Hey guys,

I've talked to a couple of you about these wheels. I'm REALLY happy with them. I've been waiting for them since April. What do you guys think? I think they were worth the wait. They're 17x7.5s and 17x9s w/ Hankook Ventus R-S2 Z212s in 215/45/17 and 245/40/17s.







Later,
Mike

 

Your wheels and tires look great!!! I didn't know you could get "Fuchs" in a 17" version......

 

Yep, they're made by Rota, so no, they are NOT forged, and not truly replicas. They're modern interpretations of a classic design. Moses on Pelican got together with SubyDude and Rota and they came up with them. Go to www.subydude.com for more info. The price is RIGHT!

With a 17" wheel, the availability of tires are much more broad. This was the main purpose behind them. At the same time, trying to stay as close to factory as possible. As most people here will agree, nothing looks better on a 'classic' 911 than Fuchs wheels, or at least wheels that look like them.

I think a little lowering and corner-balancing may be in my future now...

 

Mike your car looks great, the large polished lip and larger wheel really make the car look great...I am a little biased

 

You're right about tire availability for the 16 inch wheels. I can only find three or four tire manufacturers who make a 245x45x16 for my 9x16 rears. I've been running Yoko's but they have a soft tread and wear out in 10K miles on the rear.

 

Thanks guys. I really appreciate it. Yes, I think it was worth the wait too. They really do seem like a very good quality wheel. I'm very impressed with them.

I didn't weigh them, but they certainly didn't feel much, if any, heavier than the factory wheels w/ tires. I am sure they weigh more, but I believe my tire choice made up a little bit of the difference.

Given that the release agent is on the tread of the tire still, they are very sticky!!! I didn't try very hard at all (just gave it gas after fully releasing the clutch) and the rears didn't break loose at all. I can't say that with the previous tires...

 

They look great! Of course you guys knew I would say that. They really make the car pop. I have often thought about doing a full polish on the ones I have currently.

When I can afford a set from Wheel Enhancement, I will be staying with 16's but I want 9's in the rear.

What was the price of your 17's? I have just heard so many negatives about using some of these knockoff Fuchs for the track, but for the street they will be fine. Just so much more stress on wheels on the track. You cant even be sure you are safe on real Fuchs on the track....some are so old that they will have stress cracks you cant see.

 

Well, these aren't the same knockoffs that had all the problems, and ROTA has wheels running off-road rallies and seem to have a good rep. I was going to get a set myself, but I already have a few set of 9s for each car and am having a set of 17" 3 piece build using BBS halves for the Toad Hall
Price is really good on these, less than $1,200 It cost me close to that to have my pair 9X15s refinished.

 

looks great

 

looks nice!

 

As some have already post on Pelican, which would you ratherhave? I bran new cast wheel made by a very reputable company or 20 year old forged Fuchs? For normal street use, I'd guess either will serve you well. For track use, I think I'd rather have the new cast wheels. Of course, time will tell if the Rotas are much better than some of the replica wheels out there. I'm guessing they are. That's just me though.

Thanks for the compliments. I REALLY like them! Oh yeah, go to www.subydude.com for more information on the wheels. They are available in many different finishes.

Later,
Mike

 

Hope you did not take offense to anything I said Mike. I was just relating what I have read on some forums. Do they make them in 16x9? If so, I wonder if I got a set of two for the rear....if they would match the looks of the oem Fuchs I leave on the front?

 

No, no. No offense at all. In fact, I love the questions. I hope I didn't offend you at all either. They really do appear to be very nicely made.

No, at this time, they only offer the 17" wheels. The main reason in going with 17s is because of the much larger range of tires offered in 17s. The next 'set' of wheels will be either for the M491 (widebody) cars or Turbo cars. They are still trying to decide whether to go with a wheel that requires spacers, what spacers to go with, etc. Trying to 'maximize' their investment, of course.

Looking at them closely, you'll notice several small differences. The lug nut area has been 'beefed' up, simply because they are cast, so the lugs are 'deep set'. The spokes are a little 'thicker' too, since the wheel centers are larger, and in an attempt to keep the look the same (yes, the Rota designers did VERY GOOD!) The lips are a single step from the lip to the wheel center too, giving a 'cleaner' appearance, IMO.

As you'll notice, the price of the wheels are cheaper than a set of 16x8s or 16x9s, so you could go with a set of these and have the added benefit of a broader spectrum of tires.

Hope that helps!
Mike

 

As a point of comparison....when I purchased my 9 x 16 Fuchs from Wheel Enhancement a little over a year ago I paid $1250 per wheel plus $250 per wheel to have them polished and have the cores painted gloss black. A lot of money...but they look great and are really light.

 

Jason Cullen sells a pair of 16x9s for $1600. That's the cheapest I've found.

Still, at $1200 for a set of 4, and the added benefit of going to 17" wheels, there really wasn't a comparison for me.

Pipes, I wish I could have refrained and weighed both the factory wheels and tires and the Rota wheels and tires. I just couldn't help myself though. I've been waiting since April for them, and then I was out of town on business when they arrived. Obviously, I wanted to put them on as soon as I could... Maybe some day I'll take them off and weigh them...