Jondls33

I am in the market for wheels, and there a couple styles I like from volks (Te37, CE28). But for some reason I cannot justify myself spending over $2k on used wheels when similar style go for 1/2 the price brand new. Let alone retail prices are ridiculous! I don't track my car or do shows. Someone please tell me I'm not making a mistake on purchasing some reps for the "F"

I tell my friends about my dilemna and they say "don't rock fakes/reps" or "you have an ISF do it the right way" or "it's about quality and knowing it won't break on you"..

My answers are always "how can you not rock reps when they're 1/4-1/3 of the price of real ones and looks exactley the same..."
"There is no wrong/right way.. They look exactley alike! 95% of females won't know the difference from fake or real (they'll just know if it looks good or not) and 75% of Asian dudes will know they're fake, but I'm not here to impress Asian dudes!"
"Quality... I've had a stage2 Subaru before and I had Rotas.. Drove it hard and zero problems.. And I knew a lot of Subaru people that rocked Rotas on track days and I've never seen/heard of rep wheels failing on them"

Some of you might say "well it's stealing the product for the original design or robbing away the hard work of testing, design, etc from volks"
Well.. Unfortunately we are now in a world that competition is everywhere, people copy others all the time and market they're prices lower for sales... (But correct me if I'm wrong)

Now, I can either pull the trigger on some varrstoen that'll look exactley like volks, or I can save up a little bit more and purchase some volks... What would you do?

These comparison are Volks x Varrstoen on 19x9.5/10.5 sizes

redcrxsi

Weight of the wheels is a factor you didn't mention.

Other then that do what makes you happy.

FFM

I rarely buy new, since the used wheel market is pretty vast. I can see both sides of the argument though. I have experienced bends or even cracks with some top of the line brands so I wouldn't really say paying top dollar will avoid that. Weight however and the metallurgy of the wheel is what you are paying for though, and so could be said about the wheel finish.

Lot of those knock off's are heavy as hell, which so are some of the spendy brands. But with companies like Work, Gram Light, Vorsteiner, etc that make quality wheels VERY affordable, I don't see the need to strap on some boat anchors to save a few hundred dollars.

Diesel350

They are cheaper because all they do is copy.

Enkei:



Varrstoen:

PDP180180

iTrader: (3)

Hate to say it, but you get what you pay for mate.

Whilst they may look similar, they aren't made the same, so the strength isn't there.

Read too many horror stories of cracked spokes or worse from people using cheap replicas.

I don't deny they look good to an untrained eye, but try justifying that when you are stranded somewhere after it breaks up going over a pothole.

Vervish

iTrader: (4)

This almost always causes a heated debate.

I think the bottom line is you should get what you are comfortable with.

The real wheels are almost always made with better materials and designed/engineered/tested in house. The question lies in whether you think it is worth paying the 100-200% premium for the real stuff.

bnizzle87

The only reason I purchase authentic is because of the R&D. It's not about flaunting money to see who has the most expensive wheels. It's about longevity and peace of mind. Fake wheels will still be heavier, probably cast material, and there will likely be an imperfection in the structural aspect. With reputable companies, yes I pay more, but i know the wheel won't crack on me after track use. I know it can withstand the abuse if I were to ever come in contact with road elements or things like curbs. And I will know I have a wheel that can be resold and recouped in value if I ever wanted to switch things up or even sell altogether.

I'm not gonna call out someone because he or she cannot afford authentic wheels. To each is his or her own. But I will always advise to either save up for it or buy a used set. A secondhand set of Volk Racing is going to be better made than the reps, always.

Lmood

iTrader: (3)

Build your car for you. Lesson learned many years ago. Many people on here have rep parts, one of the sexiest isf's, to me, built on here had a replica lip. My stance on reps is: I'm OK with it as long as you aren't trying to pass it off as the real deal.
Perfect examples. I built an 04 mustang GT. I put terminator reps on there that I purchased from ebay. I went with the reps because I wanted a bigger and wider wheel. Stock cobra wheels didn't come in the size I wanted.



Slammed my ram I had before the f. Again had reps wheels. Srt10 reps. Didn't want to pay for stock wheels and wanted a darker wheel.



I never had ANY issues with the reps I purchased. Good luck!

Fsport2UR

A lot of rep wheels are not certified. Meaning they haven't been tested to stand up to the stringent trial of an automotive wheel. BUT, with that said, America does not care about wheels that are certified or not, which is why you see more rep wheels being available here and sold here. Some countries(most of Europe) make it illegal to sell wheels that are not certified, as they feel it is dangerous to be on the road if they have not been performance tested. The certification is strict and very expensive, plus a representative actually audits the factory to make sure the wheels are being produced consistently the same way. HRE for example stated they have a person fly out from Europe to audit their factory just so they can have certification in Europe and sell their wheels there. The money you spend on top dollar wheels is not just on material and R&D and manufacturing, but also more for the constant testing and certifications that the company has to go through and maintain.

ISF4life

iTrader: (30)

I ALWAYS SUPPORT THE AUTHENTICITY , SO THERE IS NO QUESTION. YOU CAN SAVED SOME AND GET IT USE IN GOOD CONDITION U BUY CHEAP U R GOING TO BUY IT TWICE SO DO IT RIGHT THE 1ST TIME

lolfunxion

iTrader: (25)

Would you buy replica seat belts? Airbags? If the answer is no, then the answer to fake wheels should be no. If the answer is yes, then by all means buy fake wheels and remove yourself from the gene pool.

It comes down to safety first and foremost. Just because you ran Rotards hard and were "fine" doesn't mean they will always be fine. When you're in a really dangerous situation (or just cruising down the road sometimes) the reps will fail you and injure you, those you love, or random innocent people.

nicklausw

You realize this is like asking people if they are pro choice or pro life.... Let the bickering ensue....

lolfunxion

iTrader: (25)

Well, it's kind of like that except in this case the people that are for real wheels and against fake wheels are right. Fake wheels will never be quality, nor be anywhere near as safe.

So in this case, there is a clear right opinion / side to be on.

Meraki Autoworks

iTrader: (8)

Not sure where in CA you are, but I once had rep wheels and in LA, it eventually led to cracks in all of my wheels lol.

-Josh

Rickna

iTrader: (3)

I've had 2 cracked OEM rims on my BMW. Much of it depends on the conditions where you live.