engin_ear

iTrader: (1)

I need an education. I've been searching posts like crazy. I saw those Armano Dunamis wheels on a 350Z the other day and really like the design, but I understand they're cheap knockoffs of something like the Weds Kranze Cerberus. The difference in price is huge. So what EXACTLY is the difference in these wheels? Are knockoffs that much heavier? Is the chrome on knockoffs heavier? Is the knockoff casting poor?
In NJ we hit potholes and ruts weekly if not more often, I'm sure the Calif. roads are more forgiving. I'm not sure I want to spend 3X or 4X the $$$ only to wind up with trashed expensive wheels.
So what's the real technical deal? Seems like buying these wheels is like buying Cubic Zirconia, according to the posts I've dug up, some from 2001, for cryin' out loud.

CleanSC

I'll answer your question on the basis that you want to know the difference between cheap wheels, and expensive wheels.

Short answer, cheap imitation wheels will cost you more money than genuine wheels.

What's that, he says?

Cheap wheels will use less expensive manufacturing processes which will result in an inferior product to the end consumer. For example a gravity cast wheel is the cheapest to make. Forged wheels cost more to make but result in a stronger, lighter wheel.

Finishes are even worse. A cheap wheel will use cheap paint, cheap powdercoat, or the worst of them all, cheap chrome. These will fade, flake, and peel. The result? A useless wheel you can't even sell when you're done.

In a real world example, I had a cheap set of gravity cast Taiwanese wheels I bought for $1000 with tires. After the first set of tires, I took them in for new ones. As we balanced them on the balancer, you can visually see the runout on the wheels. They were warped, and I never remember hitting anything too hard. Another year of CAREFUL street driving ultimately destroyed the wheels. Pot holes (little ones) had their way with them, and the powdercoat was flaking off of the hubs (most likely due to the stretch in the hub area due to the lugs).

So I went and bought new wheels. This time I spent the cash and bought a genuine set of Volk Racing GT-P's. They cost $1,900 without tires. With the same streets and same driving style, I rocked these for 3 years. In those 3 years, no damage, no flaking clear coat, no bends, and they were perfectly round. When I sold the car they were on, I put them up on ebay and sold them for $1300. Do that math, and you'd see that I rocked genuine Volk Racing wheels for three years at a price of $200 a year.

Now back to the cheap wheels. They are STILL in my backyard because no one wants my cheap, flaking, BUSTED *** Taiwanese wheels. They are not even worth refinishing. I lost ALL my money and the entire time I was rocking imitation wheels. How weak is that?

Cheap wheels: $1000 and never sold. Money Lost: $1000 to rock 17" hater wheels for 2 years.
Volk wheels: $1900 and sold for $1,300. Money Lost: $600 to rock 18" REAL wheels for 3 years.

In the long run, genuine, quality wheels will actually cost you less. You pay less to be a pimp, how can you lose?

I'll never buy a cheap wheel again. I'm a huge fan of Volk Racing wheels and even rock a set of 19" staggered Progressiv Spokes from their Fine Forged line on my SC. They cost me a small fortune, but I know I will get a huge chunk of that back when I am done with them.

Wheels are a serious investment. You wouldn't buy a cheap house, a cheap car, or a cheap boat would you? They have attractive prices but you use all that up while you own them. Pay more for something that's quality so you can resell later on and actually make some money back.

engin_ear

iTrader: (1)

Thanks, CleanSC, for an awesome answer. I would never have thought of reselling them, but that's a really good perspective in addition to all the other stuff. Some of the wheels I'm looking at are $2 to 4K. Now that I think about it, I don't have a cheap anything - house, car, bike, WIFE ,TV, stereo, etc. Guess I'll just have to get the good stuff.

redgs4

That's the CL spirit.

CleanSC

No probs, brother.

Exactly. And remember, the hotter and harder to get the wheels are, the easier you will sell them later. Buy something rare and unique. As time goes by they become harder and harder to get so when you go to market, they go nuts. Just about anything that takes 2 months to get out of Japan is a good bet. Most people are impatient and buy off the shelf cheapie wheels in the US so the used market is flooded with these. But when you post up your custom GS-fitted jap-spec forgies, watch the frenzy.