clockwize Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Is it a bad idea to buy wheels on ebay? Anything to look out for? Don't wanna break the bank.. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400546085452 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevoD Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 check the offsets to check if they will cover your brakes if running brembos also they are very very skinny might look a bit odd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 If they are made in China its a bad idea.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 You need to ensure PCD, stud #, offset (et) and wheel width are all ok for the 350z. Buying off eBay isn't an issue. And despite what Will says above, the majority of wheels are made in China or Taiwan, or any other number of countries that people make fun of. It doesn't mean they are crap. Pisses me off when people over generalise like that. Casual racism at it's most convenient. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 This is from eBays own site. Replica wheels are made using the cheapest manufacturing method available (gravity casting). This is when molten aluminum is simply poured into a mold and allowed to cool off. This method results in a wheel that has lesser density aluminum, since no pressure is applied (most factory wheels use a what's called low pressure casting method). What this really means is that the replica wheels are much more likely to get bent or cracked, since they are made from much weaker, more porous material. We have seen this happen over and over again. And it certainly isn't Casual Racism. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevoD Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 (edited) This is from eBays own site. Replica wheels are made using the cheapest manufacturing method available (gravity casting). This is when molten aluminum is simply poured into a mold and allowed to cool off. This method results in a wheel that has lesser density aluminum, since no pressure is applied (most factory wheels use a what's called low pressure casting method). What this really means is that the replica wheels are much more likely to get bent or cracked, since they are made from much weaker, more porous material. We have seen this happen over and over again. And it certainly isn't Casual Racism. not but this is how 99% of OEM road car wheels are made Edited February 15, 2014 by StevoD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 This is from eBays own site. Replica wheels are made using the cheapest manufacturing method available (gravity casting). This is when molten aluminum is simply poured into a mold and allowed to cool off. This method results in a wheel that has lesser density aluminum, since no pressure is applied (most factory wheels use a what's called low pressure casting method). What this really means is that the replica wheels are much more likely to get bent or cracked, since they are made from much weaker, more porous material. We have seen this happen over and over again. And it certainly isn't Casual Racism. And where exactly in that quote does it say wheels made in China are rubbish? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 This is from eBays own site. Replica wheels are made using the cheapest manufacturing method available (gravity casting). This is when molten aluminum is simply poured into a mold and allowed to cool off. This method results in a wheel that has lesser density aluminum, since no pressure is applied (most factory wheels use a what's called low pressure casting method). What this really means is that the replica wheels are much more likely to get bent or cracked, since they are made from much weaker, more porous material. We have seen this happen over and over again. And it certainly isn't Casual Racism. not but this is how 99% of OEM road car wheels are made Again from eBay own site. Factory wheels are subjected to some of the most stringent road tests available to make sure they stand up to hundreds of thousands miles of abuse, potholes and such. They also go through what is called a salt spray test and many other tests to make sure the finish will stand up to road salts, chemicals and other elements. All of these tests are extremely expensive and virtually no replica wheel manufacturer does any of them. The finish on replica wheels is usually of the cheapest design with no testing done whatsoever so they can be made as cheap as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 This is from eBays own site. Replica wheels are made using the cheapest manufacturing method available (gravity casting). This is when molten aluminum is simply poured into a mold and allowed to cool off. This method results in a wheel that has lesser density aluminum, since no pressure is applied (most factory wheels use a what's called low pressure casting method). What this really means is that the replica wheels are much more likely to get bent or cracked, since they are made from much weaker, more porous material. We have seen this happen over and over again. And it certainly isn't Casual Racism. And where exactly in that quote does it say wheels made in China are rubbish? Here. Safety and Confidence with RAYS Wheels – Genuine Branded Wheels Japanese industrial products are in a state of crisis. Even in the aluminium wheels segment, the truth is that cheap Asian products imitating popular brands and designs dominate the Japanese market. These products, as a result of being mere copies of the industrial designs to which other brands have invested significant time and money, often fail to meet safety component quality requirements, threatening drivers’ safety. The Italian government, which considers this situation critical, was the first government to announce a recall on Chinese made fake wheels, and the European Union (EU) has triggered safeguards to address this problem (e.g Levying punitive tariffs). Chinese made replicas have become a global issue. Particularly serious