Meals & Wheels - Robert Wood visits San Luis Obispo

On August 1st, PCA's California Central Coast Region hosted "Meals & Wheels," a dinner and discussion with guest speaker Robert Wood. Wood, co-owner of Wheel Enhancement and founder of Robert W. Wood, Inc., is among the most knowledgeable Porsche wheel experts in the world. He gave us, with the help of sample wheels, an informative discussion about the history of the Porsche wheel and the role of aftermarket wheels today. We were both fortunate and proud that the Los Angeles-based long-time PCA member made the trip to San Luis Obispo to share his unique knowledge and perspective on this important topic.

Upper Crust Restaurant served an outstanding meal which included salads, traditional and gourmet pizzas, lasagna, and dessert.

A lengthy discussion followed dinner, extending well after the event was formally closed. Among the highlights:

• We looked at less-expensive cast wheels vs. stronger forged wheels and the ramifications behind Porsche's switch to using only cast wheels. Porsche has created a new opportunity for aftermarket forged wheel manufactures.
• We discovered that the traditional Porsche one-piece forged Fuchs wheel is considered the best wheel ever made by any manufacturer. The Fuchs wheel is light and incredibly strong.
• We explored finishing styles and restoration techniques for the Fuchs wheel, including provisions and options for damaged wheels. The Fuchs wheel can be refinished as a painted, polished, or chrome plated wheel. Undamaged wheels can be concours-quality restored with the original brushed, anodized finish.
• We examined the strong aftermarket opportunity (presented by Porsche's cast-only wheel options) for forged wheel makers like Kinesis (used on Wood's own Carrera 4S), Fikse, and BBS. These manufactures build two piece and three piece all-forged and forged rim/cast center wheels of extremely high quality.

For questions about the club or this event, contact Berkeley Johnston. For more information about Porsche wheels, call Robert Wood at (310) 836-8908 or visit the Wheel Enhancement web site.

Berkeley | Boxster