What do you guys and gals think of these GT3 wheels for my C4S?

Hi all, I'm eyeing these GT3 wheels for my '02 C4S. They are at wheel dynamics. I know a lot of you have dealt with Carlos there....he seems like a great guy. Anyhow, he has advised me that these wheels are stronger the OEM and weigh just a bit more. I'm not too concerned about weight, but do want to possibly track the car in the future. Carlos advises these fine for the track and many other drivers use them. The price is pretty good, and the offsets are PERFECT for the widebodies. What do you think? Ben...interested in your input. I know they don't have a lip, but they really do have a great look...no? Opinions appreciated. J http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsc...spagenameZWDVW

They're Narrow Body fitment. They have the Widebody fitment also...and I think they'll look good.

JBizzle, My automotive aesthetic preferences stray away from spending money on yet another set of OEM wheels because OEM wheels are constrained by cost and conservative design since the manufacturer needs to consider a very broad audience which includes your grandmother and uncle Bob. With that said, -I'm not a fan at all of the GT3 wheels above. I think they're pretty weak looking and a little too flowery. Looks like a daisy. The only OEM wheel I like is the one that comes with the C4S (turbine style because it is so Porsche). I have a set in the garage just to keep a spare set around. The car actually looks pretty decent/aggressive with these wheels, but with all OEM wheels, they're designed to look best at stock height. -The reason why I lower and am such a stickler for fitment is because it looks damn good and the ride improves since I'm always lowering on a quality set of aftermarket coilovers (e.g. PSS9s). You want to go wide as possible (constraints being the car shell itself, tire availability) as low as you can cope with (I'm about as low as I'd go on my ride with the aerokit), and offsets that push the wheels out as far as possible to give it that flush look but w/o having to resort to fender rolling. meeting all the conditions aforementioned nets you an incredibly good looking 911/automobile that's set apart from the crowd and it's in these types of details that 99% of dudes don't take time to research and they just go with what their local shop guy/general forum poster recommends which fools 99% of the people out there, but for me I shoot for the top 1%. It's like a guy who's happy with a E.Zegna suit off the rack v. the dude who goes to a custom tailor, understands that Zegna is a fabric company first, and really gets a true Zegna suit that's made to measure. Heck, I'm shooting for Savile Row! but I get a lot of flack for it because I am so discerning when it comes to materialistic **** like wheels and cars in general. Most people don't care as much as i do which is fine. i'll keep giving them a hard time. Since you want track play, you probably want lightweight and durable which I'd go for the Champion wheels (1 piece forged in japan), but I don't think they make 12" widths as I checked on this before when i was searching for wheels. When you see a widebody 911 rollin 11s v. 12s in the back... I can most definitely tell the difference. It just looks so damn good going wide baby. Good luck, bud! walking the talk sample pics of my past and current rides:

I would have to agree with Benjamin. Go with Champions instead. Been looking myself, but will be a while longer before I drop $6k for new wheels. So far, my top three choices have been... * Champion RG5 Monolites * Ruf Modulars * OZ Ultraleggeras The only car I would put the GT3 wheels on would be a GT3 from an observance of stock spec perspective only. Let us know what you end up getting. ____________________ SpeedPhreak 02 C2 996

GT3 wheels belong on NB cars IMO. If you're going to replace your wheels, you might as well your ideal set. I have Champions, and they're great. Check out these (you too Speadphreak)...great price! http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=97976 here's mine:

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I like O.Z.'s and you just don't see too many of them around. I too agree that GT3 wheels should be on GT3's. But with that said people do what they want, for example I have seen 997 wheels on 996's so is that wrong. Personal preference I guess and there is a fine line when you are trying to be unique and when you are trying to be a copy cat (aka wannabe something it isn't), no offense to anyone OK

Wow...those Champions are sweeeet. I don't want to spend that kind of money though. I just don't think it's practical (and yes...I DO think my car is practical to begin with!!). I do want to change the look of the stock setup, just not for 4 or 6K for wheels alone. I like these too...but don't seem to come in 18's. 19's just look to big IMO. Anyone have pics of the OZ's? http://www.wheeldynamics.net/AA%2003-04-06%20698.jpg

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Ben has O.Z.'s and I believe he is selling them...Ben? I have O.Z.'s. Click on the blue lettering for the Porsche in my signature block to open a new page with more pics. You will find that 19's are more common nowadays for our cars, and I do not think 19's are too big IMHO, 20's definately are

I've seen the 997 Carrera S wheels on 996s and they look pretty decent. It's all a matter of taste and style any way. Nice pic!

Jon - I think the GT3 wheels would look good on your car. I really like 'em! Make sure you get wide bodu offsets so you don't have to use spacers.

