Greetings all! Just purchased a 1998 550 Maranello with 14k miles. Nero Daytona with Cuoio Interior, no shields. In black, this car looks a bit subdued so I want to add a little interest to the exterior by adding the shields and Barchetta wheels. To do the shields correctly, Im having the fenders replaced with the embossed fenders and will mount the factory shields. Next I need to find a set of the Barchetta modular wheels. Any suggestions for finding such wheels? (Note these are not the same as 575 wheels.) Im looking forward to chatting with you all in the future. Regards, Philip Thackray
Those are some of the hardest wheels to find. I've been looking for almost 2 years for a reasonably priced set. Good luck with your search.
there are some modular wheels for sale on ebay. check a post in the past week put up by tazandjan with the link.
Philip- Welcome and sounds like a very nice Maranello. The Barchetta/550 18" wheels are relatively rare and sets become available only occasionally, like the 575M/Superamerica 19" wheels, a set of which just became available. The best thing you can do is haunt E-Bay and see what appears. When I have access to my data files next week, I will give you a couple of other sources to try. Taz Terry Phillips
Drabe, Those are the 19" wheels. The 19" wheels are more "airy". The Barchetta wheels are more muscular looking - thought that would go well with the black color. Taz, Any info will be greatly appreciated! In general I like the 18" wheels on the 550. The 550 has retro look - back to a time when a big wheel was 15". I like a bit of rubber with the retro look. Regards, Philip Thackray
Philip- Forgot to mention that Henry has two new Barchetta fronts for sale in FerrariAds above. Taz Terry Phillips
And can the rear 18" modular wheels be bought through Ricambi America? It looks like they have it as part #176257. Price for that part number is $2963.80. Is that the price "per wheel" or "per pair of wheels" (part number says quantity=2)? http://www.ricambiamerica.com/parts_catalogs.php?M=FE&P=&V=diag&I=348 And, how do you tell if Ricambi has them in stock or not? (I have the 19" 575M modular wheels on my 550, so I'm only asking to help the OP.)
I agree with sixcarbs. The 19" modulars are a good look for a 550. Here's a pic of my tdf blue 550. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ron- Price is per wheel. Would have to ask Daniel if he has them in stock. The 18" wheels with the deep dish rears are definitely a more retro look. Taz Terry Phillips
Sixcarbs, toggie, I definitely like the look of the 19 wheels on your 550s. The Barchetta wheels are a bit different and as Taz agrees, somewhat more retro looking. I would be happy with either set of wheels but Ill be looking at the Barchetta 18 first. Toggie yes the real Barchetta wheels are about 3k$ each. Taz, I will check out the front ones from Henry. I tried to search the FerrariAds when I first joined here but was unsuccessful. The search function does not seem to include the FerrariAds perhaps I need to look some more. Thanks all!! Regards, Philip Thackray
Taz, Ok, I found the FerrariAds search function but I still cant find the wheels to which you have referred? Got a link? Phil
Maybe a matter of personal preference, but I have to ask....what is the cost on those shields? Why not just use the Yoshi shields? At a recent car meet I parked by a 360 w/factory shields and someone who is a prospective 360 buyer was asking me about shields on 360s. I told him I have Yoshi shields and we compared factory to Yoshi back to back- they are very very close- close enough that there is no way I'd go through the trouble of doing what you are doing...will the paint on the "new" fenders match the rest of your car? The only way to tell they are not factory is to go up close and look for the slight recess- if it bothers you that much, I guess you have to do what you have to do to be happy...I'm only trying to save you some major money (that you can use towards the rims you want ) With the amont of money you are about to spend, I'd strongly recommend buying the Yoshi shields and trying them- if you don't like them you can still do the big job you are now planning, or if you don't like the look with sheilds for some reason, about 20 seconds with a hair drier and some careful pressure would remove the sheilds with no damage. I bought mine last year- I think about $325 w/fchat discount. In fact, I got them in the mail before my car even got to me- put them on the second day I owned the car and they look awesome! Good luck w/the new car- 550s are wonderful cars! -Andrew
Andrew, Thanks for the lead and the comparative information. I will look into the Yoshi shields. I'm looking forward to the 550. Thanks again, Phil
You can do a search on here- many posts on the Yoshi shields. I think the discount code is "f-chat" if I remember right...it's definitely mentioned in the old posts.
Can anyone confirm the following part numbers for the 550 modular wheel? 176256 Front Wheel 176257 Rear Wheel 18”, Five Spoke, modular wheel, w/35 screws. I believe these were optional on the 550 M but standard on the Barchetta. I got those part numbers from this Ricambia link: http://www.ricambiamerica.com/parts_catalogs.php?M=FE&P=&V=diag&I=348 I want to make sure I have the correct part numbers. Thanks in advance, Phil
I am new to this forum and have a 550 but if it is of interest I have a set of Barchetta wheels I am looking to sell. Please PM if interested and I can send pics. Sorry for the first post being a sales pitch! Neil.
Neil- Anybody selling a set of Barchetta wheels is more than welcome. Hope you stick around after you sell them. Taz Terry Phillips
