Your take on rotas

[slideonKais]

Fact is, if I can afford to drop stupid money on wheels, I can afford to also build my engine.

I'm sorry that you have to choose.

that was awesome.

[Will™]

I`m not a fan of rotas. Here in Ireland everyone with an s13/14/15 has them on their car. I asked a fella why he was looking for rota gtr`s when there was a mint set of used LMGT4`s for sale in the FS section of a forum for around the same money as new rotas and he looked at me and asked what they were.

I found that a lot of people here didn`t even know that rotas designs weren`t original and some people even bragged about having them with stickers all over their cars.

I think that they`re dangerous and they have no safety rating which companies like WORK and RAYS have to spend thousands in development and testing to adhere t, only to have rota churning knock offs that have been proven to be unsafe when used on track.

I also think they take from the originals in the same way that piracy has affected the film/music industry.
My attitude is if I cant afford it, then I`ll save hard or do without. I wont buy anything replica. I guess you could call me an imit-*****, lol.

[riffman12]

I don't think "you gotta pay to play" is a very good argument for this. VERY few people on here bought their BBS / Volks / Works / SSRs etc. at MSRP from the manufacturer

If you buy a used set of (insert baller wheels here) off craigslist for a steal of my price, you are not supporting the wheel industry any more than if you bought a set of new Rotas

So as much as I'd like to say I supported legit wheel companies, I haven't. As much as I'd like to say I'm a baller because I have FM10's, I'm not.

That being said, it sure is nice telling people that I have legit wheels. I also feel safer on them after having a replica wheel split in half on me at 70mph

I wouldn't buy Rotas based on personal experience with rep wheels, but those of you who think you're an elite baller wheel whore because you bought a set of RS's for $250 or a set of TE37's from a wife parting out her cheating husband's car, are just fooling yourselves.

In my mind, if you can go and buy a brand new set of BBS in whatever size / offset then you, sir, are baller. The rest of you need to cut the elitist crap. It's just silly.

[phish sticks]

I don't think "you gotta pay to play" is a very good argument for this. VERY few people on here bought their BBS / Volks / Works / SSRs etc. at MSRP from the manufacturer

If you buy a used set of (insert baller wheels here) off craigslist for a steal of my price, you are not supporting the wheel industry any more than if you bought a set of new Rotas

So as much as I'd like to say I supported legit wheel companies, I haven't. As much as I'd like to say I'm a baller because I have FM10's, I'm not.

That being said, it sure is nice telling people that I have legit wheels. I also feel safer on them after having a replica wheel split in half on me at 70mph

I wouldn't buy Rotas based on personal experience with rep wheels, but those of you who think you're an elite baller wheel whore because you bought a set of RS's for $250 or a set of TE37's from a wife parting out her cheating husband's car, are just fooling yourselves.

In my mind, if you can go and buy a brand new set of BBS in whatever size / offset then you, sir, are baller. The rest of you need to cut the elitist crap. It's just silly.

Well put, you are a baller for painting your fm10's baby blue tho.

[Steve]

This thread really makes me question the unity of this forum. Isnt the car world supposed to be something that has an equal playing field? If all of you are really going to be that exclusive because someone doesn't have the means to or does not want to spend that much money on a set of "baller" wheels, then that is a really arrogant and shitty attitude to have.

Questions for all the "baller wheel whores" out there. How many of you have actually purchased NEW wheels from BBS, Volk, HRE, etc.?

[Jedidiah]

So I think based on both the polling numbers, and the various amounts of passionate opinions, it is evident that we aren't going to reach a resolve on this one.

Me personally.. having a entrepreneur background, I understand what it takes to build something from nothing especially when that something is original. There is ALOT that goes into making a wheel, both from creativity aspect as well as the science and safety of it. I can understand when wheel companies produce a wheel that is influenced by a popular design... however a direct copy, to be made with the cheapest materials to meet a price point that undercuts the entire market? I can't support that... This isn't about "how big your bank account is" or who has the most "baller set of wheels".. more comes down to honoring those who forged the road to create these popular designs with the standards that anyone would expect from a safety and quality standpoint.

At this point, I think everyone has had plenty of time to state their position. Let's all work towards encouraging one another to support the innovators that help build the market, that creates a bigger opportunity for other's to get involved. At the end of the day, if we continue to support Rep companies, we will end up cannibalizing the market leaving us with nothing... food for thought.