GMP - Matthew

18x8.5 ET52 and 18x10 ET54


NEW WHEELS, In stock, Ready to be Built!
Silver Centers, Polished Lips, Custom center colors available for additional cost

$3649 Shipped in the continental US.

pcar964

Isn't that a little overpriced for a cast aftermarket replica wheel?

FVD sells a 3.6T replica wheel for less than 1/2 the cost of these RH wheels. I struggle to understand the price difference.

tjr

These are true 3 piece wheels (although the offsets quoted above are completely unsuitable for a 965, although RH do make wheels with the correct offset). These are pretty much an exact copy of the original Speedline wheels (even having 40 bolts) for the 3.6 turbo and are of similar quality. They weigh about the same too.

FVD sell the Keskin KT2 which is much cheaper because it is only 1 piece (1 piece wheels are much cheaper to make) and isn't an exact replica - it only has 32 "bolts", the rim is quite different and they weigh a lot more. You can buy these brand new from a supplier who advertises them on eBay Germany for $950.

Both suffer from peeling lacquer after a few winters (just like the Speedlines incidently) although the RHs are much more expensive to refurbish as they are 3 piece.

As always, you get what you pay for, although I can't bring myself to pay that for the RH version either...

pcar964

Thanks for the explanation, good info. So basically, you pay twice as much for the RH because they have 8 more bolts per wheel, plus you get the added pleasure of periodically having to check the bolts for torque, and the possibility of air leakage with the 3 piece wheel. Sounds like a bargain

If they are indeed lighter, then I see the justification for the price difference - but how much lighter are they? Does anybody know the weights of both?

pcar964

I just found the weight of the Keskin KT2:

8.5x18 fronts 29.5lbs
9.5x18 rears 31.5lbs (supposedly they are working on a 10" and 11" version sometime in early 2009)

Not light by any standards, but I suspect not much heavier than the RH version. Does anyone know the weight of the RH Cup wheels?

GMP - Matthew

I will get with Joe who handles our fitments as far as the offsets go. I appreciate you bringing that up because if you are right we would need to change the barrel sizes.

As for the finish, well salt will eat through just anything if you let it sit on there. Like anything else they need to be taken care of.

tjr

No problem. They are actually nearer 4 times the price for a more high maintenance wheel...however they weigh in at 24 & 25 lbs, so quite a bit lighter than the Keskins.

GMP - Matthew

I will have the weight up in the am for the RH wheels!

FYI the hardware never needs to be checked for torque, the only reason you should lose air is if you bend a wheel or get a whole in the tire.

tjr

The offsets you quote are way out! You can get all the correct offsets for the P-Rad direct from the RH site:

http://www.rh-alurad.de/gutachten/RZ-041125-C0-041.pdf

I'm surprised you aren't aware of this information - are you an authorised RH reseller? How come you're building them yourself? If you are how come you're advertising them as new? In Germany the list price for a brand new set is €3,136 or c.$4k.

You are right of course re. salt but in general 3 piece wheels, especially with exposed bolts, are much more susceptible to salt than 1 piece wheels. Like a lot of beautiful things, they take more looking after...

GMP - Matthew

We are the exclusive importer for RH wheels. So yes we are an authorized distributor. When you import these wheels in from Germany, they do not come preassembled. We assemble them in our warehouse and they sit in a warm climate for 24hrs to allow the silicone to seal correctly.

We use stainless hardware, the will not rust. But the salt can eat into the finish of the wheels. However I'm not exactly sure why you would want use these wheels in the snow anyway. Your stock wheels with snow tires will perform much better.

tjr

Thanks for the clarification - you live and learn! Hopefully the above link to RH's own information re. offsets should be useful.

In the UK we don't get much snow any more, certainly not enough to require snow tyres! But we do get ice and therefore salt which unfortunately means our wheels have to withstand this. I love 3 piece wheels (especially the P Rads) it's just that they aren't as practical as 1 piece wheels in our climate and as a result they need refurbing every few years, and that costs a lot over here (c.$600/wheel!).

Cheers.

GMP - Matthew

The offsets were updated to correct ones. We apologize for the mistake, those were the 930 turbo offsets. We do have cheaper options such as the AG Cups. I believe they are on sale for $1499

Boeing 717

Why is that style so expensive?? Ive seen other wheels that are 3 piece that cant cost any more to manufacture and they are half the price or less. Is it a demand thing or just cause some guy thinks that turbo drivers are all very wealthy???

GMP - Matthew

Can you show me a similar product for less? It will help me sell my product better.

pcar964

That's what I'm getting at... it's pure markup for us lucky Porsche owners. Have you ever looked at aftermarket wheels for Japanese cars? I'm talking light, strong, forged wheels for half the price of cast Porsche replicas. It's quite annoying.

I'm not saying GMP or other resellers are necessarily gouging us - it's more likely the manufacturer of the wheels doing the gouging. And of course it's their right to do so. I just don't understand why they can't make a 1 piece replica for the same price as, say the AG Cup wheel. It doesn't cost any more to make a cast molding in one design vs another. And I bet they would sell like crazy, because the 3.6T design looks great on so many Porsche models.