Quality of various wheel brands

[bpilati]

I'd like to get a consensus on the quality and appearance of a few of the various wheels brands such as Minilite, Panasport and Konig. Specifically those brands that make the Minilite knockoffs like the Panasport Formulas and Konig Rewinds. The Konig price difference is amazing; how can they do that and guarantee identical quality.

I like the look of the Panasport Formula Gunmetal w/ polished lip. The Konig Rewinds are similar but not exactly like the Minilites.

Panasport---------Konig----------Minilite

[zguitar71]

I have seen the Konig and Panasport wheels side by side. The Panasport appear to be higher in quality as far as the finish is concerned. I have heard the construction of the Minilites and Panasports is top notch, have not heard about the konig wheels. IMO you get what you pay for. The Konig are less $ for a reason. As far as street wheels I think the Konig's are great wheels. They do not look cheep just not as nice as the Panasports. I think they are plenty strong for the street too. Though I just said you get what you pay for, I would sport a set of Rewinds on my street car, the price makes them hard to refuse but if you want the best then get the Minilites or Panasports or some of the other high quality brands like Watanabe or Volk Racing.

[Arne]

I used to make my living selling custom wheels, I am familiar with all three brands. I will echo what zguitar71 said above. The Konig are good wheels for the price. Not outstanding, but good-looking, decent quality wheels for a daily driver - where they are eventually going to get a few chips or other road blemishes.

But if I wanted really nice wheels, I'd go with the Panasports or Minilites.

[Victor Laury]

I have heard That there is a problem fitting the Koning center caps over the front hubs on Z cars.

Can anyone confirm?

[John Coffey]

Confimed. The Konig center caps are about 1/4" too short to fit over the front hubs on my series 1 1971.

[montoya_fan01]

Have you found a fix for this?

[John Coffey]

Yup, threw them in the trash.

[montoya_fan01]

well, THAT solves the problem!

[e_racer1999]

Yup, threw them in the trash.

hahahaaa

[Arne]

Have you found a fix for this?

Depends on how worried you are about originality. You could use a set of 1/4" spacers on the front as one option. Or you could switch over to 280Z hubs and rotors, which is a cleaner way to go.

[Gav240z]

While we are discussing this thread can we get any opinion on Watanabe's? I'm considering a set for my Z but I am also looking at custom 3 piece wheels for around the same price.

I love Work rims but the ones I want only come in 2 piece and I am also eyeballing a set of ROH rims. What to do What to do .

[Arne]

Since I've never seen a set of Wats in person, I can't speak from personal experience, but from what I've heard they are first rate wheels.

Work rims are nice, but in my opinion (based on two decades in the wheel and tire business) multi-piece wheels are over-kill for street use. The can be more fragile, and frequently harder to clean.

I've only seen a few ROHs in person, they look nice and seem well built, but the styles I have worked on seemed rather heavy for their size. Of course, that was 10 years ago.