[rxter]

Hi all,

I'm ready to put some 17s on the 94. Found a set that look good. Ready to ship and the seller found (and disclosed) a crack on one of the rears. Is this fixable or should I run away?

Thanks

   

   

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[flash]

while it could possibly be welded, it would never be truly safe, and good luck finding somebody willing to do it - in my view, NOT fixable

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[Sears]

Pass for sure.

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[Chris Vais]

I had a similar crack on one of rears and had it welded. It has been more than 3 years and 30,000 plus miles with no issues. The work was performed by Bauer Porsche in Oakland.

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[flash]

done right, it can work - done wrong, it can be disastrous - the problem is finding a guy who can do it right, and stand behind it - there is a wheel repair place fairly near me - you could certainly take it to them and see, but that would mean getting the wheels and rolling the dice, and potentially having to replace that one

on a commuter, it might not be bad - on a car you pushed hard, it could fail at exactly the wrong moment, resulting in loss of control

rxter drives pretty hard - i certainly would not trust it with my life

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[tim944s]

I would say it depends on a wheel shop in your area. I have aluminum rims on my Ducati. I had an unfortunate incident on the track which caused my front rim to have a fractured in the middle between two spokes and a bent outer lip on the rear. The shop in my area was able to repair them by welding and machining the rims. Once complete, the rims were repainted and balanced. This shop has been doing this for many many years. It was nice to have this done at a cost of 500 dollars. Compare this to replacement for Marchesini rims which would have put me in the 2500 dollar range.

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[968Syncro]

Joe, Flash has a good point about pushing it hard, remember on the San Diego fun run a couple of months ago we were pushing the cars pretty hard, with only trees next to the road without guard rails. Granted I was the passenger for some of it, with my son driving, it wasn't real comfortable and a mechanical failure could have been very bad. I always tell people (my kids) when it comes to the basic suspension stuff, it has to be solid: steering, brakes, wheels, tires

Roland

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[rxter]

That's my major concern - wheel failure at the bead and air expulsion on a hard turn. Obviously this could lead to catastrophic results. Any racers on the forum who might have an opinion? Chris I presume that your 30,000 miles was not on the track?

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[flash]

if the stewards found out, you would not be allowed to race a repaired wheel - how's that?

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[Chris Vais]

"Chris I presume that your 30,000 miles was not on the track?"

No the car is not tracked, it is my daily driver.

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[rxter]

I'm checking with some wheel repair guys and a couple of racers I know locally. So far I've been told that done right you can race on a repaired wheel. Just not sure it's worth the risk. I am not planning to race the car, but I'd be more comfortable on a track in a track car I think. I've got no roll cage and where I drive there are no walls, catch fences, or run off areas - just boulders and trees as Roland points out.

Thanks for the input on this one gents. I'll let you know when I find that perfect set of wheels. maybe I'll save for a while and spring for a new set.

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[flash]

the rules in almost all sanctioning bodies prohibit racing on a cracked wheel, repaired or not - in fact, some bodies require that the wheels be no more than 3 years old in some classes

having had wheels shatter before, i can tell you that it is not a pleasant experience - no chance i'd do it

can't you just replace that one?

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[rxter]

Tough to get a single rear in that particular style and finish. But I'm looking.

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[flash]

what wheel is it?

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[968Syncro]

I have direct experience with this (not exactly). As teens we prepared the car the night before, '66 Impala vert, my brother's, we loaded it up, checked everything, replaced parts, lots of excitement and work in the dark the night before under some odd spotlights in the driveway ... on to a great adventure. Cruising, partying, and camping in the Adirondacks! Somewhere on Rt. 17 approaching the NY state line (you NJ guys know where) someone says. "wow it is handling funny, did ya'll double check the lug nuts". Well.... no, the right front wheel had about 3 left, all of them loose with the wheel wobbling.

Roland

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[flash]

yeah - i've had that happen too - scary, but not like having a wheel shatter - that is no fun - first off the sudden "bang" scares the bejeezus out of you - then the complete loss of control just plain freaks you out - the car no longer "rolls" but just "skids" - the brakes don't even work right - on a highway, it's one thing, as you stand a decent chance of getting to the side of the road - on a windy canyon, you have a better chance of nailing a tree, a mountain, or going off into a ditch

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[rxter]

chrome 993 cup

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[flash]

a 993 cup wheel is easy to find - then just have it chromed

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[rxter]

I might be able to get a really good deal on the set with the crack. I've not seen any singles or even rear sets for sale though. I've seen a couple of sets of fronts and sets of 4.

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[rxter]

Here's a wacky thought - can I run 9X17s up front? That would make tire rotation a whole lot easier... I know I read a couple of posts on this a long time ago and I recall something about the balance of the car getting all screwed up with running the fat tires in the front, but I can't find a good way to search for that post.

OK I browsed a bit and found the post I was thinking about. Seems that 9s all around will work fine. Unfortunately that post also talked about weight, so of course now I am paralyzed with "correct wheel anxiety". Offset, width, diameter, potential fender well rub, NVA vs. cornering ability - jeez.

My simple plan was something like this "17s will maybe corner a bit better than my 16s, and I dig chrome on a simple wheel design" Led me to the 993 cups. If there were no crack I'd be putting tires on those and bolting them to my car. Now I am rethinking the whole thing......

So, where to start?

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