Opinions On After Market Wheels
 

I am debating whether or not to purchase some new wheels for my ride, and based on some of my own personal experiences, I am a bit hesitant. I'm looking for any stories, good or bad, related to after market wheels.

I have put after markets on three cars. Twice it went without a hitch, but the one time it went poorly, it was horrible.

In each case I went with OEM sizes, and non-staggered set-ups. The one bad case I had was on my 2009 Nissan Maxima. Initially after installation, the ride was nice and smooth, zero complaints. The first time I had my tires rotated, there was a very noticeable vibration in the steering wheel immediately after the service. I took the car back (the dealership did the service) and they claimed to do all they could to fix the vibration, but it was still there.

After some back-and-forth between me and the dealership, they say the wheels are off balance, and cannot be balanced any further to reduce the vibration. I got a second opinion from a tire shop, they agreed with the dealership and suggested I put the OEM wheels back on.

I had already sold the OEM wheels, as I was quite satisfied with the results I had initially.

Konig wheels btw.

TLDR: I had a bad experience with after market wheels. Now I'm a bit hesitant to get a set for my FR-S.

You have a lot of research to do....search and read and get the basics down.
What are your goals for your vehicle first of all?
Auto X, Track, Drift, Show, DD??? F/I???
It honestly sounds like you just took the cheap route with your "bad experience" with after market wheels. You probably didn't get the wheels balanced and then an alignment. Right size tires?

I've had the following aftermarket wheels:

- 18" Rota Torque on Subi STI
- 18" TSW Nurburgring on VW GTI
- 17" TSW Nurburgring on Scion FR-S
- 17" Wedssport TC105N on Scion FR-S

I haven't had issues with those and that includes track days, autocross, and daily driving. I think as long as you leave a decent amount of sidewall and go with established brands, you'll generally be ok. I also try to stick with flow-form cast wheels (or forged) if possible.

I have no plans to track the car, the wheels are purely for aesthetics.

I did get an alignment when I got the new wheels put on, and the tires I had were new and the same as OEM (Bridgestones IIRC).

Glad to see this, I really like those Nurburgrings, and they are on my short list of potentials.

It wasn't so clear to me at first, but after working in the industry for nearly 8 years the legitimacy of the phrase, you get what you pay for certainly applies to wheels. You have to pay to get better quality, plain and simple. You've had issues with Konig, which isn't surprising because they're inexpensive.

Rule of thumb is, there are two options to pick out of three. You can have a lightweight wheel, a strong wheel, and an inexpensive wheel. You can get an inexpensive wheel that's light, but it wont be strong (Konig). You can get a inexpensive wheel that's strong, but it wont be light (A lot fits under this category). Or you can go the quality route, get something strong, and lightweight, but it wont be inexpensive (HRE, BC Forged).

Lots of good advice here. IMHO the only wheels worth buying are ones that are lighter than oem. I put a set of Enkei RPF-1s on my Miata, was extremely happy with the results.

"you get what you pay for"


don't cheap out on wheels and the be surprised when they aren't perfect. the way that the wheel is built is a crucial aspect on how it will perform.


enkei is an affordable brand while still being able to provide well built wheels

The "pick two" option.. I love it.

at NASIOC, one of the mantras were:

"High performing, reliable, and cheap- pick two."

It's been my guiding philosophy on auto mechanisms ever since. :cheers:

I've owned close to 50 sets of wheels over the years I've had a car... never had any issues with them nor tires.

In the end, it comes down to three things:

1) Who is doing the work? Do you or the mechanic know how to diagnose/isolate issues properly?
2) What is the support system of the tire manufacturer?
3) What is the reputation/support system of the wheel manufacturer?

These 3 things will dictate your wheel and tire choices, and how you go about fixing problems.

-alex

You answered your own question. From the time you had the wheels installed to the time they were rotated, something was done Wrong. Plain and simple

I haven't had any issues with my Konig Feathers besides a slight fade in the gold powder coat. B