You said it all in your first sentance "I would never feel safe running unproven wheels or tires", no one would feel safe!

These wheels are:

1. unproven
2. wrong widths
3. wrong offsets
4. can only return for store credit (to be used within 30 days)
5. wheels are not forged (cast)
6. wheels are not modular
7. wheels are as heavy or heavier than your stock 18's

Also, you will need to need 25mm to 30mm spacers just to make them the same width as stock.

I use this rule of thumb for Porsche wheels:

1. $2000.00- Will get you a set of new, name brand and proven wheels for a 996tt. They will be cast and heavier than forged.
2. $4000.00- This will get you a set of high quality light forged one piece or multi-piece wheel.
3. $8000.00- This will get you a set of magnesium wheels. Very light, but durability is sometimes questionable for street use.

Good luck
-z

 

I'm not just posting what I've heard, I've seen several threads on cracked GT3's with pics to prove it, one wheel was split down the middle. I'm not gonna search al of them over again but you can do a search yourself and you will see several cases of them being cracked. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from buying them but just informing of what I've seen.

 

SSR’s are no more susceptible to failure than any other brand of wheels. Most failures are due to environment rather than design or structural integrity. Every manufacturer has produced wheels that have failed. It does not matter if they are steel, aluminum, magnesium, carbon, cast or forged because in the right situation failures will occur in all types. So if someone is shopping for a set of wheels that will never fail, then they will be shopping forever and if someone says that a set of $2k wheels will crack and a set of $8k will not then they are just misinformed. The good news is that usually the wheel will start to show hairline cracking prior to catastostrophic failure, so wheels like any other critical part should be inspected on a regular basis.
-z

 

So I'm guessing that all of a sudden you get what you pay for doesnt apply any more. SSR filed for bankruptcy in 05 and for a while most people thought they'd go out of business and there was a temp period where the wheels werent available but by tirerack.com. All I'm saying is do a search on the wheels first and you will see on nearly every forum that they are mentioned the crack history. I guess this is a mythical internet problem though so dont worry about it.

 

The quality of the raw materials and the machining process play a roll in the cost and quality of the wheel. But that does not mean that an expensive wheel is a quality wheel. Take a look at some of your “bling “companies who are now selling high dollar Porsche wheels. Some of these look nice and are expensive but are not track or spirited driving worthy, so you wouldn’t put them on an aggressively driven car.
Just because a company develops some sort of financial issues does not mean that they produce an inferior product. BBS Europe for example. Great reputation, great product, they are one of the premier wheel manufacturers in the world but are experiencing financial difficulties.
I researched other forums on the SSR issue and yes you’re correct, some structural issues with the SSR’s have been posted. But in most of the forums these wheels were used for competitive driving. This take us back to my statement in my second post “Most failures are due to environment rather than design or structural integrity.�
So with all the wheel companies selling all types of styles and quality of wheels, using the “getting what you pay for� philosophy may not be the best way to buy wheels. An alternate way would be to determine what the car will be used for and but a set of wheels that have proven itself for that particular purpose. You know………………..kind of like buying high performance tires!
-z

 

I'm not trying to make a debate out of this and completely agree with this post. I have seen many that were street driving which IMO is more dangerous than track driving on wheels (provided you actually stay on the track ) . You are definitely right though there are many out there that try to sell a name and not quality and vice versa. The result is high priced peices of junk or not so high price with excellent quality. There is no way to tell off hand but by someone experiencing this. And just like tires, no one wheel is best at everything (looks,ride,weight,strength) so you have to kinda feel your way through to what works best for you. But it's always best to do extensive research on products that you will spend this kind of money on and put your safety and well being on. That is all I say. But in the case of the ebay wheels there is a case where you are getting what you pay for. CHEAP

 

They say when the "odds are one in a million", it's one in a million unless you're that ONE guy. As for me, I was that ONE guy who had problems w/ the rims. They also, say timing is everything. When I went to have my wheel replaced, SSR's were no longer being manufactured due to whatever reason. My situation began in early 2004. I was told by Tirerack, it may take several months, but it took them years. Not to make this forum a ***** session, but I was strung along saying the production will start again soon. Every quarter, I kept calling, same ole song and dance.

Tirerack may have been simply reiterating all they knew, but bottom line is that I lost money on new tires (Bridgestone poles are NOT cheap) and had three rims w/ no alternative, but to wait. I was offered reimbursement for the ONE wheel, but a lot of good that would do.

Bottom line, SSR has bit me in the A$$ and going from a naturally aspirated Carrera to my TT, tons more torque, pressure, weight...I can assure you I will NEVER buy performance tires from SSR ever again.

 

Hi. I can point you to Complete Custom Wheels. A set
of very light and race-proven wheels for the 996tt are
between $2100 and $2600 dollars. The 'classic' race
wheel is about $2100 per set, custom-made to stock
or custom offsets. It has no center cap, so it's not for
bling, but is used by lots of racers in the U.S.
Joe Weinstein

http://www.ccwheel.com/files/home.php

 

No argument from me............cheap!
-z

 

Joe-
I visited CCW when I was at Daytona24, the shop is just down the street from Daytona speedway. The owner John gave me an extensive tour of the facility. Very cool guy. I agree, these wheels are amazing. They are the best looking wheels almost at any price available in any size and offset. Most wheels have a 2-3 weeks turn around once ordered. Additional designs will be available soon. Very, very nice!
-z

 

Yep. I won the 2006 SCCA NorCal Solo championship on
them. I have the 3-piece, but they have very nice one-
piece forged wheels too for ~$2600.
Joe

 

There are a lot of very good used aftermarket wheels for sale on this forum's classified (6 speed) for about half the price of original retail.

 

So which wheels are you referring to? The c14's? And where can we find those prices.

 

go to wheel profiles, then click on a wheel, then use the
right-hand scroll bar to the bottom. The price is listed.

I race with the

http://www.ccwheel.com/files/wheelpr...php?id=classic

Joe

 

Why are you pointing us to a Motorcycle site?