Before I begin, I want to point out that this rant can be applied to any cheap, knock-off parts, whether it be exhausts, coilovers, brakes, etc., but for this example, I’m going to use wheels.
Look at the cars in F1, JGTC, FIA GT, WRC, DTM, WTCC, etc. and you will see wheels from the top manufacturers in the world, such as Enkei, BBS, Rays, and OZ Racing. (There are other companies that produce wheels strictly for racing, but I’m focusing on the most common companies that also have wheels available for street vehicles.) These companies have poured billions of dollars and incredible amounts of time into the proper research, development, testing, safety, and production of their wheels. The wheels produced by those companies are designed for optimal function and performance in mind. These manufacturers produce various lines of wheels, both forged and cast. However, these wheels don’t come cheap. Individuals outside professional motorsports often have a hard time justifying the cost on their daily drivers.
Then there are companies like Drag, Konig, Tenzo, Sportmaxx/XXR, Motegi, and the notorious Rota. These companies take (read: steal/copy) the most popular/best-selling designs from the reputable manufacturers and reproduce them at the lowest possible price, using sub-quality production methods, and sell them for as little as possible in an effort to appeal to people who only care about price and/or looks. Absolutely no R&D, testing, and quality assurance goes into making these wheels, which is reflected in the cost. The replica wheels are often made in sizes not offered by their counterparts, which, in my opinion, is incredibly dangerous. Plenty of research has proven that the wider the wheel and the lower the offset you go, the more stress you put on the wheel bearings, and for this reason, many wheel manufacturers do not make certain wheel fitments. Wheels are designed for specific bolt patterns, and when the specs are changed, you take a very serious risk of damaging parts and vehicle characteristics.
I consider myself a purist. I strongly believe in performance, that function is indefinitely more important than form, and in using legitimate, original, and proven parts. When you buy a set of Rota or Drag wheels, you hurt the hard working companies that originally designed the wheel you just bought. You may think, “Why pay thousands for a set of TE-37′s when you can get a set that looks just as good from Rota?” However, these replica wheel companies wouldn’t exist without buyers. Buyers who don’t care about quality. Buyers who don’t care about where materials come from. Buyers who don’t care about safety. Buyers who only care about the money they “save”.
Don’t lower your standards or settle for lesser than your car deserves. People always argue that they never have money for “baller wheels” or that the cheap parts are just as good. Keeping up with some anonymous dude on the internet and his ride isn’t the purpose of having passion for cars. And if you can’t afford it, then save your money until you can. (What a concept, right?) We are a culture of instant gratification, but when you buy something that connects your car to the road, don’t skimp out. Do it right the first time. No matter what you say, you cannot say that a set of Drags, Konigs, or Rotas is better than your stock set of wheels. Who cares if you roll on stockers until you have that perfect set of wheels? And for the cast vs. forged people, keep in mind that forged only bends, whereas cast shatters. Sure, it would be a little more expensive to replace a wheel, but if you hit a pothole, wouldn’t you rather deal with a slightly bent wheel rather than one that shattered and destroyed your brakes in the process?
Don’t justify your purchases on the basis that “it looks good” or “was cheap.” Don’t sit there and explain that you saved a bunch of money by buying a “great” substitute for the real deal and that it performs “just as good” as the real deal because it doesn’t. The only reason more people come to your aid and defend your purchase is because they’re in the same boat. The passion for modifying is no longer based on quality, performance and dependable products, but rather on something that looks like the real thing. They say a car is an extension of you, so that must mean you’re superficial, right?
Do a little thinking…
What high quality aftermarket parts come out of China and the Philippines?
Are you willing to pay a little more for proven safety, quality, and peace of mind?
To the people who do actual research before they buy and save their money to buy quality products, thank you. You are what drives the industry. You support the companies that do the real research, development, and testing. You support a passionate industry that places originality and quality in highest regard. Keep up the good work and take pride in your ride.
