No. Not a penny's worth, since they sell well.

But I hate talking economics before lunch. Made a rule thirty years ago.

 

if your safety is only worth 600 then GO FOR IT!

P.S.
Do you have any idea what it feels like when a wheel starts failing on you? I doubt it because if you did....

 

Who's to say that these wheels are any worse than Champion, HRE, O.Z., etc.?

Based on the feedback from people that have actually had them I see no reason not to give em' a shot.

 

First let me say I would not put replica wheels on my car unless it was from a company that was known for quality work. Then maybe.

Does anyone know if the wheels in China are tested and conform to any standards? Just because it has DOT on there does it mean anything? Are they tested by anyone to meet any standards?

Also, has anyone on the forum seen a cheap aftermarket wheel fail under normal or track use? I haven't heard of one person talk of a cheap wheel failure, unless they are to embarassed to admit it.

 

Great question and I am not sure how to get that information. It would be really valuable.

I would offer the point that tirerack has sold "knock-offs," for years. The snowtires I used on my 996 (plug - now for sale) came with "cup-3" turbotwist replicas made in Italy. Finish not quite as good as factory but they were easy to balance and served me well without problems.

 

There are testing standards for wheels that the wheel must pass before it is brought in with the DOT marking. Same goes for seatbelts, headlamps, glass, etc.

 

Well, that sounds great. I still want to know who does the testing. Is the test results submited to the DOT. Does anyone know the minimum requirements, if there is any, and who is checking to see if any wheel manufacturer is meeting the requirements. Basically, who test a wheel for strength and quality other than the manufaturer?

If someone knows, could they inlighten us that would like to know?

Thanks

 

Putting ''CHINA'' in the equation doesnt mean it's automatically bad.

Most of the wheels manufacturers are equipped with foreign machines to cast the wheels. In 2010, you can find good and bad quality of pretty much everything in China.

I've run several sets of made in China wheels in the past 5 years, on different vehicles, in one of the worst place for wheels in north america: Montreal. The city of potholes and harsh winter.

No issue whatsoever. Especially no situation where my security was in danger or any feeling that something was wrong with a wheel. However, i DID experience few problems regarding wheel's finishes (oxydation) but again, the weather here doesnt help.

Regarding the weight (unsprung weight, etc..) that's another story. If you are willing to spend 5-10 grand to save 8-10 lbs on each corner, that's your call. And it might be a wise one if you take the laptime thing seriously.

 

"Replica" is just a sugar-coated word for stealing.

 

lay off the pipe son.

 

I have OEM 19 sport designs on my car for the winter. I bought them through a vendor on here for 1000.00. They were take offs but perfect condition, kinda makes the replicas seem overpriced, watch the for sale section something always comes up. I like these oem's better than my aftermarket rims that were 1000.00+ each. My 2 cents

 

i've seen plenty of car accidents and mechanical failures in my time, and read even more in the newspaper, seen on the evening news, but i dont think i've ever even once seen or heard of someone say "wheel failure" or "he bought cheep wheels" etc as a cause of accident/death/injury.

Im sure plenty of you have though....

 

Great questions. So for those of you who need to be enlightened, here's what I came up with in Wheel Manufacturing 101 before I decided to buy these rims.

Essentially, there are no regulatory bodies or enforcement agencies imposing testing on rims sold or imported in the US. There are, however, a few marking and dimensional requirments implemented by the DOT.

Any standards for performance and testing are VOLUNTARY on the manufacturer. There are organizations that have established recommended practices and specifications for rims but again, it's up to the builder to subscribe. The primary groups who have established these practices and whose stamps are widely found on both OEM and aftermarket wheels are:

SAE--Society of Automtive Engineers
TUV--German Regulatory Agency ( Safety Tested)
ISO--Manufacturing / Management Certification
JWL--Japanese Wheel Council
DOT --Dept of Transportation

The tests recommended (NOT MANDATED) by a few of these groups ( NOT THE DOT ) are limited to 3 areas.

1- Cornering Fatigue Test
2- Radial Fatigue Test
3- Impact Test

I question and seriously doubt any manufacturer, OEM or aftermarket, implements these testing procedures on every rim they build.

The perception that because a wheel is more expensive or that it's OEM therefore it must be better is flawed. Unless you're able to dig into a manufacturers files and see what processes are occuring---- I don't think any of you know what the hell you're driving on.

For the nervous nellies in the safety camp be advised there is far greater risk of a tire blowout at track and highway speeds than there is of catastrophic rim failure.

With that said, I have heard of rim failure occuring on an aftermarket rim. DYMAG--built of magnesium alloy and supposedly over engineered to handle any super car. Over $10gs for a set. An EPIC FAIL. Go Figure.

So Scott997---we're going to put the pipe down now and watch the rest of your bank accounts drain needlessly. Fire Up Buddy !!

 

hey I got the scratch so I buy the best.... Why down grade from stock?

Hattrick there was a lot more to the pic. It went around the Lamborghini forum and theres much more to the story. You defense is very weak. BTW I think I saw you on canal street buying a $50 rolex on Saturday.

 

This thread seems to have focused on the relative safety of the wheels in question. OK, but without data, who knows? There are numerous wheel facilities in China that make OE wheels for Mercedes, BMW, Ford, etc. They manufacture under very tight OE standards. Obviously, they're safe.
But there are other facilities that have no design, engineering or testing. They simply steal other people's work and send counterfeit wheels to the US. If you buy their wheels, don't complain when you see our economy weaken and our jobs go to countries that pay $4-$10 per day. And IF your REPLICA wheels do break, good luck with a product liability or wrongful death claim.

The truth is Replicas are simply counterfeits. Just like all the counterfeit watches, handbags, movies and software that plague American business.
IMHO, making them is wrong and buying them is wrong.

Frankly, I think the FBI and Customs Service should arrest them all.