996 Turbo wheels warning.

[ZacJames]

General info. I’m pretty sure, most
current owners know all about this, but if you’re in the market for a 996Turbo, ensure you’re not being ‘stiffed‘ with incorrect wheels.
If a turbo wheel needs replacing, a cheap trick, is to fit an absolutely similar looking, standard wheel from lesser models in the range.

The turbo model has hollow cast alloy wheels : quite a lot lighter than the similar looking OE standard wheels, which aren’t hollow, and also, much, much cheaper.
It does upset the corner weight, a little, should you have an odd one installed.
The way to tell, is very simple.
Run your hand along the back of the wheel ‘spokes’, which should clearly feel convex.
If flattish, they are the wrong wheel.
It may not bother the purchaser, but does beg the question - what else has been done on the cheap?

 

[Troutman]

I think you're wrong...hollow spokes are flat at the back , solids have cut outs (to reduce weight).

 

[ZacJames]

Hi Troutman, don’t be offended, but you are absolutely mistaken.
I owned a brand new turbo 996, and know that the correct very expensive (hollow) wheel, fitted as standard to the turbo model, has a very definite convex profile at the back.
If flattish, it is the incorrect wheel, and much cheaper to buy.

Both types of wheel ‘spokes’ look the same from the front, so don’t understand what you mean by cut-outs.!
The whole point of replacing an expensive, damaged genuine hollow turbo wheel, with the flattish back solid one, is because it looks the same on the outside, and the unsuspecting, next owner would have no idea he’d been duped.

The point of my post was to make any future buyer of a turbo, aware of this.

Research it yourself with Porsche if not convinced, but interested!

There could be 996 turbo owners out there, who may not want to believe.
………Here endeth the lesson.

 

[T911UK]

Hi Zac, dont be offended but Troutman is 100% correct, you are mistaken

His description is spot on

 

[ZacJames]

Hi T911UK, I’m not offended at all, but your attachment does not depict a hollow structured 996 turbo wheel.
The hollow wheel does not have any cutouts, which the solid one does, and can be seen in your pic, and that was done, (as Troutman wrote,) specifically to save weight

The hollow turbo wheel currently retails at £1800 plus VAT, the solid type in your pic £800 plus VAT.
Your pic exactly illustrates the solid wheel type, which is definitely not hollow.

Parts dept of a Porsche Main dealer can clarify what’s what.

 

[T911UK]

From your OP;

"The way to tell, is very simple.
Run your hand along the back of the wheel ‘spokes’, which should clearly feel convex.
If flattish, they are the wrong wheel."

Obviously the pic I posted was of a solid wheel, and as you can see, its not flat at the back

 

[Jay..]

Hi Zac, dont be offended but Troutman is 100% correct, you are mistaken

His description is spot on

As per this post - this is a solid spike wheel.

The hollow wheels do not have any of the cutouts on the rear of the spokes

They also come with metal valve caps

 

[911X50]

I'm now confused lol

 

[Troutman]

The photo above is of solid spokes. If you feel those indents (put there to save weight) they are solids. Hollow spokes are flat (but they are hollow) so lighter as more material is missing from the void than those indents.

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

A bit late to the party, but the photo shows the difference.

Early 996 Turbos (like mine) had the solid spoke wheels as standard from the factory.

 

[Troutman]

I didn't know that..I thought all Turbo's had "hollows"

 

[T911UK]

And to throw another curve ball into it, the early hollow rears had the wrong part number stamped on them, as in Richards pic above;
Incorrect part number, 996 363 142 03
Correct part number, 996 362 142 03

 

[Troutman]

And just to add another factoid to this thread the second set of numbers in the part number .."362" was the amount of ounces each wheel weighed ..they were weighed with valves fitted the first time so came out 1 ounce higher but this was deemed incorrect by Hermann Stiggler and the code was then corrected.

 

[Troutman]

I made that up btw