Please explain the 17" fuchs process
 

I know there are threads discussing the 17" fuchs. How exactly do I go about getting these. Am I correct in reading I need to have a donor set that will be cut up and refinished as part of a 3 piece process?

Lindsey Racing will build you a set of 3 piece of whatever width you want if you source 4 6" wheels IIRC. You can also buy new replica 3 piece Fuchs from Zuffenhaus but plan on waiting a few months for them, or you can buy Braid "semi-forged" Fuch replica wheels, or you can buy Rota Cast Fuch Replicas, or you can buy used real Fuchs (not in 17's tho), or you can buy brand new Fuchs from Germany (not sure of the sizes)

Lindsay and TruDesign both take donor 16" Fuchs, cut them up and weld them to 17" barrels. Custom sizing. Pros: Cheaper than Zuffenhaus. Quicker turn-around time. You're using real Fuchs centers, for authenticity's sake. Cons: You're using real Fuchs centers--they're gonna be 20+ years old. Aesthetically the 16" centers on 17" barrels may look not quite proportioned right to you.

Zuffenhaus makes 3-piece forged replicas in teh Fuchs design. Pros: Brand new materials. Forged centers. Custom sizing. Aesthetically the centers have been "upsized" to fit the 17" barrels. Cons: Cost more than Lindsay/TruDesign, but not out of order for custom aftermarket stuff. Wait times may be long.

I don't know of anyone with any experience with Blown6's 17" 3-piece replicas.

Rota makes cast 17" wheels. Pros: Most economical option of the bunch. Cons: Little flexibility in custom sizing. What they have is what they have. Heavier than the above, forged options. Some people have made noise about the supposed inferior quality of Rota's casting process, but no one has yet posted any evidence of any wheel failures. (Or maybe they just haven't live to tell about them.)

This chart I created isn't up to date with Zuffenhousen's wheels, but FWIW:

http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars/Fuchs,3-pieceSource.htm

No affiliation or recommendations. The board archives has the answers.

Sherwood

Thanks for posting the question. I've been wondering about this too.

The 3 piece from original Fuchs have to be from 6x16" wheels. Relatively easy to come by, but everyone knows the core cost from Lindsay so you wont be finding a 'deal' here. Maybe craigs list or fleeBay...

-Michael

My understanding is that True Design's 17" welded Fuchs are made from a 16x7 wheel.

Sherwood

I believe Trudesign will make them from any Fuchs widths, not just 7s. Lindsay, however, uses 6s.

It is possible to take a 6 x 16" cut off the rim, drill the center for 20 bolt BBS 3 piece wheel components and make up 17" wheels of your choosing size wise. Good thing about Trudesign is they can use 6" Fuchs for the front wheels, and I really like the fact that they can/will use a 7 x 16" to make the rear wider 17" wheels. Yes - getting a good deal on 16" Fuchs is hard to do since everyone is constantly looking for the 6 x 16". The 7 x 16" Fuchs are usually much less expensive than the 6" Fuchs. Jim

If I am looking for a 9" and 11" width, does anyone go to a smaller diameter like 16 or 15 to look more retro.

I have a set of very nice 17" weld ups in refinishing with Al Reed right now. I was able to score a set of the Zuffenhaus 17's (also in refinishing with Al) so I am planning on selling the first set. They are all 9" and 11".

Tru Design made me some 9.5x16 out of 6" Fuchs.

They machine out the center then swage it into a new barrel.

They did a superb job, I couldn't be happier!

Both True design and lindsey can do the smaller wheel diameter. But you really end up with only one or two expensive choices for tires.

Last time I saw Gary Stratton (sonjay on the board) he had a set of either 15 9's and 11's or 16 9's and 11's that he was looking to unload.

Kumho makes the Ecsta XS in 265/16 which makes wide 16 inch wheels attractive again.

Kumho Ecsta XS

Here's a TruDesign Fuchs 17x9.5 custom offset, 275/40 tire.

They do really nice work.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1289922832.jpg

Everyone,
thanks for all the info, I know this is a topic many get exhausted hearing again but it really clarified things for some of us knee deep in builds. At least I didnt ask about the tires. :)

Donor or no donor
 

Ed: Some of the guys building these type of custom rims have "donor" rims and they pricing includes or it's extra. Most seem to include that in the price, but you can offer to get them donors. I had Gary Stratton build me a set of 17's (7 & 9") for my RS Clone (83sc). The offset is important and as his or her skill, "don't
just get a "deal". I have seen many versions, I have enclosed a photo from Monterey his year. Give Gary a call at least: 407-421-1911http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1289926017.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1289926052.jpg
SmileWavy Hope it help, email or check out my garage if you have questions
art
agrimmitt@pelican
11/16 Tues 8:50am pst>CA

I have a set of 3-piece HRE Fuchs-style forged wheels in 17x8 and 17x10. Polished rims and black centers, in excellent condition with brand new 100% tread P-Zeros on the back (17x35x285) and 85% tread P-Zeros on the front (17x40x235). The fasteners (20 to a wheel) are visible. HRE stopped making these several years ago. They have 6,000 miles on my pampered 930. I'm thinking about going to 18x9 and 18x11. Let me know if you have an interest.

Thanks Tom but I'm looking to do something more traditional without the bolts showing in an RSR finish. Ill pass along the info if I hear of anyone during my discussions about this.

These are my 17 x 9 rears made from 16 x 6 Fuchs by Tru-Design.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1289945913.jpg

This shot gives you an idea of how much weight the car has lost. This pic is before the rear end was lowered with re-indexing the t-bars. TD does very nice work. These are polished, not chrome. I'm running 275 / 40 / 17 and they fit: barely.

Lindy