I think 19s look best, i dont personally prefer gt3s either unless on a gt3. Some times finding the perfect set takes some time!

get yoru eyes checked..18s look like jetta wheels on teh 911

FYI...the "GT3" wheels are NOT exclusively on the GT3. They are also on the last GT2.

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I believe the GT3 wheels are not the lightest OEM wheels but Porsche tries to optimize the weight of the GT3 and GT2 so there must be another reason for the design. Are these wheels much stronger than other OEM wheels (like the 5 spokes) so better for extreme track use? Dell you might know as you've both cars/wheels.

While the OEM GT3 wheels are a tad bit heavier than other options out there, they are EXTREMEMLY strong and durable and they are the wheels I use for the track. Until I feel like dropping 3-4K for a set of aftermarket track focused wheels I'm going to use the OEM set. FYI...I have 2 sets, one for the street and one for the track. What people fail to understand is that if a wheel is lighter something has to be sacrificed.......strength! It is a fine balance between the variables (weight v. strength). The GT3 wheel is a great combo of both. The other wheels the track guys like for weight and strength are (Forgeline, BBS Motorsports, Fikse, CCW, and Volk). While Champion are nice, they are definitely street bling moreso than track oriented. Just take a look around the paddock at any track day and check out the "experienced" cars/drivers to see what they are running. We have definitely as a group collectively tried it all and can give REAL WORLD results unlike speculation and anecdotal evidence that most here try to offer up.

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Dell, are the GT3 wheels cast or forged? (I believe they are cast) Keep in mind that material, construction method and design are all very important determining factors for strength and weight. The lighter wheel is not necessarily the weaker wheel (it can be stronger in some cases). Strength is not always sacrificed (although for a light AND strong wheel, the sacrifice may be the dent in your wallet). Finally, are you quite sure about you claims ("street bling") regarding Champions? I have talked to more than one "wheel guy" who have told me they are very strong and make great track wheels. Just wondering who your source is for the "Bling" comment on Champions.

The GT3 wheel is cast. Of course, light and strong will set you back some serious $$$. Now obviously the forged process will allow you to produce a "stronger" wheel, but it all depends on what you want and what you want to spend. Generally, you see the forged wheels in 2 and 3 piece while the cast is a single unit. It takes less material to forge a wheel than cast a wheel which is where the weight comes into play. Would I rather have a forged wheel? You bet. But I am not ready to plunk down 3-4K when I have a very good wheel in the OEM cast wheel.

After just finding a bent rear sport classic wheel on my car NO MORE CAST WHEELS! For the money these cars cost it is ridiculous that Porsche puts cheap wheels on them. This is why they are the most profitable car company

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Steven, all wheels can and will bend given the right amount of force placed in the right location. You always gotta use discretion. For example, you see all these 22" "forged" wheel ads out there, but I'd be damned if those suckers don't bend given their size and popular deep dish lip. They certainly look pretty and are a must on big-bodied sedans, but you need to be careful with them as with ANY wheel driving in the municipality. You can find examples of "quality" Fikse, BBS, OZ, etc etc wheels bent out of shape. And they're forged to boot! I'm actually going to be selling my forged OZ3s for cast Work Brombachers. Both wheels are durable, beautiful street wheels. If I was a track nerd, I'd probably go with 18" Fikses or CCWs or Champion wheels to keep the weight down, but with all that focus on lightweight, you give up looks. Balance, baby, like water.

I like them!

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That's what I thought. No offense, but I'd take my 18" forged Champion RG5's (the wheels you call bling) over cast GT3 wheels any day of the week. Not only are they significantly lighter, I'd bet they are stronger. I suspect the reason you don't see as many Champions (as some other brands) at the track has far more to do with cost than strength.

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True dat. Not sure how you guys are going to measure strength, though. Kinda tough to do unless you want to run over a bunch of potholes and see which one cracks first. Splittin hairs.

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Yes and No. They are NOT more $ than the other wheels I mentioned (all pretty comparable depending). While I am sure they are stronger than the OEM wheel, they are MORE a bling wheel than a track wheel. Meaning? Not in the hip hop car look of bling but that rather Champion makes a nice wheel but they are TOO NICE. Guys sport these on the street as their "bling" rather than track them. The others I mentioned are a more track focused wheel(s). Sure, the others are nice to look at, they are not built with the Champion way of thinking. Maybe it's just b/c Champion are too damn nice looking. I sure wouldn't track 'em but I wouldn't definitely cruise the town with 'em! Not that the others aren't nice but they just have that "focused" look (track). Well, expect for those forgelines. Dear Lord, now that is some serious bling!

