Would you rather buy knock off parts for your car?

[chulooz]

Yeah, I was thrown off by the wear item quality. Wheels are not wear items. And if you see how cheap/inefficient some off brand tires are you would think they were knock offs hahaha.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by blur

TBH, the only parts I would actually put trust into is the ones that are used in the legit competitive race cars. Everything else is potential BS.

You should see some of the ghetto stuff thrown into race cars :P

[oneday]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

You should see some of the ghetto stuff thrown into race cars :P

I was thinking the same thing! On top of the "field expedient" parts on race cars, often times the parts in "legitimate" race cars are there because the team either got because they were the cheapest option or they were free from the manufacturer.

[blur]

Originally Posted by oneday

I was thinking the same thing! On top of the "field expedient" parts on race cars, often times the parts in "legitimate" race cars are there because the team either got because they were the cheapest option or they were free from the manufacturer.

In racing, the cheapeast option can turn into the most expensive mistake

[ichitaka05]

Originally Posted by oneday

Yes, the Borla header for Subarus had a rash of problems (it was something like a 7% defect rate for a year or two which is really not that many), and it happened to coincide with when NASIOC and other forums were exploding so everyone that had a Borla header now had a platform to vent, which made it seem like every Borla header cracked. That was five years ago. Since then Borla redesigned it and the new one is better. But, even if the updated header cracks, at least that Borla header has a lifetime (technically a 1,000,000 mile) warranty and the dealer you buy it from can swap a faulty one for a new replacement very easily. If the Ebay cracks, you are out for whatever you spent on the Ebay header plus another replacement.

True, if eBay ver cracks, I'll be screw, but I rarely hear eBay ver crack... vs Borla ver often crack story. I don't wanna go under and uninstall & install new one, every time cracks.

Also where I live, I don't have official Borla dealer.

[Kostamojen]

Originally Posted by oneday

How are wheels a wear item?! Sure they stress, but it's not like they need to be replaced every 20/30/40K miles. That's like saying the chassis or front subframe is a wear item.

Wheels get beat up constantly. There is nothing worse than curbing a $1000 wheel, so why spend so much on wheels?

I spend ~$500-750 for a full set at most (used or new), then re-sell them a couple years later for $400-500. Heck, the JDM Enkei's I had imported from Japan for my '70 Scoob cost under $150 (the shipping cost more than the wheels!) but they needed a restore and repair job. Ended up costing under $500 for what looks like a brand new set of Enkei wheels circa the '70s!

I'll spend 600-700 on quality tires no problem (although its easy to find really good deals on Tire Rack. I got a set of RE01R's for like $115 a tire, but that was before they were discontinued and went for like $90 a tire) but spending $1500-4000 on wheels for a car like this is just stupid IMO.

[mkivalex]

Originally Posted by oneday

I was thinking the same thing! On top of the "field expedient" parts on race cars, often times the parts in "legitimate" race cars are there because the team either got because they were the cheapest option or they were free from the manufacturer.

Or you broke something and the race is in 12 hours, and you better come up with sometime to get it on the track :P

[mkivalex]

I test knock off parts against oem parts on a daily basis, and just because they look good doesnt mean a damn thing.

[oneday]

Originally Posted by Kostamojen

Wheels get beat up constantly. There is nothing worse than curbing a $1000 wheel, so why spend so much on wheels?

<--22+ years of driving and have never curbed or beat up a wheel...maybe you just need to learn how to drive/park then you won't "constantly" curb wheels .

And $1000 on a wheel!? Damn things better weigh less than a unicorn fart and be able to give you a handy every day. I've never spent $1000 on four wheels...maybe touched that including tires once...

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by blur

In racing, the cheapeast option can turn into the most expensive mistake

So can the most expensive option. I know racers who built serious motors almost to the limit, and they blew up well before the race ended and I know people who pulled a motor out of a junkyard 1-2 days before a race and placed top 10.

