|
|
|
|
| Author |
|
|
Registered
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Seattle
Posts: 693
|
4 right side wheels and no lefts???
Someone help me out here. Just picked up an '87 944 turbo locally here in Seattle. Very fair deal from a guy who had upgraded this car with take-off 17" rims from a 996. Supposedely he bought them as a set from a Porsche dealer. Anyway, can someone explain why Porsche would put a set of wheels on a car with spokes that "twist" differently from one side to the other? The wheels on the right side of this car have the spokes "twisting" in what looks like the correct way in my eyes whereas the wheels on the left side look like they are "twisting" the wrong way. In other words, the front wheels on my car are in fact identical to one another as are the rears. Shouldn't the wheels be designed for use on just one side of the car if they have some sort of "twist" pattern?
To further confuse myself I started looking at Ebay auctions for sets of Porsche "twist" wheels and in all the auctions that have a picture of all 4 wheels together they are twisting the same way as compared the the other wheels in their respective sets. Some sets look to me like they are designed for the left side of the car, some for the right. I found an auction for wheels that look identical to mine: Here is an auction for a 996 with my same wheels: Don't these wheels look like they should only be on the right (passenger) side of the car? Do all Porsches that come with some sort of "twist" wheel have a different look on one side of the car compared to the other?  [img]
__________________
Kie in Seattle. '05 3.4 987, '76 930 DP/Kremer thing. Past p's... '91 928S4, '95 993, '82 928, '91 944S2, '92 964, '67 912/911 2.7, '72 911/3.0, '89 951, '87 951, '94 968 cab, '96 993, '87 928S4, '78 911SC targa, '79 911SC, '84 Carrera row, '75 911S, '85 Carrera targa, '84 930 RUF, '04 996 C4S. Last edited by kiesan; 05-18-2004 at 02:05 AM.. |
||
05-18-2004, 01:49 AM
|
|
|
Registered
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6,950
|
My old Volvo 850 Turbo wagon had the same type of wheel orientation, one side looked correct, the other looked backwards. I never understood why they would make a wheel that looked unidirectional and mount it on both sides. I never checked out 996 wheels if they were similar. Perhaps they are.
|
||
|
05-18-2004, 04:33 AM
|
|
|
Registered
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Bath, UK
Posts: 102
|
kiesan...
Can I offer you one of these left-handed screwdrivers I have here? Only $50 for special customers! 
__________________
Jon Taylor MY89 Carrera Targa Sport MY93 3.0-24V Vauxhall Carlton Diamond |
||
|
05-18-2004, 05:27 AM
|
|
|
Back in the saddle again
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Central TX west of Houston
Posts: 56,764
|
I read a similar letter to the Tech questions in Excellence in the last couple of months. Apparently Porsche built them that way. According to the fellas in the magazine your question is not uncommon.
You didn't get ripped, they are just made that way.
__________________
Steve '08 Boxster RS60 Spyder #0099/1960 - never named a car before, but this is Charlotte. '88 targa  SOLD 2004 - gone but not forgotten
|
||
|
05-18-2004, 06:28 AM
|
|
|
Registered
|
Manufacturing costs, period. Why build two castings when you can only build one?
__________________
Nate Gone: '86 Carrera coupe Current: a $75 BMW 320i |
||
|
05-18-2004, 06:30 AM
|
|
|
Registered
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 3,019
|
I never understood it either. Tons of manufacturers do it, but the wheels all look ridiculous when they are facing 'backwards'.
|
||
|
05-18-2004, 07:59 AM
|
|
|
|
Double Trouble
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: North of Pittsburgh
Posts: 11,706
|
the only one I know that builds a L & R directional wheel is Acura.
__________________
I used to be addicted to the hokey pokey..........but I turned myself around.. 75 914 1.8 2010 Cayenne base |
||
|
05-18-2004, 08:12 AM
|
|
|
Registered
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Seattle
Posts: 693
|
Well thanks boys... I guess thats the way they are made although that is hard to fathom.
Too bad the "wrong" side has to be the driver side so I have to look at them everytime I'm in/out of this little 'pup.
__________________
Kie in Seattle. '05 3.4 987, '76 930 DP/Kremer thing. Past p's... '91 928S4, '95 993, '82 928, '91 944S2, '92 964, '67 912/911 2.7, '72 911/3.0, '89 951, '87 951, '94 968 cab, '96 993, '87 928S4, '78 911SC targa, '79 911SC, '84 Carrera row, '75 911S, '85 Carrera targa, '84 930 RUF, '04 996 C4S. |
||
|
05-18-2004, 08:30 AM
|
|
|
Registered
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: US
Posts: 1,621
|
T-birds also have directional rims.
|
||
|
05-18-2004, 12:15 PM
|
|
|
Registered
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Colorado Springs
Posts: 1,381
|
Ya know... you could find a guy with the same wheels and swap his left side for your right side and you'd be all set!!!
__________________
GruppeB #935 84 Carrera Targa B.A.S.T.A.R.D. (for sale) 82 SC RSR Project (on ebay) 95 Dodge Ram 2500 03 Toyota 4runner |
||
|
05-18-2004, 12:29 PM
|
|
