Real wheels or "fake"wheels?

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by ihaskrayon

Fake for the streets. Looks nice and does its job

Real for the track. Light and efficient

OT but:
In my years of RallyX and AutoX, I have come to a conclusion about wheels/tires: Having a separate set of track/competition wheels is a "gateway drug".

You start with tires because you want the grip but can't drive them on the street. So you get wheels too. Ok, makes sense.

But then you think "Well, if I've got a competition set of wheels and tires, maybe I should take a closer look at the rules to see what else I can do. If I'm careful I can still drive the car on the street. it won't be THAT uncomfortable."

Then it becomes: "I just need a little bit more. I can live without a back seat and stereo..."

Soon enough: "This car's getting a little uncomfortable for the street. I just get a daily beater..."

Then the trap closes: "You know... I don't drive this on teh street much. That A/C compressor is kinda heavy..."

But you don't know you're trapped: "I'm getting sick of swapping wheels all the time. And you know.. If I get a trailer I don't have to swap wheels. I can also keep all my stuff together. It'll be so much easier to just roll the car off then back on at the end of the event. And this thing's such a pain to drive on the street..."

Suddenly you've got 3 vehicles and a trailer.

Ask me how I know all this.

[ihaskrayon]

Speaking of which, I just curbed my wheel because some kid on a skateboard jumped out in front of me and I tried to avoid him and I got my back wheel.

[Anthony]

You should've just hit him. Of course, you probably didn't think you were going to curb your wheel either.

[ihaskrayon]

Originally Posted by Anthony

You should've just hit him. Of course, you probably didn't think you were going to curb your wheel either.

If I was in my last car I would have. Either way a dented hood/fender in that case too, possibly a broken headlight. Better off with a cosmetic blemish on my wheel instead of a dent I guess

[Anthony]

Damn skateboarders!











(Rides BMX)

[MVJ1975]

As long as you're not trying to pass off reps as real... or buying ridiculous junk like Vork Racing by Ravs Engineering wheels... it's all good. Rota, cool, XXR, fine.

However, as dori. said, the quality cast wheel brands like Gram Lights, Enkei, etc are very reasonably priced - and well within the reach of most people.

[n2oinferno]

Originally Posted by MVJ1975

Vork Racing by Ravs Engineering wheels...

I just LOL'd. Waiting for someone to come into my office now and ask what's so funny.

[ihaskrayon]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Damn skateboarders!
(Rides BMX)

Meh, I used to skate, but I wasn't jumping in front of people's car

[yoshiharadesign]

Originally Posted by MVJ1975

As long as you're not trying to pass off reps as real... or buying ridiculous junk like Vork Racing by Ravs Engineering wheels... it's all good. Rota, cool, XXR, fine.

However, as dori. said, the quality cast wheel brands like Gram Lights, Enkei, etc are very reasonably priced - and well within the reach of most people.

Yes. Because contrary to what some would like to label as copy, you have to first understand what a copy means first.... Which if anyone looks at a simple dictionary:

An imitation, transcript, or reproduction of an original work (as a letter, a painting, a table, or a dress)

When wheels with clear markings are there made with the intent to deceive consumers, those are copies. Those are the ones you shy away from... Which brings us to shed some light on the infamous weds replica test... The wheels were made by a Taiwan factory that used recycled aluminum as its raw material for its casting. That factory has since closed its doors for good...

However, this doesnt sum up that all Taiwan made wheels are bad especially since many of the Japanese brands have now sourced a good percent of castings from China and Taiwan. The raw casting is sent back to Japan to be finished. So if any of the wheels says designed in Japan, Japan... chances are the raw casting were from either China or Taiwan.

So for the guys that want a true Japanese wheel, read the back and make sure it says made in Japan... Because if its not those exact words, chances are the wheels in question were simply made in Taiwan or China...

Bottom line is that globalization of manufacturing has blurred the criteria so much that the place of origin is less relevant to determine quality. As to what real is and fake is, Real wheels are wheels made not with the intent to deceive and fake wheels are wheels with intent to be passed off as the real thing...

And just because a wheel has certain design elements similar to another wheel, its not a copy...

Can anyone tell from the pictures who is copying who?

