Work Equip 03 vs Rota Flashback vs Drag DR20 vs etc...

[zephyrus17]

I'm really itching to get some new wheels and I'm pretty set on the 'Equip 03 look', which is the star pattern. Now, obviously the purists would say, get the original Work Equips! But at more than 2x the price of the Rota, Drag, Axis, etc. knock-offs, is the double price worth it? It's not as if Rota or the others are cheap eBay brands, so the failure rate and safety should be all right, yes?

[sailaholic]

Haha can of worms. But yes plenty of people running around on Rota rims and even Charlie had a axis set at one stage.

[plohl]

You have to buy genuine. period. You don't have a choice in the matter, the internet said so.


if you look at the details, the works are a legit 3 piece rim, which could explain the difference in price.

[zephyrus17]

Well, googling says the differences between 3 piece and 1 piece are that the former might be lighter and can be taken apart to be repaired. I guess the AUD1,000,000 question is if it's worth the extra price...

It is indeed a giant can of worms. Just from the pictures, the difference is minute.

[Apu]

It depends on what your priorities are - Value for money? Brand and image?

I'd consider the value of my car vs the cost of the wheel, and how bad I'd feel if I damaged one of the wheels (and ability to pay for the repair).

[Aussie Stig]

God I love wheel whores.

[zephyrus17]

Do you guys have any great recommendations for sites to buy wheels? And do any of you have any experience from buying overseas?

[Suspense]

What are you planning to use them for Gary? Are they street only? Track only? Bit of both?

TireRack has a big selection and well priced (good option is to buy tyres with them and they'll fit them before shipping).

[zephyrus17]

Thanks for asking! I'm planning for street only for the time being. I've got a MX5+ roll bar install, which may incline me to track days. But still, for the time being, only street.

[Mr nanotech]

I would go legit as i dont think i have ever seen an equip knock off that doesnt look cheap. That goes for all fake three piece wheels with plastic bolts or glued on metal bolt heads. Plus the proportions always seem to be off and you can spot a rep a mile off.
Thats my personal thoughts. In reality legit wheels arent all that expensive. I bought a set of almost perfect fitment SSR wheels with tyres for cheaper than a set of new rotas.

[Jace]

i'd personally rather put money into Japan than China.

http://fatlace.com/2013/02/7-days-in-osaka-day-5-inside-work-wheels-factory/

Rod's prices usually include shipping to Australia
http://tginferno.blogspot.com.au/

[zephyrus17]

Damnit, Jace and Mr nanotech. Damn you two for your cursed logic and common sense!! I'll need to save up a bit more, then...

Hmm, my current wheels 6.5in width, and those Work Equip 03s are 8in. How bad will the tire stretch be and will I have detrimental handling properties?

[plohl]

it depends on the tyres.

205's sit nicely on 8" rim and if it's only street car, you shouldn't ever really hit the performance limit

[Jace]

Damnit, Jace and Mr nanotech. Damn you two for your cursed logic and common sense!! I'll need to save up a bit more, then...

Hmm, my current wheels 6.5in width, and those Work Equip 03s are 8in. How bad will the tire stretch be and will I have detrimental handling properties?

it depends on the offset of an 8" wide wheel. do you want 15" or 14"? 14" tends to give a meaty tire look which i prefer, but 15" tends to look more proportional to the size of the wheel arches.
the sizes of those particular 14" Equips are pretty extreme and you'd need pretty big flares to fit them. you probably want something more like 8" +25 or 7" +15 to fill the (stock) guards from all angles.

[zephyrus17]

Well, my current tires are 195/50 R15 Kumho KU31s on some I-have-no-idea-what-brand R15x6.5in wheels. I got the tires a while ago, but they still have some decent tread, so I want to stay with the same wheel diameter if possible to re-used them. I'm just not sure if the 195 is thick enough..