Background:

First off, I want to thank many of our forum members, including vendors, who have provided me with excellent suggestions and advice on my search for new wheels and tires for my 2008 997TT. It has been a long painful process with so many great options available for our cars. Of course, being extremely picky about what I wanted on my next set of wheels certainly didn't make this easy for the prospective vendor or me.

So, after exhaustively considering the many different options, I finally chose 360 Forged wheels for their exceptional design and quality. For years, I've been lusting after their wheels - perhaps, it's their fancy photography and nice collection of cars, but their wheels always stood out more so than others. However, their questionable "history" initially held me back from what seemed like an easy answer.

It's hard to ignore all of the negative posts on this and other forums about their previous management and unfortunate buyers. In fact, I often thought you would really have to be stupid to risk dealing with a company with such history - why the heck should you given all of the other fine wheel manufactures/vendors out there… At the end, I simply couldn't find another set of wheels that seem to fit what my taste better than 360 Forged's MB5. So, after a number of phone calls and emails with Scott at Forged Distributing (360 Forged) and various other wheel vendors, I was reasonably convinced that 360 Forged is a different company under new management and perhaps worth the risk.

I apologize in advance for the lengthy post but here's a brief chronological write-up of my experience with 360 Forged. I am not by any means endorsing their product; instead, I just want to share my experience so other buyers can make their unbiased decision based on new facts surrounding Forged Distributing

Research (May - August)
As stated above, I've had a number of discussions with several wheel vendors in search for wheels for my car. Many of our forum members were also gracious enough to share their stories about certain vendors/manufacturers and their recommendations. However, Scott at Forged Distributing stood out among all of the vendors mainly because he was not only very responsive with all of my questions and concerns, but also took the time to explain to me why and how they were different. He used every form of communication from telephone, email, PMs, and even txt to get back to me with answers. And trust me, I had tons of questions and valid concerns about his company. The take away here is that you should definitely do your research and shop around. Prices of wheels seem to vary greatly from one vendor to another for the exact set of wheels. Then again, price isn't everything. As I realized, quality of service both before and after sale is also critical.


Ordered (Aug 10th)
After getting my clearance from the wife , I finally ordered 360 Forged MB5 with the following specs:
-Brushed alum finish + chrome lips
-20x8.5 Front with 245-30-20
- 20x12 Rear with 325-25-20
- Continental ExtremeContact DW Tires
- Beru TPMS
- Lug nuts
- Mounted and road force balanced

I won't go into pricing discussion but to my surprise Scott @ Forged Distributing gave me the best price. ETC was estimated to be around 4 weeks.

Finally Shipped (Sept 13th)
To my pleasant surprise, Scott called and emailed me on a weekly basis (sometimes multiple times) to keep me abreast of progress with plenty of pictures to pique my attention.



He took his time to explain the whole building process and went out of his way to make sure I had the correct TPMS and lug nuts to ensure proper fitment once I got the wheels. I know he is busy, but Scott always answered his phone (both office and cell phone) each time I had any questions.

The wheels were actually completed and mounted on Sept 9th (exactly 4 weeks after the order date) but they held them a day to test for leaks etc. On Sept 13, the wheels/tires were finally shipped via DB Schenker. Check out the protective wrapping!




Finally mounted (Sept 15)
As promised by Scott, Forged Distributing delivered my wheels in about 4 weeks (excluding transit time). Sorry but I am a horrible photographer but here are some shots of the new wheels on my car.



















Various observations:
- My 20” MB5s mounted with the Continentals weighed almost identical to OEM 19” turbo wheels. I used my bathroom scales but they were 48 lbs for the front and a whopping 61 lbs for the rear. I am sure they are off +/- 1 lb. I was hoping that they would weigh less but given that rear width increased a full inch, I guess it isn’t that bad. Plus, I was going more for the looks as opposed to pure performance
- Ride quality with 20” is not noticeably different from the stock 19” However, I am noticing slightly more feedback (ie vibration from undulations on the road with the 20”).
- Don't forget to reset TPMS. Mine took about 15min to reset (learning).<O < Don’t drive< font O - forget reset the TPMS after getting new wheels. Relearning took 15 min or about 10mile>

Conclusion:
I can't thank Scott at Forged Distributing enough for not only his amazing customer service but also delivering high quality product - to my exact request - on time. In my few years of modifying cars, this has been one of the best wheel purchase experiences. Assuming their styling and pricing is to your liking, I would highly encourage you to consider 360 Forged. They are truly a different company with strong focus on customer service and changing their image.

 

Personal opinion.. They look a bit " too naked" for me and show too much of the brake/ caliper/rotor assembly... but .. as I said ... that's my personal opinion.

 

Agreed! Taste in wheels vary greatly among individuals. For some reason, I was craving for a five spoke design this time around.

 

Look great. Nice to see a different look.

 

Congrats!
IMHO you should put on lowering springs .. nice sets otherwise

 

I actually liked the 'naked' look. But my first reaction was really whether there was enough structure to provide sufficient strength, especially on a turbo. Perhaps the manufacturer has done some type of stress/NASTRAN (or whatever) analysis, perhaps not. I'm just a bit concerned about all of the 'white space'.
But they are beautiful and look great on your car. Congrats.

 

Perfect for showing off the turbo's killer brakes!

 

I am sure that they are plenty strong...Take a look at the 458 wheels. Just as open as these and I am sure they are plenty strong. That being said I highly doubt anyone would send our wheels without doing plenty of research.

 

Thanks so much for the kind words guys! I certainly hope the wheels are strong. I have no reason to doubt that 360 has done plenty of R&D to ensure structure integrity.

Lowering springs are definitely on my list of future mods

 

looks good, but you really need a set of springs on there.

 

Chris , Thanks for the post. Manufacturing our own wheels in house has given us fast turn around time. Iam happy that i was able to show you and have the 6speedonline member's hear from a customer that we are back on track and moving strong. Thanks for everything Chris , and you know how to reach me , let me know when your ready for the RR wheels =)

 

the dish in the rear is crazy! i personally think putting 20's on a 911 is against the grain but each to thier own.

mike

 

they look awesome!!!

 

Wicked looks. Congrats.

 

I know this sounds crazy but I am actually happy to hear that rear lip looks deep - that was the exact look I was going for - smallest lip in front and deep dish in the back. That's the beauty with 360 Forged, you tell them what you want and they deliver. Keep in mind that they offer smaller and lighter wheels....

Again, thanks for all the compliments!