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

If an additional 15-25lbs of unsprung rotational weight doesn't bother you, go for the knockoffs. If it does, go for the fully forged wheels.

Originally Posted by FT86gasm

In all honesty, we all want real wheels. Who doesn't? Everyone wants the things they see in magazines, at D1 or Formula D events or shows like Hot Import Nights. While we all want those wheels, what wheels can we afford? You might could buy a set of Rays or BBS wheels, but will you have enough money to afford other parts for your car after you're paying a 4, 5, 6 thousand dollar credit card bill for a set of wheels? In my opinion, unless you're sponsored or just made of money, get a decent set of wheels that are a bit of an upgrade over stock and that you like better than the stock wheels. Honestly wheels have been made way too big of a deal in the last few years of car culture, especially with the whole "stance" and "fitment" movements. While I'll admit those cars are absolutely gorgeous, how much fun do they have driving it? It would irritate the hell out of me if I had to drive 1 mph over speed bumps just to avoid messing up my wheels.

TL; DR This car is about joy of machine, not who has the prettiest wheels, enjoy the car and stop worrying about all the little things. :happy0180:

Originally Posted by slicktop

When you're wheels/tires are your most important piece of laying down the power to the ground, you want to spend the most money here, IMO.

Money doesn't mean anything. A first class plane ticket to Dubai is the same as economy... except you get superior service in first class. Sometimes you want to splurge, sometimes you want to be frugal... to each their own.

What it comes down to is this: what do you like? We're spending time debating about this and that, when it just means:

Want a quality product with peace of mind? Get the original.
Want to save money? Get the "knock-off"

It's all about balance... you find a balance between quality/peace of mind, and cost. And if a manufacturer really wanted to protect their design, they would find ways to protect their design.

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

OT but:
In my years of RallyX and AutoX, I have come to a conclusion about wheels/tires: Having a separate set of track/competition wheels is a "gateway drug".

In my years of owning a S13, I had more wheels (14 sets) than number of years actually owning a car (S13).

That said, I splurged on my car and ordered $3000 wheels along with my $3500 coilovers.
Can I do the same with $1000 wheels and $1000 coilovers? You bet.
Do I regret anything? Nope.
Do I care what you think? Nope.

I'm modding my car for my own benefit, not for others on this forum, and the sooner this mentality is taken, the better off we all are.

-alex

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by yoshiharadesign

Can anyone tell from the pictures who is copying who?

Just for Shits N' Giggles..

I'm guessing the top is a copy of the bottom.

[yoshiharadesign]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

Just for Shits N' Giggles..

I'm guessing the top is a copy of the bottom.

Actually the racing hart on the bottom are later than the chevlon racing on the top.... surprise surprise surprise... But again, no one really copied anyone... both are clearly marked as their own brand and despite similarities through some shared features are different wheels. Just goes to show you virtually every wheel is in one form or another very similar to another... we have loads of vintage catalogs of reputable brands that have similar styled wheels... does that mean they are all copies of each other?

Here is another one... which wheels are fake?

[brz_star21]

Originally Posted by yoshiharadesign

Just goes to show you virtually every wheel is in one form or another very similar to another...

They're all ROUND!! LOL.

In all seriousness, this thread should morph into a "spot the fake" or to be even more considerate to everyone of all budgets or brand preference, "name that wheel" thread... just for kicks.

[yoshiharadesign]

Originally Posted by brz_star21

They're all ROUND!! LOL.

In all seriousness, this thread should morph into a "spot the fake" or to be even more considerate to everyone of all budgets or brand preference, "name that wheel" thread... just for kicks.

yes indeed! And btw, one is SSR and the other is Volk Racing.... omg.... lol. They are all copy brands??? lol. Just goes to show everyone a wheel is just a wheel and people can rock any of them as they desire...so long as they are 1. good quality. 2. fit your budget 3. no passing off for another brand... There is really no need to tell people off by saying theirs are a fake... Because believe me... when you see a ravs engineering, thats when you know its a fake... As to those who are so wanting to say one brand is original and one is a copy, keep all the wheel catalogs from virtually every brand as we have for 2 decades, look them over and you begin to see how all of them are essentially similarly styled to one another....