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I have seen threads on track wheels, mostly talking 18" inch, and best looking, but none of them seem to combine the two.
What is the best looking, lowest weight 17" wheels that are not crazy money (half the value of my car), or impossible to find?
So my 93 was optioned with 17" wheels, which I am fine with, other than those were replaced with 17" mille miglia clones of the originals, I think, after market at some point. Which I think the quality is fine, just heavier than the OEM. I think right now I am 17x7.5 and 17x9, stock offsets.
I like the setup of the 17" for compromise of both street use and New England roads, along with DE work a few times a year.
So all around, it looks like my M&M Cup 1 wheels are 48 kilos (106lbs) total all around.
So maybe Cup 2 OEM, will be about 39 (86lbs) kilos total.
Will 20lbs make that much of a difference? Unsprung/rotating weight and all?
Is this 20lbs like losing, 40-60 lbs of sprung weight, as far as acceleration is concerned?
Agree, some kind of factory cup wheel, probably Cup 2, is the best bang for your buck that doesn't compromise quality or weight. You can't do much better than 17x7 weighing 19 lbs and 17x9 weighting 21-22 lbs. You can find sets for $500-1k and they're MUCH better than heavy replica wheels. You will notice a difference, probably in quality and balance moreso than weight while driving.
Agree, some kind of factory cup wheel, probably Cup 2, is the best bang for your buck that doesn't compromise quality or weight. You can't do much better than 17x7 weighing 19 lbs and 17x9 weighting 21-22 lbs. You can find sets for $500-1k and they're MUCH better than heavy replica wheels. You will notice a difference, probably in quality and balance moreso than weight while driving.
Pics of the Porsche 911 model year 02 (MY02) wheels in chrome (go easy, they were for the wife), and Porsche 911 Carrera III in silver on 968 cabrios here.
I searched the interwebs high and low literally for months for a decent set of lightweight 17" wheels for my car, much like what you're after (although being a track car, looks aren't that important to me). We Porsche drivers have two major strikes against us as far as wheel selection: the unique-to-Porsche 5 x 130mm blot pattern, and the fact that the hubs on Porsches stick out farther than on most other cars, necessitating a larger-than-typical offset to allow the wheel to fit under the fenders, particularly in the front. These factors effectively disqualify us from the vast selection of lightweight, well-made, nice-looking aftermarket wheels, at least in 17". There are a few (very few) 18" wheels available to fit Porsches, but like you, I wanted to stick with 17" because of their lighter weight, and significantly lower tire prices. I ended up going with a set of 17 x 9" Twists. I agree they're not the best-looking wheels, but I picked them up for a song - something like $150 apiece. At 21 lbs, they're not the lightest, but not too terribly heavy, either.
They are arguably better looking than the Twists, but they're rarer, and therefore hard to find. I looked a long time, and gave up after I never found a set come up for sale. The other drawback to these wheels is that they only come in 17 x 9" and 17 x 7", which is a ridiculously large amoung of stagger for a car with 50/50 weight distribution. Actually, I think ANY amount of stagger on this car is too much. Good luck finding four of these in 17 x 9", though.
The only other alternative is to go custom, which is insanely expensive. Here are my if-I-win-the-lottery wheels:
I'm with you. I'm giving away the 16" wheels due to lack of tyre choice and moving to 17" - again because of cost of tyres, 17" being cheaper than 18". I picked up some 17" twists and will be running 8.5" front with 235/45 and 9" rear with 255/40 Yokohama A050 tyres. These are R spec road legal tyres that have about the same grip as a Hoosier R6 and don't heat cycle out. Unfortunately (for you) they are available only in Japan and Australia. Not "cheap" though, still $2,000 per set (about $500 more than Hoosiers down here).
Twists actually look pretty good once they are painted matte black. Not such a fan of them in silver.
Thanks to a local rennlist member, I picked up a set of factory Cup II wheels. I wanted to stick stock sizes, as my current is 17x7.5 and 17x9 with aftermarket mille miglia, and I like the suspension and handling the way it currently is with the mods.
Spacers, Club Sport Front springs, m030 sway bar, koni adjustable front and rear, etc. The wheels were refinished at some point, and that is chiping off, so I want to get them all cleaned up, and repainted.
I can stick with the factory gray/silver color, or go with something a little fancier.
My car is grand prix white. While I don't really care for the black out look (makes the car look like the wheels are missing) I was thinking of going for a darker gray, anyone have some examples? Less silver, more gray that is.
Also, I have heard things about rimpro in Tewskbury, MA. $175 per wheel.
Anyone have experience with them? What is the best way to get wheels refinished, without compromising them for strength, etc.
Color something like this maybe, not sure what most would call it?
If you need spacers anyway, then no harm considering adapters to a more common size like 5x114.3. Adapters are no less strong than spacers and it opens up more options.
Cheers,
Mike
07-26-2015, 11:19 AM
Lightest and Best looking wheel for a 968
