Are XXR brand wheels knock offs?

[Jedidiah]

I agree Ben, but everyones favorite excuse for rockin cheap reps is because "they're broke".

While this statement is true, it is simply a current mentality... there should be a standard to all auto-enthusiasts who intend to modify cars indefinitely. That standard has to be held to insure the companies we all love continue to invest in the community.

Another thing I'm tired of hearing is people stating, "well that is just how things are." That is a defeatist mentality that seems to manifest itself often within the car scene. Anything can change, if your committed to seeing it change. That's where the rubber meets the road and separates the talkers from the true believers.

[SeanDub]

I agree Ben, but everyones favorite excuse for rockin cheap reps is because "they're broke". It can be done on a budget with some patience, however most aren't willing to put in the work because its way easier to go buy reps anyway.

As for my last post, i got called out, I set the facts straight.

[aar0n.]

^
Always the voice of reason, very well-said as usual!

[Jedidiah]

I'm gonna take an opportunity to disagree with most of you, something I rarely do, but feel it's important to state.

This is not a argument about who has money and who doesn't. This is not a "rich vs. poor" or "real enthusiasts who are ballers vs. fake enthusiasts who don't have pennies to rub with." This is a argument about business practices and macro economics. Period. If you are here to make the argument about money, then you might as well be comparing dick sizes because you have the maturity of a 15yr old.

Here is the reality: these companies (XXR, Rota, etc) that are selling wheels at $100 a pop.. their goal is solely to make money. They don't want to help grow the scene. They don't care about you as a enthusiast. They aren't interested in bringing anything new to the scene. They see an opportunity to take advantage of a market and will abuse it until that market is dried up. The question you have to ask yourself is simple: "at $100 a wheel, how are they making money?" They are making money because they are copying designs (intellectual property), they are using the cheapest of materials (cast iron), they are using the cheapest of processes, they have zero "quality control" (if you don't know what that means, go to college and take a ops mgmt course) and there is absolutely no research and development and thus no testing. Because of this, they are able to still have healthy margins at $100 / wheel retail.

There is a reason why we like the wheels that XXR and Rota re-produce... it's because BBS, Work and others took the time to develop classy and sexy designs / wheels that we all love. Without these companies, XXR and Rota would have nothing to copy.

Now back to my original point... this is NOT about price. There are plenty of people on here who make $8.50 a hour and have great looking rides with quality parts. They either negotiate like crazy, scour the internet for months until the right deal comes along or (and this is a revolutionary concept) they SAVE for the real thing. For some, they might be able to buy a brand new set of Work wheels out of one of their paychecks... for others it might take a year to save up for a used set. The point is, they are backing the companies that back the enthusiasts. Period.

I will repeat for the 11x, this is not a issue of money or dick measuring, but a issue of philosophy... are you gonna support the companies that invest heavily to insure that auto enthusiast market is here for a long time to come, or you going to insure that the companies out their who are sucking the blood out of our scene, continue to do so until there is nothing left? It really is as simple as that.

You want wheels right now, but are on a budget? Rock some OEM wheels.. run adaptors.. scour for a used set.. run spacers.. there are WAY too many options out there to rock original design wheels on a budget. Please support the companies that support us. By doing so, you help to insure that we all get to continue to modify cars the way we "want" vs the way we "have" to.


Ben

[balleur]

/thread

[SeanDub]

you drive a mid 90s bmw that can be had for ~$8k and you are rocking some early 90s corvette wheels.....yeah, you def don't look like a poor man.

I could sell my diff and buy that fuckin volvo.

Or maybe you missed my other wheels,



and



and



Kick rocks, kid.

[Stephen]

Im not really against sportmax and cheap wheels, realistically they arent really going to hurt the companies. ( bbs doesnt even make RS anymore, not like they see a nickel when someone buys a used set) etc etc.


However I run real wheels because i get more satisfaction out of it, theyre typically better quality, and as long as your willing to get a little creative, there are real in almost every application for not a TON of money. So while im not sure that buying XXRs newest vaguely wrd/LM wheel is going to murder the employees of BBS and their innocent children, i think a little creative thinking can land you something youll be happier with in the long run.

[rvolvor]

Really though, cars are not a poor mans hobby. From either side of the fence.

you drive a mid 90s bmw that can be had for ~$8k and you are rocking some early 90s corvette wheels.....yeah, you def don't look like a poor man.

[FindingNimo]

^^ wait. so what are you trying to say about xxrs?

[320icar]

mine is a slight tangent about the scene. i have no problem with fake wheels, as long as they people who buy them realize they suck! and dont act all full of themselves cuz they got a 15x8 zero offset wheel.


you know what i **** about peoples assumptions? i drive an '88 535iS. and i have a roofrack. so now all day long people keep telling me im trying to copy mike burroughs. and that pisses me off so much. just because i have the same fucking car, they think im trying to carbon copy some "e" famous shit. and it drives me crazy. makes me feel like every mod i do will just make them bitch even more.

sure, mikes e28's look great. but they got so popular from his pictures, that those cars kind of ruined it for the rest of us e28's. or at least to the narrow minded people (a.k.a most of society)

[OSSHWA]

Don't fake the funk, please.

Your not faking the funk if your like me and retained the XXR centercaps and clearly let everyone know they were just cheap-o wheels. I even have the "fake wheels saved me money" sticker that coolstickersbro.com sells

[Dave_The_BMXER]

Don't fake the funk, please.

To me this only occurs when you put the real manufactures logos/valve stems/center caps on your replica wheels.

If you want to rock replica's go head and rock replicas if it makes you happy. Some people will have no issue with it in the end and some people will.

As long as you dig it whatever...

[Gordonfan24]

The real thing doesn't always cost a fortune, either. I got a set of used 17x9 BBSs for $150. That said, if I had the cash for real CCWs, that shit would be on my car in a heartbeat.

[Mike S]

Glad to see you decided to keep the stockers until you can afford some legit wheels. I made that mistake in the past. Bought a set of Rota GT3's for my Civic for like $500 when I could have just kept the money which would have had me $500 closer to buying a set of nice wheels. Instant gratification is a bitch. It's worth the wait and you'll appreciate the wheels a lot more when you do get them.

I'm still undecided on how I feel about fakes though. I can see it from both sides as I have a few sets of wheels (some legit, some fake). I just don't bash the people who buy the cheap-o's or laugh at the ones who put $2k wheels on a car worth $500.

[Toby22]

XXR are replicas but replicas usually look pretty good lol. I'd rather rock replicas than original design budget wheels :/

then again i'd rather rock stock wheels than replica or any budget wheels...just my .02cents