that is simply.......

 

Amazing, I know. Trust me, his excuse will be, "but it costs 1/4 of what the real one does and looks just as good."

 

Ah this old debate. Always fun.

Annnnnd in the blue corner we have Volk/Work/Advan/original owners continually making solid points about lapses in ethics in regards to original design and manufacturing or industry/market shares. All points well made, all indicating that original companies are de-incentivized from making new and desirable products as leech companies simply forgo the work of actually designing anything themselves and instead just backwards engineer every successful design made.

Annnnd in the red corner we have knock-off supporters continually making solid points like: "EVERY ONE COPIES EVERYTHING", "they aren't like 100% the same...so who cares", "4k for wheels...gtfo, I don't have that kind of cash for my civic, errr Z that I bought with money I don't really have." Companies themselves say nothing as they know what they do is technically legal and that's all that matters.

And in the epic clash between these two foes, no one changes their mind and knockoffs live on. Real owners continue to support the companies that innovate and the knockoff crowd comes in on their coat tails waiting for the next design they couldnt afford to be copied again.

yawn...tune in next time.

 

just an fyi, the 18" super laps have the "forged" "monoblock" "rays eng" "made in japan" around the wheel--at least the 9.5/10.5 +22's i have do

the 18x9.5 +30 lmgt4's have "forged monoblock" "made in japan" and maybe something else too, i'll look at them later on tonight.

 

Almost got it right, the real wheels are in the blue corner, the ghetto fakes are in a almost blue color that look like blue but we all know...

 

^lol, touché salesman.

 

all 2010 te's have that around the edge. before 2009 only 19" te's have it. iirc

 

i saved a bunch of money by switching to geico
and got me some advans

 

Correct.

http://www.rays-msc.com/news/index.cgi?d=183

 

They are both now useless.

Some one here made a very good point.But i cant find his post. Well it was along the lines of....

If you cry about knock off wheels that people use whats the difference in replica body parts?

i have seen some people ont his forum say hell no to replica wheels they should burn in hell blahblahblah...
But yet they are rocking a Nismo V2 replica front or seibon products etc..

I have two sets of wheels for my Z. I couldve purchased some works but then i would only have one set. or i could save up and buy them later on.
I rather save money and buy more stuff to make my Z stand out.

 

ZS14- There is a difference in being able to find a place where the authentic body parts in stock (now that is). I tried to find a 06 Veilside Lip, I cannot find one anywhere.

But the same person who would buy Varrstoen Reps passed through the same vendor threads where actual TE37's were being sold.

If you buy a nice set of wheels (Volk, Work, Advan), you still have 2 sets of wheels. Your OEM ones are great for harsh winters.

But theres no way this dispute will ever be settled. Those who can't justify spending a ton of money on wheels never will, and those that can will despise those who buy Reps.

And then again, for the price who hasn't thought of picking up a set of Varrstoen Reps for the winter so the real Volks can rest.

 

VQ- well I have also read people waiting on special ordered wheels because no one had them in stock. If you can wait for wheels you can wait for parts.

I did not include my stock set of wheels so with those included it would be three sets..not a big deal.

People are just nuthugging

 

with body parts, there are replica companies making better fit products than authentic.

i don't see these replica wheel companies making lighter, stronger wheels do i?

 

I'm sure the guy who broke the G-games had it coming to him. The other guy probably hit a pothole. I had those same G-games rims pictured above then moved to a set of XXR 006s to switch it up some. Now, I have Volk GT-Ss on my car. I have had "cheap" and "baller" wheels and in all honesty, the durability of the Rays wheels far exceeded the XXRs. The XXR wheels got bent from me using a polisher on them. The polisher skipped 1 time. With thick padding and a cotton bonnet, there is no way in hell it should bend a lip. I had a set of RO_JAs on my old car and the polisher skipped on the lip ALL THE TIME. Nothing.

It should take more to destroy a set of forged wheels. Are they indestructible? Obviously not.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to what you like the best and what suits your needs/budget. Some people like stretched tires, chipped/bent fenders, negative camber, and a rusted chassis/undercarriage. To them, they will probably return the car to stock in a few years and chunk it to some sucker. Others plan to keep their cars longer or simply don't care for the pains in the *** that come with that territory. Personally, I think wheels even with the fender with a proper fitting tire (275-285 on a 10.5 for example), proper suspension geometry, etc. look the best. I like the timeless/traditional performance-based look. I hate the stretched tire and crazy camber look but if someone else likes it, good for them. My car sits at a comfortable height. The alignment is in spec and my wheels have the recommended tire sizes. I try to appreciate all aspects of modification and at the end of the day, I do what I want to my car. When the hellaflush crowd tries to persuade me, I don't budge b/c I do what I like. Why should I expect them to be any different? In the end, we're just all enthusiasts, choosing our own paths.

 

The whole "But you guys buy replica kits" argument is worthless. Totally a waste of argument.

Not only can fittment be better with a replica, as SuperBlack stated, but bottom line, they are ALL FRP....period. In this instance, your paying for a name more than anything. I hate saying that because i love all of these authentic companies, but its the truth. I dont like that i couldnt support the authentic kit companies, but thats the extent of my bad feelings in this instance. I honestly cant justify the cost unless i have the thousands more to justify paying for just a name. Does this make me a hypocrite? i'd like to think not for the below mentioned reasons.

My buddy has an authentic INGS+1 long nose kit (Type E i think?) anyways, he is suffering from poor fittment around the headlight area which caused cracking and spider webs. Not major, but still. My replica V2 and INGS kit fit amazingly perfect, with no work on front or rear, just sides needed adjustment. Which ive also heard from some of those with authentic INGS+1 NSpec sides that the fittment was alittle off as well.

Point is, either way your buying an FRP shell....thats it. Buying authentic was something i couldnt justify in this instance, and are purely cosmetic.

Wheels, however, take a totally different turn when it comes to materials, manf process, etc. There is no doubt here you are truly buying a much better made product. No grey area, which is why i will continue to support a truly better made product.

 

Somethings aren't available either so it forces people to get replica kits... V1, V2's, and etc. Not to mention some companies like Shine and Aerosync(polyurethane) make better than authentic pieces. I have an Evo-R Mines "replica" the parent company makes the lips for Mines b/c my Chargespeed was taking forever to get here. As for wheels... cmon no comparison.

 

better fit & quality...than authentic

/ THREAD!

 

ive bought authentic wheels and i've bought replicas. there is a clear difference between the quality.

i personally would prefer an authentic wheel but in the end....you get what fits your budget. its your money, YOU spend it on what YOU want. YOU build YOUR CAR for YOU.

i was going to buy an authentic set of wheels, but then i decided to buy a beater so i don't have to drive the Z during the winter. sometimes...there are other things that are important.

 

That is a very hypocritical attitude. If only "real wheels" will do, I still don't understand that replica body parts or OK. You accept replicas in one part of the modifying spectrum but in other areas only the "real deal" is good enough. That is ridiculous.

 

^ Read my post 4 up from yours.................. What is it you are missing on this?