Imported vs. Domestic-made Wheels?

[18psi]

If your referring to me, how am I dodging your point?

By drawing a self appointed line in the sand and preaching the whole 'MURICUHH thing when your american car has a bunch of chinese parts on it. And lots of things you even admitted yourself to using that are foreign made.

That's all

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[MRRDesignWheels]

Well, thank you all for contributing to this thread. It's become pretty colorful in here thus far. :lol:

Paul's response on Monday night was spot-on and answered my question perfectly. So, while I too like to buy US-made products when possible, if the glaring majority of aftermarket wheels for sale in this country are made somewhere else, then that's something I'm just going to have to accept. It's called the "global economy" and it's here to stay. However, I cannot justify spending $500 or more for a single wheel. Some people can and that's on them because in the end, it's their money. It's just not how I operate, and that's cool too. After all, $150, $250, $350 and $950 wheels exist because there is a market for them, right?

I look at it this way: if I'm out with my wife for dinner downtown and accidentally catch the curb while parallel parking, I'd handle the situation much better if I scraped up a $250 cast wheel than a $750 fully forged one. Since I am still shopping around, I'm trying to single out wheels that are NOT made in China. Taiwan, fine. Japan, fine. Germany, fine. Just not a communist nation.

Hurricane if you check around the forum you will see that we have a great reputation and we have been known to help a member or two out with some crazy stuff, PM me I pick you for todays " MRR wants to help you deal":cheers: ( you wont regret it) ask around they will tell you.;)

 

[Aarron_M]

Hurricane if you check around the forum you will see that we have a great reputation and we have been known to help a member or two out with some crazy stuff, PM me I pick you for todays " MRR wants to help you deal":cheers: ( you wont regret it) ask around they will tell you.;)

Damn, what do I gotta do to get picked? Want me to tell a military story, or disabled vet story? ;) PICK ME...pick me!

 

[mike@vossen]

In the United States, you can find a cheaper, foreign-made version of just about anything. Most notably, China is a huge producer of cheap, knock-off products, covering everything from appliances to watches. Considering the huge market in the US for car and truck wheels, it's no surprise that many companies have their products made overseas. After all, businesses are out to make money. Heck, the S550 itself isn't even made with 100% American parts.

Here's my question: Other than being able to say that I bought a "Made in America" product, is there any REAL benefit to spending a significant amount of extra money on a set of wheels made in this country? I totally understand the differences in HOW wheels are made (gravity casting, pressure casting, rotary forging, etc.), but I'm concerned with WHERE they are made in relation to quality and durability. Over the years, I have bought plenty of Chinese-made products that are good, but also many that are horrible.

For example, let's take three 5-spoke wheels that are almost identical in appearance, the DF5 from LMR, the Rovos Durban and the Vossen CV3. A 20x8.5/10 staggered set of the DF5s in gunmetal is about $765 without any coupon/promo codes, while a set of Durbans in the same size/color costs almost twice as much at $1,400. A set of the CV3s in 20x9/10.5 costs a whopping $2,500 which is more than THREE times the amount of the DF5s.

While I can't find the exact details/location anywhere, I imagine the DF5s are gravity cast and made in China. The Durbans are low-pressure cast and likely made overseas as well, since I can't find any concrete information about where they're manufactured. If they are made in the US, that is something that I would want to shout from the rooftops if I'm Rovos, so I'm guessing they're not. Lastly, the CV3s are low-pressure cast as well, but made in the USA, as their website clearly and proudly states.

The DF5s weigh about 28lbs each. The Durbans and the CV3s are the same, at about 25-27lbs each based on what info I could dig up. Let's face it though, on a 3700lb car, no one is going to notice an extra 2-3lbs at each corner.

With all this info in mind, can anyone tell me why an individual should purchase a set of more expensive wheels other than bragging rights? Are there any safety or reliability issues in play here? My car is a DD and doesn't get raced. While I definitely do enjoy talking about the car to other people, I'm not one to blurt out or brag in conversation how much every part or mod costs unless someone specifically asks. Besides, with the car moving or even sitting still at a meet, a person wouldn't even be able to tell the brand of wheels anyway without getting REAL close to them or outright asking you.

