Warning on Counterfeit Wheels Imported from China.

[LTDHO]

Welcome to 15 (or more) years ago. These wheels have always been bad news, however they are cheap and with the "it'll never happen to me" attitude, people will still buy them.

[Sprint]

The test was some ridiculously harsh pot hole with ultra low profile tyres, did they say anything about the good rims being buckled?, I have had tyres let go from hitting one of those yellow bumps on the road.

[Pablo999]

I actually think most of the chinese copy wheels are made to the same standards as OEM, obviously there are some shonky manufacturers but for the most part fine. The FPV copy wheels are pretty good, some chinese copies have with higher load ratings than the OEM wheel.

[GT450]

Originally Posted by Pablo999

I actually think most of the chinese copy wheels are made to the same standards as OEM, obviously there are some shonky manufacturers but for the most part fine. The FPV copy wheels are pretty good, some chinese copies have with higher load ratings than the OEM wheel.

That's the reason so many are sold, because people like you believe this rubbish. By the time you find out that load ratings and standards are not what they are purported to be it may be too late.
Three things that you shouldn't skimp on, tyres ( buy the best you can afford ) wheels make sure they are approved ( legitimately approved and stamped ) and brakes ( same as tyres ) . If you do the implications can be fatal.
GT450

[Bearr]

Originally Posted by GT450

That's the reason so many are sold, because people like you believe this rubbish. By the time you find out that load ratings and standards are not what they are purported to be it may be too late.
Three things that you shouldn't skimp on, tyres ( buy the best you can afford ) wheels make sure they are approved ( legitimately approved and stamped ) and brakes ( same as tyres ) . If you do the implications can be fatal.
GT450

couldn't agree more !!! I might add the old saying "If it's got tit's or wheels you know it's going to cost you money", And if you cant afford the upkeep with quality items don't start in the first place,IE:Start the way you mean to finish!!!

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Dr Terry

As was mentioned in the article, Ford & Holden etc. also have wheels made in China, but to much higher standards. Any part of a new car has to built to ADR regulations, as well as all of the various warranties, that go with them.

The big problem that has existed for decades is that parts sold into the aftermarket as accessories or spare parts are not "policed" in the same way. The rules for car manufacturers are vastly different to aftermarket part manufacturers, regardless of whether they are Australian made or imported.

If the aftermarket had to comply with ADR it would be dead. Only a trickle of aftermarket mobs would be around.

Originally Posted by Barraxr8

The funny thing is in a lot of cases, the authorities just expect the Chinese producer to say that they comply with standards.

The truth is they don't in instances, and that is discovered once the product is "out there".

Great idea to move to free trade with China

Great wall showed us how well they comply with standards.

[PridenJoy]

Agree a lot of aftermarket wheels are weak as ****, but some OEM wheels ain't much better. From personal experience the FGII lux 19s are a brilliant looking wheel but are weak, buckle and crack relatively easily.

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by Sprint

The test was some ridiculously harsh pot hole with ultra low profile tyres, did they say anything about the good rims being buckled?, I have had tyres let go from hitting one of those yellow bumps on the road.

I saw that test too, with that wheel tyre combination and that bump you would expect damage with the OEM as well.

Any body that's owned tyres with that sort of profile knows to expect bad things when you hit things

[snowcone]

Sounds like a big scare tactic to get everyone running off to buy expensive, genuine, 500% marked up wheels from the Stealerships.
I'll keep buying out of China thanks.

[PepeLePew]

"Experts say most cheap or counterfeit wheels from China are made from a blend of scrap alloy and raw material"

I love the use of the word 'expert' by journos. My experience is you can find a 'expert', especially an unidentified one, that'll back up any opinion you care to flog on a day. The above is a very blanket statement and I'd love to see some empirical facts behind it. And Josh loves blanket statements God bless him

A big scary emotive article for the uninformed that could've been narrowed down to a few simple points. Chinese stuff is NOT all junk. I don't need to be a expert to say that. But if you want to be safe, go the regulated pathway and not the unregulated so you KNOW you're making a safe choice. What is a shame is the lack of regulation means consumers are missing out on making a safe choice on the GOOD wheels out of China. And paying through the butt for OEM here which in some instances may well come out of the same factory (that's pure speculation).

Interesting quote from Ian Raymond, last time i dealt with them was having my FR19 outers replaced, and they weren't cheap or Chinese.

Out of interest are other than ROH cast here these days? Speedy? Mullins?

[Express]

Originally Posted by PepeLePew

I love the use of the word 'expert' by journos. My experience is you can find a 'expert', especially an unidentified one, that'll back up any opinion you care to flog on a day.

[39ClevoUte]

Bought a cheap "leather" covered dash hat the other day for a postie bike bash on private property.
It is a far dinkum product even has a standards tick sticker on it. Which when read says something like "tested against standard xxxxxx", but interestingly doesn't say it passed or meets said standard!
Maybe they are all like that, but i'm pretty sus.

