Is Varrstoen Wheels Breaking Federal Law???
04-23-2010, 02:28 PM
#164
I wanted to create a thread which addresses a subject near and dear to all
of our hearts. Within the past 12 months Varrstoen has flooded the market
with a replica of arguably the most cherished wheel in import tuning - the
RAYS motorsport / VOLK racing te-37.
Some questions I have been unable to answer:
1. Is Varsstoen breaking federal patent/trademark/copyright law?
2. Does Rays/Volk have the wherewithall to protect their own brand?
3. Do the car owners even care?
My personal answers would be "yes" three-fold, however I am not an attorney,
nor do I have any interest (financial) in Rays/Volk business.
I do believe that Varrstoen has crossed the line legally and should be
held fiscally responsible for the losses of brand value and sales due to
their introduction of a mimic product marketed as a direct replica of an
existing trademarked product.
I actually called Brian at Mackin today to discuss this post before I made
it, but then realized that we likely shared opinions (and he didn't answer).
If Mackin decides to litigate against Varsstoen I would be happy to be
deposed.
This is a classic issue (think rota, ruff racing, etc) which has plagued the
community for a while. I do not think one post will change the world, but
the internets work in strange ways.
Perhaps a petition? or some sort of simple protest of this product would
suffice. I also believe that voicing opinions to Varsstoen's distributors
is important.
Comments?
of our hearts. Within the past 12 months Varrstoen has flooded the market
with a replica of arguably the most cherished wheel in import tuning - the
RAYS motorsport / VOLK racing te-37.
Some questions I have been unable to answer:
1. Is Varsstoen breaking federal patent/trademark/copyright law?
2. Does Rays/Volk have the wherewithall to protect their own brand?
3. Do the car owners even care?
My personal answers would be "yes" three-fold, however I am not an attorney,
nor do I have any interest (financial) in Rays/Volk business.
I do believe that Varrstoen has crossed the line legally and should be
held fiscally responsible for the losses of brand value and sales due to
their introduction of a mimic product marketed as a direct replica of an
existing trademarked product.
I actually called Brian at Mackin today to discuss this post before I made
it, but then realized that we likely shared opinions (and he didn't answer).
If Mackin decides to litigate against Varsstoen I would be happy to be
deposed.
This is a classic issue (think rota, ruff racing, etc) which has plagued the
community for a while. I do not think one post will change the world, but
the internets work in strange ways.
Perhaps a petition? or some sort of simple protest of this product would
suffice. I also believe that voicing opinions to Varsstoen's distributors
is important.
Comments?
Does Mackin or Rays or Volk have a trademark / patent on that particular wheel in the USA?
is the "knock off" wheel produced in the same manner, or claiming to be as light, as strong etc etc? if not, technically and legally it might be enough of a difference to say it's not the same product, hence it's not a replica.
there's a lot to ask, but may I ask what's your personal stake or vestment in asking these questions?
I don't see anything wrong with it personally. If you want the quality of the TE37, pay for it and buy the real deal, if you cannot afford it, buy the knock off...
I don't see why people care to take these arguements up on the forums, lol, it's a complete waste of time.
04-24-2010, 05:58 AM
#165
The concensus has been that no one cares - as I stated in the past I was
venting a bit. I spent money on the real thing only to see vstn show up with
a replica (white-te's).
It was interesting to hear about the differences in manufacturing as some
have noted too.
This is a forum for discussion about our 350z's, or am i mistaken?
Any luck selling the car tony?
venting a bit. I spent money on the real thing only to see vstn show up with
a replica (white-te's).
It was interesting to hear about the differences in manufacturing as some
have noted too.
This is a forum for discussion about our 350z's, or am i mistaken?
Any luck selling the car tony?
04-25-2010, 07:03 PM
#166
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Man this thread is nuts.... Well I sold my sf challenges.. And picked up a set of these. No shame in my game.
As for weight when I shipped the volks out they weighed 53 pounds a piece with tires...
The te reps shipped to me with no tires weighed like 23 pounds.
I don't see the big deal.
Also I have had to pairs of sf challenges and both set the lips were destroyed. And I had to sand the crappy clear coat off and polish them and one set the faces were faded and ragged. I love them. But I don't care real or fake. It is a wheel.
As for weight when I shipped the volks out they weighed 53 pounds a piece with tires...
The te reps shipped to me with no tires weighed like 23 pounds.
I don't see the big deal.
Also I have had to pairs of sf challenges and both set the lips were destroyed. And I had to sand the crappy clear coat off and polish them and one set the faces were faded and ragged. I love them. But I don't care real or fake. It is a wheel.
05-03-2010, 12:06 PM
#172
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I am an owner of legit volks and I am going to be selling them to get the te37 reps....Why? Cause I like to change the look of my car often without having to dump 3000 on wheels.
05-03-2010, 08:28 PM
#175
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I have 18inch blitz technospeed z1s in black, 19 inch volk racing GT-Cs in gunmetal, 18 inch Volk racing Ce28n in mercury silver sitting in my garage, and 18 inch 5zigen Fno1r-c which are on the car right now lol. I'm seriously thinking about picking up a set of these replicas, so I can actually drive the car hard and not give a crap about the wheels (hence the reason I have the Fn01r-c on the car) these replicas look way better than the 5zigens. Plus my gf is going to kill me if I spend another 3k on wheels lol
05-07-2010, 11:19 AM
#176
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Honestly, replica or not, I'm surprised people are happy with ~30lbs wheels. Spend all that cash on FI & suspension, then slap these pigs on? In 19" sizes, 5-6 lbs feels like a huge difference (vs stock)... but 10lbs? whats that equate to in HP loss? like 40-ish hp? I wouldnt think these would even handle all that well.
