Imports

[astrosdude91]

Not much of a poster in this thread, but I found a local tuning shop with some downright killer photography on their site.Some of it's big, but the GTP image resizer should take care of that.

Gee, I hope that didn't kill anyone's computer.

 

[orimarc]

Let's see:

Quite good...awesome...Impreza Hatchback...awesome...double awesome with cheese...awesome.

It kills computers? Still worth it.

 

[WeinerSchnitzel]

Because if they can afford it, why not....

Anything besides crap ass Drag wheels work. Buying dirt cheap knock offs is just one of those things that could potentially drive the real manufacturers out of business.

Eh.. I heard Drag wheels actually aren't bad at all. I'm planning on buying a set of DR-31s(along with a lowering kit, camber kit) for my Accord. Why? Because I want to make the car look good 'till I'm able to buy a better car, while not spending a fortune on parts for a car I plan on selling in a year or two. As much as I would love a legit set of CR Kais, I can't afford them right now.

 

[McLaren]

Well we'll just agree to disagree. Don't feel like arguing with people who always think they are right. 👎

Irony because you usually share the same mindset.

Eh.. I heard Drag wheels actually aren't bad at all. I'm planning on buying a set of DR-31s(along with a lowering kit, camber kit) for my Accord. Why? Because I want to make the car look good 'till I'm able to buy a better car, while not spending a fortune on parts for a car I plan on selling in a year or two. As much as I would love a legit set of CR Kais, I can't afford them right now.

Their wheels are pretty poor replicas. And their customer service sucks. A local DFW forum had them for a sponsor, & didn't bother to return anyone's interest in them or give them the actual price of the wheels. Once they started to not apply the forum discount, they got dropped.

I don't understand the logic of wanting to spend money on wheels to make a car look better if you're just going to sale it. Your not making your money back, though with Drags, probably wouldn't matter anyways.

 

[happycorey]

When is posting 4,000+px wide images ever a good idea?

 

[Perfect Balance]

I can't see Enkei and all getting harmed too much by companies like Rota, because there are always people around who strive to get the best products if they can afford them.

I'm sure there's more, but as an example:

Greddy/Trust went bankrupt last year.

HKS USA just went out of business.

I remember a specific example of Voltex stopping production of their aero hood for the EVO because Seibon produced a replica and people stopped buying the Voltex product.

This Voltex:

Selling carbon fiber hoods for $500 doesn't pay for that, and if they can't afford to do it anymore, there will be no new products.

It's not like they're going out of business because the market died off. People are modifying cars now more than ever, they just have access to all the parts that look the same for half the price. It's become so cheap that it has become a trend to own a modified car, rather than people who are actually legitimate enthusiasts.

I don't see Enkei going out of business because they still offer cheap wheels. They aren't forged though, and aren't made of as strong of an aluminum as say Volk Racing does. In a racing application (which is what their wheels are engineered for) getting to the finish line is more important than not curbing an expensive set of wheels. Won't it be nice 10 years down the line when there's no more quality parts on the market.


Oh well, I imagine it's like talking to a wall. Hopefully, the trend blows over quick and all these people will leave the scene, but I don't see it happening too soon.

 

[astrosdude91]

When is posting 4,000+px wide images ever a good idea?

Since automatic resizing was enabled on GTPlanet.

Wait, hold on one moment...

Ok, I understand the problem. Images have been resized. Should be good now.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Irony because you usually share the same mindset.

Geeze, someone piss in your cereal lately?

 

[niky]

Won't is be nice 10 years down the line when there's no more quality parts on the market.

Oh well, I imagine it's like talking to a wall. Hopefully, the trend blows over quick and all these people will leave the scene, but I don't see it happening too soon.

Took a while to figure out how to respond to this line of posts (I've been reading for a few days), as I'm of two minds about the whole thing. Personally, as a content creator, I absolutely deplore piracy.

But from an objective point of view, the big problem is your core customer base. The core customer base, the old customers for speed products, is drying up as people get older and their priorities change. It was a happy place to be in the 90's and early 00's, as the scene was huge and happening... but with the economic situation as it is today, there are fewer customers willing to pay money for the good stuff.

Take away the ultra-cheap knock-offs and you can perhaps gain another ten percent worth of customers, but it won't stop the long term bleed.

I know these people who buy fake parts. Their only concern is price. It doesn't matter if it's "hellafunctional" or "hellarice", if it fits their wallet, that's what they'll buy.

That's the kind that come onto a board and ask "What can I buy for just $400?" instead of asking "What's the best aero-part I can buy, money no object?" If they can't get a Chinese knock-off turbo kit within their budget, they simply won't get a turbo kit, they'll go with the NAAAWS.

