Do you have knock-off/replica wheels on your 996?

 

are you kidding me? is this even a valid question.

 

Why is it not a valid question?

 

I have no problem with replicas or no name. I might have bought some if I could have found some nice one's I could have seen in person. Instead I bought some used Champion's.

 

I don't mind them for kits, but not for wheels.

 

Some wheels are really hard to find, like the 2002 Sport wheels that came with the C2s. That being said, there are different quality differences between the OEM BBS wheels that come on some cars and the knock-offs. It really depends on where the knock-offs are made. You'll notice the quality difference visually, but driveability is the same. So $150 / wheel vs $600 / wheel for the OEM look is entirely up to you. I noticed that most Porsche owners get aftermarket forged wheels anyways so in that market, the word knock-off is relative. It seems like all the forged wheel companies copy each others designs.

But given the choice to buy replica OEM wheels vs factory refurb/repaired wheels that are a few years old, I'd go with the newer wheel, even if it is made in China. Just my 2 cents, I'm probably not like the typical Porsche owner though.

 

I think it is a valid question. I looked at both when I was looking for rims you just have to make sure you get them from a reputable manufacturer.. Personally I spent all this money on a car and for a $1500 to $2000 dollar difference I would rather have the real thing... I did see some really nice knock-offs..Just be careful of there overall weight

 

dont buy cheap wheels... save your money and get the real deal. Plus the resale value holds really well... no brainer.

 

This is true. But regardless a forged wheel is a forged wheel, and knock-offs/replicas on ebay are 99% heavy cast wheels simply by looking at the price.

I just wanted to gauge to see if there's a difference between Boxster & 996 owners. A boxster forum I visit almost 80% of the people went for oem replicas. Seems like the poll shows more people with these wheels than I imagine as well.

 

I think it would depend on the usage of your car, since it can be vast with a Porsche. If its a daily driver, most aftermarket wheels are made well enough to be used on city streets.

Now if you plan on racing your Porsche, that is a different story. OEM level of quality or aftermarket rims from a reputable manufacturer are important as a wheel braking at 130+ mph could be a fatal incident. Additionally, in a track sense it is another piece of the performance component. Weight, material, size, offset, now all become critical factors in the overall engineering of your performance car.

Personally I went for 19" 997 S wheels on my 996 as an "upgrade" since I got them at a fantastic price.

Cheers
Aaron

 

I was under the impression that all wheels drop like a rock if left on the car. Unless the new owner likes exactly what you have, which would be rare.

 

I think he meant if you part them out and resell just the wheels.

 

Following your logic, it would make driving in the city more dangerous with replicas than on the track.

On the track you get smooth road surface, on the street you get speedbumps/potholes where it could cause a poorly made wheel to bend or crack.

There's also medic ready at the track, whereas on the street you have other drivers around you and no medic in sight.

 

Dang, I clicked on the wrong button on the poll. LOL

If you are tracking your car, I would say don't do it as you never know if a wheel made in who knows where and to what standard will hold up to track use.

If it's for street use, it might be ok. For what it's worth, I had a set of knock-off M contours on my old BMW (which where sold to me as genuine- but that's another story). They structurally held up pretty well but after a few years the clear started to crack and peel.

When it comes time to change wheels, I'm going OE or Brand name in the future. Especially, because I have plans for more DE's in my car.

 

What constitutes a "knock-off" wheel and what exactly is a "name-brand" wheel?

And where do my wheels fit in: ATP's?