Note: There are wheels without a racing heritage that are quite nice that I didn’t mention, but I only named Rays, Enkei, OZ, and BBS because they are the largest, most popular examples.
Ah, the freedom of competition in the marketplace…. it’s why these companies exist.
In any case, there are good cast companies too, such as WORK
.
(Disclaimer: The following is my own opinion, and although I appreciate the looks of low offsets, I cannot justify doing it to my own car. I like going fast and hard around turns without wondering if my bearings are going to break, if my fenders are chipping away, or if my unbalanced tires are losing more thread life every 1/4 mile I go. )
On topic however, I would like to add that people are actually PROUD of the “work” they put into the car, that is, getting low offsets, forming stance circle jerks, and basically going crazy with “wrong fitment” competitions. I’m going out on a limb to say that many of the stance-influenced cars are most likely not daily driven. Therefore, why even call the car a daily driver when deep inside the driver is too scared to take it out on the roads. Fatlace started the “Stance” trend, which is funny because if you’ve been in San Francisco, you’d know that their roads are not the greatest in the world, and you’re just a wreck waiting to happen. Last I’ve heard, SF residents hate people who cause traffic…. just an FYI. Stance is basically what it is. The car is literally just SITTING there looking good. That’s about it. It looks good, but does it drive well? Probably not. When you’re rolling along the streets, people aren’t going to see how good you look. In fact, outside of the stance circle jerks, people in public would think your car is broken. Wheels are moving parts, so how do you expect to move you car at even highway speed when you’re constantly scraping against one part of your car day in and day out. GL to the Stance people. If you have the money to replace it, fine, but if you had the money, why the hell are you buying fake stuff in the first place?
Thank you! This can’t be said enough. Please email me… I am working on something that I think will interest you..
Robert: I LIKE THIS.
Amen sir, your right and I done have anything to say that hasnt been said.
+1 ~ it drives me nuts when a few of my friends talk about their cars and.. lets say in terms of kits, actually say things such as, “im looking for a replica mugen lip” and so forth.
Read this, then a few blogs down in my reader found this:
http://ivyleagueeast.com/2010/07/17/shizz-wizzeak/
hmmm….
Also, I can see running fake wheels if you have to park your car for long periods of time at public transportation lots.
Having authentic wheels nixxed would very much suck.
@DaveT: Only 2/16 cars have replica wheels. It still doesn’t prove anything or justify their use to me. Look past these weekend HPDE events. Look at REAL teams and REAL racing events around the world. Look at the wheels they use. I can guarantee you that you will not find any fake wheels.
Why would anyone want to replace something with an inferior part? Personally, I could NEVER justify putting anything of lesser quality than OEM on my car(s) for ANY reason.
If security is that much of an issue, use proper wheel locks, pick a safer parking spot (even if it means parking somewhere else), or if you’re that concerned about getting your wheels jacked, don’t get any at all. Don’t sit there and make frivolous excuses about all the reasons why you shouldn’t get legit wheels.
I’ve had both
Legit RMS on my last car and now I am on a wheel by the name of ‘A-tech’ which I bought and later and found out were similar to a model of Gram Lights (as opposed to rare JDM wheels as advertised)
I am currently looking at OEM wheels of different brands as you can often get wheels made by legit companies this way at a much lower cost.
I’m not suggesting everyone run out and buy fake parts but I can see why people do for daily drivers.
However if you wrote a rant about cutting springs… I would be inclined to agree…
A-Tech isn’t all that bad. I believe their wheels were made in Japan at some point. I can’t say I know where they are made now though.
Good!
There are plenty of good, inexpensive wheels out there that are quality made, though, they are few and far between. It’s always a good idea/option to look at other OEM wheels (like what you’re doing) or just get used baller wheels for those on a budget. It’s fairly easy to find a great set of wheels!
Oh man, don’t even get me started on cut springs… hahaha
Worked at a fairly large shop for about 7 years, I can’t tell you how badly it sucks to loose a sale to ebay wheels. Everything is always about price, never about the product.
