Having the right set of wheels is extremely important in making a car look perfect. Even in the realm of exotic cars, owners often look to the aftermarket to replace the wheels on their car. Generally, we prefer stock wheels, so long as they don't look too small or too basic. In some cases, we think that manufacturers have topped anything that is available the aftermarket. Here are our five favorite factory wheel designs that are currently available for 2017.
Porsche has many awesome wheel designs in its lineup, so we knew that at least one set had to make this list. A few weeks ago we probably would have picked the GT3 or GT3 RS, but Porsche recently dropped this golden glory upon us. These wheels are unique to the new 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series and only 500 units will be available worldwide. These 20-inch wheels match the gold exterior of the car, but have thin spokes that do not overwhelm the eye with too much color. These wheels are even more special because they are have a center-locking mechanism that is perfect for track days. We would love to have these wheels on a normal Porsche, but they will likely be exclusive to this car.
We love the look of the current AMG cars, especially those equipped with the AMG cross-spoke forged black wheels. These wheels are great because they're available on everything from the C63 to the AMG GT S. On the AMG GT S, these wheels are 19-inch in the front and 20-inch in the rear, but they can also be 19-inch all around on models like the C63. In all cases, these wheels have a center-lock design and look absolutely menacing. These wheels are available in titanium color, but we much prefer them in black with that unique silver lip. These are our AMG wheels, and they can cost anywhere from $1,500 to $2,400 depending on the specific model.
Car wheels are not all about aesthetics, they need to focus on performance as well. Heavy wheels can add unsprung weight to a car and ruin handling, which is why hugely expensive cars like Koenigsegg use carbon-fiber wheels that can cost up to $50,000 a set. If that seems a bit steep, there is a much less expensive way to buy a car with carbon fiber wheels. The Shelby GT350 R is far from affordable, but it is the first car to bring carbon fiber wheels to the mainstream. The wheels are produced by an Australian company called Carbon Revolution and they weigh just 18 pounds each. That saves 15 pounds per wheel over the standard GT350 for a total weight loss of 60 pounds.
We wanted to put at least one affordable car on this list, and the Mk7 Golf GTI immediately came to mind. Volkswagen has always put cool wheels on its sporty Golf models, and the Mk7 GTI is no exception. The Mk7 GTI comes standard with 18-inch wheels with spokes that we think resemble the Grim Reaper's scythe or a blade of some kind. In the US, all GTI models come with these blade wheels except for the mid-level sport trim (which has wheels that we do not like as much). We also love the unique 19-inch wheels on the GTI Clubsport, which is only available in Europe.
It may not be such a surprise that a Lamborghini made our list of best looking wheel designs, but we had to put it on this list. The 20-inch Giano wheels on the Huracan look so different from everything else on the road. These wheels are available in four colors; Argento (silver), Nero Lucido (black), Titanio Opaco (grey) and Nero Opaco Lucidiato (a two-tone combination). We actually love all of the colors except the last option, because the two-tone design reminds us too much of the wheels that were available for the base Dodge Challenger SXT.
