Are "Real" wheels really worth it?

[gtman]

That's some crazy poke you have there Mitch. Any rubbing?

Most likely. I guess I shouldn't have bought -88 offset wheels, huh?

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[m_kluch]

My man, I have just the solution for you. Ive got a set of name brand wheels for very cheap if you want to go name brand. $300 and they’re yours

 

[rhino]

My man, I have just the solution for you. Ive got a set of name brand wheels for very cheap if you want to go name brand. $300 and they’re yours

okay backstory time wtf happened

 

[dellyjoughnut]

I just went through this whole thread and people focus on metal barrels with spokes and leave out the tire sidewall height and other factors that determine if wheels survive a 3-inch or 4-inch deep pothole. A Tesla with 21-inch aluminum cast wheels, 30 sidewall tires have cracked on some owners hitting a pothole. I am sure I can crack Honda's stock 18" aluminum cast wheels in a 4-inch deep pothole going 40mph on 20 profile tires.

Everyone wants low-profile tires these days. It's a trade-off with impact resistance against potholes.




Personally, I would be happy to see the specification/test data showing the breakdown of individual elements in the alloy used, ultimate strength, tensile strength, impact; the whole 9 yards of data set relevant to the wheel. The closes I can get is Austria TUV certification and Japan's own test. The US has the SAE tests, but that's not viewable to the public. This would just help me decide if buying cheaper wheels is better if the test data shows they are as good as the brands people know.

I'm sure it is 100% possible to run replica wheels that do not crack on a pothole as long as the tire profile is adequate for the vehicle's weight.

 

[gtman]

I just went through this whole thread and people focus on metal barrels with spokes and leave out the tire sidewall height and other factors that determine if wheels survive a 3-inch or 4-inch deep pothole.

I'm sure it is 100% possible to run replica wheels that do not crack on a pothole as long as the tire profile is adequate for the vehicle's weight.

I guess you missed this post.

https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/are-real-wheels-really-worth-it.60888/post-965285

 

[Si_chRis]

One last thing to all you "real wheel" connoisseurs out there. Just a couple pics to illustrate a point. Yes, expensive is better, much better. But far from invincible.

My man, I have just the solution for you. Ive got a set of name brand wheels for very cheap if you want to go name brand. $300 and they’re yours

Although these are "real wheels", they are the cheaper Gram Lights lineup that Rays offers that are cast. So the crack damage you see there is expected.

The Volk lineup from Rays is forged. Given forged wheels can withstand damage a lot better, they will bend before they crack like the Gram Lights. The Volk lineup also costs nearly double what Gram Lights do.

 

[Hasdrubal]

I missed the first post on sidewall height too, was about to say the same thing. And not just for reducing damage, for comfort too. 17" wheels are a noticeably smoother ride than 18," and choosing the right tire will let you keep the more direct steering feel by having a relatively stiff sidewall construction.

There's a happy medium, of course. When I switch from 16" to 15" wheels (Blizzaks) on my Fit, it changes the whole character of the car. It feels squishy and sloppy- and yes I know winter tires aren't going to feel very sporty, but it reminds me of driving a Jetta TDI the wife used to have with 15" all seasons.

To the original question, though, for street driving I don't think it's worth the performance for expensive wheels, definitely worth it for good tires. The thing is, for street driving you're not looking for performance. As others have suggested, get the wheels you really want, or every time you look at the car there will be a small, persistent voice, saying you shouldn't have done it that way.

 

[ValkenDnB]

I’m going to agree with Gtman, different people have different budgets and uses. If I see volks vs avid wheels I really don’t care for one over the other. They both look nice. I don’t track, I’m more concerned on having a good tire than the brand of someone’s wheel. I’ve seen people with $1800 rims that look trash imo and some with $800 wheels that look better, again, imo. If I’m not tracking or having a show car, I’d rather save the money and put it toward some tires or a performance mod at that. Buy whatever wheel makes you happy. It’s your money. I live in a city full of potholes and wouldn’t dare lower my car anymore than whiteline’s springs offer. I’ll take a meatier tire every day of the week instead.

 

[m_kluch]

Bought a wrecked civic with those on there. Car went over a curb with all four at some speed.

