WARNING: cheap wheels are bad news

[S-Express]

A guy I work with damaged one of his alloy wheels on his BMW (shame he has no taste in cars ) Anyway, it was cheaper for him to get 4 new reps than 1 new BMW original.
That was 4 months ago, today he asks me to take his car for a spin so I can diagnose the vibration he was getting............well after driving in a mile I decided my life was at risk and stopped to check the car over - both front wheel moving at least 10mm forwards and backwards in the arches, just as if the bushes were totally shot (which they were)...............guess why..............
All four, yes ALL FOUR wheels are buckled, you can see them wobbling when you watch the car move Every damn bush on that 3 year old car is fooked, probably his very expensive tyres too.
After seeing that, I will NEVER buy cheap wheels, must be OEM or premium brand!
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[K Simmonds]

Yep, couldn't agree more. Cheap wheels are a false economy and possibly in the worst circumstances down right dangerous. A good mate recently purchased an Avant with RS6 reps, not only did they weigh as much as a bag of cement but they were all 50p shaped.

[s2driveruk]

i've had rs4 reps for years, touchwood to date no issues - seem to have kept their shape but totally agree about weight

[Keeper of The Kitten]

I remember having a set of 17" TSW on an Audi 80, they were out of round - but they balanced easily, and the tyres wore evenly ...don't ask me how but they did - and I experienced no problems with them despite their shape.

[GazzaG60]

i bought some cheapish rims for my corrado once. they lasted a while then started to crack from tyhe inner lip ouotwards.

been bbs only since.

[Rusty]

I remember having a set of 17" TSW on an Audi 80, they were out of round - but they balanced easily, and the tyres wore evenly ...don't ask me how but they did - and I experienced no problems with them despite their shape.

TSW Blades, Venoms or Alpines wheels used to be simple back then

[DarrenM]

TSW Blades, Venoms or Alpines wheels used to be simple back then

I remember when the Venoms first hit the street, everyone was like "Noooo way!!", then they went out of fashion after a while. The thing is, at the mo HRE P40 wheels are a mega popular (and expensive!!)wheel for newer Porsche 996 &997 turbos/GT2's -i reckon they look just like venoms!!

[Jamo]

TSW Blades, Venoms or Alpines wheels used to be simple back then

The height of alloy fashion

[4WheelDrifter]

When were 3 spoke wheels or Venoms ever cool? Really?

[dm80]

This might explain my uneven tyre wear. I've since had top mounts replaced and am due a 4 wheel alignment, but still... hmmmmm Running S4 b5 reps..

[Knight Rider S4]

Its a beemer Derek what do you expect.....Speaking to that boy tomorrow by the way..will call you!

[URSIMPO]

Thats a bummer. I was thinking of getting BBS LM reps. Not so sure now!

[Keeper of The Kitten]

I had those five spoke Stealths ....they didn't survive though, all four were broken when the car was shunted!

[fish]

Were can you get theese LM rep´s??

[martinjs]

http://www.merseyspeed.co.uk/index.php/replica-wheels/audi/18-/bbs-lm-replacement-39-s/p_105.html

Apparently BBS have filed a lawsuit against the makers, so they may not be available for much longer from here.