in the Japanese market is an influx of large numbers of aluminium wheels with quality and safety problems. These inferior aluminium wheels destroy the healthy culture surrounding car customisation and jeopardise the users who enjoy such culture. In order to protect all of RAYS users who love their cars from this situation, RAYS has stuck to its policy of manufacturing products only in Japan. Furthermore, based on their JW+R strength standards which RAYS have long applied, they manufacture all their wheels across various line-ups with a focus on absolute safety. RAYS certainly offers a full array of specialised wheels in their relentless pursuit of lightness, strength and beauty, what is most important is that each and every one of RAYS customers is able to confidently fit RAYS wheels on his or her car and enjoy the ride and forget about safety relating to fake wheels. RAYS maintains the high quality of its products and protects its brands with dual policies: Made in Japan and Made by RAYS. This is RAYS true commitment to their customers – those who love the wheels – and it is RAYS way of ensuring long term health of the car customisation industry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsexr Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 No such thing as a free lunch and you get what you pay for are two sayings to consider. My son had a beemer with after market wheels and one of them cracked through 3 out of the 5 spokes. The first he knew was a strange noise as he was going along slowly. Certainly makes you aware of how dangerous cheap wheels can be. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 As stated above and on page 9 of the linked site NISSAN 350 Z 02 > ( CAUTION BREMBOS ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony.r123 Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 This is from eBays own site. Replica wheels are made using the cheapest manufacturing method available (gravity casting). This is when molten aluminum is simply poured into a mold and allowed to cool off. This method results in a wheel that has lesser density aluminum, since no pressure is applied (most factory wheels use a what's called low pressure casting method). What this really means is that the replica wheels are much more likely to get bent or cracked, since they are made from much weaker, more porous material. We have seen this happen over and over again. And it certainly isn't Casual Racism. And where exactly in that quote does it say wheels made in China are rubbish? I've had a cheap set of made in China Audi replica wheels fitted to the wife's Celica for the last 3yrs. I can happily confirm that they have been more than ok, given the times she has introduced them to a kerb 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 (edited) That's the wheels I got! (Apart from without polished lip...just fully black and different size). Had them for 2 years. Clipped couple of curbs and went they couple of pot holes - touch wood, all good so far! Edited February 15, 2014 by Vlad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevoD Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 (edited) taken from one of the Global Time Attack teams i believe PT1 Forgive the poor transfering Quote: Originally Posted by hotrod2448 View Post Having worked in professional motorsports for over 10 years I can tell you the devil truly is in the details when you are trying to get the most out of a part. Truth be told I don't think half of the "real" aftermarket companies are even very good at that. I'm willing to bet the knock off companies are even worse at it though, because they haven't gained the knowledge of what works and doesn't that the OEMs do in the design and testing process. They just want to make it look like the part. I worked closely with Rota Wheels for 5+ years I can honestly say they make a quality product. See my below response in regards to their relations with OEM companies, testing/R&D, etc.. Not all "imitation" wheels are created equal so you really shouldn't group Rota Wheels in the same category. The wheel in the Wed Wheel video is a cheaply made Taiwanese wheel that likely doesn't meet JWL/VIA test standards. These are wheels marketed to south east Asian countries and will likely never make it to the US. If you've ever traveled to Taiwan, Thailand, etc.. you will see a ton of cheap knock off wheels.. Quote: Originally Posted by boostless View Post If ROTA does this kind of research on each of the "their" wheels, then I have no idea how they get them so cheap. Rota Wheels are manufactured in the Philippines so labor is much cheaper. They use the same material as other cast wheel manufactures (aluminum is the same as Enkei Wheels, in fact Rota actually sourced aluminum from Enkei awhile back when there were shortages..). The reason Volk Wheels are more expensive is because of the manufacturing process, a forged wheel takes much longer to produce. Also labor is much higher in Japan and there is a huge markup when imported to the US (Mackin Industries has raised MSRP over $200+ PER wheel in the last few years). Lastly if you compare to the sheer volume of wheels imported each month you will see that Rota Wheels are widely sold and so they can lower their price point in the market and still be profitable. I've been to the Rota plant many times in the Philippines. Here's a post I made awhile back after one of my trips "There are many misconceptions with Rota wheels, most of the time these are posts made by users with no experience with the wheels. One misconception is Rota wheel weights, most models are actually very light. Rota wheels are cast wheels so they will never be the lightest wheel made, however that doesn't mean they are heavy.. Most new models like the Rota DPT in 17x9 fitment only weigh in at 18 lbs Another misconception is the strength or overall quality of the wheels. I've seen broken Work, Enkei, Volk, etc.. in all my years modding cars and tracking my car. Any wheel can get damaged given the amount of force however