Please explain the 17" fuchs process

[911pcars]

Comparing two products from the same manufacturer can show a relationship or it may not. While the casting process may be the same/similar, the designs are not - big difference. Was that post an overall indictment of the casting process?

I believe current Porsche wheels are cast as are most if not all OEM alloy wheels. Are any OEM cast wheels recommended/suitable for the track? Therefore, maybe we need more data before issuing a blanket condemnation.

+1 on staying on topic discussing modified or repro 17" Fuchs wheels.

Sherwood

[GaryR]

I just bothered to look at the Rota failure pictures and agree they don't belong here either way. I think they are a nice looking wheel for the price, wish they came in 10" wide versions. I would not run a cast wheel on a race track unless it had a proven history of being run, like Minilite. Their wheels are heavy/sturdy and that's why they hold up.

[Kevin Stewart]

The post and pictures of the broken rota wheels are not the fuch repos, the xray picture is not a fuch repo. I dont own a set but at least get your pictures right

many companies have built great wheels, the wheel in the picture none of us know the history on it, was it curbed how many chuck holes has it hit. How many turtles at the track has it hit, how many times has the driver dropped a wheel off the pavement in the apex.

i dont care what wheel it is if its abused it will have problems

i am amazed you guys like the true design wheel with all the welding and plating, ill put a rota on before the true design 7" center for the track. Not saying the true design is not a nice street wheel, Kevin

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by Kevin Stewart

"........
i am amazed you guys like the true design wheel with all the welding and plating, ill put a rota on before the true design 7" center for the track."

Plating? Part of the TrueDesign process or a customer request?

I agree there's a range of pre and post alloy welding techniques, but remind me if Harvey Weidman uses some other method of creating a 7x15R wheel from a narrower version.

Sherwood

[Kevin Stewart]

look at the back of the wheels he cuts and puts plates, Kevin

[clutch-monkey]

Originally Posted by syzygy

Sorry, I thought the title, "Please explain the 17" Fuchs process" suggested it might be a Fuchs focused thread. The contents detailing the different variables such as genuine Fuchs centres, Zuffenhaus and Rota Fox, to get them and their variants in 17 inch appeared to support this.

It seemed like a post directly intent on bashing Rota wheels. That he jumps in with both feet on his first post like this seems a bit off. His example doesn't shed any light on the Fox 17s debate. I have no opinion on that and don't wish to start/continue that particular argument as there's already a thread that deals with it all too effectively. I was just concerned it seemed directed at primarily knocking the Rota (and not even the Fox) product.

Edit: I apologize if this came across as snarky, but I was in a bit of a "mood" this morning and a bit less diplomatic than I maybe should have been. Sorry 'bout that.

no worries, i was unsure if it was appropriate for first post hence the closing remark.
my main point was just to warn the guy that if he does do track work rota is probably not the best choice.
my personal choice would be to give my money to some of the established workshops/companies rather than the knock off company who is only in it for a quick buck.
if inappropriate feel free to delete

[turbochad]

For a period of time in the 90's HRE made 16" and 17" 3 piece fuchs with their own forged center. The centers are patterned exactly like real fuchs except the lug nuts are recessed. I have heard that they were forced by Porsche to stop making them. I bought a reconditioned set on ebay and I love them. The offsets are great and the wheels are practically jewelry. The fronts are 16's with 225's and the rears are 17's and I was able to fit 265/40's with a little camber and fender rolling.

[911pcar]

Originally Posted by Kevin Stewart

look at the back of the wheels he cuts and puts plates, Kevin

Sorry. I don't have an example to see what you're referring to. Can you elaborate? "Plating" as in TD adds a another layer of material to the back side of the wheel center?

Sherwood

[PcarPhil]

TruDesign:



Lindsay:

[911pcars]

Scott,
Thanks for the comparison photos betw. Lindsey and TrueDesign wheels.

I assume the difference is because Lindsey uses 6x16" Fuchs centers. TD uses 7x16", and because of the ring added to the OD of the wheel center, Kevin thinks TD wheels are less desirable. I understand his preference. The area just outside of the spoke OD on each version is different as are the actual barrel configurations. Other than YMMV, anyone care to comment?

Sherwood

[Canada Kev]

Originally Posted by turbochad

For a period of time in the 90's HRE made 16" and 17" 3 piece fuchs with their own forged center. The centers are patterned exactly like real fuchs except the lug nuts are recessed. I have heard that they were forced by Porsche to stop making them. I bought a reconditioned set on ebay and I love them. The offsets are great and the wheels are practically jewelry. The fronts are 16's with 225's and the rears are 17's and I was able to fit 265/40's with a little camber and fender rolling.

They sure look pretty. Perhaps some other pics would be in order...?

[Noah930]

Thanks for the pics, Kaefer. I've never actually seen the backsides of those wheels before.

HRE made replicas, but I've heard they had to break up all the old molds/dies. So good luck trying to find a set now, other than via the internet/ebay.

The Rotas are cast and a brief search can uncover a lot of opinion on whether or not they're track-quality wheels. FWIW I've got a couple friends running them. And they run their cars pretty hard, both on the autocross track and in the canyons. Their wheels have held up fine. As with anything, YMMV.

[aston@ultrasw.c]

FYI. Here's a pic of the weld on my True Design wheels. It doesn't look anything like the pic in the prior post. These were fabricated 6 mths ago. You can see from the pic that the donor wheels were 6x16 but 7s can be used just as well.

[PcarPhil]

Originally Posted by aston@ultrasw.c

FYI. Here's a pic of the weld on my True Design wheels. It doesn't look anything like the pic in the prior post. These were fabricated 6 mths ago. You can see from the pic that the donor wheels were 6x16 but 7s can be used just as well.

The TruDesign wheel in my pic above was based on a 951 7x16 wheel. The Lindsay wheel in my pic above was based on a 911 6x16 wheel.