Replica alloys

[nicko16]

Hi,

I know that replica alloys have been discussed many times before but some questions don't have solid answers.

Are all replica alloys poor quality and heavy?

If not, are they're any particular manufacturers or re-sellers that you'd recommend?

Does anyone have replica on there Leon that have lasted a few years before buckling/denting?

Some kind of conclusive post would be great, listing what to look out for and consider when buying them.

Any help with these questions would be great.

Many thanks

Nick

 

[TSL 333]

I have Prodrive replicas on my highly tuned Scooby. These have been powder coated and no problems at all. The previous owner was a butcher and he weighed them on the scales at his work - very little difference.

 

[jiege01]

ive had 19" rs6 replicas on my toledo this past 2 years. ive had no problems which is unbelievable considering the amount of potholes in northern ireland. with weight i wudnt think there would be much difference.

 

[slim20vt]

ok lets get this straight! there is nothing wrong with replica,golf,audi,seat,bmw,skoda,
alloy wheels, there is a company called wheel base,that sell all the wheels you can think off!
the replica audi wheels,are very popular,and i have owned at least 4 sets over the last 5 years,on diffrent german cars!! under vag group!
they are well priced,very strong,and in my opinion some are finished better than the audi ones that leave the factory! the replica, audi rs4 wheels are very good value, £460 for 18inch rims with tyres! ready to fit straight on to your car! you will be smiling from ear to ear!

just make sure when you order that they send the right length wheel nuts and bolts!

 

[mattbeef]

Had A8 replicas on mine for a couple of years now with no issues and would happily go for another set it needed

 

[nicko16]

nice one, thanks guys

 

[UncleFester]

I'd avoid them like the plague - 18kg per wheel for the RS6 reps, no control over which chinese supplier makes them and they're soft. Bent all 4 of mine to the point where even the APS Technician wasn't happy about road testing it - TeamDynamics are a shade over 8.2kg per wheel and used in motorsport. I'm sure it would be fine if all the roads i drive on were butter smooth, sadly they're not.

 

[cupraslayer]

ok lets get this straight! there is nothing wrong with replica,golf,audi,seat,bmw,skoda,
alloy wheels, there is a company called wheel base,that sell all the wheels you can think off!
the replica audi wheels,are very popular,and i have owned at least 4 sets over the last 5 years,on diffrent german cars!! under vag group!
they are well priced,very strong,and in my opinion some are finished better than the audi ones that leave the factory! the replica, audi rs4 wheels are very good value, £460 for 18inch rims with tyres! ready to fit straight on to your car! you will be smiling from ear to ear!

just make sure when you order that they send the right length wheel nuts and bolts!

was looking for a set of alloys myself,when afew weeks ago saw Becks at he mk meet. turns out she paid 350 with tyres for the rs4 repicas in 18's. might be worth pm her to find out where she got them from.

 

[jonjay]

I'd avoid them like the plague - 18kg per wheel for the RS6 reps, no control over which chinese supplier makes them and they're soft. Bent all 4 of mine to the point where even the APS Technician wasn't happy about road testing it - TeamDynamics are a shade over 8.2kg per wheel and used in motorsport. I'm sure it would be fine if all the roads i drive on were butter smooth, sadly they're not.

Ditto.

Reason why i went for LCR wheels due to sound advise from unclefester. At the end of the day you get what you pay for. You can get some good replica alloys but at the end of the day you never know until you buy and try them for 6 months to a year. Could end up being an expensive mistake.

 

[RikH]

can see festers point
but if he hadnt wrecked his..........he would still have them today
and iirc he changed a perfectly good set of wheels to have them

had my rs6's on roughly 2 years now, all straight as an arrow still and been powdercoated without any problems

up to you
depends what you want out of the wheel, if your fussy about weight etc etc then i wouldnt bother. then again i wouldnt have a leon if i was bothered about a fast car and weight of parts

 

[UncleFester]

can see festers point
but if he hadnt wrecked his..........he would still have them today
and iirc he changed a perfectly good set of wheels to have them

had my rs6's on roughly 2 years now, all straight as an arrow still and been powdercoated without any problems

up to you
depends what you want out of the wheel, if your fussy about weight etc etc then i wouldnt bother. then again i wouldnt have a leon if i was bothered about a fast car and weight of parts

The point is Rik, you don't know if our wheels were even cast in the same factory - wheelbase buy them from whichever chinese / italian / japanese supplier is selling them at the time. They were bent long before i hit that last pothole, that just killed them off.

 

[nicko16]

The point is Rik, you don't know if our wheels were even cast in the same factory - wheelbase buy them from whichever chinese / italian / japanese supplier is selling them at the time. They were bent long before i hit that last pothole, that just killed them off.

This is interesting, I asked Rochford where they got there's from and they didn't know? They could not verify the country of manufacture either.

Do any re-seller sell Italian reps only? Were your reps from wheelbase uncle?

 

[UncleFester]

That's the problem - i don't know. Granted i'm heavy footed and i did drive through one hell of hole ...... but they were wobbly long before that. I'm starting to view wheels like brakes, not an area i'd care to skimp on. IIRC Rochford tyres and wheelbase are similar places.S

 

[RikH]

dont think mine came from wheelbase, cant remember.doesnt matter anyway

in all reality, if it were my choice id be running BBS's but the reason i got replica's (along with most) is cost