OK, so here's a question. I bought some very inexpensive replica 20" stormers on Monday (just cos my tyres had worn out on the oe 19's and a bloke offered me some dollar for the alloys).

I brought them because a friend of mine brought the same ones. He has had them a year. They look in a similar condition to the O.E's of the same age I took off (i.e fine, considering a years wear).

My question is - what is the argument for spending 2-3k on wheels (assuming no offroad work)? If anyone comes back saying build quality, please could you explain exactly what this means in terms of the manufacturing process, materials and more critically real world performance?

Without going into detail, one of my clients (budget) products come out of a factory in China. Unbeknown to the consumer some premium quality rival brands products (more than one) actually comes out of the SAME factory (I know I've been there). This is kit costing sometimes FOUR TIMES as much. As a matter of interest, the 'premium' quality product in question was recently GOVERNMENT TESTED and found to PERFORM worse than the cheap product......

Any comments?

no comment until I had seen the independant government test results to confirm your comments - if they are the same product then they should perform similarly. Everything from China is cheaper

Yeah I'm making it up Kaine. God what is wrong with people around here the last few days. Your not on the record dude. Cant you take what I say as being right? (even just for the sake of conversation!?).

They are NOT the same product. They are different brands which are made in the SAME factory by the same production processes. The test is a new standard which has just been introduced. My clients product (costing around £130.00) outperformed a well known premium brand product (think Casio and Rolex) of about £400 quid in multiple test areas.

I was asking comments about the wheels anyway? (my clients product is not wheels, or anything to do with cars)

i suppose the replicas ain't using the same ingredients or lesser quality than that of the OEM alloys, which will result in a wheel that has not had the same safety test and stuff done on it or weaker do to the makeup of the alloy

Gordon Ramsey might use the same cake mold as me, but his cakes will be better........

But saying that, how many times has the Celeb won on Hell's Kitchen with there version of a dish

npinks wrote:

i suppose the replicas ain't using the same ingredients or lesser quality than that of the OEM alloys, which will result in a wheel that has not had the same safety test and stuff done on it or weaker do to the makeup of the alloy

Gordon Ramsey might use the same cake mold as me, but his cakes will be better........

But saying that, how many times has the Celeb won on Hell's Kitchen with there version of a dish

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Wheel wise , I beleive most of the LR wheels are made in Italy
ISTR the company is cromodora.

There have been many complaints of the surface finish of the 20" v spoke supercharger wheels which scratch easily.

We forget too easily that they are just a company who make a product AT A PRICE .
Vehicle manufacturers are not known for their generousity.

There are replicas of great quality with a good finish at reasonable prices.
there are some woefully bad replicas with flaking paint which crack easily , and maybe buckle.

I've been offered replicas with load rating of 680 and 760Kg
you need to be a muppet to fit these to a RRS.

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On the surface, there's not a lot of evident difference between OEM and replica wheels. BUT what's important when they're supporting nearly 3 tons of car is how they have been load-tested and approved for use with such a car. While I'm sure most replicas would be safe to use for your average saloon, you really have to be a bit more serious about the load ratings in big 4x4s.

There have been reports of replica wheels cracking and you don't want that to happen at 70+ on the motorway do you? A lot of folks are willing to pay OEM prices simply to ensure the safety of themselves and their families, which doesn't appear unreasonable to me.

I'm no expert in the manufacturing process though... maybe someone like DW would like to make a more expert comment?

 

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Kaine has a point as does Shmoogle.

I would noly consider a product which is specifically designed and tested to match its use.

I don't care a toss about a factory producing this that and another.

If I am putting new wheels on a 2.5 tonne 4x4 I want the ones which are typre approved and have the backing of the manufacturer. In this case, I would never use 'cheap imitation' Stormers, only OE ones. Runner up - 2009 Best Avatar Award
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Yeah I'm making it up Kaine. God what is wrong with people around here the last few days. Your not on the record dude. Cant you take what I say as being right? (even just for the sake of conversation!?).

They are NOT the same product. They are different brands which are made in the SAME factory by the same production processes. The test is a new standard which has just been introduced. My clients product (costing around £130.00) outperformed a well known premium brand product (think Casio and Rolex) of about £400 quid in multiple test areas.

I was asking comments about the wheels anyway? (my clients product is not wheels, or anything to do with cars)

Did I say you were making it up? I said I would like to see the proof that the replicas were as good as the originals or better as you have indicated - I didn't say you were lying. Wheels are safety critical components and manufacturers have to cover the product liability, hence hence the price markup

Next time I'll make sure I add a smilie

The problem with replicas is not that they are all crap, in fact some are very good quality and as good as or better than the OE. The problem is that there are lots of very bad ones and you can't tell them them appart just by looking at them until they crack or start falling apart. Even if 2 people buy the same wheels from the same retailer you can't be sure they are the same quality as distributors can source from several factories. The reason branded wheels are more expensive is that these wheels are usually designed from scratch (extra cost) and made to pass TUV, JWL or VIA testing, then the manufacturer has to pay for the destruction tests etc. Then they market and brand their wheels and finally as they have a brand to protect they will make some losses if they have warranty issues (try taking a replica back!!). These are the reasons for the price difference and why we STRONGLY advice against reps, I could source large quantities of reps and sell them off dirt cheap, but I don't think I could sleep at night knowing some people could be at risk.
Finally, there is the issue of riping off other peoples designs. Overfinch invested a lot of money in there wheels and they have been copied by factories in China (where there is no copy right law, so even if you get a TUV cert with your wheels it could be just a copy!) and they have lost sales and had their exclusive brand diluted.

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The load rating would be the big issue for me!

Tthey don't have to be OEM....as long as they can do the job then that's ok but even if you offered me the cheap reps for free I wouldn't put them on

Yep, thanks John  

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Thats it Jonny, why spend all that money on a really nice RRS and risk stuffing it on cheap wheels. Also you might have a problem with the insurance if they broke and you crash as they would definately check the wheels. www.designerwheels.co.uk
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John - you summarised my thoughts exactly