If any of you M6G.com wheel manufacturer or retailer sponsors out there can share some more info regarding this topic, I'd definitely be happy to hear it. Thanks!

We live in a global economy today and to me, as in my personal opinion, it starts with the head management and how much they want to produce the best product no matter where it is produced.

Lets take car brands for example. Acura's are made here mostly, BMW/Benz's made in Alabama, S.C, I think the Ford GT will actually be built in Canada, down to Toyota, VW built here. Audi, BMW, Buick etc all build in China as well.

Heck lets look at the very computers and phones we are posting from, most likely made in Asia. To me if the company cars about quality, they will ensure their factory, their processes and their employees reflect that. If they don't, it doesn't matter where the product is made. As you stated not everything in Asia is poorly made, some of the factories are as good as it gets in regards to technology and quality.

Our wheels are made in Asia, Japan and the USA, it depends on the wheel you choose. All our factories are TUV Verified, no matter what country it is in.

Let me also add that high end and leading wheel companies, lead! Which means many times top brands do all the expensive R&D etc to produce a wheel which is knocked-off or copied by some other company who did absolutely no R&D into their product. It is a REPLICA. This is bigger than wheels, personally I don't rock a replica anything, I rather either not have it or wait to buy it.

People choose what they want based on various factors we all know. My personal belief is support leading wheel brands that invest in R&D and are trying to produce the best product because a top brand will produce top wheels no matter what the country of origin is.

 

[MRRDesignWheels]

We live in a global economy today and to me, as in my personal opinion, it starts with the head management and how much they want to produce the best product no matter where it is produced.

Lets take car brands for example. Acura's are made here mostly, BMW/Benz's made in Alabama, S.C, I think the Ford GT will actually be built in Canada, down to Toyota, VW built here. Audi, BMW, Buick etc all build in China as well.

Heck lets look at the very computers and phones we are posting from, most likely made in Asia. To me if the company cars about quality, they will ensure their factory, their processes and their employees reflect that. If they don't, it doesn't matter where the product is made. As you stated not everything in Asia is poorly made, some of the factories are as good as it gets in regards to technology and quality.

Our wheels are made in Asia, Japan and the USA, it depends on the wheel you choose. All our factories are TUV Verified, no matter what country it is in.

Let me also add that high end and leading wheel companies, lead! Which means many times top brands do all the expensive R&D etc to produce a wheel which is knocked-off or copied by some other company who did absolutely no R&D into their product. It is a REPLICA. This is bigger than wheels, personally I don't rock a replica anything, I rather either not have it or wait to buy it.

People choose what they want based on various factors we all know. My personal belief is support leading wheel brands that invest in R&D and are trying to produce the best product because a top brand will produce top wheels no matter what the country of origin is.

Was up Mike !!! well said and well spoken I agree with you
although in some cases you know we do step into the rep game but not other brand wheels as thats not our thing. so although we do supply wheels that are of our design, RnD,marketing, testing and all the above we do choose to offer some vehicle reps but as you can see the price merits the fact that is a rep compared to our original products and we put our reputation behind it just as Vossen has and continues to do so. :cheers:

 

[mike@vossen]

Was up Mike !!! well said and well spoken I agree with you
although in some cases you know we do step into the rep game but not other brand wheels as thats not our thing. so although we do supply wheels that are of our design, RnD,marketing, testing and all the above we do choose to offer some vehicle reps but as you can see the price merits the fact that is a rep compared to our original products and we put our reputation behind it just as Vossen has and continues to do so. :cheers:

Whats up Carlos. Much love brother. Loving your new stuff.

 

[MRRDesignWheels]

Whats up Carlos. Much love brother. Loving your new stuff.

Thanks Mike !!! :cheers:

 

[Need4SpeedMotors]

Thats ok because I have Michelin pilot sport cup 2s and super sports both made in the USA. I also have a set of FORGELINE ga1R open lugs for my gt350.


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Nice you got the forgeline wheels, sweet.

