Italian aftermarket wheels question
 

I know many of you have added the 18" Carrera lightweight 5 spoke wheels that are made in Italy and are TUV etc. approved. What is your consensus on the quality as compared to Porsche factory jobs. I know they are 8" front and 10" rear. Did any of you have fender rubbing problems with the 10" rear wheels? Any insight and/or problems such as cracking after hitting potholes, peeling paint etc. Thanks in advance.

AKL

the biggest difference is the weight.
the "italian" knock offs are a few (4ish) lbs more than the originals.
the size won't be an issue as long as you buy the correct size/offset.
i am beginning to think this "italian" thing is just an old urban legend. i have spoken with several people that claimed these rims are italian but have no proof of any certifications or approvals or other authentication as to what factory they are made in. now i've see some vendors are claiming these "italian" knock offs are higher quality than other knock offs. i am very skeptical of these claims considering the wide variety of pricing i've seen in "italian" rim prices.

I was looking for either a set of OEM Carrera lightweights or Turbo twist hollow spokes and they are hard to come by. I then looked at the aftermarket 5 spokes adn they are roughtly the same weight as the turbo twist solid spokes I have now.

Not worth the gamble of potential lower quality and the same weight.

My buddy has a set of 993 C4S hollow spokes but they are ET40 rear offsets and I don't think they'll work on a 986.

I don' I then looked at the aftermarket 5 spokes adn they are roughtly the same weight as the turbo twist solid spokes I have now.

I don't know how that is possible. I weighed my old turbo twist(solid spoke) and they weighed 30+lbs per wheel,my replica light weights weighed in at 23lbs(front) & 24lbs(rear).

I've got a set of those wheels and I'm pretty happy wit them. My stock wheels are the 18" solid turbo twist wheels, and the replicas weigh a couple of pounds less, but that could be the tires. The difference really isn't that much. I'm running 275's rear and 235's front, and they fill out the wheel wells much nicer than the stock wheels did, even with 15mm spacers on them. One area where the replicas don't measure up to Porsche's is the quality of the finish. There are a couple of spots on the wheels where the clear coat is a bit rough. With a good respray and a wet sanding, I'm sure they would be just as nice. I suppose that's where a bit of cost was spared.

blink-

I'm going by the OEM weights on http://www.944racing.de/ vs. what one of the guys with the Italian aftermarkets told me his weighed. I think there was 2 pounds difference all around vs. 4lb front/6.6lb rear for the OEM if memory serves. I decided to just wait and be happy with what I have.

This doesn't count tire weight obviously.

Thanks to all who answered. I know the original Porsche rear wheel is under 10" in width thereby being lighter in weight. My current 17" are 7" up front and 8.5" in the rear and I imagine they weigh less than if I added 8" and 10" wheels. Adding weight is not a good thing on my base '02 so I am really considering the pros and cons of a conversion. It would be nice to lose about 100lbs. out of the car. When I am driving alone with a half or less tank of gas the difference is remarkable from when wife (112lbs) and the tank is full. There is only so much you can realistically do and still have the nice car stay that way. I have seen lightweight batteries, carbon fiber hoods, no-spare (not an option with me) and a few other minor changes for lowering weight without getting too nuts.

Whatever the case, I am getting a little nuts with our weather that is keeping the Boxcar under wraps...............I really miss driving it and my unheated garage prevents polishing and detailing work...........woe & alas........where is my global warming?????

AKL :D

Chances are the 10" wheel you are looking at has an offset of 47mm. I did not have issues with rubbing on the fender but it's tight on the inside. The e-brake cable will rub the rim unless you pin it back, but it's dfficult to keep it pinned with tie straps because they want to slide down the suspension member. Someone said there is a factory piece that will hold the cable out of the way. Also, the clearance is so tight you can't put wheel weights on the inner portion of the rim, they have to be the glue on type on the wheel (obviously you wouldn't put them on the outer rim).

These issues would be resolved if you add spacers. Not sure what size would be the best. I chose not to go the spacer route. Just wanted to let you know my experiences.