[Mr351XD]

Hey guys just thought I'd show you a pic of what happened to mums CSA rims she bought from Bob Janes less than six months after purchase, these are the third set she bought through them all ending looking like this after only small potholes before she finally listened and bought genuine wheels

[Sprint]

Rota wheels from the drift scene has already been through this with cheap Chinese copies, early days they were not getting the forging right, gravity feed moulds seem to be the best but I'm no wheel building expert.

Try buying a set of original Volk TE37, they will cost you a arm and a leg.... each

[ebv8]

I cracked my 18in starcorp wheels on my old wagon so i replaced it with a new one and then a buckled another, sold them cheap and replaced the whole set with stock 17in alloys and ended up buckling them too over the years i had it
i should have stuck with steel wheels

however i have 22's now on my new wagon and not a buckle in sight "yet"

oh and the ford fiesta zetec alloys are made of butter and cost $600 each

[99AUXR]

Originally Posted by PepeLePew

Interesting aside....i recently had cause to take in for balancing a set of the Ford FG GT/FGX wheels (later Ford version). The shop actually remarked on how LITTLE it took to balance them.

Originally Posted by whitelion65

If you want to get an indication of the quality, have a look at the amount of lead required to ballancee some of these pieces of ...

Also depends allot of the tyre/quality thereof.

My XXR wheels cop a hiding. Pressures at 38 psi, also they weigh in pretty light at 11.7 I think standard twisty are like 15-16kg.

No buckling either I have check wheel balance every 5000km whel I rotate on rims.

[kaniSS]

F me, can't China just build something decent for once?

[XG_Falcon]

Originally Posted by kaniSS

F me, can't China just build something decent for once?

It's my understanding they built a rather interesting wall a few years back...

[johnydep]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL193Q7bOT0

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by johnydep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL193Q7bOT0

I can see the merit of these tests but a few observations:

1) That series of rubber is VERY low profile. What percentage of cars have such a low profile?

2) The replicated pot hole is a ditch of welded up plate steel. This is not how pot holes appear on roads.

Even an exposed edge of bitumen has some give in it and I doubt the wheel would have shattered in the same way had the dimensions of the hole been the same but made out of actual deteriorated road surface.

[FTE217]

http://www.aaaa.com.au/news.asp?id=220

[nstg8a]

I had xix 19s on my old ef ghia and they were hands down bulletproof lol. I smashed so many potholes with them and not even a buckle,

In fact I've never cracked or buckled a rim

[jimt3te50]

Originally Posted by XG_Falcon

It's my understanding they built a rather interesting wall a few years back...

Was to keep the rabbits out

[adumb]

Reminds me of all those E series with wheels falling off because they are using hub adaptors!

[falconnut]

So glad i bought ROH Wheels

[2011G6E]

Don't laugh too soon because you have "factory" or "genuine" wheels...

Back after the last Queensland floods, I personally know three people who severely damaged or just plain shattered Ford 19" wheels...two were XR6's and one was a G6E Turbo, all FG models. They hit potholes on the highway at nearly 100kph, all cases concealed by what looked like a patch of water on the road. Two of them were down near Gympie where, at the time, there were about a dozen cases of people smashing wheels.

It's because of the trend towards huge wheels, super low profile tyres with no sidewall to take the impact, and spokes right at the front outside edge with a large unsupported and thin rim behind it...of course they're going to break if subjected to sharp short shocks.

Is it actually "cheap rims" or is it just "trendy modern flimsy wheel design"...?

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

I can see the merit of these tests but a few observations:

1) That series of rubber is VERY low profile. What percentage of cars have such a low profile?

2) The replicated pot hole is a ditch of welded up plate steel. This is not how pot holes appear on roads.

Even an exposed edge of bitumen has some give in it and I doubt the wheel would have shattered in the same way had the dimensions of the hole been the same but made out of actual deteriorated road surface.

1: Most cars. Even some smaller cars are now going with the ridiculous trend of super low profile and bugger-all sidewall.

2: Try some of the ones in central inland Queensland and even on highway one...

[XG_Falcon]

Originally Posted by jimt3te50

Was to keep the rabbits out

Too many rabbits... in China.

[jimt3te50]

Originally Posted by XG_Falcon

Too many rabbits... in China.

Emperor Nasi Goreng...

That ad was bloody gold

[Sprint]

I think all modern rims are flawed at engineering level anyway, the good ole boys had it right and sticking around zero offset. Now we have this modern crap where the weight of the vehicle is focused to the outside point, with +40 there is no support to the inside of the rim, you hit something on the inside of the rim and it will give. From a engineering point of view zero offset seems a lot stronger all round than +40 any day.

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by Sprint

The test was some ridiculously harsh pot hole with ultra low profile tyres, did they say anything about the good rims being buckled?, I have had tyres let go from hitting one of those yellow bumps on the road.

Mate of mine had cheap 19's on his wife's SAAB, buckled all four one night. Road works - pipe trench hadn't been filled in properly. Drove over the trench without seeing it at 60 km/h & picked up a vibration. Went to tyre place for balance & they found the rims buckled. This was 7-10 years ago.