Wheelfiremy Replica rims

[Code4]

Anybody bought any Wheelfiremy Replica rims ?

PM me if you don't have a forum proof flame suit.

[KevGoat]

Brave question

Seen them on eBay. Often wondered myself.

"Cheap" and "replica" don't necessarily mean low quality just as expensive and brand name don't always mean high quality. Some very well regarded name brand wheels I've had in the past have been absolute rubbish quality. Just recently there was a couple of posts on highly rated wheels showing cracking.

As long as they have properly passed the necessary certifications they should be fine. Weight is another factor to take into account, but some aren't that concerned and don't really notice that much difference in normal driving.

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[hks_kansei]

I have no issues with replica wheels etc.

But whatever wheels you buy, make sure they meet the safety standards of at least one of the major countries, JWL for Japan, TUV for Germany, AS**** for Australia, and whatever the US has.


Personally, i'd always steer clear of random chinese wheels from ebay, and would only get wheels that have an established business and market presence (even if they are making replicas etc)

Rota for example only tend to do reps, but they at least meet the required standards, and have an established name and network, so if a wheel does break you've got someone there to deal with warranty, or legal issues if you're injured as a result.

Many of the random ebay wheels are just vomited out by some factory in china, with no quality control, and the business has disappeared by the end of the week.
I've also heard reports that quite a few cheap wheels from China have been made with the JWL/TUV stampings on them despite never having actually been tested to see if they pass or fail the necessary tests (ie: they've also faked the approval stamps.... would be no diff to me just putting a sticker with the heart foundation approval onto a chocolate bar)



Short answer.
unless you can get some kind of information about the company, stay well clear..... if a company is making it's details hard to find it's usually because they dont plan on being around to deal with breakages/legal issues.

[Code4]

Well they are 'based' in Malaysia. Who knows where they are manufactured. I am aware that sometimes excess production or additional runs of products are re-badged in the same factory, and that just doesn't happen only in China.

*Certified under JWL / VIA & TUV. No listing of Aus certification. I suppose time will tell and I'll keep watching for neg reps at egay the point of sale.

[hks_kansei]

Worth noting that very few wheels carry Aus certification, as i'm pretty sure our rules are written to accept Aussie, or equivalent.

Since our market is pretty tiny, it makes more sense to pay for the larger OS certifications since they're accepted here anyway.



As for excess production being sold under different lines, it certainly does happen, and is a way of sometimes getting great bargains.... but often there's no way of knowing if a product is simply an overstock, or a flawed second, or even simply a counterfeit made to unknown standards.

As for the Malaysia thing, regardless of manufacturing nation it's still worth trying to find out about quality control etc.
I'm sure Malaysia isn't immune to businesses wanting to make a quick buck from an average product (I only mention China specifically since they are one of the most common ones for it, since my understanding is their local laws make stuff like that easier and more acceptable than nations like Japan, or Germany)

[KevGoat]

What you could also try is email some of the buyers from this seller on ebay from months ago and ask them if they are still happy with their wheels and ask about any issues. Need to email several as only one or two will bother responding.

I've done this many times when purchasing a product I'm not sure about on ebay and have had great responses and has saved me at least once with a bad product that looked great.

[Code4]

If you can on ebay I can't work out how. Their ID's are semi hidden. Maybe someone can help.

[KevGoat]

Ah that sucks! Been a while and I just use to click on the buyer's ID in the feedback section and then send them an email. Looks like can't do that now.

[Code4]

Ah that sucks! Been a while and I just use to click on the buyer's ID in the feedback section and then send them an email. Looks like can't do that now.

Maybe someone under 30yo knows how. Not me however

[KevGoat]

same here ... haven't kept up enough, don't have the skills I use to

[bootz]

VOLKS RACING TE37 Alloy Wheel Rim Set of 4 15inch 7J ET35 4X100 FLATBLACK 5380-4
$445.00

ROFL, but hey sooooooo cheap.

[Code4]

VOLKS RACING TE37 Alloy Wheel Rim Set of 4 15inch 7J ET35 4X100 FLATBLACK 5380-4
$445.00

ROFL, but hey sooooooo cheap.

When you see the threads about a very popular brand of lightweight wheels cracking, you can buy two sets of these for the same price. Hence my interest.

[Sirois]

I've also been looking at their rims since they look great and are so cheap.

I don't mind spending $1k on a set of 15" rims but the problem is that 15X7 with 35 or lower offset is not so easy to come by anymore.
They have a decent selection of rims that I'd be interested in.

I've e-mailed the seller and they assure me they are good for "competition use" however after asking multiple times on who the manufacturer is I never received a definitive response to that.

[KevGoat]

I'd be worried about buying any used "genuine" wheels with the number of these replicas around now. From what I've been reading online some of the better quality replicas aren't too bad. However, they still generally use lower quality materials and production methods, are often heavier and can be difficult to balance properly. Much of that you wouldn't realise until after buying, fitting and using ....

[bootz]

wheelfiremy has been on eBay Australia since Jan 15, 2015. They are based in Malaysia.