Are they all made by one manufacturer or are there different quality levels? Who actually makes them? Did they come with centering rings? Did the OE wheel caps fit? I am looking to replace the metric wheels on my euro 308qv and I wanted some input from those who have the wheels. Thanks.
These are made by KN Alloys in the U.K. Commonly, but incorrectly, referred to as "Superformance" wheels since this is one UK vendor who appears to sell the most of them. Centering rings for the front -should- come with them. Whether or not you will -need- to use them will depend upon your particular car. Some appear to require them, others work well without. Yes, the OE center caps do fit perfectly. You will be very pleased with their quality and finish appearance. Image Unavailable, Please Login
T Rutland's in Atlanta sells them direct to you and on ebay for around $1600.00 for a set of 4. i just passed up a nice Qv GTB because of the metric wheel and expensive tire issue. i have a broken superperformance wheel on my mantle that came with my first ferrari 308. car hit a curb in the rain, and i bought it to fix it. the wheels are heavier than the "real" qv wheels, but its better than buying the $400.00+ each for Coker metric tires, and having to pay shipping, mounting and balancing. i would say the wheels are very strong and safe for their intended use on street cars. michael Image Unavailable, Please Login
A friend bought a set of of the SuperPerformance wheels, and I honestly couldn't tell the difference between those and the OEM Campy set on my 1984 308 QV. They even arrived with a fresh set of new wheel center caps and hub spacers (if needed).
Then you need glasses. The rear rims are not like the originals and in fact they give you the look of running 4 front rims on your car. If you didnt see that then either 1) you didnt look at them 2) impared vision 3) not observant. In any case you get what you pay for (I had a set) and they fall short in that they DO NOT replicate the factory look unless you stand 50 feet away.
So if I buy wheels from superformance or rutlands the fronts and backs will look the same from the oustide? (Obviously the rears are wider, but am I to assume the width is added to the inside?) Can anyone comment or clarify this for me? And what is the going rate for a full set of OE takeoffs?
last time i priced a set of real qv wheels used they were $4000.00 a qv with the correct wheels is worth more than a car with the 390mm metrics or after market wheels. here is a pic of my brown / first ferrari and its whole set of superperformance wheels. notice how they all look the same. think how a porsche 911 has a well defined lip on its front versus rear wheels to better illustrate my point. Image Unavailable, Please Login
$2500 to $4K, as he said.. The older cars had 5 identical wheels, as Newman points out the staggered later sets are NOT the same....your average chick cannot tell.....
Well, you're not going to fool a concourse judge with them, perhaps, but not everyone on earth is a concourse judge running around with a yardstick measuring rim lip widths. If you want perfect OEM, you buy OEM and pay the price.
So does that mean that all the replica wheels out there are the same; 7"'s and 8"s with the same depth outside lip? Another member here told me that he has a set for sale, 2 front OE, 1 rear OE and 1 Replica rear. Does that mean the rear rims would be different? Assuming the rears are the same (in appearance - obivously one is OE, the other a replica), what would a set like that be worth?
i would say $3000 for the set of 4, with 3 being OE. i still have a good replica rear QV wheel thats like new. it was on ferrari ads for $250.00, but i forgot about it and let the ad run out. there is nothing wrong with the replica wheels, just be aware that a smart buyer will use the 390mm metric wheels versus the OEM and replica wheels as a way to determine a price point on a car for sale. i would agree with M. James and drive the car. i cannot be bothered to care about the cosmetic differences between the real QV wheels and the replicas on a ferrari . i use mine to drive and enjoy, i could care less about the wine and cheese crowds opinion at the car shows. i should have another 308 ( a QV this time ) here soon.
You may. I have had to explain to a concours judge what the little plug is for under the dash at the 01 Nationals in Dallas... NO one is going to stand next to your car at a gas station and give you **** about your "fake" Ferrari wheels. In fact I am willing to bet that no one EVER notices any difference no matter where you park it.