these wheels do not just "grenade" on the track. The majority of our customers are buying Rota wheels for strictly track use and they are very happy with their performance. Also a time attack team who is constantly winning events runs Rota wheels Quote from GST Owner/Tuner Mike Warfield "We have smashed burms, jumped the car and done all things brutal we can and we have never hurt a Rota rim ever. For sure the best wheel for the $ and strong as hell. Mike" Edited February 15, 2014 by StevoD 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevoD Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 (edited) Part 2 Another misconception is the amount of R&D that goes in to a Rota wheel. I've been to the Rota plant and seen these wheels produced, tested, etc.. There is definitely a lot of work involved in to making a wheel and money is saved as labor in the Philippines is cheaper and they are a cast wheel so the entire manufacturing process isn't as expensive. I definitely stand behind these products as I truly believe they are quality wheels. I've ran tons of wheels over the years including Volk, Work, etc.. and I still love Rota wheels and run them daily on my car on the street, on the track, etc.. PAWI (the company that manufactures Rota wheels) has been in business since the 1970's and has been producing quality wheels for a long time. They manufacture a ton of wheels for the OEM markets (Toyota, Ford, Datsun, Isuzu, Mercedes-Benz, VW, etc..). We also visit Rota and fly all the way from the US to the Philippines to attend meetings, review our upcoming wheels, monitor production, etc.. This is a product we believe in and hope you guys can see that A few pictures from our last trip a few months ago looking over different wheel finishes for our new releases no R&D?? please.... every wheel is blue printed, goes through computer simulations for testing, produced, tested on various equipment to ensure all JWL/VIA standards are met, etc.. Toyota? Yep the largest car manufacture in the world runs Rota's Edited February 15, 2014 by StevoD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony.r123 Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Just look for JWL/VIA approval and you should be ok. The only thing with the wheels your looking at is that they are standard sizes. I'd be looking for something a bit meatier to fill out the arches myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clockwize Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 Just look for JWL/VIA approval and you should be ok. The only thing with the wheels your looking at is that they are standard sizes. I'd be looking for something a bit meatier to fill out the arches myself. Anything you can recommend? I like black with polished lip don't really understand about wheel sizing and stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Just look for JWL/VIA approval and you should be ok. The only thing with the wheels your looking at is that they are standard sizes. I'd be looking for something a bit meatier to fill out the arches myself. don't really understand about wheel sizing and stuff Read here: http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/56720-wheel-offsets-for-dummies/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clockwize Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 Idiots guide! Just what I'm after!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony.r123 Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Just look for JWL/VIA approval and you should be ok. The only thing with the wheels your looking at is that they are standard sizes. I'd be looking for something a bit meatier to fill out the arches myself. Anything you can recommend? I like black with polished lip don't really understand about wheel sizing and stuff You can go for either 18" or 19" wheels, best sizes are 9 1/2" front 10 1/2" rear both ET20 these will fill the arches nicely without the need for spacers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clockwize Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 So is that 9 1/2" wide and 10 1/2" wide? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 looking over different wheel finishes for our new releases I thought it was just one guy sitting in front of a pc on the web working out which wheel design they would rip off next As a business model you cant fault Rota and enjoyed reading the sales pitch. There is a reason why Rota got a bad rep, no smoke without fire and all that, having said that, it seems they have improved massively. But, they are still a cheap alternative and regardless of the pitch above, they are heavy and the finish can suffer (speaking from experience) compared to the wheels they have copied. They make perfect sense if your drifting or on track, if you smash one its not that much to replace and they are readily available, would i put them on my pride and joy, no Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clockwize Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 http://bit.ly/1gakdOC so these are 8.5" and 9.5" ET35.. Is this the same stance as 9.5 and 10.5 with ET25 and 25mm spacers? (This is just an example to see if I'm working it out right) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KyleR Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Not even close, you're going the wrong way. 8.5 et 35 would be the same stance as 9.5 et 48 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KyleR Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 just get a low offset rim, don't be messing about trying to calculate with spacers etc. As mentioned before, 9.5 front and 10.5 rear et 20 is perfect, try and find that. If the rim in thinner, i.e. 9.0 and 10.0, you need to drop the offset to keep the same stance. The rim will be half and inch thinner, so thats 1/4 inch less poke on the outside, so you need the offset to be 1/4 inch lower (6mm). 9"/10" et 12 works well also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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