smilygo

Prices of wheels are a lot. Loest I found is $87 and the highest is $500 for a 16" wheel. The $500 includes the cost of import from Asia. Why is the price different so much? Any negative issues with buying cheap wheels?

G-Force

where it's manufactured - cost of marketing - type of materials - type of manufacturing (i.e. forging, semi-solid forging, casting (different types of castings as well) all play in factoring how much a wheel cost.

IMHO - you get what you payed for so i tend to stick to the name brands like Enkei, Volks, 5Zigen etc... Don't forget about after the sale customer service as well.

YMMV

Besk_one

this has been gone over before, but you really do get what you pay for

cheap wheels may look good from a distance, but up close the finish and fit are nover going to come close to the more expensive wheels.

but you can find wheels that are reaonably priced that are of great quallity...

, i was originally going to go with cheap knock offs and then after giving it a lot of thought i decided to go with quallity and wait, rather than get something cheap and run the risk of not being happy.

so i wanted to get the 18" Racing Heart CR's but they are like $2800 with tires... there's no way i can ever justify that so i looked around and found some rims that i really liked, made by Axis (who make great high quallity wheels) that will set me back about $1700 with tires.

i could get some replica RH CR's for around $1000 with tires, and while they look OK i'm willing to spend the extra cash to get something that's goig to last the lifetime of my car and something that i'll be very happy with knowing that i didn't skimp.

think about it this way, wheels make or break a car, and you'll probably only buy 1 set of them for your car - unless you're insane like adrian ;) so think if by skimping on your wheel choice if you will be happy with it and would spending the extra cash be a worthwile investment?

a few extra months of saving may gain you years of satisfaction!

Brian

G-Force

well said besk!


also remember that the wheels/tires are the first thing that touches the road - you wouldn't want to skimp on something like that would you?

Docofmind

You dont always get what you pay for. Usually, with wheels though, you do.

I just bought two sets of 18s, one for my S and one for the scion. Each one of my S wheels cost as much as the entire set did for the scion.

One thing that wasnt mentioned is desired offsets. Usually, with the more expensive wheels, you can attain the exact fitment you are looking for without the use of spacers. Generic wheels only come in one basic size and offset where the real wheels have options.

That being said, the scion is only a 14k car. IMO, it doesnt deserve the real deal. Surely I will get flamed for this, but my race car is more in need of money.

Docofmind

Last thing, i totally agree with what Gforce said about the last tihng that touches the road. Tires are one thing i will not skimp on. Only Toyos for my rides

Here are the generic wheels i spoke of. Once the spacers go in and she gets lowered, i m sure it will work nicely.

its_ikon

i have to agree with you on this. no one thinks about this when buying this kind of product. people also don't give the same thought to the suspension.

hahajoey

everyone gets whatever they want.
some people finds it OK to spend like almost 1500~2000 for 15"
rims. but somepeople find it whack to even pay 1500 for 18's..
so its all what u want and wat u feel... i persoanlly think that
quality and quantity is 2 different things that people over look.
i can understand that many cheaper companies offer a pretty darn
good product. but sometimes, you do get what u pay for!

take like a cheaper company, tenzo, or adr or something.
i've heard of people breaking the rim, or the finish on the lip
starts to fade because the clearcoat is ____ty.. i mean maybe they
took care of it wrong, but i've noticed nicer rims, stay nice and clean,
and retain its value much better/longer than knock offs and cheaper stuff.

but whatever you do, its your own thing =)
im on 9 spoke wheel covers lol

bBted

u get what u pay...

G-Force

also because the more expensive wheels last longer, it helps with resell.

dunno if this comparison will help:

buy a kia - lotsa features for little dough - go to resell it or trade it in and you'll prob get very little for it or some dealers wont even bother taking it in as a trade.

buy a toyota - pay more up front but when it's time to resell or trade, you'll prob get close or near KBB value for it and you'll most likely won't have to wait long to sell it either. I mean, who doesn't want a Toyota? hehe..

but like anything you own, make sure you take care of your investment - try to prevent curbing, wash your wheels regularly (and wax it too since it's also a painted surface - also helps with brake dust removal), armor all those tires, etc... what you put into maintenance can pay off alot when it comes time to resell it.

sorry for long rant...

scioninla

Caught you Joey...I knew that the dark color xB you brought out to the meet was yours..finally...If you need anything holla at us...we'll try to hook you up...

OOHC

I paid $660 shipped for my wheels on my Cirrus which I'm dumping when the Scion gets here. I figure for that $$ I'll just throw them out in a year or two. I paid over 2K for a set of crome Enkei's and after I had to replace my 2nd wheel and 3K in total for wheels I said never again. Crome wheels with spinners are great but I'd rather have a 40in plasma for the same price in my Scion.

yanges

these are some pretty Awesome wheels:

http://www.jessejameswheels.com/

check out the .44's!

if i was going to run 18" wheels, i would like to have those...

the steel looks like liquid....i think they would look great on a lowered xB....

arinvolvo

I got the MSR 113's in gunmetal with Kumho Ecsta Supra tires for under 800. They seem like quality wheels, for a cheap price.

LVXB

did you get your wheels in town arin?

arinvolvo

Yes I did...at R4L over by votech highschool on mountain vista.

kikimaja

Well said. You don't want to skimp on the rims or tires. They are vital and make a huge difference to your driving. Get a brand name rim AND tire combo with size and offset that you want and then ask yourself what you feel most comfortable paying for them or what your limit is on the cost. Sometimes you can negotiate a deal. But don't chinse on the cost for these.

LVXB

hey i went to votech! sweet

arinvolvo

ya, you should go over to R4L and tal to Ramone...he is a cool ___ black guy, and his last name is "Casual"...How cool is that?

I think he may have made it up though.

But ya, you can get some sweet deals on wheels there.

TheRedBox

AGREED.