This is why you shouldn't buy fake wheels

[parm104]

Replica wheels does not automatically mean that they're cheap. I've bought replica wheels before and they cost me about $2500 and they were made in Germany. Used them for about 3 years in the winter and summer with no problems.

I don't know too much about the structure of a wheel but I'm pretty sure having a heavy wheel doesn't necessarily mean it's a solid wheel. The construction and material of the wheel can still be cheap and unreliable.

Nevertheless, there are a lot of reputable companies that make replica wheels and have a solid reputation for oem like quality and finish. At least in the German scene...

[MindBomber]

Originally Posted by maxxxboost

Most so called "fake" 1 piece wheels sold in the US. Use the exact same manufacture process that most, so called "real" 1 piece wheels do. Many are even made in the same factories. DOT requirements and structural integrity are in most cases Identical. The major difference is, higher priced wheels will generally have a better finish/look, and more stringent requirements regarding things like balance, and trueness of round.
Even most Multi-piece Wheels have low pressure cast centers. Break a spoke off most SSR, Advan, or BBS wheels for example. and it will look exactly like the XXR in the pic

The whole real vs fake attitude is stupid... Safety cannot be simply based on name/price alone. Just because you pay more doesnt necessarily mean you are getting a safer product. Cast is Cast... more times than not.. One is no stronger/safer than the other. "

I'm not going to fuel a replica versus authentic wheel debate, just like inexpensive coilovers that make your car low but don't actually perform, there is a place for both levels of product in the marketplace. If all you're looking to do is make a miata hellaflush and it will never see high speeds or track time, the majority of the time a rota or xxr wheel will do just fine. All cast wheels are not created equal however, as this person seems to be implying, there's a reason why you can search the net and find many pictures of cracked xxr wheels and very few cracked enkeis.

Here's a better write up.

Casting gone wrong, but ~98% of wheels are and they don't fail, why?

The process of casting allows for random defects within the material straight from the production line. These defects can propagate and break catastrophically. Comparing to the process of forging, the material micro structure is better aligned and more tightly packed creating a much stronger product as compared to the same product made up of the same material, but using a casting method.

Most common rims are casted, as this is a much cheaper process, and this is not usually a problem in most rims as they are "over engineered" and can distribute the stresses better, thus negating the defects caused by casting, but not minimizing the weight. However, when you try to make a light weight design, the goal is to minimize the material used, and use lighter weight material; which means less material to take up the stress around the defect, and typically weaker material (aluminum).

So when creating a lighter weight rim through the process of casting, the chance that the stresses can be adequately distributed and maintained around the defect becomes questionable as you try to create a lighter rim (defects are random). Because of this random size, shape, and distribution throughout the structure, you can get rims that are fine (thus the people saying they have no problems running the rims on the track), or you can a get rim were the defects are in locations that are at stress concentration points, multple defect close to each other, or the defects are just close enough to each other that they propagate over time through usage so they form a larger defect (increasing the stress concentration around the defect). These defects can cause a catastrophic failure, meaning they don’t bend they do the above, because there is only so much stress (force over a cross sectional area) that the material can handle. Rota rims of certain design can compensate better then other designs, to a degree, but there is a reason why the original designers used forging techniques when deciding to use aluminum as the material. Rota's using the same material but not using the forging process.... well you run into the above problems sometimes.

With that said… I have heard of people running on the track with them and not have problems… but you cannot compare the quality/material property/structural integrity to forged Volks…. Material Science will not back you up in that department. You can bend Volks too, but if I were to bend my Volks, I would just be thankful as I don’t know what a cast rim would have done in the same situation..

[tiger_handheld]

dont know much about wheels so sorry for the noob question:

are real wheels (lets say regular after market wheels) made from a different material than fake wheels?

[jpark]

i heard varrstoen wheels are quite strong structural wise... i remember seeing a picture of a 335i that rolled over a cliff and got mangled but the varrstoens on it were perfectly fine.. cant find the pic but ill upload later.. or someone else mind posting it if you seen it before lol

[GG]

materials are the same, as most rims are made out of aluminium. However it is the manufacture process that may varies.


Advan uses Flow Form Technology which is similar to forged, they also have forged rims as well

ADVAN Wheels - About ADVAN - Why ADVAN?


VOLK/SSR/BBS uses forged techonogy


enkei is one of the cheaper yet affordable rims too

[SumAznGuy]

Cracked Advan wheels

Cracked Volk Racing wheels

Cracked BBS wheels

Cracked SSR wheels

[GG]

thank you captain obvious


u can crack anything even if they are made out of titanium, diamonds, or magnesium


hell even if they are made by gods hand they can bend and crack if you drive it off the cliff.


R35 and enzo handles well, yet you still see people crashing them. geee i wonder why

[SumAznGuy]

Originally Posted by Tequilabomb

hell even if they are made by gods hand they can bend and crack if you drive it off the cliff.

Can you prove this?

[GG]

no rims are indestructible

[MindBomber]

Originally Posted by SumAznGuy

Cracked Advan wheels

Cracked Volk Racing wheels

Cracked BBS wheels

Cracked SSR wheels

All aftermarket light weight wheels are somewhat prone to cracking, it's the nature of putting one corner of a car travelling at high speeds on something that weighs 10lbs. Proportionally however, more wheels made my companies with high quality standards will bend or have minor stress cracks before completely shearing a spoke off, or won't be damaged at all.

