Hello, I really appreciate your condolences and encouraging message in response to my latest post re: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/i-got-conned-by-an-ad-posted-at-uk-ferrari-owners-club-but-not-the-clubs-fault.633863/page-2#post-147630228 I am that idiot who wired money overseas without proper due diligence and common sense. So I am still in search for a set of F355 challenge wheels and I came across following two ads. 1. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ferrari-Challenge-Speedline-Felgensatz-348-F355/184603229483?hash=item2afb35bd2b:g:6xYAAOSwsfpf7f8j 2. http://www.walkersport.co.uk/accessories/a-second-category/355-challenge-wheels-new_2.htm In your expertise, do you see validity in these ads? Should I pull the trigger again and risk losing another thousands of dollars or get the wheel set of my dream? Many thanks in advance.
https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/355-challenge-speedline-rims.637881/#post-147769376 There aren’t enough pics of the Walker sport remakes to verify if they are in fact the EXACT same design. They look a little off to me, but I need more pics to verify.
Are you in the UK? I’d go over to WalkerSport in person to check out wheels before I hand over money.
Hi ShineKen, Thanks for your message. I am actually in Hong Kong as an expat, and the F355 that I am restoring is in South Korea. I'd love to travel to the EU shops myself to verify what I pay for, but given the location logistics, that would be difficult. I am quite tempted to pull the trigger over the ebay ad, but I am not certain whether my impulse again to get a challenge wheel set is in order. On a different topic, i follow many of your past threads with great interest. It's quite an honor to have such a well known member reply to my post. Thanks!
Apparently @Yassa now has 9 sets. Deal with him if you want to deal with someone legit. I bought my set brand new from Speedline years ago (feels like a decade ago). They had 2-3 sets of magnesium in white left. I had mine painted using Glasurit Matte Clear Black before I mounted them. Paid about $4800 shipped with duties etc... before paint work. My set is super clean and I’m never selling them. If you can put together a clean set, hang onto them. *Paint don’t powdercoat. The primer Speedline applied on the wheels is a special one for magnesium. You want to keep most of that original primer on to protect the wheel. You can add primer to it if need be. Good luck Image Unavailable, Please Login
you will have no problem dealing with Tim Walker at Walkersport, I have bought off him for years, he is one of the most respected Ferrari Specialists in the UK
Since you have the original Challenge wheels, do you know if the WalkerSport re-makes are exactly identical in design for both front and rear wheels?
https://www.superformance.co.uk/355/wheels.html You may want to contact superformance and see what they can do. They have the Corsa wheels listed as mfg backorder. Might have a supplier and then you're dealing with a reputable vendor
Whilst I personally don’t get on with Tim, I’d echo the above that he is a very well known and respected member of the Ferrari community over here. I know people who have bought cars from him sight unseen with no issues. He is very approachable, so suggest you reach out and drop him a line for more details; or if you want original as he races a 355 he might be able to help.
Why not powder coat? You obviously need to use somebody who specialises in magnesium powder coating, which are about.
Possibly. I didn’t realize there was such a thing. I also believe paint offers a better quality finish. Powdercoats can have orange peel and it might not be correctable. Since the wheel design has larger surface areas than most wheels, finish flaws will be more visible. And originally they came painted .
One of my friends has the Walkersport challenge wheels on his 355, I didn't notice any difference next to my car with the originals (other than colour). Tim just sold a set of original challenge wheels to another friend, so worth trying him for the original wheels, although the new wheels are probably a better option for the road.
Always for keeping original, so makes sense to paint. I’m lucky there is a guy a couple of villages over that specialises in magnesium powder coating. There aren’t many about as you really need to know what you are doing, and a lot don’t! His website, not the best website but hopefully interesting. http://www.tpcs-magnesium-refurbs.co.uk/
thanks for the link, great resource, always on the look out for good mag wheel refurb guys in the UK, they are very hard to find now as you know. My big concern with refurbed original challenge wheels - unless done professionally and correctly - if they are original challenge wheels they could have run in the race series for 4 years and beyond, they will have taken an absolute hammering, and unless you x-ray them no telling what a shinny coat of paint can hide. Also original challenge wheels are not road use compliant or approved for public road use, making them effectively illegal to use, certainly on UK roads, and I imagine making your insurance null and void in the event of a failure.
Thanks for your words of encouragment. Your wheels look speechless. Very nice! Yes, in addition to ebay ad (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ferrari-Challenge-Speedline-Felgensatz-348-F355/184603229483) and Tony (another member of fchat), Mr. yassa reached out to me in pm, and I am waiting for his advice on next step. I really hope that I could get myself a set of challenge wheels this round... Thank you and thank you everyone.
It's worth noting if it hasn't been mentioned before, that Speedline re-makes these Challenge wheels through a company called Cinel. They are aluminum and not magnesium. https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/speedline-corse-challenge-wheels.550669/
