997_rich

I'm hooked on the idea of having a set of black wheels with aluminum/silver/chrome rims. It really goes back to my love of the old Fuchs wheels of the 70's and 80's. That being said, it's not all about style and I can't bring myself to buy purely bling cheap knockoff Fuch's reissues. I am tempted to buy either the Porsche-sold Fuchs or the Fox racing Fuchs. I'd also say that sticking with 18" wheels would be almost a requirement for ride-comfort/weigh/performance although I'm getting ready to cave to 19" due to lack of choices. I've driven a few of both and there seems to be a noticeable difference. I'm the type of guy who really likes simpler looking wheels so I shy away from the BBS snowflakes etc. Even if I bought bolt-up 2 pieces, I'd get the ones with the bolts on the inside. And of course cost is a consideration. It gets harder to justify wheels like this when I could have a 60's BMW R69s motocycle for about the same cost.

With all that in mind does anyone have any suggestions for 18" black wheels with silver rims?

Alstoy

I powdercoated my wheels. Didn't like the added attention they got at the stop light. They chipped also. Not sure if that was due to the shoddy work. Went back to the regulars after about six months. I would advise getting reputable products, like you noted. I also like your idea of staying with 18". The Fuchs are making a great comeback. Best.

Edgy01

The only forged wheels presently designed are by Fuchs in Germany--but I have yet to see one. The Fuchs lookalikes (found on the expensive 911 Sport Classic cars) are castings--and also on some of today's 997s. The Carrera Sports are also cast.

Fuchs Racing in the USA will have a set of forged one-piece drop forged wheels in another month.

rijowysock

options are so expensive, i find it ironic sometimes... i see posts like this where the buyers are eager to spend 4500-6500$ for wheels, and then add tires and TPMS, and then in the for sale section someone will have a set of 8k wheels for 3k and they take weeks to sell...

not saying i saw any in the FS section just spotting an observation, i like HRE, but would go with the COMP series to make them as light as possible, downside for you is they have exposed bolts.. super super light however so the braking/accel/corner will be improved.

oem wheels are heavy,

997_rich

Believe me.. my logic sensors are tweaking when I think about spending this kind of money on wheels. It doesn't seem right that that I could make the choice between wheels and an entire other vehicle (a vintage motorcyle to add to my moto stable for example). At the same time I'm very particular about what I want and I haven't seen any of the options above (or really anything even close) on sale used. I'm not the type of guy to make frivolous purchases- I spend a lot of time weighing what I really want and why. If it's what I want and it's within my means I get it and I usually hold onto it for some time. For example I just sold a BMW that I put down 250k miles in 10 yrs. If someone can point me in the direction of something used or some sensible alternatives (even if they are bolts ups that require disassembly and repaint of the centers) I'm all ears.

Edgy01

Wheels are a very personal decision. I think that's a big reason why Porsche AG has made so many different designs available more recently. (Years ago it was steels, cookie cutters, or Fuchs). With the less investment cost of castings, Porsche can make them much more affordable at the same time.

The high dollar forged wheels fit that rule that you get what you pay for. A drop forged wheel is quite a bit stronger, and benefits with lower weight. (A cast copy of a forged design has to have thicker walls in order to achieve the strength provided by the forged).

There are many types of forged wheels, as well. There are 3-piece forged, there are spun--forged, drop-forged, and so on. Prices often reflect the investment required to produce them, but not always. 3-piece has (usually) a spun outer wheel, attached to a forged center (where the design is), and fastened together. The fasteners add weight. But the 3-piece wheels give the producer the maximum flexibility--they can swap and build a wheel to any width and offset desired quite quickly.

The least expensive wheels today are castings out of China in which they copy the OEM wheels nearly exactly. Within weeks of the release of a new OEM pressure cast wheel the Chinese are pumping them out. Little investment is required. The casting process is the least investment intensive--drop forged are the highest.

The metallurgy involved is substantial. A cast wheel upon improper impact (e.g., to a curb) will fracture, while a drop forged wheel will bend.

Today, many opt for a set of wheels off eBay because they 'like the look' but they are trading safety away. Also, they may be misrepresenting their car in a subsequent sale when a buyer looks and sees what looks like OEM wheels, pays top dollar for the car, and subsequently discovers that the previous owner swapped on a set of Chinese knockoffs. Caveat emptor.

Photo is of a broken cast wheel found on a Smartcar. The driver merely hit a curb--and had $5000 worth of suspension, brake, wheel, and body damage.

997_rich

Edgy, I'm certainly looking for a set of forged wheels but they don't necessarily have to be bank breaking. There's a significant tooling cost for forged wheels but 2 or 3 piece forged can be almost as good depending upon construction.

Also, I do feel the need to point out that this Smart car driver, didn't just hit the curb while he was parking or something. This guy lost control and hit the curb head-on with the wheels at full lock to the left or he slipped out of a corner sideways and hit a curb hard. I don't see any rotational rim rash and the broken spokes show that they failed from pretty pure side force. Also note that the tire is split or cut axially not rotationally. This wheel hit the curb perpendicularly and it hit the curb pretty hard with the full force of the car (you don't slide sideways or push the front wheels at 15mph).

I'm not advocating for forged wheels but I'm a big advocate of looking at the data in an open way so everyone can make thier own decisions.

Anyway, do you have any suggestions for 18" forged wheels with black centers?