Hi all. I've been wrestling with 19" wheel choices, and it seems as though all the really cool wheels I like are rather heavy. I like the thin five-spoke designs, like the SSR GT3's however they're 27 lbs front / 29 lbs rear. I also like the Techarts, but they're even heavier. And those Kahn Design wheels are 32 lbs front / 34 lbs rear.

In the light weight arena, here's what I've found, with the excellent assistance from Dave Martin at wheelenhancement.com :

Fikse Profil 5, 5S, 10 or 13
8.5x19" 21 lbs. 9 oz.
11.5x19" 23 lbs. 4 oz.

Kinesis K19, K29, K59, F110
8.5x19" 21 lbs. 12 oz.
11.5x19" 23 lbs. 6 oz.

Champion RG5 Monolite
8x19" 19 lbs. 10 oz.
11x19" 20 lbs. 6 oz.

Champion RS97 Monolite
8x19" 19 lbs. 5 oz.
11.5x19" 21 lbs. 5 oz.

However these styles just don't 'do it' for me; styling preference is such a personal decision! Does anyone have any other light weight suggestions?

Sincerely,
Paul

 

BBS

 

Why are you concerned with weight? The reason I ask, is that
you can search the group and find that there several reasons
that 19" wheels are (for this car) inferior for performance. If
you are not really concerned with ultimate performance and
handling, go with what you like.
Joe

 

Most of the time the weight benefit comes at the sacrifice of durability. Don't forget to concentrate on STRENGTH, too. A 19" wheel, particularly 5 spoke designs have quite a bit of space between the base of the spokes. AND, being as wide as they are they are more likely to bend if the impact is hard enough. Stay at least forged, and heat treated and shot peened will only benefit the forging. The SSR are all three. BBS is a tough ones to beat as well because their traditional web styling allows the force of an impact to be distributed more uniformly over the face of the wheel. Also, find out if a wheel is repairable if it is a multi-piece. Most BBS mutli-peice can be repaired in GA, while SSR cannot. Some things to keep in mind.

 

Sending repairs to BBS in Atlanta cost nearly as much if not more than a brand spanking new wheel from... say... The Tirerack.

I speak from experience (BBS LM owner).

I definitely agree with the logic of going with lighter wheels. I'm not a fan of HREs for that reason. They're not very durable or strong. Especially considering the absurdly high mark-ups, but hey it's simple economics. What the market wants, the market gets.

And on a sports car like a Porsche, I'd only match it with wheels that come from a motorsports heritage.

 

Thanks for your concern Joe. I've already decided upon 19's as I like the look and ride (I have a set of SSR GT3's on my daily driver BMW 740i). I prefer lighter weight wheels for acceleration performance.

Sincerely,
Paul

 

Understood. As such, I think you should just go with what
looks good to you. The difference in weight would not be
detectable to you (I believe) in any blind test, and you may be
trading off strength for lightness.
Joe