 

[Hurricane]

Let me also add that high end and leading wheel companies, lead! Which means many times top brands do all the expensive R&D etc to produce a wheel which is knocked-off or copied by some other company who did absolutely no R&D into their product. It is a REPLICA. This is bigger than wheels, personally I don't rock a replica anything, I rather either not have it or wait to buy it.

I understand and appreciate all you said Mike and thanks for adding some more valuable info to this thread about Vossen wheels. I do have to play Devil's Advocate though with what you mentioned regarding knock-offs and replicas. You guys who are in the wheel business, be it designing, manufacturing, marketing or retailing, you all are up to speed on who is coming out with new products and what those products look like. You guys know immediately if Company A releases a new style of wheel, then Company B comes along six months later and releases their own cheaper copy of that wheel. You know who's the innovator and who's the duplicator. Being in the industry affords you that knowledge.

You guys in the business shouldn't get frustrated at Joe Car Buyer for what parts he buys because as a consumer with beginner or possibly moderate knowledge in the field of car parts, Joe doesn't give a flying flip which company first created a particular style of wheel or a spoiler or anything else that can get copied. He just knows he sees something and wants it.

Let's face it, most car owners who aren't enthusiasts, but merely use their vehicle to get from A to B will never join a forum like this. If they want new wheels for their car, they'll go to Pep Boys or some similar place and buy whatever is hanging from the wall. They don't care where it was built or who first designed it. They simply say "that will look good on my car, so I want it." The person who does a simple search online for "mustang wheels" probably doesn't care either. They end up on one of a thousand wheel retailer websites, where they browse, find something they like that they can afford, and buy it. No research needed and no quality control or R&D cares in the world.

Speaking about myself personally, I tend to research the heck out of something before making a large purchase, especially when we're talking several hundred dollars or WAY more. Because of this, I have learned (for the most part) over the past month who makes quality wheels and who I may want to avoid. But, I might be in the minority there. Us consumers who care have to look out for crummy products and you manufacturers/retailers have to deal with the copy cats who make those products. To a certain extent, we're in the same boat here. :cheers:

 

[mike@vossen]

I understand and appreciate all you said Mike and thanks for adding some more valuable info to this thread about Vossen wheels. I do have to play Devil's Advocate though with what you mentioned regarding knock-offs and replicas. You guys who are in the wheel business, be it designing, manufacturing, marketing or retailing, you all are up to speed on who is coming out with new products and what those products look like. You guys know immediately if Company A releases a new style of wheel, then Company B comes along six months later and releases their own cheaper copy of that wheel. You know who's the innovator and who's the duplicator. Being in the industry affords you that knowledge.

You guys in the business shouldn't get frustrated at Joe Car Buyer for what parts he buys because as a consumer with beginner or possibly moderate knowledge in the field of car parts, Joe doesn't give a flying flip which company first created a particular style of wheel or a spoiler or anything else that can get copied. He just knows he sees something and wants it.

Let's face it, most car owners who aren't enthusiasts, but merely use their vehicle to get from A to B will never join a forum like this. If they want new wheels for their car, they'll go to Pep Boys or some similar place and buy whatever is hanging from the wall. They don't care where it was built or who first designed it. They simply say "that will look good on my car, so I want it." The person who does a simple search online for "mustang wheels" probably doesn't care either. They end up on one of a thousand wheel retailer websites, where they browse, find something they like that they can afford, and buy it. No research needed and no quality control or R&D cares in the world.

Speaking about myself personally, I tend to research the heck out of something before making a large purchase, especially when we're talking several hundred dollars or WAY more. Because of this, I have learned (for the most part) over the past month who makes quality wheels and who I may want to avoid. But, I might be in the minority there. Us consumers who care have to look out for crummy products and you manufacturers/retailers have to deal with the copy cats who make those products. To a certain extent, we're in the same boat here. :cheers:

Hey, great post and I see what you are saying. :cheers:

 

[Need4SpeedMotors]

Side note Mike is right you should see his Shoe collection its insane lol, lord knows I see it on IG haha

Love you big guy ! ( PS have Diego send me a set of VPS306 wheels for the new ride coming in a few months !)

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