cheap, light, strong. pick 2

 

I like that because it's true... almost like bodywork... (cheap, fast, good - pick 2)

 

I have the tenzo type M's. I associated tenzo with cheap rims but once I saw them in person they were pretty damn good and I love mine. I've hit some huge potholes and I've found no cracks or damage. The only reason I would get rid of them is for some Work VS-XX's in gold and thats cause they look bad ***

 

Looks, quality, reputation..

I had tenzo's before on my Honda and they were great, took a beating..... but they were quite affordable.

 

Its like with clothes and electronics, yeah they all do basically the same thing, it just comes down to if you wanna pay more for a name and a certain expected quality.

 

I have a set of 'cheap' MRR Gt1's and I don't regret not shelling out an extra 3 grand for the name brand wheels. The roads in South Carolina are horrible, especially in this turd town I have to live in and I have had NO problems.

The only problem I have had is the fact that road grime and crap sticks to the finish a lot more than other wheels I've had.

I wash my car every week so its not that big of a deal.

1700 bucks for wheels and tires was awesome. 4000 is ridiculous IMO.

 

These are examples of what happens to a wheel made with inferior materials and processes.

 

ok, i'll post some names of specific manufacturers so that i can get some opinions. tsw, mrr, adr, 5zigen and enkei.

 

TSW, MRR, ADR are all low end wheels. 5Zigen makes some cheap rims and some very expensive forged rims. Same goes for Enkei. People typically associate Enkei with lower end rims. The reality is, they are one of the biggest rim mfgs in the world and they make rims for MANY OEMs like Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infinti, etc. Enkei also makes rims for some of the higher-end JDM boutique brands (AME comes to mind).

Here are the brands I like:

Japan: SSR, Work, Rays, Enkei, PIAA
Europe: BBS, OZ

Enkei, BBS and OZ make rims for Formula 1 race cars. That's about as absolutely high-performance and high-end as you can get. Personally, I don't really like brands like HRE, iForged, DPE. While they make good product, they have nowhere near the expertise, technology, or facilities to test rims as well as BBS, Enkei and Rays have.

 

you know as many sets of rotas that have been sold, and i mean lots have because they are priced so cheap..you really dont see to many pictures like that,.,.or hear to much garf about them...and rota has staggered 19" sets now too

 

I'm sure there have been a lot of cracked Rotas that you haven't heard about. I myself am a victim of cracked Rotas. 18x9.5/10.5 P45R. I didn't mind the crack since they are so easy to replace and i caught it before it got any worst, but when i did try to replace it, they didn't sell one in the same spec and color.

Reputation and Safety > Affordability

 

Avoid ADR, RS Limited, or Stern (same company), I won't consider TSW at all, not a fan of MRR and I don't know how reliable they are, I actually kinda like some of the 5Zigens, and although I'm not a fan of their designs, Enkeis are decent wheels too.

 

Fixed... it just makes more sense this way! Not all companies with good rep cost a fortune...

Although I'd personally stick with Rays and such... I don't mind seeing cheap wheels on a nicer car, but I frown when I see cheap quality wheels on any car... There is a difference between the two. For example, Buddy Club makes some very decent wheels (I can personally vouch for that), and I was able to purchase a set for about $800 a while back. Now with inflation, and the added price of Japanese metals, I'm sure the price has gone up at least a bit (unless they're now being made somewhere else).

 

This is a great topic. I love hearing people attempt to distinguish "good" (expensive) wheels from "bad "(affordable) wheels. First let me say that I have been lurking around this site for almost 2 years. I love reading the posts, laughing at the responses, and snickering as I read argumentative responses from people defending their positions. I also love it when someone posts their first pictures of their car after they've added rims or tint and they just think its so boss and everyone comes back with exactly what I'm thinking..."It's ahright", +1, +1, +1!! I don't know why but I'm addicted.

That said I'm on my second G now after selling my 2005 a couple months ago to upgrade to the G37S. I had a set of "bad" TSW Montage wheels on my 05' and I can't tell you how many compliments I got on the wheels/car over the years. Everyone said it looked so "clean". I also had absolutely no problems with them whatsoever. Check out the pics:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3307083

I'm especially proud of my current G b/c it was incredibly difficult finding the right Tire/Rim combo to fit the car perfectly considering the size of the front brake calipers. And b/c I only had about $2K to spend after dropping $37K on the vehicle. Unlike many of you I just can't justify spending $4K - $6K on wheels and tires. I needed to do something different b/c I just couldn't take the stocks but I also couldn't break the bank. So, $2400 minus a $400 trade on my stocks and I'm rolling on some really "bad" (cheap) wheels wrapped in Toyo's with a strong staggered fitment that look, feel, and perform more than good enough for me. I think that's actually the answer to your original question: "What makes a rim cheap". My answer - YOU do.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3307084

I'll take my cheap wheels over most of the other 2 and 3 piece shinny's on this site any day. But that's just me.

 

The guys above posted some of the "cheap brands". What are some good brands? I'm looking to get some 19s on my G sedan. I like some made by XIX, are they a good company?