Can you please back up your comments? Where does it say these are 30lbs? And how is there a 10lb difference between stock and these? Are you saying the 18x8.5 06-08 wheels are 17.5lbs? Please show me your stock wheel weighing in at 17.5lbs because that's BS.
The stock 06-08 wheels listed off of 350z-teach are:
Front 18x8 24.4lbs
Rear 18x8.5 25.8lbs
http://www.*********.com/zwiki/Wheel_Specifications
These varrstoens 19x10.5 +0 are 27.5lbs shown here.
So explain to me, how is it 10lbs over stock again? The fronts are most likely 24-26lbs, I don't really understand why people are making a huge deal out this.
Yes, they are replicas, but if we don't track our cars daily and don't want to run the risk of curbing the $900 wheel or drawing unwanted attention and having a lowlife steal your wheels.
Speaking of that, didn't one of the guy rocking the time attack CE28N's get his wheels stolen? I wonder how he felt when his $3000+ disappeared, I'd rather have my $1000 reps get stolen cause I can replace them.
Yes, volks are the real deal, no the people with varrs don't think they are hardcore and better than volks by adding volk stickers and center caps. The people thinking they are the real volks are the ricers, but people who just don't have or WANT to spend $3000+ on wheels when they don't track daily and don't want to worry to death over them, shouldn't be considered ricers and lowlifes. Don't call them "ricers" and "ghetto" just because we pick reps that look identical and aren't light as a pillow, I bet over 50% of those volk owners don't track the car and if they do, they don't track the volks.
That's just my 2 cents. I don't want to offend anyone, so don't take this the wrong way.
Last edited by JDM555; 05-07-2010 at 11:26 AM.
05-07-2010, 11:26 AM
#177
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gladly.. I said 5lbs more vs stock.. and yes, almost 10 pounds diff between the TE37 they are copying. the weight of nearly 29 was thrown around by the people owning/selling them.. I didnt pull that number out of my a$$. I'd actually love to buy a set. It's nice to see some actual weights. That's quite a bit better. Still heavy, but closer to a reasonable weight.
05-07-2010, 11:38 AM
#178
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gladly.. I said 5lbs more vs stock.. and yes, almost 10 pounds diff between the TE37 they are copying. the weight of nearly 29 was thrown around by the people owning/selling them.. I didnt pull that number out of my a$$. I'd actually love to buy a set. It's nice to see some actual weights. That's quite a bit better. Still heavy, but closer to a reasonable weight.
What's even better is the 19x10 Nismo rear is 29.8lbs, Freakin' 30lbs!!! That is considered "Super Light Forged Aluminum Alloy" but hmmph, this 10.5 wheel that is Aluminum Cast and is "heavy, ghetto, and a fake" weighs less than the beloved Nismo rears.....how does that make sense? Considering the size, the weight is REALLY not that bad. No they aren't track wheels, but for the price I saved from buying real Volks, I can buy an additional set of wheels AND tires and still have some cash in my pocket.
05-07-2010, 11:44 AM
#179
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I didnt know Nismo rears where that heavy. However, I do own 2pc Rays 19's and they are nearly as heavy as these. It's very rare to see the weight of Volks mentioned, excluding TEs and CEs.
Again, I only know what mine weigh, I've never put a 10.5 19" TE on a scale, so my approximation/assumption of the difference is probably off a few lbs. I still feel like even 5lbs is a large difference if youre going for performance.. yet, you probably shouldnt be rolling on 19s if thats your goal I suppose. I would agree 2k more for 5lbs diff is hard to justify (assuming these have a quality finish and are not bendy, only time will tell).
Again, I only know what mine weigh, I've never put a 10.5 19" TE on a scale, so my approximation/assumption of the difference is probably off a few lbs. I still feel like even 5lbs is a large difference if youre going for performance.. yet, you probably shouldnt be rolling on 19s if thats your goal I suppose. I would agree 2k more for 5lbs diff is hard to justify (assuming these have a quality finish and are not bendy, only time will tell).
05-07-2010, 11:49 AM
#180
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Also, the reps +22 finish is garbage, it has a very matte and boring flat black that looks dusty and somewhat gray, but the +12 and +0 have a nicer satin black finish very similar to the TE's. So they just got an updated finish, so they are that much more identical. Lol, I'd be a little peeved by the fact you can get something identical to TE's for 1/4 of the price when they look so similar IF I didn't track and used them for track purposes. I wouldn't even run 19" $3500 wheels for track, too heavy and wouldn't want rock chips to mess them up. So I don't know where some of these arguments are even coming from.
Like I said, I don't want to offend anyone, but there are two point of views here and you shouldn't bash the other side just for the hell of it.
If varrstoen owners ride them as if they are real volks and add stickers/caps, then yeah, make fun of that ricer, but not running caps and telling people they are fakes and THEN getting made fun of is uncalled for.
Like I said, I don't want to offend anyone, but there are two point of views here and you shouldn't bash the other side just for the hell of it.
If varrstoen owners ride them as if they are real volks and add stickers/caps, then yeah, make fun of that ricer, but not running caps and telling people they are fakes and THEN getting made fun of is uncalled for.