JasonC

Got the mod itch now. I've been looking and want to try out either HRE or DPE. Is it really worth what HRE charges over say Volk? What's your take on this guys? Yay or nay for the HRE brand? Please post personal experience good or bad. Thx

Mesca

iTrader: (28)

HRE is one of the best wheel brands out there. I'm not sure if it's worth the extra $$$ but if you can afford it, by all means go for it! Can't go wrong with HRE's

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i had hre before. they are good, but at the same time i will say you pay a lot for the brand name. i have had volk, ssr, and traffic star wheels. they are all just as good imho for much less. of all my ownership, i think all the wheels have pros and cons, including hre

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again, their wheels are great, but it seems like I see more of them bent than a lot of other wheels out there... Just yesterday had a friend come in with similar size HRE's on his Mercedes as on my Lexus, the wheels were fairly new, but two of the had bends in them. He honestly could not remember what he could have hit... my wheels are 3x as old with no bends and are a cheaper cast wheel...

again, I think they are great wheels, this is just a trend I've seen...

wikidbwoy

iTrader: (2)

hre is nice but there are other companies that have just as nice wheels and quality. Vellano or NC Forged are both i have had and like.

Stormforge

agetro is nice too

SoCalSC4

That's partly because HRE has sold a boatload of wheels over the 30 years!

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

No, actually, in comparison, they sell only a very small fraction of the wheels out there.

Your big players are Wheel Pros (who owns American Racing, KMC, etc), then you have Ultra, which makes MB and Panther and Akuza and a dozen other wheels, as well as OEM's for other private branded wheel companies... Without tracking down the numbers, and doing the math, I'd say that less than half of one percent of the aftermarket wheels out there are made by HRE...

SoCalSC4

Obviously I know this... I've been in the wheel business for 12 years, 7 of which I worked for HRE. My point was that in the three-piece world, HRE is one of the big boys.

On cheap cast wheels (like the stuff you mentioned), the expectations are lower and if they get bent or damaged they get thrown away.

Wheels get bent all the time... BBS, Work, etc.

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

Right, but, being on the retail side of the industry, and having been in this for 9 years, I see trends - certain wheels that I see more bends than others... It's just that I see the HRE's having less resistance to being bent than many other wheels... I see em all - all brands on all types of vehicles... The two that stand out in my head when someone asks which wheels bend the easiest are HRE and the OEM wheels on many Mitsubishi and some Dodge cars that are two piece wheels... Statistically, there are very few of those wheels (either the HRE or the OE Mitsu wheels), but they also seem to have a higher percentage of bent wheels...

Granted most cast cheapie wheels are probably overbuilt in this area, and many don't have the nice wide, thin lips that HRE does, but that doesn't change the end result...

b00b00s559

i hear that HRE's bend extremely easy. i think for a Daily it wouldnt be a good choice. thats what a hear from many sources but i dont have a set so i couldnt say. I think DPE's look better in my opinion and i never heard too much on them. NIce wheels

MsLeng

iTrader: (2)

Hmmm....I'm about to take off some works on my car and put on the HREs but I drive my car daily too...So maybe I shouldnt?

GS300Rich

do you hit a lot of potholes? I hit potholes from time to time with my iForged wheels and havent had them bend so I can imagine HRE will stand up equally. Everyone has HEARD that HRE bends easily, so to take other peoples words for it you put HRE on your car and you will bend all four wheels leaving the driveway of the tire shop :rollseyes: From my perspective if you like the wheels then go for it. They are quality wheels and look good. As with any wheel I would just be careful when driving and especially around potholes and such

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

Oh, I agree... if you like them, then go for it...

And I'm not saying they are a bad wheel by any means, but I have not heard, rather I have seen many bent HRE's... personal friends, customers, etc...

GS300Rich

I just havent heard of many people with bent HREs. I know there are quite a few members here who have HREs and only remember a few of them with problems. So it is just surprising to me to hear that you have seen many HREs bent.