cost-no-object wheel upgrade for 505s

[andrethx]

was looking up some info on aussifrogs, found links to the following places that sell gotti modular wheels:

gotti france direct (somewhat nsfw image on homepage, no kidding)

gbs alpine -- a french company that specializes in parts for renault alpine models

on the gbs alpine site, they feature the 075 model gotti wheel, which is made for the 505 & has the proper 4 x 140 pcd and is available in 15" and 16" sizes, in a variety of colors...i believe they must have them in stock, as they are listed on their march 2012 price list. the current price is 418.06 euros (about US$517 as i'm writing this) for the smallest size. so with international shipping for four wheels, i'm guessing one would be looking at between US$2,000 and US$3,000 for the wheels themselves, depending on size and exclusive of tires. which is why i titled this thread "cost-no-object."

andré

[bryancohnracing]

The scary part is I've paid that kind of money for wheels in the past so the price doesn't really shock me....damn racing screws up one's cost-O-meter!

6 pound (each) 3 piece wheels for my Van Dieman Formula Ford cost about $2500 per set in 2001. Three sets required....made in Detroit no less. Could have bought Technomagnisio wheels, made in Italy out of Magnesium but they were $3000 a set PLUS shipping!

I guess no group buy is in order eh???

[avantgarde]

LOL! yea, I've had $4,000 dollar sets of wheels before. Blame it on the Japanese "VIPcar" scene (http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/2882/4741/32204870023_large.jpg'>VIP Car ). Custom made wheels imported directly from Japan. Funny thing is, forged wheels bend like Cast wheels, LOL! I had a set of 2 piece work Euroline DH, bent up. then a set of 3piece Vienna Dish... bent those up.

I've had a set of cheapo ConceptOnes on my car for the last 2 years and haven't bent them. I find it hard to pay large sums of money for wheels now... But this car's bolt pattern makes selection very limited, unless you start looking into 6 lug conversions or Steel wheels.

[andrethx]

AG -- your expensive wheels/cheap wheels comparison reminds me of my "toaster" theory...after going through several expensive (US$100+) toasters within a couple of years, i bought an $8 toaster from target out of frustration. that was over 12 years ago...i can't kill that thing with a hammer.

the problem with the gotti rims is that they are only 16", and modern performance tires start in 17" sizes...and why go to the expense if you're not going to put really great tires on?

with multi-piece wheels, there is such a thing as conversion barrels that let you use a 16" center with 17" or 18" tires (rotiform makes them), but they'd have to be custom-made to fit the gotti centers so the cost escalates very quickly...IMHO there are more efficient and cost-effective ways to put larger wheels & tires on one's 505...

andré

[Bean]

I priced out having custom wheel centers machined up for a 3pc wheel - Cost again is astronomical at likely $450 - 500 each center section - that doesn't include the wheel halves that would actually make it a wheel. Other alternative would eb to use custom centers in a OEM 2pc BBS wheel - but again the price is still going to be $1K/wheel.

Arun's 6 lug conversion is pretty damn sweet, but the only issue is trying to find really light 6 bolt wheels. His 16" Nismo wheels off a Frontier are nice and light, and they do make Volk's in 6x140 - but uber rare and pricey. Can't deny how good his car looks though - it's awesome.

Best bang for the buck IMHO will definitely be really nicely done spacers... If I wasn't so deep into my BMW wheel and brake swap I'd do adapters to 4x114.3, and custom brakes if I wanted to upgrade those later. Allows you to return to stock easily if needed, move them to a new car should you want to easily, and there's just a raft of wheels available dirt cheap.

Rabin