I would love to get a turbo kit (cheap Chinese knock-offs everywhere, here)... but I'm not going to accept a turbine that disintegrates after just a few weeks of use (I've seen it happen). The traditional market for sellers of original turbo kits is still around, and these guys don't accept inferior alternatives... but the kind of crowd that does... well... if they can't get a turbo kit for the kind of money they pay for the Chinese parts, they'll simply pour that same money into bling or audio. I've seen that happen too.

Think the absence of knock-offs will convince people to spend twice as much on actual pre-preg carbon fiber bonnets? Nope. They'll simply buy a fiberglass kit and some 3M carbon fiber stickertape and call it a day.

Sad fact, but that's the market we live in. Which makes it rough for tuner companies... Especially with the high cost of making everything emissions and safety legal everywhere and designing something that won't blow up on your very first drag pass.

The cost of automotive development has already put the small manufacturers out of business. It's also doing the same for the small aftermarket manufacturers. The smart ones sell lots of "tat", nonfunctional, cheap items that up the profit margin as people will pay money for non-functional stuff with the right branding.

But if your product line-up isn't diverse enough and profitable enough to keep you alive, you're simply not going to make it, knock-offs or not.

 

[Dijital Majik]

I don't see Enkei going out of business because they still offer cheap wheels. They aren't forged though, and aren't made of as strong of an aluminum as say Volk Racing does. In a racing application (which is what their wheels are engineered for) getting to the finish line is more important than not curbing an expensive set of wheels. Won't is be nice 10 years down the line when there's no more quality parts on the market.

That's an interesting point; do major race teams pay for their wheels, or are they given for free as a marketing tool? You would think the amount of wheels teams use for say, a season of ALMS or F1 would be huge if you look at the racks and racks of wheels, not to mention replacements over time. If they are paid for, then there is a significant source of income for the manufacturer to keep them afloat and provide R&D.

 

[Keef]

Enkei not only makes consumer wheels for racing and aesthetic applications, they also have a wide-ranging professional motorsports division, and a surprisingly vast OEM division. As far as I know, All of Honda's Type R wheels were manufactured by Enkei.

The company as a whole is in no danger of going out of business because of their broad interests, something that most good companies would do well to seek. But what counterfeiting might cause is for Enkei to stop producing its consumer wheels. When that happens, Enkei's pool of knowledge stops contributing to the market.

As of yet, the counterfeit companies don't have anywhere near the engineering capacity or knowledge of the original companies because they don't need to. The market will always balance itself out, but there could definitely be a period where the knowledge pool is pretty darn dry, and the good parts that people want become rare and expensive. Until new efforts start up to fill this niche, enthusiasts may have a tough time getting what they want.

 

[McLaren]

Geeze, someone piss in your cereal lately?

No, I just laugh at people who are so cheap, they can't even bother to afford an already affordable wheel.

 

[CodeRedR51]

No, I just laugh at people who are so cheap, they can't even bother to afford an already affordable wheel.

I already told you I had a chance at a good deal and took it, apparently you can't read.

Average price for a new 15x7 RPF1 = $200 x 4 = $800 + Tires = $1200+

I got four wheels, BRAND NEW with BRAND NEW Falken RT-615's mounted and balanced for $450.

Call me cheap, I don't give a 🤬. I call that one hell of a bargain for something that looks AND works just as good as the real deal. 💡

 

[Eric.]

Nobody is going to win here, so just drop it.

All local cars.

 

[astrosdude91]

Enough bickering!

Moar photos!!!!

 

[Carlos]

 

[Eric.]

One more since I don't normally do this.

This Camaro is too awesome to skip for this thread. Totally gutted interior. One race bucket. LS motor, six speed...all awesome.

 

[niky]

Is that picture supposed to prove anything?

Granted, they aren't the strongest rims on the planet, but ROTA are built to OEM quality and are tested for load capacity. You can find pictures of broken rims all over the internet, but without knowing how and why it broke, there's really no evidence of anything in it.

Personally, I don't like the fact that ROTA copy designs by other manufacturers, but their rims are good for the price you pay for them, and they're more durable than other cast rims of the same price.

We have entire fields of racers running ROTAs in circuit races and endurance events. And while you can bend them like butter if you hit a kerb too hard while racing (big deal... I've seen forged aluminum wheels bend over kerbs, too), I have yet to see a single one crack or fail as badly as that. I've hit square edged potholes so deep that I've busted suspension arms, yet aside from a bent lip, my ROTAs took it fine.

They aren't that great compared to forged rims (nothing cast is), but let's be realistic here... they aren't the garbage internet memes make them out to be, and they're nowhere near remotely dangerous in a daily-driven or part-time track car.

