I was looking around for a set of wheels and came across several reproduction wheel sites. I was looking at a reproduction of an 18" 2006 Carrera alloy wheel. Would you expect this wheel to be significantly heavier or lower quality than the OEM wheels? One of the sites I was looking at was Finish Line Wheels.
I'm moving from 16s to 17s or 18s. I know I will be sacrificing speed, but I hope to gain better handling with a wider track and a smaller sidewall. I don't want to get a reproduction If it meant sacrificing significantly more due to added weigh over the OEM set.
Thanks -Phil
every reproduction i have seen so far, regardless of model, has been 2-3lbs heavier than the original upon which it is based - not sure why - quality has been fine though
Just buy a good set of used OEM wheels. Much better quality.
That's definitely what I want to do, OEM, but I'm having trouble finding the wheel I want. It is an 18" twin five spoke carrera s wheel. There are plenty of them in 19" but the 18 seems to come in two different offset versions on the rear, ET47 and ET65 (on a 10" wide wheel). The ET47 seems like it is just not going to fit from everything I have looked at, and the ET65 sounds like it will look a bit pulled in without a spacer. Anyway, that is the issue with finding OEM. The reproductions of this are readily available, but I have yet to actually find an OEM with these offsets and dimensions.
-Phil
I have found the repos to be of poor quality and easily bend. My old car's 993 Cup ("Cup2") repos seemed to bend whenever I drove over a speedbump! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif[/img] They were millaMiglias I believe. Stay with OEM.
Jeff
i have seen quite a few of the original 993 Cups bend too - i think they are thinner, which is likely why they are so much lighter than the C2 Turbos - i don't think it is a quality thing specific to the replicas
<!--quoteo(post=82250:date=Oct 22 2009, 02:48 PM:name=flash)-->QUOTE (flash @ Oct 22 2009, 02:48 PM)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->i have seen quite a few of the original 993 Cups bend too - i think they are thinner, which is likely why they are so much lighter than the C2 Turbos - i don't think it is a quality thing specific to the replicas<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well, I guess I'm just lucky. Over the years I've bent the repros on my Audis as well. None of my factory wheels have ever bent.
interesting - i rode the C2 Turbo replicas pretty hard, but never knocked those out at all - i've never bent a cast wheel (but i've shattered a couple), and those are the only "replica" wheels i've ever had, though i've had a lot of cheap cast wheels - ayn has squared quite a few BMW cast wheels in different sizes and styles though
<!--quoteo(post=82266:date=Oct 22 2009, 04:30 PM:name=flash)-->QUOTE (flash @ Oct 22 2009, 04:30 PM)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->interesting - i rode the C2 Turbo replicas pretty hard, but never knocked those out at all - i've never bent a cast wheel (but i've shattered a couple), and those are the only "replica" wheels i've ever had, though i've had a lot of cheap cast wheels - ayn has squared quite a few BMW cast wheels in different sizes and styles though<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Are most of the repo wheels out there cast?
as far as the C2 Turbo and 993 Cup, just like the originals, yes
I cracked the center out of a set of Mille Miglia C2 Turbos on my first 89 951. So, I certainly wouldn't take them to the track...
very interesting - those were the ones i had - maybe i should count myself as lucky