C4 Pazzo

I'm trying to decide if I should refinish my factory Turbo Look light alloy wheels (18x10, 18x7.5) to get rid of the curb rash on the rears and one of the fronts that drives me nuts every time I see it. Or to bite the bullet and get some nice aftermarket wheels, and perhaps go wider in the front and rear (currently running 225/265 pirelli assimetricos which have some life left, but I could be persuaded to swap 'em out early). Cost to refinish is $125/wheel at Stockton Wheel Service.

Car is a 2000 C4 Cab. Couple of DEs per year plus weekend fun runs. Besides $$$, what are the pros/cons of each option? Recommendations for refinishing in the SF East Bay/Stockton area? Recs for aftermarket wheels (style, size)? TIA

Dwayne Williams

I have the Turbo look wheels and decided to get them refinished. Cost about the same as you're looking at (about $100 per wheel) and they looked brand new when done. I'm glad I went that route cause I've always like the turbo look wheels.

JS

Upgrade to the Sport Designs, 18x8,18x10

P-Car fanatic

I personally really like them too!

Rams86

I believe the Turbo Look II wheels are the best looking option and think any after-market wheels look "pimpish" on a Porsche. I'm not a big fan of the Sport Techno's and especially the Sport Design.

I had some curb rash repaired on mine at Newport Beach Posche and although they looked brand new at first, the finish has since chipped off in some areas.

Brad
'03 Turbo X-50

evo_333

Agreed if you don't want to go aftermarket (non-OEM).

Going against popular vote, I say spring for aftermarket rims if you can fit it in your budget. Too many 996s out there have turbo rims, and they are quite tame-looking on narrowbody cars. IMHO

kilrgt

I like the Factory Turbo Twists, I like them so much they are my winter wheels

TT Surgeon

The TT's are nice wheels, but sport technos are the best IMO, just expensive. Aftermarket wheels don't always look so good on a porsche, bbs are the exception.
I had my rears redone a yr ago, looked 99% as good as new, the guy rushed on one.

Rob in WA

I love the turbo (look) wheels. I'm trying to get my bro to go aftermarket so I can buy his hollow spokes.

Just reserve a Saturday and follow these steps:

Home Curb Rash Repair

Bridgestones (SO2A - S03) give a little better protection.

C4 Pazzo

Thanks for all the input. I still haven't decided what I'll do, though I'm leaning toward refinishing. Kilrgt, good idea re: using them for winters, though where I live in Calif temps rarely fall below 40 F. Might make more sense to throw on some Pzero Nero M+S (I know its heretical to even consider, but it's tempting). If I get new wheels I might keep the Turbo Looks for dedicated winter tires and early/late season trips to the mountains. Rob, thanks for the link; I had forgotten about that one. I can just imagine the mess I could make with the silver spray paint.
Thanks also for the recs on new wheels. I also like the stock Cayman wheels, though I don't know what the offsets are. I imagine they'll start showing up on eBay early next year as people start upgrading.

C4 Pazzo

Update: I ended up refinishing three of the turbo looks. Stockton Wheel Service did a decent job at a very reasonable price ($65/wheel x 3, plus $13 x 4 to mount and balance new tires). They only refinished the lip; didn't touch the spokes. The wheels definitely don't look like new, but they look A LOT better than they did with the curb rash. They didn't let the paint dry before mounting the tires, so they had to do some touch up on two of the wheels, which turned out fine (they used Krylon Dull Aluminum spray paint, which matches the factory color quite well). It took longer than it should have, partly due to the holidays and partly due to having to order new tires (Bridgestone Potenza RE750s).

I forgot to take before pics, but here are the afters of the right rear and right front wheels.

Eric - Plug Guy

Now come into my office for some true aluminum billet wheel caps with crest....

C4 Pazzo

You are tempting me, Eric....