BBS RS - 5x130 16s only

[JQ911]

Newbie question,

I've been contemplating of having an extra set of rims preferably BBS RS style. I love the Fuchs but would like to have a variety as well.

The BBS RS with 5x130 pattern came only in 16s, right? I found a lot of BBS RS 17s (7s,8s,9s and even 10s) but not in 5x130 bolt pattern. Although BBS LMs have 5x130, I would prefer the RS better.

I've seen in photos of 964s and even pre-89 911s with 17s BBS RS. I assume this came from a different bolt pattern and either re-drilled or use adapters i suppose. Maybe its just me but I think the RS on 7&9X17 would look awesome on or SC or Carreras.

[Canada Kev]

I believe you can get 17" rim halves that will bolt on to the centres to give you a set of 17 inch RS wheels.

[sennasixty8]

'Uncle Scott' has em on his Carrera, looks fan-fuggin-tastic.

RS's were built in 16", LM's for 964 were built in 17", and I think 993/964 in 18" (all the LM's were/are rare too).

[mgatepi]

I just had these restored by Forge Line!! They are awesome! 16" x7' and 16"x 8"

[KTL]

Actually the BBS LM can be had for the older cars in 17 in. rather easily. Tire Rack has sold these wheels for several years.

Wheels for 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe

The BBS RS were made in various sizes for various manufacturers. You're right that the "OEM" 17 in. RS were not offered for the 911 by BBS. These seem to be only for BMW. But CanadaKev is correct. There are wheel specialists that can provide you with 17 in. halves that have been custom made to convert the RS 5x130 centers to 17 in.

Jeff Alton at PacWest Performance and Jae Lee at Mirage International can both provide you with the new 17 in. halves.

I think Jeff typically got them from Kodiak, but according to Kodiak's website they are no longer making the custom aftermarket halves for BBS RS?

ELITEWHEELS

Jae at Mirage made a set of these for one of the Pelicans. They're pretty darn awesome.....

Mirage Intl - Other Race Components

NEW BBS RS 34 bolt shells any width or diameter.

[JQ911]

Originally Posted by KTL

Actually the BBS LM can be had for the older cars in 17 in. rather easily. Tire Rack has sold these wheels for several years.

Wheels for 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe

The BBS RS were made in various sizes for various manufacturers. You're right that the "OEM" 17 in. RS were not offered for the 911 by BBS. These seem to be only for BMW. But CanadaKev is correct. There are wheel specialists that can provide you with 17 in. halves that have been custom made to convert the RS 5x130 centers to 17 in.

Jeff Alton at PacWest Performance and Jae Lee at Mirage International can both provide you with the new 17 in. halves.

I think Jeff typically got them from Kodiak, but according to Kodiak's website they are no longer making the custom aftermarket halves for BBS RS?

ELITEWHEELS

Jae at Mirage made a set of these for one of the Pelicans. They're pretty darn awesome.....

Mirage Intl - Other Race Components

NEW BBS RS 34 bolt shells any width or diameter.

Hi Kevin,

How much did the conversion cost you by Mirage? If I will go the same direction, I will have to buy 16s first and have it in 7s and 9s x 17.

[KTL]

I didn't have Mirage do the conversion- yet. Wheels are "on loan" to a friend and I suspect we'll convert them to 17 eventually based on 16 in. track/race tire selection getting more sparse as the years go by.

Last I heard, the pricing is $150 per wheel shell. So that's $300 per wheel. $1200 to convert the wheels to 17 in. is not cheap. But MUCH cheaper than buying entirely new wheels (especially forged wheel$) and you have the opportunity to make the offset/spacing just how you want it.

Yep you'll need to find a set of 16s and then take them apart. The disassembly/reassembly is not that hard. Just very tedious because the wheels have 34 bolts each. The wheels are sealed with high temp. silicone sealant. So it's simply a matter of removing all the bolts, separating the centers from the halves with a suitable wedge (heat gun helps a bit too), wire-brushing the old silicone off and then reassemble with new 17 in. halves and sealant.

[michael lang]

My track wheels are a set of RS 8s & 9s. They look just like the silver set on the black Carrera above. I scrub the hell out of them after every event to keep them in incredible shape. I was thinking I should get rid of them to get a set of 17" track wheels. I never thought in a million years that they could be converted. I think I should look into this.

[Racerbvd]

Here is my set on my Carrera, 7&9X16s..
The Carrera & BBS RSs may be going up for sale soon...

[JQ911]

The Carrera & BBS RSs may be going up for sale soon..

[KTL]

Originally Posted by michael lang

I scrub the hell out of them after every event to keep them in incredible shape.

You're a smart man. Letting the brake dust build up on these wheels is bad news. They are a pain in the butt to clean even when they're in very nice condition. When they've been neglected, it's a real chore to get them clean again. I gave my buddy a threat that he better do a better job keeping them clean (he uses them for track wheels) or i'm going to repo them!

Yeah I think these wheels are a great choice for track wheels. The fact that they have forged centers is a big win in my opinion. If you can pick up a set cheap (the more common 16x7/8 set can sometimes be found for well under $1000) or they are already on a car when you bought it, then turning them into 17 in. wheels is cheaper than getting all new wheels like Fikse, Lindsey Racing, TruDesign, CCW or Zuffenhaus etc.

When/if you convert them, do not just throw away the old wheel halves. There's people that want those halves! Post them for sale here on the classifieds and you can offset the cost of your new 17 in. halves.