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I'm using the RG5's as track wheels on my GT3 and have had no problems with them. I also believe that they're lighter and stronger than OEM. Re the cost, I picked mine up used and while they looked really good (previous owner had powdercoated the centers black), they weren't cosmetically perfect but had no curb rash, bends, dings, etc. I was looking for a one-piece forged wheel with a design I liked and these fit the bill perfectly (also wanted black wheels).

CCWheel.com makes excellent extremely strong (stronger than any OEM cast wheel for sure) that weigh in at about 20 pounds (18") and are nowhere near as expensive as the pricey Champions,Fiske,etc....only $500 more than the $2100 I paid for my factory 20lb. Carreras. I'm considering demoting my OEM five spokers for winter beating and using the CCWheel Corsair(bottom pic) for summer use with my Goodyear F1's.

how r u guys determining how one wheel is "stronger" than the other?

Forged wheels in industrial capacities is the standard, with tensile strenghts capable of withstanding 20K pounds in some applications. The alternative, hollow cast alloys are made to dent, so you end up buying more. kinda Like all those new and improved network viruses designed and deployed by the makers of security software. The cast alloy market is similarly a self perpetuating industry and they charge you allot to boot.

Quick update....... Regarding the GT3 wheel being cast. It is actually FORGED! I just got done reading an article talking about the specs of the car from when it was released to the public (the MkII GT3) and the wheels are actually identified as being forged. I just assumed they were cast and I (and others) should have known better to find a source before assuming the manufacturing of the wheel. Long story short? They are FORGED ALLOY WHEELS.

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how much do they weigh?

Not sure. I will know for sure next week when I dismount my tires. I'll post back then.

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Thx, bud

I think GT3 wheels look terrific on a C4S. I cannot believe how cheap the fake ones are on Ebay. The spacer route sucks! trust me. They are a hell of a lot lighter than the non hollow that came with the car. I have enough OCD that the fact that the turbo twist wheels flow opposite on either side of the car wigs me out?...............

I've always been weirded out by the fact that the turbo twists spin the other direction no one side of the car vs. the other.

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I'm not a big fan of this look--it's kinda Frankensteinish. It's a C4S with GT3 wheels and a TT spoiler. Serious identity issues.

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Hummm...so wheel enhancement is wrong? Wheel Enhancement 997 GT3 996 GT3

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Assuming the same design and the same material, yes, that's true. But it's a bit of a blanket statement otherwise. In the bike world, for example, sometimes extra material is there because the material itself is cheap and weak. Sometimes extra material is there because the piece is underengineered. Yes, light weight (like any engineering advantage) comes at a sacrifice. But that sacrifice can as easily be cost as strength. And I think there is probably no material so sensitive to engineering and design attention as aluminum is... it can be weak, and soft or brittle, or it can be the landing gear on your next plane ride. It's all about money, in the end.

Flash, It' beyond identity............trust me, I grew up in Altadena= fo-real. When your car is everything...........well, you must live in L.A.? Us C4S owners are a kind of stuck in the middle when it comes to the world of mods. It seems like early C2 owners can bling out like mad without any lashout but oh us "could not afford a turbo" crowd, some of us are guilty "Frankensteins". Wait.....Did somebody mention that the GT2 was equipted with these wheels from the factory?....Must have been compromise that year? Cheers from Clover Street, Altadena, CA GO PATS!!!!!!!!!!!

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Or nearly identical to the damn near 200K GT2. yup Actually we were just chatting about this the other day on the GT forum. Apparently they are not really cast OR forged but rather some "special" slow casting type forging or something like that. To be honest, I don't think at this point that anybody really knows

Wow....lots of activity here again...I passed on the wheels.....although they do look really nice on the 4S, but "frankly" I'm going for a deeper look like Fik-Zee or something like that down the road when I get a lil tired of the stock look. J

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I think they are made of marshmallows covered in silver fairy dust!

As promised, here are the GT3 wheel weights: Front 25# Rear 28# Compared to my new BBS Motorsport Wheels that are a whopping 18# front and 18.5# rear

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Dell, I've seen your rear, and it's definitely more than 18.5 pounds!

Listen, I'm still carrying a little holiday weight that I am not so proud of

Is there something we should know

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Unfortunately for you, that holiday season ended 9 -1/2 months ago and with the new holiday season beginning in about a month, you are in BIG trouble! You may have to borrow my "dually" 996 for next seasons track events.

Tim....are those fenders bolt on??? LOL. Does your *** look big? Absolutely.

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Bolt on's???? OF COURSE NOT!!!! That would be tacky! Reminds me of THE QUESTION from my wife "Do these pants make my *** look big?" Over the years, I have deduced that there are 3 answers, but only 1 correct answer: 1. No, the pants have nothing to do with your *** looking big! 2. No, I think your *** is doing that all by itself! 3. No, the pants look good!