 

[Carlos]

I would save up for the real deal instead of buying Rota's or other knock offs. I like Enkei's alot so I will buy real Enkei's, supporting their future..

 

[McLaren]

Call me cheap, I don't give a 🤬. I call that one hell of a bargain for something that looks AND works just as good as the real deal. 💡

I highly doubt that. Otherwise, they wouldn't be "one hell of a bargain". Either way, your decision to cut the costs with a car, so you get what you pay for.

 

[happycorey]

Hahahah I love that I started this.

 

[RPM_Online]

Source: http://www.rpmvision.nl/features/165/fia-gt1-gtrs.

 

[CodeRedR51]

...so you get what you pay for.

Exactly. I got a good wheel that worked just fine at a great price. I definitely got my moneys worth and would do it again in a heartbeat. Even on the RX-7 I'm looking at buying. 👍

 

[Perfect Balance]

I have yet to see a single one crack or fail as badly as that. I've hit square edged potholes so deep that I've busted suspension arms, yet aside from a bent lip, my ROTAs took it fine.

They aren't that great compared to forged rims (nothing cast is), but let's be realistic here... they aren't the garbage internet memes make them out to be, and they're nowhere near remotely dangerous in a daily-driven or part-time track car.

A guy at work cracked one of his Rotas by mounting a tire on them.

The problem isn't that they're all weak. The problem is that they're inconsistent. You can have a set that is perfectly fine, and then have another set where one explodes in a minor impact and sends you into a tree.

For the people saying they're just as good, Rotas are made from A356.2 aluminum. Enkei uses the same metal, but they use their MAT process on the rim to make the metal stronger, while using less overall material. This, and they have their own standard for the wheels that uses a more severe impact test, and 20% longer cycles for bending and fatigue than JWL standards.

Volk racing uses 6061 aluminum. 'nuff said.

Either way, thats a different discussion altogether. I don't dislike them because they're "weak", I dislike them because they are copies of other wheels.

I believe the strength is just a matter of getting what you pay for, that decision is up to how comfortable the user feels taking that risk of buying cheap wheels. If you feel comfortable putting tires capable of generating high loads on some $80 wheels, more power to ya. I just don't like the fact that every wheel they make is a blatant copy of an already existing wheel from another manufacturer.

 

[Eric.]

This is a picture thread. If you guys have to discuss this make a different thread or go to PM's.

 

[Keef]

Finally, holy crap, finally somebody is on the way to stancing one of these things. With that color, chrome, and body kit it would look great VIP.

[/quote]
Oh look, Buddy Club P1 wheels. Originally designed and engineered by Buddy Club, light, strong, used on race cars, available in numerous interesting colors, and best of all, starting at $152 per corner for 15s.

Love me some Buddy Club everything. IMO everything should come stock with a Spec 2 exhaust from the factory.

 

[misnblu]

Epic pictures on this page.
Pb, I agree with your reasoning completely.
We can't always agree on everything but I do believe that the last two pages have been awesome .

 

[Eric.]

Finally, holy crap, finally somebody is on the way to stancing one of these things. With that color, chrome, and body kit it would look great VIP.

That's the last guy in the world to be "stancing" that car. He autocrosses it. He has some TR Motorsports six spokes that are an SSR Type C knockoff. They use a weird Saab bolt pattern on those, so his wheel choices are extremely limited.

Oh and that EK is gonna have a big turbo soon. Big.

 

[Keef]

That's the last guy in the world to be "stancing" that car. He autocrosses it. He has some TR Motorsports six spokes that are an SSR Type C knockoff. They use a weird Saab bolt pattern on those, so his wheel choices are extremely limited.

It was nigh impossible to find any decent wheels for my cousin's old Cobalt SS. Who the hell decided to use that stupid pattern that nobody else uses?

Anyways, that car is way too nice to be an autocross dog. It already has the body kit to make it low, so all it needs is some flush polished wheels and it would be instant VIP hardness. Would need lowered a bit more though. So sick.

EDIT: Close but no cigar. Needs a less horrible color scheme.

Because of GM's poor compatibility choices, I fear the Solstice and Sky are doomed to be unloved by tuner people like us forever. They may as well not even exist.

Upon further review, it seems the basic hardware required to schlam them is available, but wheel choices might be tricky. Perhaps just nobody likes them? I like them.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Anyways, that car is way too nice to be an autocross dog. It already has the body kit to make it low, so all it needs is some flush polished wheels and it would be instant VIP hardness. Would need lowered a bit more though. So sick.

I totally disagree with everything in the above paragraph. Autocross Car > VIP any day of the week.