There's a reason I've seen pictures of multiple damaged xxr and rota wheels, but only a couple of damaged forged or high quality cast wheels.

If you were trying to make a point, you failed.

[Manic!]

Originally Posted by MindBomber

All aftermarket light weight wheels are somewhat prone to cracking, it's the nature of putting one corner of a car travelling at high speeds on something that weighs 10lbs. Proportionally however, more wheels made my companies with high quality standards will bend or have minor stress cracks before completely shearing a spoke off, or won't be damaged at all.

There's a reason I've seen pictures of multiple damaged xxr and rota wheels, but only a couple of damaged forged or high quality cast wheels.

If you were trying to make a point, you failed.

Number of Rota and XXR wheels sold compared to cast wheels.

It's like saying a Lambo is better in the snow compared to a civic because you have never Lambo in an accident in the snow.

[SumAznGuy]

Originally Posted by MindBomber

All aftermarket light weight wheels are somewhat prone to cracking, it's the nature of putting one corner of a car travelling at high speeds on something that weighs 10lbs. Proportionally however, more wheels made my companies with high quality standards will bend or have minor stress cracks before completely shearing a spoke off, or won't be damaged at all.

There's a reason I've seen pictures of multiple damaged xxr and rota wheels, but only a couple of damaged forged or high quality cast wheels.

If you were trying to make a point, you failed.

Just wanted to point out cracked wheels from the list of manufactuers that TB posted.

I'm sure there is more, but I could be wrong if you have seen everything there is to see on the internet and only seen a couple of damaged forged or high quality cast wheels.

[MindBomber]

Originally Posted by Manic!

Number of Rota and XXR wheels sold compared to cast wheels.

It's like saying a Lambo is better in the snow compared to a civic because you have never Lambo in an accident in the snow.

Between Enkei, Volks, BBS, Rays, Spoon, Mugen, Advan, Desmond, Sprint Hart, Wed Sport, Kei-office, SSR, Work, ATS, Tom's, I forged, nutek, and every other other forged or quality cast wheel company the percentage of xxr and rota to quality isn't all that high.

Here's a good video of how forged wheels are made, since others were curious earlier in the thread.

Making of Rays Engineering Wheels - YouTube

Originally Posted by SumAznGuy

Just wanted to point out cracked wheels from the list of manufactuers that TB posted.

I'm sure there is more, but I could be wrong if you have seen everything there is to see on the internet and only seen a couple of damaged forged or high quality cast wheels.

I don't need to have seen everything on the internet, if what I've seen is an accurate sample by percentage.

[ilvtofu]

I don't think anyone is debating whether a set of forged volks are stronger than a set of XXR's, the debate should be over whether this story is BS (looking at those lugs...)/if it's actually dangerous to drive on XXR's

[SumAznGuy]

Originally Posted by ilvtofu

I don't think anyone is debating whether a set of forged volks are stronger than a set of XXR's, the debate should be over whether this story is BS (looking at those lugs...)/if it's actually dangerous to drive on XXR's

No way. According to TB, even wheels made from God's hands will break. I need proof to believe that.

I'm here to debate that. It's much more interesting than this girls BS stories. Now, if someone posted a pic of her, then that changes everything.

[SumAznGuy]

Originally Posted by MindBomber

I don't need to have seen everything on the internet, if what I've seen is an accurate sample by percentage.

So tell me, is it usually the right boob or left boob that is bigger?

[MindBomber]

Originally Posted by SumAznGuy

No way. According to TB, even wheels made from God's hands will break. I need proof to believe that.

I'm here to debate that. It's much more interesting than this girls BS stories. Now, if someone posted a pic of her, then that changes everything.

I agree.

It's more fun to debate, obviously that wheel broke as a combination of the wheel hitting a curb or speed bump hard and it missing a lug nut.

Originally Posted by SumAznGuy

So tell me, is it usually the right boob or left boob that is bigger?

Actually, I think the right boob actually is bigger usually, since more people are rh dominant.

[G-spec]

T6 aircraft grade aluminum, forged, MADE IN UNITED FUCKING STATES, or Germany.... possibly Japan (as long as they dont outsource to Chinese factories like HKS does but claims it's still made in Japan)
but yea I don't trust anything less than those keywords above there.....

made in china, or their new tag P.R.C which stands for Peoples Republic of China....
no thanks brosef, these guys can't even get baby milk right, let alone the one thing that keeps my car from becoming a flaming fireball every time i drive it

[GabAlmighty]

Steel wheels are heavy as fuck but are pretty strong too... Just sayin..

[optiblue]

rotas have been good to me on my last few cars

[PJ]

Originally Posted by G-spec

let alone the one thing that keeps my car from becoming a flaming fireball every time i drive it

+1

I don't understand how some people do it.
Risking your $30k+ car on a set of $600 rims.

One of my friends is currently rolling his G37 on a set of fake Advans he got for ~$700.. :

[xilley]

i only wonder what her sister look like

[cressydrift]

Moral of story,

Don't let women drive cars cus they will hit curbs and destroy your cheap wheels.

[jpark]

^better yet, destroy your whole car

[!e.lo_]

I work at a wheel manufacturing plant... and so many things go into the structure of a wheel.
The wheels aren't aluminum btw, they are aluminum alloy. The % of certain metals will change the strength and yield of the metal. Then the casting process, temperatures... etc etc. Like I said, a lot of things.