SybariticOne

Are ADR wheels high-quality? I like the Enigma, but it's a lot cheaper than most high-quality wheels (Lowenhart, Altstadt, 5Zigen, Volk, etc.) Wondering if anyone has any opionions on them. I don't want to sacrifice quality. I'm a firm believer in "you get what you pay for."

jcrist

The wheel dealers I have talked to say that vast majority of aftermarket aluminum wheels are as good of quality or better than the stock alloy wheels.

However, I have seen a pattern on this discussion forum of people alluding to the relatively cheaper wheels (under $250 each) having problems bending. In my experience, this is pure speculation and sometimes just someone trying to beat down the cheaper brand in order to justify their own purchase of much more expensive rims.

With wheels (and other things) "you get what you pay for" does not always apply. The reason is that the volume of production has a big effect on the wheel price. Many of these "higher end" wheel manufacturers with wheels going for $400+ per wheel are not making anything superior to a $175 wheel because with these $400 wheels, there may be 5,000 of them produced each year, and the $175 wheels there are 50,000 of them produced.

Now I agree a three-piece wheel is superior to a 1-piece (so you may be getting what you are paying for) but I think that the difference is only really beneficial in racing applications, not everyday driving.

So in my opinion, what you are really paying for in the higher priced wheels most (not all) of the time is EXCLUSIVITY. Many of the buyers want to also try to say they have a far superior wheel when in reality, there is no factual data to support that. They just have a wheel that is less common or even very rare. For some, paying an extra grand for exclusivity is worth it. For others, it isn't.

Edward'TLS

I have been trying to shop for a set of rims even before I bought my car. I think you still get what you paid for because I have yet to find one that is cheap and high quality.

I have seen many cheap rims that :

-- poor paint job
-- surface not uniform
-- inside surface of the rim is rough and not machined properly
-- heavy (this is a major performance killer)
-- clear coat will pit or peel away (happened to my previous car)

However, I'm not so sure about easier to bend because it depends on how fast and how hard the rims hit something, but forged rims are tougher and lighter than cast rims.

TLwiz

Look at it this way...

ADR rims may not be as high quality as Lowenhart, Volk, etc. but if you are like me, you are on a budget. I don't want to have rims that are way expensive and then bend or curb rash one of them (NATE, speak up about that man!). $500+ for a rim is crazy, especially if you are going to drive with them alot, you run a high risk of damage.

I commute/use my car for business, so expensive rims are a bad idea. There are TONS of problems with the roads here, and I don't have the time to worry about every little bump or hole in the road.

If you are going to cruise, or are looking for bling, definately go for a flashy pricey rim - you do get what you pay for.
If you are like me, you will buy less expensive rims and get a set of five or be ready to replace one when necessary, and you still will save money.

ANd in regards to quality, my factory rims are chipping in a few places already, so there is you answer right there about quality.

jcrist

I don't know what all the fuss about bending is. I've probably driven on at least 7 or 8 different alloy wheels over the past 12 years and I have NEVER had any kind of bending problem nor do I know anyone and these were a wide variety of wheels. This forum is the first time I've heard it. Maybe it is a combination of really bad road, aggressive driving, ultra-low profile tires, and reduced suspension travel (lowering springs and lower profile tiles are going to make the road less forgiving to your wheels.)

I think a lot of the problems mentioned, like paint chipping, are greatly affected by how well the wheels were taken care of.

I didn't say that "you get what you pay for" goes totally out the window, of course there ARE differences between a $500 rim and a $150 rim other than price, but is there $350 worth of difference? Nope, unless you put a high premium on exclusivity and bragging rights that you could afford such expensive wheels.

I'm still looking for some facts here. It is always rumors, myths. "If they are THAT much more epensive, they HAVE to be better but I don't know exactly HOW."

Example: Lowenhart is better than ADR because they are 5 lbs. lighter and that turns into 0.2 sec better 1/4 mile times.

I'm not hearing anything like that because everyone is just guessing more money means lighter, means better performance. It may be true but then where are the cold hard facts?

Bottom line, purchase from a good wheel manufacturer with a large production volume and get the most for your money. Buy from one of these trendy high-priced places and get a slightly better wheel but overall get less wheel for your money but with more bragging rights. It's all about self-esteem. "I can afford this and you can't." Low and behold the wheels are financed on a credit card anyway.

TLwiz

Yeah. What he said.

adamyankee

The real problem you may run across with 1-piece rims are the limited availability of offsets. Since three piece rims are just that, 3 pieces, they can be made for almost every car. We have a pretty high offset so dropping down to +40 for 17's and +45 for 18's can add some worry to your decision.

I love the ADR Enigma and the Classic but I wanted 17's and the offset looks tacky on the TL IMO.

It is also tough to compare 1-piece to 3-piece because the 1-piece rims are cast in a mold, which can reduce the characteristics of the metal. 3-piece rims are forged so the metal is always as strong as it was before it was shaped.

SybariticOne

That's exactly the problem I've been running into. I'm gonna go ahead and pay for the set of Lowenharts I've been scoping. Paying for the piece of mind that comes with a three piece wheel as well as the fitiment.