Well sorted race cars are great, and usually have a ton of mid-race fixes that last for seasons. No one fixes stuff until it breaks and it's not always fixed with new parts. We took second place at a 14 hour long race with a 215,000 mile motor like that, 78% leakdown in one cylinder (the best cylinder had 50-something%). The motor was still running like a champ at the end, despite tons of gas mixing with oil

Big money parts are not always worth the money. Even if they are arguably better (depends on the part IMO), that extra money spent training the driver and crew can pay off far better than the part.. and a race car is never really the same after the first few races (or first race in endurance racing). Shit breaks, shit gets repaired quick but not to the level it was or the level a street car would be. It works and that's all that matters.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by oneday

<--22+ years of driving and have never curbed or beat up a wheel...maybe you just need to learn how to drive/park then you won't "constantly" curb wheels .

And $1000 on a wheel!? Damn things better weigh less than a unicorn fart and be able to give you a handy every day. I've never spent $1000 on four wheels...maybe touched that including tires once...

I have. In my younger days I was doing j-turns drunk (not a public road, but still stupid). I nailed a burb hard with a rota slipstream wheel. Bent the suspension. Wheel was curbed but straight as an arrow :shrug:

Besides that I've never curbed one either. I have hit water filled potholes and bent an OEM Honda wheel (Enkei) before Bent lower control arm on that one too.. at a whopping 25mph...

The most I've ever spent on wheels was around $1,500 for used Volks. Otherwise I usually run K1s or similar.. so 400-600 a set.

[oneday]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

I have. In my younger days I was doing j-turns drunk (not a public road, but still stupid). I nailed a burb hard with a rota slipstream wheel. Bent the suspension. Wheel was curbed but straight as an arrow :shrug:

Besides that I've never curbed one either. I have hit water filled potholes and bent an OEM Honda wheel (Enkei) before Bent lower control arm on that one too.. at a whopping 25mph...

The most I've ever spent on wheels was around $1,500 for used Volks. Otherwise I usually run K1s or similar.. so 400-600 a set.

Actually I have damaged wheels before. A crappy wheel that was on my wife's Integra for snow tires (hit a monster pot hole and cracked the wheel). And two separate times one of the 18" Enkei's (not Enkei Racings) that came on my RS1 tC became slighlty ovaled after HPDEs at WGI. Both times the LF was out of round after the day (all the heat from heavy braking into T1 and the bus stop weakened it). After the second time I bought the NTO3s. Problem solved.

[Kostamojen]

Originally Posted by oneday

<--22+ years of driving and have never curbed or beat up a wheel...maybe you just need to learn how to drive/park then you won't "constantly" curb wheels .

Roads in Holland must be perfect. Cause you can "curb" or damage a wheel without driving stupid here. A pot hole at night or debris in the road, or even gravel can damage a wheel. Heck, brake dust can ruin the finish of a wheel over time, so yes wheels can get beat on even without a moron behind the wheel.

And $1000 on a wheel!? Damn things better weigh less than a unicorn fart and be able to give you a handy every day. I've never spent $1000 on four wheels...maybe touched that including tires once...

I'm agreeing with you here on this. I don't understand ludicrous wheels, let alone the people who buy a $2000 car and spend $4000 on wheels...

I try to buy the cheapest, lightest wheel I can that I know doesn't have quality issues and recommend others do the same. Spend the good money on parts that actually mater.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Kostamojen

Roads in Holland must be perfect. Cause you can "curb" or damage a wheel without driving stupid here. A pot hole at night or debris in the road, or even gravel can damage a wheel. Heck, brake dust can ruin the finish of a wheel over time, so yes wheels can get beat on even without a moron behind the wheel.

I'm agreeing with you here on this. I don't understand ludicrous wheels, let alone the people who buy a $2000 car and spend $4000 on wheels...

I try to buy the cheapest, lightest wheel I can that I know doesn't have quality issues and recommend others do the same. Spend the good money on parts that actually mater.

If he really lives in Holland I think it's Holland, MI or Holland, OH because I've raced against him before (didn't know it until this forum though). If you've never been in MI or OH than you don't know what bad roads are

The paint/powdercoating of a wheel I don't consider damage to a wheel. When I think of damage I think of curbing, bending, cracking, etc. Oneday may have that same impression.

Agree on the rest.