SQUARE!SPOKES Driven By Undying Automotive Passion

The NEVER-Ending Debate: Real vs Fake Wheels

The oldest debate in the book... Real vs Fake Wheels.. it NEVER ends..

So.. what am I doing opening this can of worms?? Well I just want to voice my take on this topic once and for all since it seems like this has once again caught on fire on the interwebs and people have been linking me to this article from "Custom Pinoy Rides" talking about the durability of ROTA wheels..

Red Flag!.. the name "Custom Pinoy Rides".. for those who don't know Pinoy = Filipino.. and guess what?? ROTA Wheels is a company conveniently based in the Philippines. Bias much..?? Well it certainly doesn't help that under their site's "Sponsors", Rota happens to be one of them..

I must admit, it's a well written article and does a good job at getting the knockoff wheel supporters rowdy.. but for me, it didn't change my mind one bit.

Also, I'm not just targeting ROTA Wheels only.. I'm talking about fake/replica/knockoff wheel makers in general.. XXR, Drag, Varrstoen are all included.

What is my problem with fake/replica/knockoff wheel companies?

Immorality.. bad business.. To take someone else's idea and design then replicate it for profits. That's just bad businesses in any industry..

Don't even try to bullshit me about them just taking "inspirations" from these well-known legit wheel makers.. you and I both know that these fake wheel companies would be clueless about design if it wasn't for RAYS, SSR, Work, BBS, Mugen, CCW, etc.. because designing is not what they do.. imitating and stealing is their specialty..

Also take this into consideration.. why are legit wheels getting more expensive?? Well you can thank these fake wheel companies again. They hog up a huge chunk of the aftermarket wheel industry because they can produce at a high demand and sell at a low cost.. which makes it that much harder for the authentic wheel companies to lower their prices.

What is my problem with people who buy fake/replica/knockoff wheels?

To be honest, I bought a set of XXR 501 (SportMax at the time) and rocked them on my EG Civic when I was still in high school because that was all that I could afford at the time.. So I understand that not everyone can afford the real deal.. and I'm not trying to be a snob about this whole thing.. If that is all your budget is good for.. by all means, do your thing.. but please save up for something authentic at least once, even if they're used.

My biggest problems with some of these people is that they won't get their head out of their ass.. or try to fake the funk. I've read some of the comments and replies these people be trying to make.. Right after someone mentions anything about supporting legit companies, they will usually follow by a reply along the lines of "ohhh.. he must be mad because I paid a fraction of the price for the same thing.." No you ignorant fool.. that is not what's going through their mind.. you DO NOT have the same thing.. You can add 8 turbos to your grocery getter and out run a Bugatti Veyron for a fraction of the price.. but at the end of the day, you're not the one going home to a mansion in a Bugatti Veyron. It's not the same thing.

As for faking the funk.. please do not be that turd to put authentic stickers or center caps on your fake ass wheels.. you're not fooling anyone but yourself.. Someone with an eye for these things can spot it from a mile away.. so just don't do it.

Durability

Finally.. let's talk about durability, since that's what the title suggest on CPR's post..

Don't kid yourself.. do you really think there are any type of research and development put into those wheels?

They're budget probably consist of getting a team together to replicate the aesthetic characteristics of the original wheels.. and use "good enough" material to produce their wheels. End of story.

They can imitate the design all day long.. but they will never replicate the technical attributes that are involved with their authentic counterpart. Why not? Because if they were to do that, they would charge you the same price as these legit wheel makers are charging..

You can argue that most people don't even track their cars.. so why spend so much money.. Well you gotta understand.. there are people out there that likes high quality stuff regardless if they were to use it to their full potential or not.. "good enough" is just not good enough.. There are people who appreciate and support companies that continues to push forward in research and development.

You can also argue that they are just paying for the brand name.. well.. yeah, think about what's associated with a brand name and what makes them a brand name?? How about all that behind the scene stuff you don't see? The history, research, analysis, testing, equipment investment, World-Class sponsorships, etc. Unlike fashion, Motorsports products takes a little bit more than "hype" to succeed..

If you have 4 minutes watch this:

If you have 15 minutes watch this:

I would really like to see some of these fake wheel companies make a video about their development process and durability testing of their wheels.. but we all know that's not gonna happen..

Final Thoughts

I probably didn't even make a dent in this ongoing debate.. but that is my stance on this whole Real vs. Fake deal..

I will probably never buy a set of fake/replica/knockoff wheels again because I support companies that continues to push forward in the automotive industry. Maybe it's just me, but there's also a sense of pride associated with using high quality authentic parts that you just don't get with knockoffs..

Feel free to leave a comment or send me hate mail, I'm all geared up for it

Often imitated, never duplicated. Stay Classy.