Replica Wheels

[Calspeed]

Hello,

Are the replica wheels any good? My friend mounted a set of replica Fuch style wheels and does some track days on his Porsche.

Are these wheels okay for that type of usage? When I Vintage raced a Datsun 2000 I ran with a set of replica American Racing Libras. They seemed ok but I did eventually break a wheel when I spun off the track.

Any views on replicas. No... not my off track spin.

Calspeed

[jpachard]

I would never run the replica's at the track. They are cast, not forged and as a result aren't nearly as strong. Our local PCA region does not allow them in DE's so you might want to check before you go if your region has the same rule. Someone on this forum has a picture of a cast wheel that failed...Pretty scary. I don't mean to sound so harsh but I would hate to see you get hurt out there.

Cheers, James

[Todd Simpson]

I think this reputation on cast wheels is a bit silly. Near as I can tell, there were some cheap knockoff fuchs 30 years ago that were poorly made and broke easily. That has turned into "every replica wheel is bad, every cast wheel is bad." Isn't almost every alloy wheel *except* the fuchs cast? There are plenty of 944's running around the track with phone dials, plenty of Boxsters, 993's, 996's, all with cast wheels and they are just fine.

I'd like to know more about the fuchs replicas sold by Performance Products. They look a lot different than the old replicas I used to see in the VW mags years ago, maybe these are the same supplier Wayne is talking about supplying 17" fuchs replicas. If they are thicker (and heavier), there's no reason they can't be just as strong and safe as the real deal.

Let's also remember our precious fuchs are getting old and several have posted theirs are starting to crack. Might a new cast wheel be safer than an old forged one?

[nuvo]

That's a good point. I'm interested because I have a set of 'RSR' 15" 9's and 11's. Except, mine were welded together from real fuchs by DP. What gives?

- e

[89911]

I think part of the replica problems lie in the manufacturing of them. Since they are an attempt to copy an original item, they generally have no manufacturer name and are most likely done so (China) were the threat of legal action is minimized. Kind of like the fake Rolex watches in NY. No, not all forged wheels are bad, but they are generally made and tested by a known company.

[jpachard]

The replica's I saw on this site were the newer style Cup wheels. These are cast as well and the whole centre had broken out. I think the replica's are fine for regular street driving but the track is a different matter. The amount of force exerted on the wheels is tremendous and this is an area where failure is not an option, IMO. I run Fikse's on my car and I check all the nuts in the back every 4 track days. Casting is just not as strong as forging no matter how you shake a stick at it.

Cheers, James

[TRE Cup]

There is no excuse for careful monitoring of your equipment , especially when you go to the track. We have clients that have raced exclusively on cast replicas, cast oem wheels (cookie cutters, 928/944) , forged, aftermarket race wheels, etc etc. They take the time to check out their cars , before they race. Are cast wheels preferred over forged? Heck no- I personally would not want all that extra weight. But cast wheels are all that is in the budget of some of the racers out there.
Yes, there have been failures on all these wheels- fortunately they were caught in the initial cracked stages.
We do not recommend racing with a repaired , or chromed/ dechromed wheel. Nitrogen embrittlement occurs in the chroming process and the aluminum is weakened.
Sure plenty of people out there have driven thousands of miles on plated wheels, but they are taking a chance (and probably never achieve more than .5 g in their lives)
Re; welded wheels- yes DP and others have welded up larger fuchs. They seem to work ,when done properly, but it is taking a chance.
Also- on the subject of three piece wheels. Check with the manufacturer/ or distributor before buying someone else's "spares" As with all metal, they fatigue and have a "work" life. Examples: Many of the old BBS wheels used on 70s era Imsa cars are outdated and not considered safe. Kinesis publishes a guide to inspecting your wheels- what to look for, how, etc.

[Calspeed]

The replica Fuchs that I was reffering to were a set that was made in Japan. They look like they are super low mileage as they are not scuffed at all. I am guessing that there were replicas made in many different countries. I am hoping that the wheels made in Japan are of a better quality.

I used to run a set of replica Libra wheels on my Vintage Racer. Mine were made by Western Wheel. Apparantely the originals were from American Racing. THe quality looked great. Each one of the four fat spokes had a web bracing behind them. Just like the original. Then I saw anbother set of them on my buddies car. I checked the back of the wheels for the bracing and they were not there. The wheels sure looked pretty though. Yes, there are certainly different levels of quality for the replicas.

Calspeed

[rvanderpyl]

I have a set of 16x7" Fuchs Replicas on my car. They are made by American Eagle, they are supposed to be made in the USA, appear to be well constructed and cost a lot less new than a used Fuchs would. I'm happy enough with them, but I will be replacing them with 15" Fuchs in the future as I want to go back to the 'proper' look for my car. Alyhough if I could get 17x7 R offset wheels I'd use them instead. Wayne?????

[TRE Cup]

the japanese made fuchs are excellent quality and decent finish- no hesitation at all racing on them (once they are carefully inspected of course!)

[thrown_hammer]

Where would one find these Japanese "Fuchs"??

[TRE Cup]

Ask Pelican if they carry , or can get them. They were in short supply for a while, but perhaps they are being imported again.

[cstreit]

Keep in mind guys that it's VERY hard to see cracks in the wheel if they're just anodized. I wouldn't race on them, but that's just me... No proof, just paranoia and seeing the first hand results of cracked wheels on the track.

Hell, I had two REAL fuchs crack last year. Fortunately my wheels are painted and the cracks were easy to see. I've seen cracked non-painted fuchs and it's NOT easy to tell.

ANYONE racing on fuchs should be checking them really well every event. Reality is, they're getting older.

[TRE Cup]

looks like a nice pair of hose reel candidates to me!

[nick-moss]

Chris

I haven't seen those lug nuts before, what are they?

[cstreit]

TRE:

Actually they made a nice end-table!

Nick,

Not sure because they were with the car when I bought it. Plain steel lug nut. Almost look like the acorn cap style with the end removed. I have extra long lugs and they are all that fit.

Both wheels were cracked (left side) in 4-5 places each. When they let go, they LET GO!