I love nothing more than when someone posts something like, but not limited to –
“My ROTA wheels cracked”
“My china made turbo kit fell apart”
“All the bolts stripped out of my crappy ebay coilovers”
Great write up, junk parts are junk parts.
Really good write-up.
Love it!
I see your point, but also complete closed-mindedness. There are many sets of Japanese wheels that I would love to put on my AE86, however the cost is not only expensive, its unjustified. I can get a set of Complete Custom Wheels made for my car for a fraction of the price of essentially ANY Japanese wheel. You can’t say they are fake, or that they are untested, or that they do not perform. However, since the bodywork on my car is not yet finished I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on wheels that I will just get rid of in a few months. In the meantime I am running some Sportmax 513s. Is it justified to say that I am a bad person hurting other companies, and hurting the whole car aftermarket as a whole, intentionally and maliciously? No. And I am tired of all the hate. I don’t fight for “fake” wheels but they have their place. They do NOT take business away from the “legitimate” companies. They are two entirely different markets, a low end buyer is never going to have the budget to buy high dollar parts, and a high end buyer would not buy low end parts.
I admit, I am EXTREMELY close-minded. It’s one of my faults, and I’m trying to appreciate things as they are, but it’s hard for me. I’m not trying to change the industry or forcing people to agree with my perspective/opinion. This is just something I’ve had on my mind for a while.
Like I said, the wheels I mentioned were just a few examples. I agree, there are many other good wheels out there, CCW being a fine example.
Allow me to use you as an example. You are running a set of Sportmaxx in the meantime you are finishing your bodywork. That’s what bugs me. People seem to buy wheels just to have wheels. Why didn’t you just wait till everything was completed and used that money you spent on the wheels to put towards a nicer set of wheels or tires? I’m not picking on you, I just want to understand your rational. I’m simply trying to learn the thought process behind those who purchase such parts.
I understand that it’s two completely different markets, but I’m just trying to point out that it’s wrong for people to buy “fake” wheels as a justification that they are “just as good.”
Thanks for your perspective though! I enjoy hearing what others have to say.
What i don’t get, is why is it always the non-Japanese ‘rip off merchants’ who get slated? It can’t be one rule for one, and one for another just because the original parts come from OMG JDMLAND!1
Take for instance an R32 GT-R Nismo boot lip spoiler. Lord knows the cost… but a bit of searching on neweraparts and you’ll find two fellow JDM companies by the names of Zacetec and Carbon Den offering exact replicas for low and behold, less than Nismo.
What bugs me most are the people who use ‘buying authentic parts’ as a means of getting on their high horse – i have absolutely no doubt that for people like Rays, Enkei and BBS the replica wheel franchise has taken a knock on their business, but two things:
Would those people buying the replicas for 1/2 or a 1/3rd of the price buy the authentic if the replicas didn’t exist? No.
If business was being disrupted that badly, why don’t they take further legal action towards them?
If China is producing so inferior products, why do quite a few of the big-brand JDM names have their exhaust back boxes produced in the same Chinese factories as the ‘rip off replica stuff’?
I’m not taking any sides here, but honestly, all i can see from 99% of the internet is people using their ‘Rare’ parts as a form of elitism.
If they’ve never ate a tin of Tesco own-brand baked beans, never drank ‘regular’ cheap cola over Pepsi and so forth, fair enough – get on your high horse and ride off.
But the fact of the matter is, consumers want cheaper products and no amount of e-whining will ever change that, so don’t beat on people who just want a nice set of wheels rather than some uber crazy stickers to put on their car… which 99% of the normal world couldn’t give two flying fucks about.
Thanks for your insight! You bring up a few valid points.
It’s very difficult for companies to pursue legal action against counterfeiters in China and other places due to the slow pace of government action, which delays or outright prevents companies from enforcing their intellectual property rights. “The cost of hiring private detectives and waging a lengthy legal battle in the Chinese court system can be particularly daunting to small businesses.” This may not be applicable to large corporations like Rays or BBS, who have the money and time to pursue counterfeiters, but in the case of Voltex vs. Seibon, Voltex simply didn’t have the resources to fight.