To try to show the difference between the OEM QV vs. KN aftermarket rear wheel designs, here's a shot of the front and rear QV's. (Pictures were taken to show the poor orange peel paint finish, which has since been corrected, so disregard that part). First picture is of the QV fronts, which is the same style as both the front and rear of the KN Alloys. Second picture is of the QV rears, note the unique circumference "groove" at the end of the spokes. As far as widths / offsets are concerned, there's -no- difference, front or rear, in the sizes of the OEM's vs. the KN's. The KN's are a perfect clone as far as all measurable dimensions - the sole cosmetic rear wheel difference is in the lack of the 'groove' for the rear 8" KN's. Whether or not this "missing groove" is a concern to you (it's not to me) is down to your personal opinion. I've -never- had anyone pick up on the fact that my KN's are aftermarket, and that's at numerous Ferrari only car shows! Cheers - DM Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
One thing to consider is that the factory wheels are magnesium, not the typical alumium / alloy blend of most "mag" wheels. Factory 16" wheels are very light, by the same token if they get curbed they should be replaced / refinished quickly as the magnesium will corrode. FNA issued various bulletins about this to dealers. As a sidenote to the above...in the 80's while working for the dealership in service we had a client who used a 308qv as a daily driver, and he was not a careful driver. His secratary always brought the car in, always with curbed wheels. I would tell her we would need to fix / replace the wheels, the owner could / would not be bothered. Finally I gave her a copy of FNA service bulletin to show the owner so he would not think I was jerking him around. Apparently she did not show him the actually bulletin, but rather she told him the CORRODED wheels would EXPLODE, how she came to this conclusion I have no idea. I learned about the "exploding" wheels several years later when he traded in the 308 for a TR, he asked if the TR had "exploding" wheels also! I corrected him....however I suspect the 308 had at least three sets of wheels over two or three years. In those days they were cheap, around $350 ea as I recall.
As an employee I bought a set for my own car, p/n 121126 (front) and 121127 (rear). I just checked, in March 1984 FNA dealer cost was $139 each for the front, and $141 each for the rear!
Correct the offset of the spokes in relation to the outer wheel ip is the same on the 4 reproduction rims unlike the originals. Also on the rear rims the bolt holes are about an inch deeper than original to make up for the additional material needed on the hub flange with the different offset than orignal. I understand why they did this, cost reduction at the expense of the correct look. The added width then appears to be on the inner side rather than the difference being split and having the deeper outer lip adding that muscular look. I paid $3K USD for mine, some people said it was too much, looks like if I sold them now I would make money.
You wont fool anyone thats observant, they stick out like a sore thumb, the center cap color is wrong and the rim color is too bright too. A repop front rim would make a good substitute for a real OEM rim but the rear is laughable and thats what matters most to me......and others that are critical about correctness.
Buy the rims and find one more rear rim, use the repop to wind your garden hose on it. When you see the rims you'll think you have 3 fronts and 1 rear, very noticalbe difference.
You're wrong, the spokes are not in the same position relative to the rim edge on the reproduction rims. If you dont know something then stop trying to help.
Thanks for all the great input. I guess the replica wheels are more of an interpretation than a true replica. It seems like the decision comes down to whether or not the car is a driver and if originality is important. I also suppose it's a bit of a non-issue if there are no sets of originals for sale. Before I buy replicas, I guess there are two questions: 1. Other than the obvious (ebay) what's a good source for used OE wheels? 2. Do these things ever get discounted by Rutlands or Superformance or are they always the same price? Thanks again.
Problem is that only you, me and about 6 other people will ever pay any attention and actually notice it. I think 99% who buy these things are safe from scrutiny. I have mentioned before, even the increased weight will not be an issue on a car that already has acceleration issues by todays standards. The thing that people are looking for is a wheel that looks like the original and will accept a 16 inch tire, that's it.
