15" Track Wheel Suggestions?

[preith]

Konigs crack, Panasports crack, Revolutions crack. Any wheel used on a road race track needs to be inspected regularly for cracks and damage.

Panasport markets both a street and race wheel. The street ones are more robust (of course heavier) and not as prone to cracking. I've never heard of any street wheels cracking under normal road race conditions. The race wheels are prominently marked "for racing only" and should be inspected quite often.

Here's another thread on the subject:

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29585

[gira]

For that it's worth, I believe the panasport to be the best all around wheel for a club racer. I have raced the same wheels in IT, EP, autocross, hillclimbs and never once broken or cracked one. They aren't as light as the Volk but they are the best all around. The 15x7 holds a 225 tire just fine and the Goodyear SportsCar Special just fine, 23x9x15. This tire has a huge contat patch and is very light. I recommend against changing widths all the time unless you've done the R&D to be certain it's better.

Hope this helps.

Greg Ira

[JaDub]

Having been a dealer for Panasports for some 30 years I can say that I`ve never seen a Panasport crack. For that matter I`ve never had ANY issues with them. They have always been my first choice. I race on them because they are the best.

Jeff Winter

[John Coffey]

Really? I've seen at least four Panasport Lightweights crack between the lug nut hole and the center hole. Another one had a spoke crack at the hub. All these were run on various ITS 240Zs here in Cal Club back in the 90's and 00's. Its something we used to check for every weekend.

[JaDub]

John,

That surprises me.......big time. The `light` has material removed from the outer spokes and rim. As far as I know the centers ( hub ) are the same as the standard FS. With all due respect my opinion of Panasports remains unchanged.

That said, no wheel will hold up much to `contact`.

Jeff

[John Coffey]

I'm not disparaging Panasport wheels in any way. I like them and have run a few sets on street and track cars. They are good, strong wheels.

What I'm trying to get across is that wheels, like any other component used on a race car on a race track, must be inspected regularly and no one should assume they will last forever. If you purchase used wheels they must be inspected carefully before putting any track time on them.

[jmortensen]

In my limited experience I've found the Panasports to be quite a bit heavier than most other "racing" wheels, this includes the lightweights. Keizer or Kodiak or similar cheap aluminum racing wheel are in the 10-11 lb range, according to the last link below the light weight Panasport is 16 for a narrower 15x7.

http://sccaforums.com/forums/thread/42930.aspx

http://www.914club.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=51230&mode=linearplus

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/gd-tires-wheels/55214-all-manufacturers-n-z-wheel-weight-specs.html

[JaDub]

A local has broken five Kodiaks in the last three years. :stupid: My local race tire rep thinks they`re awful as well. Light yes, fragile yes. Be careful , you`ve been warned.