TT Gasman

What do you guys think about the aftermarket knock offs that are all over ebay. I found several listings for 18 wheels that are supposedly exact replicas, made in Italy and TUV approved. Would they be good for track wheels? I'm having a tough time finding OEM hollow spokes or '02 5 spokes.
My other option is the CCW wheels which are quite nice.

38D

I would be leary of replica wheels, unless they are from a good company. Fikse, CCW, Kenesis, Champion, and Forgeline are all know for good wheels. Stay away from "Brand X"

sweanders

Most aftermarket wheels from Italy are heavy as boat anchors, often they are manufactured by a comopany called MIM.

Marc Shaw

Related question: why are replica Fuchs in particular always banned on the Tech Inspection Forms?
Are they known to break?

Thanks......Marc

K964

Don't ever skimp on your wheels. Get a set of used OE or brand name (BBS, Fikse,etc). Pay a little more for the extra peace of mind.

FD Frank

FWIW,
I did a personal "experiment" with a set of MM cup IIs on my 944t at the track and cracked them. Luckily I discovered the crack before I had a catastrauphic failure. 2 years ago I saw a catastrauphic failure of the same wheels at Watkins Glen on a C2.

38D

Yes. I saw a car that had knock-off fuchs at a non-PCA event. One of the wheels cracked, and the car went into the wall.

Geo

How is that different from genuine Fuchs? As I understand it, they also have the same problem.

TT Gasman

That's enough for me, it's gonna be OEM or CCWs.

Bob Rouleau

DJ - you get what you pay for. Wheels which are TUV approved are sure to be strong, the German certification program is pretty rigorous. Did you say you want them light too? That costs more.

Strong lightweight wheels are available from BBS, Kinesis, OZ, Fikse and a few others. The lighter they are the more they cost. Single piece wheels are less expensive (but heavier) than the 3 piece ones. For the price of a Porsche OEM wheel you can find some interesting and lighter alternatives.

If I remembeer right, Fuchs replicas have failed when used on track with sticky tires. The originals were very strong because they were forged and not cast. Copies are mostly castings and while they look the same, they are not as strong. As to original Fuchs failing, well that can happen especially on wheels which are 20 years (or more!) old. Cracks and corrosion will cause problems for any wheel. Lighter wheels need to be inspected frequently because there is less margin for error than on the boat anchors.

I would avoid hollow spokes, Porsche had problems with them and went to a new design without the hollow spokes.

TT Gasman

Bob, are you saying I should consider the TUV approved replica wheels, especially since we are talking DE use?
Damn, I could just kick myself, had a nice set of LMs a few years ago I should have kept around hindsight is always 20/20.

Geo

Considering Fuchs replicas are pretty much the same age, I come back to my original question.... What's the difference?

Bob Rouleau

DJ - I used 17 inch TUV approved wheels for DE on my 1996 C4S for years with no issues. At the time, R compound tires in 18 inch sizes were rare so I bought a set of 17 inchers. Note, they were heavier than the more costly alternatives but were adequately strong. I can't remember the brand, they were a copy of the Porsche Turbo 930 wheel. Now that I take DE more seriously, I use OZ 3 piece lightweights. You could give the guys at Wheel Enhancement a call, they often have deals on OEM take off rims as well as various aftermarket brands.

Bob Rouleau

George - the answer was in the post above no? The original Fuchs were light because they were forged not cast. Replicas (some anyway) were castings. The forged wheel is much stronger for the same weight. I have no idea if all the replicas were inadequate but some regions banned their use just to be safe. Forging is a more costly process, you have to build a very strong die and forge the metal into shape. A mould for casting is less expensive but results in less strength. For its time, the Fuch wheel was very light.

Oddly enough, race wheels are not DOT or TUV approved because they are deemed inadequate to deal with road hazards like pot holes and such. The alloys used have a higher magnesium content which makes them lighter but more brittle. Pro teams carefully inspect and magnaflux their wheels frequently. They get replaced or rebuilt frequently.

Best,


If you've had no problems with replicas, I am not surprised.

Geo

Bob, the answer was not above.

For the record, I own NO replicas. I currently own 3 sets of Fuchs (in addition to 2 sets of BBS and a set of cookies, which are considerably lighter than the BBS).

I know about forged wheels and the advantages.

My point is that someone said the replicas crack. I said so do the real ones, what's the difference? You said age. I said the replicas are just as old, what's the difference?

We can debate strength vs weight and all that all day long and I'll probably agree with you. But when we get down to the brass tax of cracking, the question remains, what's the difference? They both do.