177mph

True story.....

BBS and HRE dealer: Welcome to the showroom - what can I help you with?

Me: Im looking for a set of forged track wheels for my 996 GT3. I have set of OZ Alleggeritta's but I cracked the spokes.

Dealer: Thats gonna be tough. Those cars are center locks.

Me: Um...no they're not. They're 5 lug.

Dealer: Are they? Huh. Ok. Well - the best bet for your money is a set of OZ Alleggerittas....

Me: Like the ones I just cracked? Great. Thanks for your time.....

Dealer: Have a good day....

KenW

Check in with John, "Powdrhound" for BBS Wheels

powdrhound

Unfortunately, sometimes just because someone is a "dealer" does not necessarily mean they have much in depth knowledge regarding a particular application. When it comes to maximizing fitment and custom set ups nothing beats hands on experience of what will and will not work.

Marv

I run 3-piece Fikse wheels and have had good luck with them and the company.

I cracked the inside rear rim and dreaded splitting the rim and resealing it, but the guy from the manufacture said it would be a cake walk and it was.

At least for me it was good service from both the California distributor and the manufacture.

mistermct

Ha. That's annoying.

Were the cracks fatigue or impact?

177mph

Its unclear. Probably a little of both....

mistermct

How many years / track days? I'm considering these vs forged

AudiOn19s

Oz’s pretty much need to be seen as a 2 year wear item on these cars because our cars will break pretty much any wheel you put on there eventually. I actually just found one of my CCW forged rears cracked...the second set of CCW’s I’ve broken in 5 years.

I might try forgeline this time around since CCW management went to **** when they sold the company.

mistermct

2 years is approx how many on track hours? And what tire? I plan to stay on 200tw

powdrhound

Wheel build day. To me wheels are a safety item and probably one of the most stressed parts on the car. I would not skimp there. E88s are as tough as it gets. I have 4 sets I use on my car and have never had any issues whatsoever...

Nickshu

Anyone seeing cracking or issues on the stock GT3 wheels? I have 3 sets of them, they are heavy but have accumulated them b/c they seem like the most durable?

powdrhound

All the OEM wheels are very heavy but extremely durable at the same time...

Martin S.

To the OP., it really would be helpful to know how many sessions you had on your now bent O.Z. wheels. And an annotation on your track driving style, your drive over the gators? We all know that on some tracks this is a necessary evil.

I had O.Z. Allegritta wheels on my 993, bent and cracked at least 3 of them. Tire Rack replaced 2 of them....then the romance came to an end. I finally sold off a straight set, and had to toss one into a dumpster. I don't even remember what I did with the other wheels....probably buried somewhere in my storage unit.

There is no arguments what O.Z. Allegritta have going for them, they are very light compared to the factory wheels, and they are cheap, 1/3 the cost of a set off E88 wheels Don't think for a moment E88s are indestructible, you can bend them driving on the gators....the good news, the spun aluminum inners and outers can be straightened, or replaced if needed.The forged aluminum centers should be indestructible

Think of aftermarket wheels as a consumable, and inspect them carefully before, during and after a track event. Most won't do this, I haven't been as diligent as I need to be. The O.P. note was a wake up call for me. And I must confess, even after my initial bad experience with the OZ wheels on my 993 track car (since sold), last year I acquired 2 sets for my GT3. I just couldn't resist cheap and light.

In my heart, I want a set, maybe 2 sets, of E88 wheels, and sell off the O.Z. Allegrittas. Love the E88 forged centers, their light weight, and the re-buildable factor. The other nice thing, the wheels can be made wider if need be new inserts/outers

mistermct

My desire to get aftermarket was to protect the OEM wheels from fatigue / cracking. I expect every wheel to have a service life.. so, in my opinion, it's really about the lifetime cost and timing out with a margin of safety (and that margin is unfortunately quite subjective). If they really are that strong.. then maybe I'm fine with my 2-3 track days per year for the next several years and routine inspection?

John - the BBS are your go-to for balance of performance (weight) and safety (strength). What's your timeout (EOL and rebuild) on the BBS? Are these wheels strong enough (ie, very unlikely to fail catastrophically) that you only EOL a part when inspection reveals an issue?

AudiOn19s

If you're running OZ on a 200 treadwear tire and only 2-3 events per year you can probably get 5 years out of them before you really have to worry about them. I bought a set of mis-matched color rear OZ's in a pinch because tire rack had them on closeout and ran them for a seaon because I didn't have lead time to wait for wheels but I checked every single session to make sure there was no signs of cracking because I was terrified of running them with slicks.

That said, I have another brand new set of OZ's I just picked up for a worst case scenario should I need something to cover me for a short while. They aren't a BAD wheel, they're just not up to long term abuse at the track on really sticky rubber.

I've always been a 1 piece forged wheel guy cause I was afraid of bending spun lips on the BBS wheels...but maybe it's time I sack up for a set of E88 and call it a day???

...the latest CCW casualty. These were 6 years old to to their credit so I'm not exactly mad about it.


I did recently pick up a set of brand new forged magnesium wheels for only $700....don't think the 5" kart wheels will work on the GT3 though!