hotrodwagon

So after an *interesting* thread earlier I have some questions about aftermarket wheels.

Firstly, are they worth looking into? Obviously ensuring proper fitment is critical but from the response in the earlier thread, a few people had suggested not to get aftermarket wheels. Or atleast that one particular brand. Leading to my next question.

What brands do you prefer if you are using aftermarket wheels? Are there certain brands to stay away from?

Lastly, if the answer is to stay away from aftermarket wheels, why are they allowed to advertise on these forums?

PS. I just out ran an aventador (while wearing flip flops).
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Forgot to mention it was parked.

nlpamg

Do your research and make sure you get the correct sizes and offsets. Most reputable shops and manufacturers should be able to help you.

There's nothing wrong with aftermarket wheels. If you want to get wheels that are better than your OEM wheels, I would suggest something that is forged and not cast. You want something that not only looks good, but stronger and lighter than your stock wheels. Cast may be cheap, but they are not stronger or lighter.

mcguirja

I agree with NLPamg. There are lots of good aftermarket wheels. With today's technology forged wheels are both strong and light. Although not always applied consistently there are standards like jwl or TUV which indicates wheels have been tested and met an established standard. With that said fitment is critical and with the number of options available you should be able to find a set that fit your vehicle that are both hubcentric and have proper offsets.

FWIW when you start getting into cars with as much power as ours spacers tend to be frowned on.

I've attached a link below which describes adv1's testing process.


http://adv1wheels.com/technical/testdata.php

hotrodwagon

Okay so forged wheels are what to look at if we want a high quality durable product for our vehicles. Although all aftermarket wheels are buyer beware including forged wheels, it is more of a risk to look at cast wheels because they aren't as strong.

I agree fitment shouldn't be an issue with all the options available. I've dealt with spacers in the past and they're a pain to use anyways.

For the lugs I have heard some people say that we should try to find wheels where we can use the original lugs as well. Thoughts?

mcguirja

The right size lugs for the wheel is most important versus having the same as OEM. Having the same as OEM are convenient but not necessary. I haven't been lucky enough to find aftermarket wheels with the same lugs as oem so when I switch between winter and summer need to make sure I match the lugs with them. With winters on (my aftermarket), you also should keep one set of OEM lugs in the vehicle for your spare as well. A bit of a pain but that's all.

With the number of types of wheels available you could research for a long time, and depending on your budget the range of options also increases substantially.

2012 merc amg

If I need wheels I'll probably go with something like this wheel, I kinda like Chrome. http://www.elementwheels.com/proddet...cman1995arrowc

2012 merc amg

I hope I don't have to worry about replacing the factory wheels but I had all four factory wheels unbent around a year ago and who knows how long it is before I get a vibration or something and find I need to replace them.

thewb

HRE_Jurrian

Of course I'm always here if anyone else needs help as well, but Wheels Boutique is the place to go!

hotrodwagon

Thanks i'll send you a pm.

Lenin

+1 for HRE. My winter setup. HRE FF01.

thewb

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lenin

+1 for HRE. My winter setup. HRE FF01.

Loving it! What's the summer setup look like?

Lenin

My summer setup is OEM. I considered using HRE in the summer and OEM in the winter but after having to replace 2 cracked OEM rims already and another one is somewhat bent and needs to be replaced too, I put a hold on that idea. Since I have full Warranty Plus on the OEM rims and living in the north east as opposed to sunny Miami, I'll use the OEM wheels that are under warranty for 8 months of the year. But I may change my mind next winter.

AHI

You do not need forged rims. You can also look at FlowForged, FlowForm, SpunForged, RotaryForged... These are excellent choices at a fraction of the cost.

I'm a wheel guy. All of my cars run aftermarket wheels, some with spacers, some without. I have never had an issue... EVER. It's all about the shop that installs them, and what hardware they supply you.

Yes, HRE is the best, their quality, warranties, ease of ownership, resale value... The only thing I don't like is the inability to cut custom offsets on the FF product. I like my fitment tight at the fenders... HRE runs minutely more aggressive than stock, so it's never enough for me. For the average joe that wants a perfect wheel, there is nothing better.

AHI

LMAO, this is as baller as it gets....

I spy a clean C32 in the background.

sdg1871

OEM wheels are my winter set

Custom forged HRE RS101s are my summer set.

HRE js the gold standard in quality aftermarket wheels

thewb

I have never seen RS101's on a vehicle other than the Aventador HRE used to promote the wheel upon its release. Much applaud to you for doing something new!