Thoughts/advice on going to 17" wheels...

[edward993]

...but on the cheap! I have the Porsche/BBS 3-piece (7/9x16 in silver) on my SC "Trackmeister," and have loved it for years. But alas, with 225/246x16 tire choices going extinct, I am now thinking I may be forced to go 17s. But I don't wanna break the bank ...or rather, can't! So help me with options, or better yet, tell me what you've done. One of the least-costly alternatives I've seen is used Cup IIs with spacers. Possible, but would love to hear your collective thoughts on this. BTW, this is a 95% track car. Thanks, all!!

Edward

[Canada Kev]

Is it possible to fit 17 inch hoops to your wheel centres? Like what Lindsay and the like do to Fuchs.

[Noah930]

Aren't the Rota Fuchs 17"? Despite all the pissing and moaning (by some) about being gravity cast, I haven't heard of one wheel failure from normal or track use.

[efhughes3]

Don't go with Cups, they just don't look right on torsion bar 911's.

[Ritzblitz]

If it's a 95% track car why can't you use any of the 225/245 r16 r-compound choices?

[edward993]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the thoughts. All tire choices are diminishing! RA1s come in 245/45, yes, but fronts are 225/50 ...do-able, but I'd prefer to stick with 55 series as that's how I set up/cornerbalanced the car. As it is, I am going to pick up a set of T1-Rs ...the only choice left in track-worthy street compound in my sizes. Ugh!

I was thinking of getting my BBS set "re-done" (since they are 3-piece wheels) with 17" rim halves, but don't even know if that's possible/cost prohibitive. I emailed "that guy" (forgot his shop's name, the BBS guru dude, help me out?? ...hope he responds with favorable news).

If I am left with having to swap rims, then I'd like to go cheap but with a trackworthy record (read safe/proven!) ...which is why the Cup IIs come to mind. It's OEM and definitely "proven," and can be had cheap all day. Dunno how much the four wheel adaptors will set me back though, and I'd clearly rather have a set with proper offsets. The look doesn't bother me ...satin-black rattle can can fix that But if anyone has wheel options that fit the "cheap and proven" criteria, name em, please!

Keep the ideas coming, guys. Thanks!!

Edward

[Noah930]

The negative of Cups might be the need for sizable spacers. Those are heavy, and something you might want to avoid in a track car.

[Canada Kev]

What was that rule about automotive wheels? Strong, light weight and inexpensive. You only get to pick two.

[Arlo911]

Edward993, it's a long shot, but you could contact Rotiform wheels, they might be able to help with larger rims to fit your BBS centers.

I don't know about their strength, and maybe the engineers on the board know if running 17 inch rims on 16 inch centers will put too much stress on them?

[klarsfeld]

Hi Ed,
I'm using a set of these Remotec 17 x 9, and 17 x 7 with Kumho V70's. They came with the car however I reckon they would be cheap if you see them on fleabay. From memory they are about 9kg. Originally silver, I had them powder coated satin black.

[WPOZZZ]

Originally Posted by edward993

...but on the cheap! I have the Porsche/BBS 3-piece (7/9x16 in silver) on my SC "Trackmeister," and have loved it for years. But alas, with 225/246x16 tire choices going extinct, I am now thinking I may be forced to go 17s. But I don't wanna break the bank ...or rather, can't! So help me with options, or better yet, tell me what you've done. One of the least-costly alternatives I've seen is used Cup IIs with spacers. Possible, but would love to hear your collective thoughts on this. BTW, this is a 95% track car. Thanks, all!!

Edward

If your BBS are the Motorsport 20 bolt wheels, you can get new or used inners and outers. If you have the BBS RS wheels, I'm not sure if 17" inners and outers are available.

If you want to use Cup 2s, OEM will require spacers, but you will need to check with your sanctioning body if they allow spacers on the track. There are also aftermarket Cup 2s with the correct offset for an SC/Carrera, but those rims are rather heavy.

My 17" 3 piece Hartmann wheels were bought off Pelican for @ $800 and they are pretty light. You can scour Pelican for deals or Craigslist. I bought a set of 17" 3 piece Cup 3s for $600 a few weeks ago off my local CL.

[Ritzblitz]

17" lips and barrels for BBS RS are about 1600 new. But yes if you have motorsport 20 bolt centers you can find what you need fairly easily.

You might have called Bob Woodman Tire?

[JeremyD]

Memoryfab.com

or they make the RA-1's in 16" sizes again

[Todd Simpson]

RA1s come in 245/45, yes, but fronts are 225/50 ...do-able, but I'd prefer to stick with 55 series

OK, I'm confused...225/50 are exactly what you want on the front to balance the 245/45.

Are you using 205/55? If so, the 225/50 is wider but very close in all other respects.

I can't imagine you are using a 225/55.

Anyway, I do think some type of factory 7 and 9x17 from a later model Porsche are your best bet to hit the durable and cheap marks.

If you can find tires you like in 16" then I would stick with the BBS's.

[edward993]

Ahhh, yes, Bob Woodman. That's it ...thanks! Unfortunately, I just now realized (duh, should've googled up pics beforehand!) that I have the BBS "RS" wheels, and the Bob Woodman site says straight out that RS wheels are not meant to be serviced. So that's out, ugh!
Hey Ritzblitz, where did you find a price on halves for the RS??

Todd,
Hahaha, good call, man! I am clearly suffering brain fade ...old-guy syndrome?!! Yes, my fronts are 225/50s. Thanks for the wake-up slap!

Thanks for the specific wheel recommendations, guys. Will check it out. For the time being, I'll stick it out with whatever tires are available ...gonna order T1-R for the time being. When I gotta go 17s, I guess I gotta just bite the bullet and do it. Thanks all!

Edward

[Canada Kev]

You can get BBS RS wheel lips and barrels from these two places, as well as others.

Tunershop - Wheel accessories - tuning - german wheels and tires - spacers - coilovers

BBS lips and bolts : VR Wheels WebStore, Presented By VR Motoring