You can read more about that here: http://www.bespokeventures.com/blog/2008/07/30/an-inconvenient-truthabout-jdm-aka-the-death-of-innovation/
And more reading material on legal issues:
http://www.finnegan.com/resources/articles/articlesdetail.aspx?news=27e895ac-592f-446a-9757-10e2924585ce
And it is true that several JDM companies do manufacture their products in China, but here’s how that works. It’s not exactly the same factory. After a worker’s shift is over, they go to another factory where they make a similar product, but usually not with the same parts or machines. That’s where the difference in quality occurs.
Learn more about counterfeiting here: http://documentarystorm.com/crime/the-fake-trade/
I see that elitism too (I admit to being one as well) across the internet. I can understand why though. People paid good money for good parts and they like to show that off. There’s nothing you can really do except to ignore it and move on. I realize it can be extremely annoying and makes people upset, but I can bet that those same people won’t be able to resist showing off a little too if they had a rare or expensive part. Everyone likes to show off, it’s human nature. haha
Thanks again for participating in my discussion! I hope I’m doing my best to explain myself and learn to see other’s perspectives on the subject. Like I said, I like to hear what people have to say!
Honestly I just needed something to roll on. I had the Sportmaxes already for a Civic that was my daily. The Civic I wanted to put no money into, I got the car for $800 and I didn’t ever want to care what happened to it. But its wheels are tires were ruined when I bought it, bent, not holding air, and out of round. So I bought a cheap set of wheels to throw on. Then I later used them on the AE86 after the Civic got wrecked and the AE86 was off jackstands. The Sportmaxes are in perfect shape, balanced with a good set of tires, much better than my trashed steelies. I don’t want a set of custom wheels until I get the flares/overfenders installed and I can calculate exactly how I want the wheels to fit.
I agree with your original post.
I think for anyone that argues in favor of the knock offs, has never owned a real set of wheels. And if they eventually do, they would change their minds.
Here’s a separate thought…all around the web, i see people talking about how they hate fake crap… who the heck is buying this stuff? I think it’s the people who follow it as a fad for a lil while and then get a new car. As opposed to people who modify as a life hobby.
Well unlike what seems like the majority of people around here, I can’t drop a couple grand on wheels every now and then. It comes in handy as a placeholder for me. To say I have never had a real set of wheels is also incorrect, I have had a few sets of beautiful BBS wheels, and I am ordering a set of Work VS-XXs right now. The main reason I don’t put “real” expensive wheels on my AE86 right this second is the price for used 15″ wheels often exceeds that of brand new 19″ variants from the same company. Outrageous.
the bottom line is the brand and price are the two factors consumers consider immediately in regards to quality and taking action. often times people don’t necessarily understand the wheel making process or feel that paying an excessive amount (subjective) for a set of wheels is absolutely necessary for their goals (realistically speaking). Therefore, the value added to the wheel in the strength and weight focus isn’t justified by the costs although the wheel prospector favors the design and would be happy to give their money to the inventor if the price was within reason. This argument would be non-existant if the JDM companies offered the same styled wheel using less expensive production practices to make the style more affordable for those who don’t need mags to compete in endurance racing and time attacks 24/7. Simple answer to all the debate. But doing so could damage the reputation the companies spent years cultivating. So rather than meet the demand by creating value wheels using an identical design they’ve decided to leave a gap in the market which was clearly filled by Rota. Shame on Rota for taking advantage of an opportunity or shame on “JDM” wheels companies for disregarding your requests? I doubt ostracizing people who buy these budget wheels will hinder sales bc like mentioned earlier people outside “the know” could careless about JDM brands and still compliment tasteful rides on rotas or w/e brand it may be.
I love when people try and justify their knockoff parts. Especially when it involves “saving” money. No one ever said modifying a car was cheap so if you don’t have the money to do it, save your money and be patient or don’t do it at all. Great write up Robert!