^^ This.

IMHO, the replica companies are taking away the ability of a consumer to HAVE to purchase a single name brand based on the aesthetic liking of their product, just like you stated. Its 150% unethical business, hands down.

There is no doubt that Rays put in much money and time to develop a design that would prove to be both aesthetically beautiful and totally functional, just to have it snatched up and duplicated to cater to those who dont believe in supporting a company who worked their *** off to develop something you the consumer would love and use.

It used to be that you HAD to save up to buy something like a Rolex or legit wheels, even if you just liked how they looked. You may not care about the functional aspect of the product, BUT REGARDLESS, that design belongs to that company....period...deal with it, or get something else.

This is the whole damn reason why there is a patent system in the world. Finding loop holes in the patent system by semi-copying doesnt make your business practices any more ethical than exact duplicating a product. By accepting these fake wheel companies business practices, your saying that stealing an EXACT design is NOT ok, but stealing half of a design IS ok?

 

Everything is copied to some extent, get over it. Some copy and improve on the design (palm, blackberry , Iphone, andriod ) some just copy and make it cheaper. Does it matter if Invicta has a Rolex knock off for $100 , than Walmart has a generic knock off for $15. The peron buying the $15 watch isn't in the market for the $100 version, the person buying the $100 version isn't in the market for the $5k one. Just like XXR wheel, then Rota/Varr then Volk.

Levis made the original jeans, do you wear something other than Levis?

 

Agreed. Not everyone has money to dump into a car like most enthusiasts. If reps is what you can afford then reps is what you'll rock. I rather rock a fresh set of reps than a set of Ruff Racing any day lol If you dont like the Flush Fitment look, DONT LOOK! Stop being whiny b!tch about it.

 

The primary reason I am of the opinion that it does affect the livlihood of the "originators" is that I know first hand they become less interested in developing future products for the less expensive cars such as ours, because they get tired of their designs being knocked off. As a result, several have chosen to focus on other aspects of business, or moving on to higher end platforms (and even there, knockoffs are becoming more and more prevelant). It can have very real long term effects.

I understand the market dynamics at play as well, but the industry as a whole has gone through a dumbing down over the years (the natural progression of things as it gets bigger).

 

And somewhere along that "extent" one crosses the line into making a replica. My opinion is geared towards that breaking point and beyond, not like blackberrys, palms, etc which not only vary in appearence (albeit close), but in user interface, internals, operating system, etc.

This ideal has to be a case by case basis, you cant compare Levi jeans to Rays wheels. (Which also other brands differ in stitching style, pockets, denim color, belt loops, etc.) If a jean company makes a pair of jeans that looks IDENTICAL to True Religion jeans but without the label, then yes, they are a knockoff. And no, i dont wear jeans that are an exact knockoff of another higher end brand jean.

On your train of thought, you might as well say "Do you drive something other than a Ford?"

 

I fail to understand the problem. People buy knock off body kits all the time and no one complains. Why are wheels any different? If someone wants to roll on Rotas, more power to them.

 

You must be looking at different forums then...people have something to say about replica anything..particularly when they refer to it as, or imply that it is, the real thing (countless examples on this forum alone). In some cases those replicas are an improvement over the genuine item in some regard or another (material is one such area). And other times, they are just outright, we're-too- lazy/unskilled-to-come-up-with-our-own-design copies (or attempts thereof). One of the biggest issues I see with the whole replica market, and the industry as a whole, (and this is something I've posted several times before) is that the modern iteration of "the enthusiast market" often mistake price for value. They have nothing whatsoever to do with one another. Does price dictate quality? Often yes, and sometimes no. But just because someone makes a replica that is 1/3 of the price, does not automatically make the genuine items' cost unjustified when it is examined in totality. That $200 replica can easily turn out to be the rip off. A waste of money is a waste of money no matter how you slice it. I get it that some people are willing to take that risk, comes with the territory. Some people can't separate the two. Ultimately it is up to each individual to decide for themselves where to spend their money and what is important to them (and more importantly, why they are modding their car in the first place).

 

I only rock Levi's....................and Rays.
I do however have a set of Rota's for the track, but i got them because i know i'm going to trash them. Once i've saved up a bit more i'll get some TE37's.

 

Almost every day I look in the marketplace / private classifieds and see a thread titled "Chargespeed rear bumper for sale!" and get all tight in my pants, then I go into the thread and the first sentence says "Chargespeed (replica) rear bumper for sale, blah blah blah". And that's just a minor example of it.

 

Yep very common

And sometimes they don't mention it at all

 

and badge them as legit.

 

^ hmmmmm.....

Do you know those are fake? They look like 18's so they would not have the forged stamping on them.

 

So I guess in the end the main question is whether it is ethical for knock off companies to imitate designs of other companies even though the knock off wheels may look the same but are not made the same and do not behave the same? And then, as a customer, can you justify purchasing knock off wheels knowing where they come from? Conversely, can you justify purchasing authentic wheels for $4000+ knowing a cheaper replica is available?

From a personal point of view, I can afford spending $4k on a set of wheels. But I cannot justify it. It seems like too much for a set wheels. On the other hand, I did not consider the moral implications of buying knock offs. I guess I'll be buying a set of Enkei wheels

 

Lol, positive.

I called the owner out and he eventually admitted to it.

 

A new set of volks.... Even in 19's is not 4k.

 

Oh I trust you. Just kinda sad......

 

For forged it's near that level actually

 

it was a funny moment!

 

I'm just saying I did not pay 4k for my brand new 19" te37's

 

Sold my $3500 wheels for Varrs because I was tired of sweating like a pig every time I needed the tires flipped. I got tired of not cleaning them enough and getting messed up by weather and the wrong type of cleaners. My GF loved cleaning the wheels for shows and put a lot of swirls on them... But I let her because she was only trying to help. I got tired of wondering when I would come out to my car and find it on blocks. And I got tired of thinking about the valet curbing them or the dealer scratching them...

I watched my Varrs get thrown around on the tire machine and not a scratch on them. If they get curbed a little play-do and spray paint = good to go. I can not wash them for months and drive through all the acid rain I want and not worry about losing the luster. They can get stolen and I'll be more upset over losing the tires than the wheels.

I'm not looking to make a magazine or featured ride... I'm just loving the lifestyle and enjoying the car while trying to make it look it's best for my personal situation. It's not that I can't afford something else, it just seems like it's pissing away money for me.

Like we said on the G35 forum... If they won't feature cars with fake wheels, they don't need to feature cars with Seibon hoods, fake body kits, etc...