would you guys wear fake gucci? fake nikes? bottom line is that these replica companies steal designs and sales from the original companies. "Don't fake the funk."

 

nice thread bump.

 

yea because the last post before mine was sooo old

 

It's not like replicas falsely represent themselves to be the original. Fake Gucci products illegally use the Gucci logo, purposely trying to misrepresent the product as legitimately Gucci.

By your logic, we should not wear Ralph Lauren Polo shirts. After all, Lacoste was the original designer for such a style of shirt (I think. Even if not, the point remains that someone designed it before many other companies used the design.)

 

Rota makes forged versions of their more popular wheels like the Slipstream. Usually anyone that Rota sponsors has them.

I think we'll only see more and more "fakes" as time goes on. There's only so many ways you can design a wheel before they start looking alike.

 

So by your logic nobody should be allowed to have good looking rims on their car unless they can afford to spend $3k+? Whatever dude, I'll rock some reps in a heartbeat and spend the money I saved on something more important like my family (in fact I'll be rocking some fake GT-30's as soon as somebody makes them in 20's)...

 

^ Exactly. I love the look of the Volk RE30s, but I'm not about to drop $3k on wheels when my wife and I are saving for a new house, so I spent $600 on a set of Konigs that are replicas of the Volks and put the rest into savings. It's one thing if you're trying to pass replicas off as the real thing, but if someone asked me what kind of wheels I have, I wouldn't say Volks, I would absolutely say Konigs, and then I'd brag about how cheap I got them for.

 

I take it that you dont buy off brand cereal either?

 

no, as a matter of fact, i dont, but thats completely irrelevant.

I guess I just think of being a car modding enthusiast different from most people. If you cant justify forking over money for the real deal, why mod the car at all.

 

Uh, maybe because that's why car modding started in the first place?

See way back in the day, when people didn't have the means to buy the big, powerful, fast cars of the day, they had to scrap around junk yards and piece together parts to make their cars faster and better performing. The attitude then was whatever worked to make their car better or faster was good enough. You know how flat black and primer paint is popular today, even being applied to exotic super cars? Well that was done back in the 50s because it was cheap and the kids modding their cars that couldn't afford the really nice shiny paint would spray it with flat or primer. Today it's a trend; and to think some paint over their expensive shiny paint jobs to have the poor mans paint job of the 50s. Crazy.

Unfortunately today there's this thing called brand-whoring, which is not to be confused with brand-loyalty. Just because something is stamped with a branded logo and cost a lot more doesn't always means it's the best, or anything similar, but of a lesser known brand, isn't as good or comparible.

Today things are much different. There's been huge advances in technology and processes. There's more competition which drives prices down. Am I saying replica stuff is of equal quality? Absolutely not. But if it's what can be afforded and it works well, then what's the problem? And again, if you're not coming off saying it's this when it's really that, then there's no false play. I love the fact you can get cool stuff cheap now-a-days. It drives the aftermarket industry just as much, if not more, than the uber expensive, big name manufacturing. I think if there wasn't the "knock-off" companies out there, the big name companies would be out of business since there wouldn't be as big an industry as there is.

 

It's because not everyone has an unlimited supply of money. SURE EVERYONE would blow $3k+ on wheels if the could.. But not everyone can. So save your BS for somewhere else please.

 

I don't get why some of you can't portray your opinions in a mature way. There's nothing wrong with lesser expensive wheel companies, never said there was. But companies like Rota make EXACT knockoffs. If a company made a EXACT replica of the Ron Jon kit and sold it for half the price, would you guys buy it? I'm sure Ron would be flattered for a day before he starts getting mad about the business he losses to brand that stole his styling.

 

Personally, all businesses and RJ especially aside, if some company made exact replicas of a wheel that I really liked and it was around the same weight, or maybe even better, lighter, and had at least decent quality but at a much lower price.... hell yeah I would buy them.

I don't make very much to begin with so I have to do things on a budget. I'm not going to buy replica Volks and slap Volk centercaps on them. Every time someone asks about my wheels, I tell them they're ZR1/Grand Sport replicas. I'd rather spend the same amount and get brand new wheels for just a little bit more than the actual wheels that are at least 7 years old.

If you would like to pay 2x+ as much or even more for a product that essentially is the same thing, more power to you. I love baller wheels, and when I become a baller I may buy them... but at this moment in time, I look at the balance in my bank account and I simply can't pull the trigger. Not to mention I'm all about bang-for-your-buck.... if the $3000 set of wheels isn't that much better looking, isn't much lighter or of extraordinarily better quality than the set of $1000 wheels, then essentially there is no real performance benefit... I would rather save the money up for something better.

