Repro'ing Fuchs

[dtw]

All the safe repros I've looked at are pretty hokey. That is, there is additional casting required around the spokes at the center of the wheel that makes the cast design approximate the minimum safety of the same forged wheel. This gets you a nominally safe wheel that is heavy, cheap, and OK for casual track use. However, the wheels look way off from 5 ft. as far as authentic reproductions go. I've seen many many examples of both but I'm afraid I can't recall any manufacturers. The whole fake Fuchs fad seems to have worn off since the early/mid 90's.

No one has yet been able to produce an exact AND safe cast replica of the Fuchs forged design. I've seen a few of 'em fail at the track with fairly gruesome results.

Executive summary:
-Exact replicas are deathtraps
-Safe/reinforced replicas have poor appearance and the overall tradeoff results in a wheel that not ideally suited to any one application.

[Randy Webb]

"most cars today come with cast wheels"

There is a difference between just cast and pressure cast. I don't care about most cars. New PAG wheels are pressure cast or better.

A cast wheel will have to be heavier to equal the strength of a Fuchs - so why buy one.

To a first approximation, aging of a forged wheel will not affect it, so long as it has not been bent.

Forging or perhaps casting Mg might work, as would making a wheel out of Ti. Also, older wheels were designed by "feel" -- today we can use finite element stress analysis models (since we have fast computers). So we ought to be able to make a light wt. wheel that is also very strong. That would interest me.

The killer tho is the brake rotors. They are really heavy.

[techweenie]

CNC milled billet wheels are the solution.

But since used Fuchs are not yet so rare that they cost more than the cast repros being discussed, I'd start with 17" Fuchs-style wheels sized to maximum width for SC chassis.

YMMV

[kstar]

Billet 7Rs? Now you're talking!

Seems like they could be made for less than what real 7Rs are going for these days, but I'm no expert on CNC machined billet "stuff".

Comments?

BR,

Kurt

[RickM]

The high end Hot Rod shops do this stuff. Seems to be very pricey though.

Any guesses on what price point would work on a Billet 7R?

[Randy Webb]

"CNC milled billet wheels are the solution."

- Why? When you forge (and to a small extent when you press. cast) the lines of fracture are bent to the shape you want. This does not happen when you machine -- and it introduces surface irregularities that can propogate -- even if polished, the surface has different strain than when poured and that might be a problem.

[Alan.UK]

I also think one reason so many VW crew like the 4.5 inch rim is because they are so rare, over production can change a market. In last few weeks I have sold all my 4.5 inch rims I had and I think all of them are going on VWs. I know the 5.5 are also sought after, they were also one year only.

Alan.UK