I'm trying to decide which wheel to use on the track, and which wheel to use for daily driving.

My car came to me (used) with black painted lobster claws as a factory option on the msrp. I recently picked up a set of used 19" turbo wheels. One of these will get the track tires and be used for DEs, the other will get PS2s for the street.

The question is: Which should be which? I know that some of you don't like either of them. Sure, I'd rather have a set of HREs, too. But I don't. These are the choices.

In favor of the black claws for daily use, I think they look pretty good over the red calipers. I have an old pic from the dealer below to show how it looks with the silver lip. (The lip is just painted on the edge of the rim, not the entire rim). With these wheels, the car is black black black - and with the aerokit, it kind of reminds me of the batmobile.

The turbo wheels would give the car a lot more sparkle. But the wheel (and the look) are not as unique. The turbo wheels are forged, not cast like the claws. I don't have the weights, but I would expect they would be a touch lighter than the claws. So that makes them better for the track. But at this point, I'm not at a level where my a slight variation in wheel weight is going to make a real difference on the track.

I don't have a pic of how the car would look with turbos, but you can imagine.

Any opinions appreciated!

 

I would use your Lobsters for the track, they are lighter and easier to repair them if they get damaged on the track.

The lighter weight wheels will reduce unsprung weight.

 

+1 I think I read somewhere that the lobsters are one of the lightest OEM wheels Porsche supplies. I'm also not a fan of their look (they came with my car but I changed them out to my HRE's) so they would be perfect for the track and not as your DD wheel.

 

Interesting point about the weights. As Edgy1 helpfully posted recently (https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...-weight-2.html)

Porsche Factory Carrera S - 100 lbs, 0 oz.
8x19" 22 lbs. 4 oz.
11x19" 27 lbs. 12 oz.

Forged Turbo Wheels - 102 lbs, 12 ozs.
8.5x19" 23 lbs. 8 oz
11x19" 27 lbs. 14 oz.

 

Although the Turbo wheels should be faster, they were made for a turbo!

Should be good for at least 20hp

 

Don't get why most don't like the lobster fork wheel - I think those look really cool with the black "forks" - so you have two good choices. Either way, the car will look good on the track or the street. If there's a performance edge on the track with the black wheels, then that seems the way to go.

 

I actually love the "claws". I just wish the front was wider at 8.5". I think they fit the car perfectly. I like them better than alot of the aftermarket wheels I see.

Dave

 

+1 .

 

The claws have grown on me as well. I still do like the Classics the most for an OEM wheel but the blacked out lobster claw wheels you have match the car well.

 

Funny - I like the claws painted body color. Not a fan of the Turbo wheels at all.

 

+1 on the Lobsters. I have seen very few after market wheels that I like as much and none I like enough to pay some of the suggested retails for. I believe I read that they are "the" lightest OEM 997 wheel. As for the Turbo wheels they are my least favorite of all the Porsche OEM wheels that come with these cars. I like the 10 spokes and some of three piece after markets with polished rear lips.

 

+1. Every time I get out of the car and glance back over my shoulder, I'm totally impressed, including the (stock finish) lobsters. There are a few (very few) aftermarket wheels that I might like better, and some are lighter, but they are very pricey.
But for the OP, I think the track answer is simply (as noted) to choose the lightest of the two sets.
What tires are you putting on the track wheels?
BTW, the only reason I'd get a different set of wheels is if they were 18". I'd change out my lobsters for that (I'd still like them to look good). So another suggestion is to sell the (likely the TT) wheels and buy a set of 18's for the track.
BTW, what ever happened to those 18" superlight wheels that were going to be sold at TireRack?

 

Agreed. The painted claws look great on your car. Since it sounds like you're not in love with the turbo wheels, why not sell or trade (break even) to get some dedicated 18's for track?

 

I'm likin' my turbo wheels.
I can see them looking not quite as exciting on black though.
The only point I would make is that the fronts weigh more because they are wider. I haven't driven my car that much, but my initial observations are that the 8.5" fronts make a pretty good reduction in understeer over the 8" fronts. This is with the same width tire.
The weight difference otherwise is pretty much a rounding error. Considering how cheap you can get the turbo wheels, I'd be inclined to say use them at the track. Forged is better for strength, which is a plus at the track. Also, if you use the black painted wheels at the track, they are likely to get nicked up and not look as nice.
My 2 cents.

 

+1! It always is easier to replace Lobsters, it's not that easy to find Turbo wheels around...