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Sport Classic wheels: OEM, Wheel Dynamics, and $2550
OK, so I am looking at a set of 997 Sport Classic wheels. I love the look (haven't bought a 997 yet, but a purchase is imminent: if not the car I am PPI-ing next week, then one soon).
The wheels are the 1st order of business. I hate, hate, hate lobster claws. Most of the stock 997 (2005-2008) wheels look like period garbage. That said, I love the "sport classic" look; the polished lip and 5-spoke design looks great on any car made in the past 60 years.
I see 2 options: OEM for $4200 and Suncoast, and Wheel Dynamics for $1650. I assume the WD are cast and the OEM forged. I don't know what that really means for weight, performance, durability. Do I care about saving 2.5 lbs of weight per wheel on a 3200 lb car? Not really? Do I want a wheel that will last 8 months on average vs 5 years? Sure.
Tell me what the trade-offs are and if the more spendy wheels are worth buying.
In case you are asking; I don't want to pay an OEM premium. I certainly will consider a quality and competence premium!
Agree that if I was going to spend $4750+ on wheels of this style, I'd get the real Fuchs. That said, you could curb the wheel dynamics replicas a bunch of times and afford replacements and if you're really trying to emulate the 997 Sport Classic look, the Fuchs aren't the same.
I love the Sport Classic looks too, but I wasn't ready to spend OEM money on wheels that I might scratch up (DD car).
On my older 997 I had the Avant Garde Ruger Classic, they don't do this style anymore.
Or you can just get the WheelDynamics version.
On my current 997 I got a set of Starke SC19 wheels. They're out of the Black-Silver combo, but you can get them in Matte Silver or Gunmetal and then get them powdercoated/painted locally.
I loved that set so much that I bought the SC18 18" wheels for my winter set. They're meant for 2010 987 viz fitment, but they worked well for me as well.
On my current 997 I got a set of Starke SC19 wheels. They're out of the Black-Silver combo, but you can get them in Matte Silver or Gunmetal and then get them powdercoated/painted locally. I loved that set so much that I bought the SC18 18" wheels for my winter set. They're meant for 2010 987 viz fitment, but they worked well for me as well.
I think you might find that these are the EXACT same wheels as the Wheel Dynamics set, but at about half the cost at Tire Rack. I could be wrong but I know that wheels I looked at at Wheel Dynamics were unlabeled Starke brand, and I saved about $800 for the same thing at Tire Rack
Edit; I actually found them at Tire Rack but bought them for the same price at Discount Tire.
You can modify Porsche center caps to fit on my Stark SC19. I did. I had to grind the inner tabs down untill they snapped on. I used imitation black caps from Ebay for this.
I think you might find that these are the EXACT same wheels as the Wheel Dynamics set, but at about half the cost at Tire Rack. I could be wrong but I know that wheels I looked at at Wheel Dynamics were unlabeled Starke brand, and I saved about $800 for the same thing at Tire Rack
Edit; I actually found them at Tire Rack but bought them for the same price at Discount Tire.
I just looked over on the Tire Rack site and saw these as well, but they are only available in silver in a set. Black (rears) are available. I suppose they could be painted.
They do show a front in 8", but I thought OEM sizing is 8.5"?
This is the wheel, right? Damn, that is one clean 997; congrats to whomever built it
I saw that Fuchs had some vendors in Europe (at great prices when considering the euro to USD) but no shipping options to the states. Has anyone imported a set? Was it worth the hassle? We are doing a 987 build and I also love the look of these.
You can modify Porsche center caps to fit on my Stark SC19. I did. I had to grind the inner tabs down untill they snapped on. I used imitation black caps from Ebay for this.
Thanks for the tip. I did try some eBay center caps, but they were sooooo bad that they didn't even fit, let alone have the eBay-logo stick properly
I'll revisit this sometime soon and then will put proper center caps => you need that to complete the look IMO.
I have an RPG ducktail that's been sitting in the garage for a few months now. Will get down to that in a bit
Does anyone know if those headlights are a DIY mod, or are those stock? I really like the black outline around the headlight assembly, as shown below. I think those wheels, with the black trim everywhere else just really makes the 997 shape perfect.
That blue 997.1 is very well done.
It's difficult to tell from a grainy picture if the lights are OEM but you can easily get the look with a KI Studios vinyl ring: https://kistudios.com/product/porsch...eadlight-trim/
18s, lowered on eibachs
Personally I like the two tone -silver fans /black inset and the stepped lip which gives the car that "look" . These were the Stark wheels which I painted the insets black; whole set was less than a grand.
I prefer the sharpness / squareness of the fan blade at the widest part as opposed to the rounded look of the old/original Fuchs and other knock offs. If I could find a set exactly like these, with a bit more offset to give a slightly deeper dish and to lose 3-5 pounds per wheel - I would then spend a grand a wheel . All just my personal opinion - go for what you can find/like and are willing to pay. These wheels have balanced surprising well and so far seem strong as need they to be for the street; I do not track.
He did this headlight conversion and goes through the DIY.
On another note, this thread is 3 years old so it is possible Augment Wheels wasn't around or not very well know back then. They are Canadian wheel company and will make custom forged wheels in almost any design, color, finish, and spec, especially if you are seeking the Sport Classic wheels. You can even spec centerlock design. I have a set on order from them and they will be similar to Sport Classics. Cost is about $1100 USD per wheel, but prices may have increased since I ordered a couple months ago. No affiliation, other than being a customer. Communication can be a little lacking but the quality and look of their wheels is not in question. Check out their IG (https://www.instagram.com/augmentwheels/) and website page specifically for Porsche-inspired wheels: https://www.augmentwheels.com/pages/porsche-inspired
BTW, prices for factory Porsche Sport Classics have gone up. The last time I checked, they cost $5700 for a set.
Originally Posted by jfmartin25
Does anyone know if those headlights are a DIY mod, or are those stock? I really like the black outline around the headlight assembly, as shown below. I think those wheels, with the black trim everywhere else just really makes the 997 shape perfect.
Those Augment wheels look very nice.
I've would love if someone did an RSR type finish ( a lot of the Singer 911's come with this look).
I was going to try and paint my wheels, but am too chicken
04-12-2019, 11:48 PM
Sport Classic wheels: OEM, Wheel Dynamics, and $2550
