Can anybody identify these BBS wheels? | FerrariChat

Can anybody identify these BBS wheels?

Discussion in '348/355' started by Illyria, May 3, 2020.

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  1. Illyria

    Illyria Rookie

    Nov 14, 2019
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    Anthony Pesec
    Hi all,

    I'm relavtively new to Ferrari ownership and this forum. I've been amazed to see the knowlege shared here and have followed many interesting threads but haven't had much to contribute yet.

    I'm in the process of restoring a 1994 F355 GTS. In doing so I will mostly keep it OEM with very few OEM+ touches - the main one being aftermarket wheels that are contemporary to this car.

    I love the BBS LM 122 and 123 wheels but came across this picture online and am in love. They're BBS wheels but they're not the 122/123 model. Note the wheel bolts area is smoothed into the forks (the 122 / 123 wheel has a round notched ridge here (see last picture below).

    I thought that maybe these wheels are called "LM Champion Edition" or "LM Limited Champion Edition Shumachers" but my research is inconclusive. Could anybody please help!?!?

    Thanks,

    Anthony

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    BBS LM 122:
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  2. bjwhite

    bjwhite F1 Rookie

    Mar 17, 2006
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    They look like E88s.
     
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  3. Ferrarium

    Ferrarium F1 Veteran
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    Seen quote a few recently like that that are not bbs while looking for wheela.. Anyone can put bbs caps in non bbs wheels.
     
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  4. jferrante

    jferrante Formula Junior

    Jul 9, 2016
    498
    LM or E88 style wheels...everyone makes them and most likely those are just BBS caps

    Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
     
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  5. Illyria

    Illyria Rookie

    Nov 14, 2019
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    Anthony Pesec
    Thanks guys. I had looked at E88s but did not realise that there were several different types. I had seen the "rims behind centre" ones which have a different style arond the circumference (in red circle below). It seems that the ones that I like are like the first one below.

    One more question: do you think that the wheels on the red F355 in the pic above are 18 inch or 19 inch? They look too big to be 18s (maybe justbecause it's lowered) but the tyre wall seems too thick for them to be 19s.

    Thanks so much. I really appreciate your help!

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  6. bjwhite

    bjwhite F1 Rookie

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    Hard to say for sure, but look like 18"s to my eye. 19"s always look too big and bulky on the lithe 348/355 imho.
     
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  7. Illyria

    Illyria Rookie

    Nov 14, 2019
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    Anthony Pesec
    Agreed. 19s seem just a bit too big and out of place to mee for the small F355 chassis.

    Thanks again for your feedback guys. Much appreciated. Hopefully I can dazzle the forum with some pics of my project soon.
     
  8. itsablurr

    itsablurr Formula 3

    Dec 9, 2005
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    Matt
    Those are not Motorsport E88s or LMs, or an LM special variant.

    They are BBS GT2, and are considered a BBS street wheel (versus a BBS Motorsport wheel such as the E88). They are quite rare, produced in the mid-late 90s specifically for the 348 and F355, Porsche 964, BMW M3, and Nissan Skyline.

    Construction is 2pc, 18" dia, with an aluminum outer shell and a remarkable forged magnesium center which is pretty cool and rare for a street wheel. BBS saw fit to market them with a "FORGED MAGNESIUM" decal on the outer lip of each wheel. I managed to find an original unrestored set in Europe for 348/f355 a couple of years ago, and scooped them up. They wait in the garage, as I've been running Speedline Challenge wheels the past couple seasons.

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  9. itsablurr

    itsablurr Formula 3

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  10. tres55

    tres55 F1 Rookie
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    Have you weighed them by chance?
     
  11. itsablurr

    itsablurr Formula 3

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    Pulled them out. Roughly 19lbs F / 20lbs R per the bathroom scale.

    18x8.5 / 18x10.5
     
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  12. Illyria

    Illyria Rookie

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    Anthony Pesec
    Thank you!!

