Wheels Advice - Failing Fuchs Reproductions

[AFB24911S]

About a year ago, I had my fuchs painted red to match a pair of side stripes I had put on the car. During the paint prep work, the painter sand blasted the wheels and a small part of the metal came apart.

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The paperwork I have for the car shows that these wheels were bought in 1979. I like Fuchs, and I like the red, but before spending $1k+ on a used set or way, way more on a new set I thought I'd ask the brain trust. I plan on driving the car 10,000 miles around the country this summer, so I'm hesitant to keep wheels on the car that could go bad on me.

Are real Fuchs, even old ones, likely to last for a long time? Or would I be better off saving for new, high-quality reproductions? What about the Group 4 Campagnolos? Those look very cool, and they seem like a high-quality manufacturer.

Looking for the best wheel from a cost, quality, longevity, and lightness standpoint. I have a set of Minilites that are in fair condition, but they seem too old and fragile to bang over potholes and they're a strange size, 15x6.5.

[PeteKz]

Is that a corrosion hole just below the hub hole? I haven't seen that before. It indicates that there was serious corrosion on the backside that penetrated through the wheel. I would not use that wheel for anything other than decoration. It must have lived most of its life in the rust belt. Are the others corroded too?

Fuchs are still some of the best wheels you can get for a 911--light, strong, good looking, etc. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a used set and drive them all over the continent. Just make sure the ones you buy aren't corroded like that.

[HarryD]

Out of curiosity, are your wheels genuine Fuchs? Fuchs are forged and I would be very concerned if a chunk fell off the wheel. Look at the back to see if you have the correct factory markings.

You should see these items or something similar:

[959swede]

This is one of the first replicas made, American Eagle brand, availble late 70 to early 80, when it was replaced by the Japanese brand, sold by Tweeks.

This wheel is sandcasted, and works fine at work on an Beetle, or at the wall for the waterhose.

The replicas availble today, they are excellent if you can live with the small difference in looks.

My favorite is the new Fuchs made Evolution, that i am using for my S/T.

They are at least one third in price of the Porsche sold fuchs.

[959swede]

Here is how the American Eagle looks like.

[AFB24911S]

I think it's a flaw in the casting, not a rust hole, because the car spent its entire life in Long Beach. It was parked on the street, though, and the air in Long Beach is salty.

The other three seem fine, but maybe I just keep an eye on them? I don't want to paint my Minilites red, but I want red wheels...

Think I'll just bite the bullet and buy a set of better Fuchs, used genuine or new high quality.

[ADDvanced]

Originally Posted by 959swede

Here is how the American Eagle looks like.

I had some of those on my car when I bought them, they were awful. Had trouble getting them balanced because they were so out of balance, probably air bubbles/pockets/voids in the casting, gravity sand casting, terrible quality. I sold them for $400 some guy with a trashy 944.

[kyngfish]

My personal take, since you’re considering the campagnolos, is there are a few period-correct options that look great and are as light, and usually cheaper than Fuchs. Maybe an unpopular take, but I don’t actually think Fuchs look especially good. Fuchs are generally a small rim, and black makes rims look smaller, so sometimes brighter wheels give the car a stronger presence and stance.

Again, just my opinion. About 5 years ago I bought BBS RS as a compromise because I didn’t want to pay Fuchs prices, I got a full set of 7s and 8s for like 1100, which im sure isn’t the price anymore. I thought it I was taking a step down from the Fuchs, even though they are as light, but I was still drinking the “stock” Koolaid. I think the BBS look great now, I wouldnt go back to the Fuchs.

[mepstein]

I never hesitate to buy Fuchs because they always seem to go up in price.

[smadsen]

The hole in the red wheel looks like a blorp of sand got into the casting, then got sandblasted out 20 years later. I'd be concerned about other voids, filled with sand or not, that aren't visible.....yet.

[mepstein]

I would use these wheels as rollers and get some solid replacements. Who wants to worry about their wheels coming apart.