Should I jump on these?
 

They're 16 inchers... but I don't mind.

I find the price attractive. I don't need them... but the price.

Watcha think?

Thanks!

https://palmsprings.craigslist.org/wto/d/cathedral-city-porsche-wheels-set-of/7272281983.html

They look good, but it seems they've had some scrapes and have been repainted. My concern would be how long the paint will last.

It looks to me like there are a lot of replicas of these wheels out there, some of which are very hard to tell sorry from genuine oem. I don't know anything about these but I have read that they are quite heavy and not a very practical wheel to be running. So, unless you are really going for this look, I would apply the logic of "just because you can doesn't mean you should". Just my opinion though

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The price seems too good to be true for a tire / factory Porsche wheel combo. Why?

My spidey radar starts to intensify in situations like this. The ad has some odd descriptions: "set-back" when they accurately describe offset and "bright and shiny". Who uses that?

Before you make an appt to meet someone in a shady (figuratively not literally) part of Palm Springs and agree to pay ca$h, I'd quiz the 'owners'. Are these wheels stolen? Or is this a stolen ad? How did the seller get them? What car did they come off of? What's their name? Do they pass a google search?

If it's too good to be true, tread lightly and carefully. It may be a great deal or the opportunity to lose $450.

Width and offset stamped near the valve stem (like these ones) = real

No width or offset stamped near the valve stem = replica

Easiest way to tell, for future reference! :)

Edit: Actually I only see the width and offset stamped on one of the wheels. Either they were refinished and someone sanded it off on the others, or its a mismatched set?

That's what I would assume too. I read a post though saying that porsche actually sourced out production of the cup 1s to different mfg, some of which didn't stamp the offsets. And you're right that during refinishing they could have been sanded off. I also read one guys post who said that a set of china knockoffs had offsets stamped on them (who knows if they're accurate). I have no way of confirming any of this, just stuff that I have read on the interwebs. I too have the severe affliction of "I don't need it but damn that's a good price" but I have found as I get older that this usually just results in a garage full of junk lol.

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Hmm, very interesting. Perhaps my rule isn't as applicable for the air cooled era. I've only ever owned wheels from 986/996 and newer, so my knowledge is limited to the modern era (I just assumed the current stamping practices predated our cars!)

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1588605225.jpg

I think Woody is Jumping on some wide 18s. 16s with a tall sidewall might make for a smoother landing. I say go for it. ;)

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1612542881.jpg

@boxx - I'm with you there. It sucks that so much money changes hands with "genuine" stuff and that we are sometimes jumping through hoops to figure out whether something is a cheap knockoff. I read somewhere that porsche actually employs a team of peoples whose job is to scout the internet and intercept fraudulent parts. I forget the exact number but they find millions of dollars of stuff each year of this stuff.

Speaking of woody, it may be worth reaching out to him to ask him what he thinks. I don't know if he's dealt much with these wheels, but he's probably laid hands on more porsche parts than most of us combined lol.

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16" won't work for an S, only a base
Not sure what car you want to put them on

Thank you, all, for your responses. I have the base 98.

It's the price that attracted me. I've an extra set of the OE wheels and swap around the set about once a year (different colored wheels). I don't NEED the wheels and don't even have a garage in which to store them... just a large deck.

Damn attractive price vs. need/want. Likely I'll pass.

If anyone else is interested the set is in the Palm Springs Craigslist.

Thanks all! :cheers:

Back in the day, I bought a set of "take-offs" from a dealer in a rich section of Philly. They really were just wheels and tires that somebody didn't like. Michelins. Date and tread depth made sense, Perfect. And $800+ cheaper than buying a set of tires after I sold my existing ones. So the idea is not preposterous. Ran them for about 4 years and replaced them only for date reasons.

But decades later, I doubt you'll get such a bargain.