    I went to bed with a bothered mind, not having been satisfied that I correctly identified these wheels. I had started to suspect that these wheels might be GT2 RY210 / RY211 wheels after seeing this photo on a Porsche forum where a member there had the same curiosity as me but he couldn't nail it either:

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    The E28s that I suspected might be them couldn't be right because they had some markings stamped around the bolt circle (I think the BBS logo) which these whels don't when you zoom into them. So I did some more sifting through BBS wheel images on the internet then I stumbled across:

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    Wheels always look different without tyres on them versus when they're fitted and on a car so I wasn't sure. So THANK YOU for confirming this!

    I note that they have the same offsets at the BBS LM122 / LM123 wheels. Do you know if these come out to the guards correctly without the need to make them flush (like when owners use 15mm spacers to bring out the OEM wheels)?

    I also stumbled across a sale of these wheels that look a bit rougher than the ones that you found and for a lower price (though I'm not 100% sure that they aren't the same set): https://global.rakuten.com/en/store/taiyakaitori-kaisyo/item/ta6696/

    I'm suspecting that if I might be best off ordering the E88s to get this look. They're similar and I like them too, I think that they can be custom ordered for the offset and width that I want. I guess it's best to copy that of the RY210 / 211 and LM122 / 123 wheels... or maybe I can improve on that a little???
     
  13. tres55

    tres55 F1 Rookie
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    That's the same weight as the challenge wheels I believe.

    If so...that's a great alternative for a different look without sacrificing weight.
     
  14. tres55

    tres55 F1 Rookie
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    The cheaper ones will require the faces to be refinished and refinishing magnesium wheels is a bit more complex than standard wheels so the cost difference would likely be made up fairly easily with refinishing process.

    If I still had my 355, I would have bought one of these sets. I love rare NLA old wheels. :D
     
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  15. itsablurr

    itsablurr Formula 3

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    #15 itsablurr, May 5, 2020
    Last edited: May 5, 2020
    No problem at all. I had a spreadsheet somewhere that mapped out the comparative fitments between these, Challenge wheels, LMs, OE, etc but can't seem to find it at the moment. Based off of my recollection, they'll fit any late 348 (revised suspension) or f355 without need for spacers, and should fill out the wheel opening aggressively but tastefully. Makes sense, as the wheels were intended for the chassis. I *believe* it should fit the opening similar to Challenge wheels, with the additional wheel width on the GT2s biased inboard. Some simple math an comparison will confirm.

    E88s are very nice race wheels, a few friends have them, and I used to run BBS E26 (older gen 17", cast magnesium, superseded by E87) on my old BMW M. BBS will build them to whatever fitment you like. With the E88s, the face is fairly convex, so may look a bit off if built to a high-offset spec (part of why LMs etc look so great imo, is their relatively shallow hub and flat spoke profile). The Motorsport wheels, at least from my experience in the 17" dia iterations, are a bit of a different animal than their street wheels. The emphasis is on lightness and rebuildability, with the wheel components as a consumable. (as a 90's era 3pc wheel, my 17x10s weighed in at 17lbs ea) With standard wheel halves, I'd get a couple seasons before necessitating a rebuild to avoid stress cracks typical on the inner wheel halves. Heavy duty thickness wheel halves fair better.

    I've seen plenty of listings for BBS LMs in F355 fitment on the used market in Japan, much more prevalent than in the US. Typically the gold commemorative special editions.
     
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  16. Ferrarium

    Ferrarium F1 Veteran
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    FYI all 348's had the same track, the rear lower pickup point moved down a few mm but as far as track and width they are all the same, the change was different wheel offsets on the later ones that pushed the wheels out, not a suspension change. 68 mm to 43 mm respectively for the OEM rear wheels.
     
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  17. itsablurr

    itsablurr Formula 3

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    Yes you are correct, thanks for the catch. Was getting my wires crossed from thinking of differences in another marque.
     
  18. Illyria

    Illyria Rookie

    Nov 14, 2019
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    I occassionally come across these wheels on Yahoo auctions (I don't think Japan has ebay) but I'm not sure how to navigate these sites because they're only in Japanese. Do you know of any good websites to buy stuff like this on the Japanese market?
     
  19. bjwhite

    bjwhite F1 Rookie

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    Your browser can translate. The other good Japanese site is goo net.
     

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