Confessions of my Fake Wheels

Check out http://fakewheels.com/. enough said. If you have a performance car. Don't buy them.

But sometimes you have to... I am guilty!

I have owned Ravs Vork TE37 Cup copies.

I didn't lie about it.

Lets have a look at how it happens.

Can you honestly keep your car like this?!! FARKED UGLY SH1T CR4P!

Location

Gold Coast Australia.

Population 527,660 includin grannies and kids.

Wheel Shops. 10 maybe F1/JAX/Bob Jane etc

Performance car market size = Very Small! Maybe 15000 people.

People who buy wheels each year. ???

Number of people wanting 17" wheels for a Vitz. = 1... Me. Not Joking.

Car.  Stock 2004 Toyota Echo (Vitz/Yaris)

Purchase Price.... wait for it $13500 USED...2 years old. WTF! this is Australia for you. $19900 new!

Daily Road Use = 100% 

Motorsport Use = 0.

Top Speed. 120 kph maybe to keep my licence.

The odd drift in the wet with the handbrake on all the time!

First Modifications. Pedders Springs $350

Note: car handled/accellerated and stoped very well with STOCK STEELwheels.

I ran the car lowered on springs for a while. Excellent actually.

I simply removed the hubcaps and the car looked pretty gangster sitting low on black wheels.

Almost like a tradesmans car. Stock Bridestones had good grip.

Anyway, I wanted a bit more style.

REAL

TE37 cup were never available in 17" discontinued at this time.

So the closest comparison is normal TE37.

Volk Racing TE37 Bronze 17x7 +50  $733.99 AUD ea

x 4 =  $2935.96

+ 20% Import Tax + $350 delivery

= $3873 for wheels only.

+ Cheap Tyres $125eax4 = $500

Fitting and Balancing $50

TOTAL $4423

This represents 30% of purchase price. Am I crazy?

I went to JAX Tyres in Australia.

The owner was a guy in his 50's who has probably never even heard of RAYS.

His usual customer is a truck and he fits retreads to that.

He stocks wheels to give maximum turnover and at a budget people can afford.

If he stocked RAYS he would sell 1 set a year maybe. In the wrong size.

Such is the size of the Australian local car market in small cities.

In Australia at that time there was one importer of Enkei wheels. That was it. 

There is a reason for this.

Enkei are among the CHEAPEST decent wheel in Japan. Because most are cast.

These cast models are offered in Australia as PREMIUM wheels.

But infact are quite inferior to forged models.

This guy tried to sell me RP03 as the only real wheel option for 4K.

I previously fitted RP-01 for over $3500 (wheels only) to my MR2 in Canberra Australia.

I couldn't get exact sizes I wanted either. 8 and 8.5 I wanted 7.5 and 8.5

I could go for an Australian Wheel .

Have you checked Simmons wheel prices. The owner has now retired and the business folded.

So there is nothing cheap available and no alternatives.

So for this car it really only needed something cheap. And I bought these.

FAKE

VORK RAVS CUP Malaysian specials

17x7 (only 2 sizes offered)

With falken ziex crap tyres (zero grip in the wet) treadwear was in the forever zone.

fitted and balanced

$1180

Heavy and slow the car became, but I still held the handbrake in the wet and it drifted fine.

Not one person in Australia even looked at the car and screamed fake.

I actually got more grief over my RAYS SE37W and THEY WERE REAL

And not one person ever mentioned the FAKE wheels on my Vitz. I usually had to tell them they were.

So sometimes, you can't tell.

Sometimes, you don't need.

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

I'm totally in favour of shutting down the FAKE wheel businesses like Rota/BSA/Koing etc

But what are we left with. I doubt these businesses would be capable of designing a wheel with good design when the owner of the business probably drives a honda dart scooter to work every day.

Ever been to the north of Vietnam. Cars are few and Cows are many. Bikes are the only transport sometimes.

I don't know what the answer is.

BTW. I would never recommend running a high performance car on these rims. And If you curb them. Replace them quick.

I think I have supported the OEMs more than most.

But you can comment whatever you like.

FTR:

My wheels I have purchased with MY money.

REAL for my fast cars

Crimson Club Linea 17x8 x4 for Subaru WRX.

Enkei RP01 17x8 x2 17x8.5 x2 for MR2 turbo.

Rays CE37W 18x8.5 x2 18x9.5 x2 for FD rx7

Advan RS 18x10 x4 for FD Rx7

Advan RGII 17x7 x4 for NCEC

FAKE for my slow cars

Type C SSR 17x7 for Honda Civic EK4  Painted black my ME with a can of spray paint.

Mytle 17x7 for NA roadster

Vork Ravs Cup 17x7 for Vitz

I am not a rich man.  I have owned 20 cars. And modified them all.

If there were cost effective and cool alternatives in other countries. Fakes would have no place.

Don't bag the owners, mostly they just want to look cool. 

By the way. If you have ever bought a cheap Nike copy or downloaded a movie and watched it without paying royalty. You are guilty too.

Fess up faker fakers. Lets see how widespread it is.

BTW, I now live in japan. Fakes don't really exist. The good brands are cheap.

Weds, Enkei, Work are all cheap and under 1200 for a set of smaller sizes.

So do what you want.

Ps. Electrical Tape Eyelines. Cost... 1c