$2k is pretty much the difference between a TL-P and a TL-S. I spend WAY more time driving my car than just looking at it. When I get lowering springs/shocks/coilovers, I don't buy them so I can get a drop or go lower.... I buy them so I can upgrade my suspension. And they just happen to make the car look nicer too. $2k on suspension and $1k on wheels vs. $2k on wheels and $1k on suspension is an easy choice for me.

 

I guess us poor people are not worthy to be car enthusiasts.

 

We live in a consumer based economy and there will always be a place for subsitute goods like replica wheels. I find it funny when someone mentions Rota or other companies the pic of the warped wheel at the track always shows up but no story behind it so as to scare a potential buyer. When megan products first got popular everyone was dogging it and now I see a lot of cars with their coilovers more than teins. People will mod regardless and I personally don't care who rocks what brand and how much they paid to each their own. My SC300 is heavily modified with authentic parts(kit, wheels, turbo etc...) except for my D2 coilovers and replica window visors. Another SC owner was quick to point out my "fake" visors at a meet after "walking around" my car. I laughed it off because his car was bone stock and all he did was talk about name brand stuff and what he was going to do etc..I just got my TL about a month ago and I'm modding it slowly and believe me I will not hesitate on getting replica wheels. My car is a daily and my days of buying $3K rims/tires are over. I'm even considering the tsudo catback system but like I said to each their own.

 

i never once spoke about the QUALITY of rotas. sure they arent 3pc wonders, but i do agree that they are not the complete crap product that some people make them out to be. Again, i'm all for less expensive wheels. its the wheels that are EXACT copies that i am against. my ron jon argument still stands.

 

I've had 3k wheels and Rotas. Never really noticed a big difference in the wheels. Even when I had my deep lip Works sitting next to my Rotas you couldent tell a 3k difference. Might even get some Rota DPT's for the TSX as long as they will fit!

 

These companies are big boys. They have donkeys like you who enjoy forking over 3k for a set of wheels, which I'm not saying I have a problem with myself since I have a set of Volks myself but please, it's not even your company, your problem. They'll do fine without your concern. Leave Britney alone.

 

lol, nice thread bump. That guy was talking with his head up his ass.... no wonder some people I know have a problem with him in real life. Nothing to do with me personally, but I'm not surprised either. Why buy IKEA stuff? Might as well and go all out and buy the $10,000+ furniture only, why go and buy stuff for your house if you can't afford the "real" thing?

If you want baller wheels that's your own thing, more power to you. But it makes you look like a dickhead when you generalize and try to criticize everyone else for not looking at things the same way that you do.

 

I agree with stealing the design but the replicas aren't going to take much money away from the original companies. They're simply filling a void in the market that Volk, Work etc aren't targeting. Someone who has $3000 to spend on wheels isn't going to spend $500 on replicas. Someone spending $500 on wheels isn't going to spend $3000 on the originals.

I had slipsteams and currently have GT3's on my Civic. I'll be damned if I spend over $1k on wheels and tires for a shitbox Civic that only cost $5k to begin with.

 

Werd! Loved my GT3's back in the day!



Spent the money I could have blows on wheels and got a swap and put my own turbo kit together......Much more fun factor than saying you have Volks, Works, Advans, etc.

 

i wouldnt. the ron jon kit looks gross

 

That shit is fugly, but that's another topic.

I was REAL close to buying some Rotas for my TSX last summer, too.

 

I'm gonna pick up some Linea Corse LeMans for my TSX after I lower it. I don't really care that they're replicas they look hot. I can only get them in 19x8.5 5x114.3 +45 but they're roughly the same weight as the OEM 17 inch wheels.

 

sick EJ

 

Well since the thread got bumped, I might as well post a picture of my current replicas. Konig Runaways which are
Volk RE-30 replicas. I bought the entire set brand new for less than one new real RE-30.

 

I don't agree with that tenuous argument for replicas.

If you can afford DPEs, you get them. If you can't, why not replicas?

As long as you aren't buying a replica and putting HRE/DPE centercaps on them, who gives a shit?

I don't. I live in/near a city. There's lots of parallel parking and bad streets. I'm not putting $6000 worth of wheels on a car only to get trashed/stolen.