 

[AlphaDigital]

Bought a wrecked civic with those on there. Car went over a curb with all four at some speed.

I bet you could do something cool with those wheels, like using them in some sort of decorative fashion or something.

 

[SonicBreezerST160]

Some of you guys mention how real wheels get banged up too and youre right, no matter how strong they are theyre not invincible.

But I think its important to take a step back and consider what would happen to fake wheels if you managed to bend a forged wheel bad enough that it needs fixing or replacing. In probably all the cases, a cheaper wheel would snap, a forged one wont.

Theres more to just the cost of replacing a wheel at this point. Safety being the highest concern. I know the situation is extreme, but if youre already considering situations where you damage a forged wheel in this thread then you should consider how drastic of an impact is needed to do that and how much of your safety and your passengers safety youre willing to risk.

And yes its already been mentioned but there are plenty of performance aspects to the wheels as well.

That's all well and good, but the wheel the OP is interested in (Work CR Kai) isn't forged to start with. They are low pressure cast. They are quality no doubt, but I'm with the train of thought that quality tires are just as, if not more (?) important.

 

[gtman]

I missed the first post on sidewall height too, was about to say the same thing. And not just for reducing damage, for comfort too. 17" wheels are a noticeably smoother ride than 18," and choosing the right tire will let you keep the more direct steering feel by having a relatively stiff sidewall construction.

To the original question, though, for street driving I don't think it's worth the performance for expensive wheels, definitely worth it for good tires. The thing is, for street driving you're not looking for performance. As others have suggested, get the wheels you really want, or every time you look at the car there will be a small, persistent voice, saying you shouldn't have done it that way.

I totally am with you in terms of wheel reliability on the street. Not going too low profile helps protect those cheaper replica wheels. I mean, a replica wheel with a 45 profile tire may have a better chance over a bad pothole as a "real" wheel with 30 profile rubber bands.

In terms of replica vs. real, like I've said a couple times, if folks want to pay top dollar for forged wheels, go for it. They're the best. But for many of us, that's not feasible. Let's face it, most of us (not all) purchased our Civic because it offered a great combo of power, handling, fuel economy, reliability and price.

But let's say you can afford a brand new, good quality "real" wheel like a Volk TE37, for example. Let's say in 18x9, with some meaty Michelin 4S tires. That would be a typical high end performance setup on an Si. You're probably looking at easily spending $4,000 for that setup. Out of my price league, for sure.

So instead, I spent my mod money on my EX-L this way:

18" Tire Rack P3 Anthracite Wheels
Continental DWS06 tires (45 profile)
Type R subframe brace
Ultra Racing rear lower bar
Si rear sway bar
DC Sports carbon steel front strut bar
PRL silicone hose & aFe Pro Dry S filter
Exterior carbon trim (some real, some fake)
Interior carbon trim (some real, some fake)
Stainless steel pedals
Stainless steel door sills
OEM body side molding
Unity smoked amber side markers
Hondata Flashpro
KTuner V2
TSP 1 & Phearable 1.5 OTS tunes
Lloyd Ultimat floor mats

I'm actually leaving off a few more minor items because my hand was cramping up. Point here being, for just a little more than that same $4,000, I was able to mod my entire car, my way.

Real wheels? It's all about budget, driving style and priorities.

 

[aerodynamics]

The irony of it all is, at the end of the day, you're doing this for internet likes. Outside of you, they're the only people who care what wheels you have. No one IRL is gonna pull up on you on the street and point out your rep wheels, unless you're at a car meet I suppose. So do what makes YOU happy.

 

[rhino]

Bought a wrecked civic with those on there. Car went over a curb with all four at some speed.

Damn that’s crazy!

 

[geeeek]

The only reason I bought new wheels was to reduce weight from oem, I figured since I'm technically paying for weight reduction I should make it count. From what I can tell rpf1 is just about the lightest and readily available budget wheel even across enkei's lineup and seems to be reasonably sturdy. Most wheels that weighed similarly to enkeis cost around 3k for a set. I think motegi traklites were also very similar on the cheap but I don't like the design as much.

Then I went and powdercoated my wheels which apparently compromises their durability. Do whatever you want because anyone that wants to criticize your choices badly enough will find something to point out.

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