thanks, George. I don't have a pneumatic wrench to hand unfortunately so looks like it will be a long weekend...

What grade wet n' dry should I use to clean up the few areas of curbing I have.

Also what torque did you use when putting them back together.

The BBS have no laquer finish and need regular polishing but it is quite easy and with a coat of wax should be better able to deal with wet weather.

I get the wheels this Friday and will post a pic once the wheels are on.

 

My wheels have some minor curbing, I've seen a post on here somewhere, possibly
in the wheel/tire section about the sanding process.

Also I would like to know if you can purchase new bolts-maybe chrome as mine look
lousy.

Good luck on the project and please post photos of progress.

 

For the torque I can't remember for sure, I think it is 16 NM.
The bolts are M7X32, torx head. Hard to get, and impossible to get the exact same as original.
In all fairness, the wheels are a golden prison. We all love them because they are engraved "Speedline for Porsche", but they are heavy as hell, they corrode, are hard to find, to maintain and to repair. Me? I've sold all mine. BBS here I come.

 

I was told the Titanium bolts are no longer available and have been replaced with a stainless version. I wold think that the stainless are not as strong as the Ti ones, although may be adeqaute for most applications. I would assume if you penetrant inspect the Ti ones and they show no signs of stress cracks that they woul be reuseable.

If you do decide to take yours appart I would be curious to know how much the seperate components weigh. The centers are a magnesium/Silicon/aluminum alloy although I don't know the exact composition. I would assume that the bulk of the weight comes from the outer lips which are heavy gauge rolled aluminum.

I would also test whatever stripper you use on the polished surface before trying it. Many strippers are caustic and may etch the aluminum surface. Although there are some that are safe to use on aluminum.

 

Anthony,
If you refer to the speedline bolts, they are not titanium.
As for the weight, it is simple: every part in itself is a boat anchor. The center particularly are obscene weight-wise. And they crack...
I have played with BBS rims since and it is a day and night difference.

 

The bolts on my Speedlines are marked Ti which i presumed was to designate its material. I have been told by several sorces that the bolts were in fact made of Titanium. When I contacted the OEM they said they were and that they no longer make them in Ti and have superseeded them with SS.

I don't see how the area of the center casting is that much greater than that of the BBS Mag wheels. Since they are a Magnesium alloy there should not be that much weight difference even if one is cast vs forged. I think the big weight gain may be from the large center hub where the bolts sit and creat the offset. I was curious if you had any actuall measuremenst when you disasembled them. I was also under the assumption that although the BBS's are lighter that they require a seperate heavy spacer to make them fit properly which defeats the purpose of the weight reduction.

 

Hi Anthony,
All the Speedlines I had used steel fasteners. No Ti there. I looked into titanium bolts for mine but they were about 2$ apiece. My rim repair guy here has redone every such rim in the area and he confirms that they are not Ti.
As for the BBS rims, they can be made in every offset negating the need for spacers.

 

Curious,

Mine clearly are marked Ti and I don't believe my wheels were ever disasembled. I am assuming by the color and the marking they are Ti. SS is more Nickle Silver in color vs the greyish color that is more characteristic of Ti. I would be curious to find out more about this. I actually passed on a set of SS bolts at a great price because I wanted the original bolts. I used to have the website of the bolt manufacturer. When i put in Speedline application it came up with Ti. Although as I said they said they were no longer manufactured and are now superseeded by SS. Is it possible your guy has just been purchasing the SS ones all along and did not realize the change? Would be curious to know.

I calculate the weight of the Speedline centers to be between 8 & 8.5 pounds in a magnesium alloy and would weigh closer to 11 pounds if they were made from an Aluminum Alloy. I would be curious to how much the centers of the BBS Mag alloys weigh. I am assuming the maximum weight reduction based on the centers is between 1.5 and 2 pounds. I would think that the bulk of the weight savings is due to a thinner outer lip on the BBS and the reduction is due to less material. Althoug this would make them more prone to damage.

 

Here is a picture of a Speedline bolt. These were on all the Speedline for Porsche rims I have ever seen, including new-in-the-box ones: