Only reason I chimed in is because my rear bumper, now a True TT bumper modified to fit a narrow body was originally a fiberglass TT "Look" rear....it looked exactly the same, unless you had a real one next to it....it went on easy, was painted, and before long, it developved cracks in the paint. (????) like spiderwebs in the corners, as if the fiberglass was moving, and the paint wasnt...odd...then it began to ripple...you could begin to see the ripples in the bumper. what originally looked great, within a year looked 'fake' like a body kit on a Honda Civic....I HATED it. Then by luck I was rear ended and had the other guys insurance company replace it with a genuine TT bumper, had it modified to fit a narrow body and its an MUCH better fit, quality is better. Oh and the fiberglass bumper cracked right down the center from not a hard hit. A factory bumper would have MAYBE needed new paint. So there is a huge difference sometimes in function, but not in looks...you decide what works for you. I have found that bargain priced stuff usually is priced that way for a reason, and now I wont touch it. If I can't afford the real stuff, I'll wait. That being said there is ALOT in between the wheels mentioned here and the most expensive wheels, you can find LOTS of wheels that are a good value...you do not have to spend 5k for rims. My point was that there are tradeoffs....almost always, be aware of them and if it works for you, then go for it...its your car. Do with it what you will.....Oh and thanks for the compliments Jake...I wanted to do something unique yet very factory looking...So all factory body pieces, PSS9 suspension, and a ton of audio mods....but it all has a factory look to it. Some people may want a more custom look and would choose differnt body kits and rims, thats cool too....Thats the coolest thing about Porsche's is you can mod them in SOOOOOO many ways and each one is unique.

 

Not to beat a severly beaten horse here, but I had a set of 19" AMG knock-offs from "Modular Wheels" (they also go by the name Highline Wheels) on my C230 Mercedes and never had any issues. Additionally, I had a blowout and the rim stayed in perfect condition after driving one mile on the dead tire. The biggest problem with every replica wheel set I have ever owned is the fact that some need spacers to allow for front caliper clearance, which can lead to shimmy at highway speeds... somewhat annoying.

They are not REAL 3-piece wheels, they just look as such.

A note to the condescending - Some of us can barely afford the Porsches we have (such as myself) and love, and some don't have the coin to shell out $6000 for new rims. Of course, I'm still rolling on my 18" twists as I can't even afford knock-offs, but maybe I'm a poser too! Just my 2 pesos

 

You and me both, just picked up an 02 996 C2 about a month ago. The price was right due to the winter season in Toronto and I still have my Saab Viggen Conv. that I'm driving for the winter.
2 car payments is killing me, a couple of months to go and the Saab goes to my GF. Then I may have some $ to spend on upgrades. I do agree with newport...if I can;t afford the real stuff, I'll wait for deals or save up. I spent over 8g on my Saab in the past 4 years and no regrets.
Check my post on " Don't want a 993 anymore" talk about us lucky ones driving a P car.

 

For some cars its not going to make that much of a difference....for some cars it will make more of a difference...Porsche's are very sensitive to wheels, tires (they have their own N-Spec certification), suspension, etc....if you get it wrong, its wrong...bolt pattern and offset is just the beginning....alot of replicas, not saying these are or not, are just matching bolt patterns...thats why some have totally WRONG offsets. They may fit the car, but they were no designed for it...this can do lots of things like put stress on suspensions compnents or just make it handle bad, or wear tires funny, or cause shimmy in the wheel....lots of things....people are not just saying its bad for the sake of doing it....I may have the $$$ for $6K rims, but my wife would kill me, so I looked at cheaper alternatives...used or less expensive rims. I got a set of takeoffs for VERY cheap....worked for me...again, if you like them, then do it, just know the pros and cons so you know what you may be getting youserlf into.

 

Wait wait wait, so the wheels on your car (beautiful by the way) are takeoffs?! Now I'm confused. Wheel Dynamics?

 

Takeoffs...NOT knockoffs....They TOOK them off a Porsche 997...and sold them to me. They are Porsche factory 997 19" Sport Design wheels, custom painted. Yes Wheel Dynamics sells knock offs...those look pretty good, but they do weigh more than mine...Mine are lighter than my 18" twists they replaced.

 

Just based on those two pics....I like the knock offs better than the flat black factory wheel.

 

Can you say CAST? Can you say FORGED? That is the difference. One is made by the lowest bidder in Tawain.................. I wonder which one, hmmmm. All I'm saying is it's not BBS, it's not OEM, or champion quality. There is a difference whether you want to realize it or not. Nobody gets a free ride. Stop being DOLTS>

 

Can you say cast is better for road than forged? Forged breaks, cast bends and can be fixed.

Most street wheels are cast.

 

Yea...Dolts. Whatever that is?

Bought a set of Cup II replicas from the Tire Rack once. Could not keep them from getting bent on pot holes. Everytime I got new tires I had to have them straightened. That is the big draw back. As for a poser, I really don't care one way or the other as long as you like it it is fine with me.

 

No question Forged wheels are better than cast. My Champion RG5's weigh less than 20#'s each (even the 18" x 11" rears). Additionally, forged wheels are stronger than a cast wheel of similar design.

FWIW, both cast or forged wheels can bend or break. However, the stronger forged wheels will take more abuse.

The only problem is price, as with most things that are better, forged cost $$$.

 

Be sure and talk about something you know something about. Forged is the best and why race wheels are built forged. Most street wheels are cast because people will not pay the money for forged. Porsche use to charge in 80's dollars $1,200 for a 928 forged wheel.

Dare you to break a well made forged wheel. Your suspension and car will need repair also.

 

forged is better.......... that's why it's more expensive.......

 

yeah based on those pics, i like his clean wheels better than my dirty ones...they are gloss black not flat....maybe this is a better pic....

 

Forged versus cast and strength? Here is a nice thread to look at...
996 Cast Pistons

In addition...true...forged is stronger...but then again so is a TT engine, so why didn't we all go an buy a TT? We all know the answer to that.

Typically people buy forged for their lighter weight, but nowadays, that doesn't always hold true. You need to do your research on the wheel and not assume forged==light.

Also, you can get many light cast wheels cheap...example at 21 lbs...
Enkei NT03-M If you like the style of course.

Then you decide whether an extra 2 lbs off a wheel is worth an extra $500/wheel...or is it better using that $2K towards a supercharger...or better yet...a TT .

The point is that...
A good cast wheel is a decent option...whether it is a knockoff or not. "You get what you pay for" only works downwards, and understand, there is always someone upwards that will give YOU the same rational.

thanks,
Amir