Sam CS 05

Is there a major difference between Porsche OEM rims and replica ones when it comes to driving experience, performance and safety considering the major price difference? I have always been interested in upgrading my Turbo wheels to the Cayenne Techno Sport wheels.
TIA.
Sam

jumper5836

You wouldn't notice any driving difference unless you have a manufacturer defeat.
For a normal driving there shouldn't be no safety issues. I would say though that for performance driving the OEM wheels have been tested with the vehicle weight and under load. They are proven that they are be able to be trashed around on the race track. Replica wheels should not be used in this circumstance.

For replicas, I'd recommend them sent to a shop to have them balanced to ensure they are not way out of wack or have defects.

HD2pct

I have two sets of replicas and I have not been killed in a fiery accident yet, and I do tend to drive the thing in a, well....."spirited" fashion here and there.

But jumper's point about testing is well-taken. If you are racing your Cayenne (ie have a screw loose), you might want to seriously consider the OEM wheels.

Slow Guy

I've only got the GTS replicas (in 20") on my Pepper but would not hesitate to do them again. Right after I installed these I went to the Porsche Palooza event in NW Arkansas where we did some pretty serious driving in the twisties, for a while I was being followed by Brian in his CGT, he told me he was very impressed by what the Pepper could do. No issues with the wheels or the Yoko Prada Spec X's from me.

Sam CS 05

Ha ha...no loose screws and no racing is planned for my Cayenne, at most I may chase a BMW on a HWY. So if I understand correctly they are for the most part interchangeable for normal driving. The price difference in a set of 4 could be close to $1500.
Thx J5836, HD2PCT& 993BillW.
Sam

teamwenz

Depending on the size you want take off's are available. Suncoast has a 18" set brand new with new Michelin tires on them as well. Removed from a brand new vehicle for 1,000 bucks plus shipping. They don't have tire sensors in them, but you can get them from Suncoast as well. If you are looking for larger wheels keep on the look out. For some reason people buy brand new vehicles and remove the stock wheels and tires spend huge money on buying fashion statements and give away the stockers. Eli at Wheel Enhancement is another one to check with.

user 83838290

Just be careful with replicas, choose a replica manufacturer that you can trust. A friend of mine had some Taiwan made replicas on his BMW and they ended up like this: http://www.bmwklub.sk/download/file.php?id=7250 you don't want to see how the rest of the car looked like... He hit a dent in the road at about 90mph.

I also had some Italian made 17" replicas on my BMW for one season, but was glad to sell them and I bought 19" OZ Superleggera instead - the difference was huge (weight, wheel balance ... ), it was like driving different car.

Dennis C

I run replicas for my winter wheels. They're fine - I can't tell the difference. I bought mine at www.wheelenhancement.com and their service was great.

Sam CS 05

Teamwenz, Thx for the tip, current wheels are 18", is there a major difference in ride quality or comfort if upgrading to the 20" set?

Your point is well taken, that is one scary pic.

Thx Dennis, I'll check them out.

Sam

Slow Guy

I expect your ride quality/comfort will be better w/ 18's than 20's. The benefits w/ the larger wheels are 1) LOOKS and 2) because there's not as much sidewall a stiffer better handling ride.

That's the reason I went w/ aftermarket 20" wheels, I wanted the better looks of the 20 but didn't want as stiff a ride as the 21's (plus, there was a much better selection of 20" tires and they are much cheaper).

Just my .02

King Luis

disadvantages with replicas (not all companies though)
- softer metal can bend easily on pot holes, etc.
- wheel can be way out of balance causing more weight to be added to the wheel. (not a good thing)
- heavier wheel while not being as strong.

that being said there are good replica wheel companies that don't have those disadvantages. your not going to have a wheel just crack and break under pressure. but pot holes and hard hits where the tire doesn't absorb the entire hit may bend a wheel. (i've seen it happen).

also like said above, the larger the wheel and smaller sidewall, the worse the ride because the less cushion the tire has.
with race cars/track cars, there is a certain side wall size/flex that will give optimal performance. the largest doesn't equal the best.

jumper5836

Anyone know anything about this replica Marinello Autobahn22 wheel

quattrotman

With all due respect, I don't think any other wheel (including OEM) would've fared any better considering how damaged it was. Hitting a 'bump' at 90mph is going to mess up any wheel.
The thing with OEM that a lot of people don't understand or know is that they are often made by the same company that makes the knock offs. I used to be in that business and you'd be amazed by who makes what. Just like car manufactrers are all seemingly morphing into just a handfull of companies, wheel manufacturers are the same. Yes, some OEM wheels are BBS etc but many are not. There are a only handful of wheel manufacturers out there that can handle huge productions runs and they all make wheels for eveyone. The high price of an OEM wheel does not mean its better. It is just pure ridiculous mark up. It's still just a cast aluminum wheel. True, there are tolerances which are stricter for OEM but I have never had a problem with knock off wheels and I've bought a lot of wheels in my years. Unless you are racing or driving in germany (autobahn) I don't think you should be concerned about the safety of knock offs. They are totally adequate for our speed limits. Forged wheels are stronger but cost a lot too. There are some really crappy cheap wheels out there but there are also lots of perfectly good ones too. A lot of tuner wheels that cost huge $$ are crap too. Just cast aluminum but becasue they are from small production runs they charge huge money. The OZ superleggeras do not fall into that category though...that is a nice top quality wheel...but expensive.
The other great thing about knock offs is that they are cheap and if you wreck one, they are cheap to replace.

user 83838290

100% true, that's why I wrote that you have to choose a replica manufacturer that you can trust, not some cheapest China factory.
Well, I had fairly okay 17" BMW replicas from an Italian manufacturer wrapped in 245/45/17 Contis and still my shop had to put 480 grams (= 16.9315017 ounces) of balance weight on one of the wheels, just to get it rotating without side effects. They looked good, ride was okay, but when I tried Superleggeras the difference was staggering - the 17" wheel w/ tires was 12 pounds per wheel heavier than 19" wrapped in 245/35/19 Contis and I could really feel it while accelerating and even more during braking. The other thing was that I had to get the replicas straighten up twice a year because I drive a lot and kinda fast and got fed up with it.

I also managed to break one of the OZ Superleggeras I hit a curb at about 25-30mph when avoiding collision - the tire was completely dead and one wheels broke in one place on the inside. I had it professionally welded and the wheel was like new, nothing else was required.

That's also true, unless you have to buy the car that gets wrecked with the wheel :-)

I was also considering buying replicas for winter set for my CTTS. I ended up buying OZs again because I don't have to be afraid that after I hit a hole either on- or off-road I'd have to go to a shop to get the wheels straighten up.

ljugete

OEM is the ticket baby!!!