mx5cartalk.com

Hi guys,

How good/bad are replica wheels?
I understand that some are probably ok, some are probably horrible.

I am looking at these:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/RAYS-CE28-15 ... 3641.l6368

Anyone know how bad/good they are?
Intended use is track

It's luck of the draw unless you know which company made it.

Generally, the made in China knock-offs are of dubious quality.

Well priced good quality wheels that I have bought are SSW Peak wheels in 15x7.
Paid ~$750 delivered for a set.
Nice and lightweight and look good as well.

"Replica" as in a very similar looking style sold under their own name like Rota would probably be fine. Replica as in sold as a direct copy with no identifiable brand I would stay away from.

It's less about the wheel being a "replica" and more about who made it.

I'd stick to something that at least has a brand name on it, and a moderately well known one. At least, should you have issues, you can get in contact and have someone to blame.

The one linked looks like a random wheel from China with no name, it could be great, it could be made from stomped down coke cans.


I'd be sticking to the moderately well known ones, Rota, Axis, and pretty much all the Aussie ones. (of course, if the budget stretches to the better brands do that)

Thanks guys for the input.

I am trying to find some 15X7 wheels and so far I really want the Kosei K1s from tirerack but with the AUD and shipping they are about $1,200 delivered. Might go these though as I really like their design.

Can you hold out a bit for a used set of rpf1's?
They come up from time to time on the facebook wheel pages and the Honda forums.
A used set of 15x7 is around the $800 mark, more with tyres etc.

Or buy these and two new ones:
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/tarneit/wheels-tyres-rims/enkei-rpf1/1107100893
Or contact:
https://www.facebook.com/jdmpartsrupewrecht/?fref=ts
As he usually has something in stock that suits.

I don't think it matters what brand you buy as long as you are happy with them.
I just had a set of SPEEDY Cheeta wheels for the wifes car delivered, SPEEDY is a long established Australian company, but where were the wheels made? CHINA

smy0003 wrote:Can you hold out a bit for a used set of rpf1's?
They come up from time to time on the facebook wheel pages and the Honda forums.
A used set of 15x7 is around the $800 mark, more with tyres etc.

Or buy these and two new ones:
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/tarneit/wheels-tyres-rims/enkei-rpf1/1107100893
Or contact:
https://www.facebook.com/jdmpartsrupewrecht/?fref=ts
As he usually has something in stock that suits.

I'd buy the RPF1s if there was a set of them, but a pair would make it hard for me to find another pair to match.

Thanks for the FB link, I'll IM them

If you're going to spend $1200 on Koseis's:

http://www.autotechnik.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=60_159_208&product_id=428

Red Dragon wrote:I don't think it matters what brand you buy as long as you are happy with them.
I just had a set of SPEEDY Cheeta wheels for the wifes car delivered, SPEEDY is a long established Australian company, but where were the wheels made? CHINA

It's not so much that it's made in China that's the issue, it's more about how well the retailer has told the factory in china to make them, and how they are supported.

Speedy, being a known name in Australia, would have told the factory to make the wheels to a safe quality (I'd hope well beyond safe)
Being a well known name they would also have a legal responsibility for any damage/injury as a result of their product failing.



The same factory in China may also build the same wheels to a far lower standard (or just use the seconds that dont pass QC) and sell them separately with no branding to make a quick buck.

Advanti Racing Storm's are a reasonably rim that can be used on the track.

hks_kansei wrote:

Red Dragon wrote:I don't think it matters what brand you buy as long as you are happy with them.
I just had a set of SPEEDY Cheeta wheels for the wifes car delivered, SPEEDY is a long established Australian company, but where were the wheels made? CHINA

It's not so much that it's made in China that's the issue, it's more about how well the retailer has told the factory in china to make them, and how they are supported.

Speedy, being a known name in Australia, would have told the factory to make the wheels to a safe quality (I'd hope well beyond safe)
Being a well known name they would also have a legal responsibility for any damage/injury as a result of their product failing.

The same factory in China may also build the same wheels to a far lower standard (or just use the seconds that dont pass QC) and sell them separately with no branding to make a quick buck.

QC is the big issue with anything coming out of China.
Brands need to keep their own people in charge of QC to ensure that it remains consistent because in China there's a mentality to cut costs wherever possible to improve profit if you let the locals do their own QC.

Personally I wouldn't touch any track rim that was made in China by an unknown brand and I wouldn't touch the rims in the original post on the street given how thin the spokes are (one big pot hole and you've cracked a rim/spoke).

I remember reading that Emilio from 949racing had QC issues with his Gen II 6ULs, some were cracking.

I realise that there are a lot of people running around on dodgy rims with no issues but that's probably more to do with luck than anything else. I'd rather know that my rims are up to the task.

smy0003 wrote:If you're going to spend $1200 on Koseis's:

http://www.autotechnik.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=60_159_208&product_id=428

...but don't forget to add about $340 for freight ($50), wheels nuts ($100), centre caps ($130) and hub rings ($60).

JBT wrote:

smy0003 wrote:If you're going to spend $1200 on Koseis's:

http://www.autotechnik.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=60_159_208&product_id=428

...but don't forget to add about $340 for freight ($50), wheels nuts ($100), centre caps ($130) and hub rings ($60).

The same costs need to be factored in to any wheel purchase, which is another argument for grabbing a second hand set with all that stuff already sorted. Whether or not to use hubcentric rings and/or centrecaps in a track environment is a discussion for another thread.

On the wheel nut topic, I'm using these:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2days-ship-R ... SwcdBWTrse

They're steel and the narrower hex head is good for aftermarket wheels, and they're not too expensive for a set of MIJ lock nuts.