Aftermarket Wheels

Joined
Sep 17, 2012
Messages
3,517
Location
A Barrier Island
I recently had four new tires installed on my Suzuki. The installer, Discount Tire, said that two of the stock wheels were 'slightly' bent and he put them on the rear to minimize the effect. He was correct that at higher speed I would get a vibration anyhow. Reconditioned OEM wheels are outrageous. I can buy two nice aftermarket for the price of one OEM. Since the other three are looking pretty dismal also, I'm in the market for new ones.

I've never bought wheels except for one time purchased some steel wheels just for winter tires. So some questions;

1. Wheels can be cast, flow forged or machined from a solid billet (very expensive)
2. Which are best for average street, no off road use?
3. Are they lighter than stock?

Size will be 18"x 8" 5-114 bolt pattern. I'm leaning towards either Borbet or Voxx offerings.

Advice, anybody with aftermarket experience? 🏁
 
I put a set of 20" Fuel Revolver wheels on my F150. Plan is 3 season with those and dedicated winter tires on the stock 18's. I have had the Fuel wheels for 2 years and about 20k miles. No vibrations and no issues.
 
I recently had four new tires installed on my Suzuki. The installer, Discount Tire, said that two of the stock wheels were 'slightly' bent and he put them on the rear to minimize the effect. He was correct that at higher speed I would get a vibration anyhow. Reconditioned OEM wheels are outrageous. I can buy two nice aftermarket for the price of one OEM. Since the other three are looking pretty dismal also, I'm in the market for new ones.

I've never bought wheels except for one time purchased some steel wheels just for winter tires. So some questions;

1. Wheels can be cast, flow forged or machined from a solid billet (very expensive)
2. Which are best for average street, no off road use?
3. Are they lighter than stock?

Size will be 18"x 8" 5-114 bolt pattern. I'm leaning towards either Borbet or Voxx offerings.

Advice, anybody with aftermarket experience? 🏁
Got Enkei SR6 for my R/T back in 04 from discount tire and they couldn't be balanced and driving was horrible. Discount tire had me take them to another outlet where they put them on the road force machine and they were perfect. Two years ago I put the lowest priced wheels at DT on my Nissan which are size 16. Both wheels mentioned are cast aluminum. I wasn't cheap I just liked the looks of them best. I've been fine for the past two years and I've been on the highway up to 90 mph and off road. The ones you suggest will do fine.
 
I've had very good longevity (structural and finish) with Momo wheels (four sets that are 7-13yrs. old without refinishing here in the Salt Belt), but I've only used their 15" and 16" variants. Roads are probably smoother in NC than they are here in MI, but more sidewall = smoother ride, less suspension component wear, less chance of more bent wheels, and less expensive tires and wheels. Putting 18" wheels with low profile tires on a passenger car may look more Hot Wheels cool, but it costs, as you're discovering. Happy motoring.
 
Here's a good site for a discussion of aftermarket wheels.


My BMW came with BBS wheels and they've been great.

But contrary to what the article says, I've had good luck with a set of Mille Miglia wheels that I've used as winter wheels on the BMW. On the other hand I haven't hit any curbs with them. They also look good; I've gotten compliments on my winter wheels - which has got to be rare.

And as they say, Sport Edition wheels are terrible. I had a set for the Honda and over the life of the tires the paint fell off the wheels in chunks and the tires frequently leaked without punctures, so presumably at the bead line. They looked awful and it would have cost more to refinish them than they cost in the first place. I recycled the wheels along with the worn out tires.
 
Between Borbet and Voxx, easily Borbet

Tire Rack says you can go down to 16 inch, which will give you a better ride along with tires that have real sidewalls, and they are less prone to damage. The Radius brand is very good, made in Italy and a great price :)
 
I just order packages from The Tire Rack. I've done this several times over the years. They make too easy.

Back in the summer I ordered wheels, tires and sensors all mounted and balanced and delivered to my door. I have a friend with a Tech Stream who programmed the sensors.

The wife’s car. She's very happy.

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Anything off tire rack is a safe bet. A lot of aftermarket wheel brands are a hit or miss. Besides the big name brands like HRE, Brixton, BBS, WORK etc. are fine. The lesser known brands are the ones to avoid. Especially cast wheels. I had XO luxury wheels on my car. Hit a slight dip in the road. Cracked the lip. Didn’t notice until I took them off and listed them for sale that I had a cracked rim on the front. This was in a 50 series tire.

I avoid aftermarket or rep wheels. I will pay full price for OEM stuff. Sport edition wheels off tire rack have a good reputation.
 
Be sure and check lug nut fitting. Some aftermarket wheel lugs may not fit with the original spare, so you may have to carry some OEM lug nuts/bolts.
 
Be sure and check lug nut fitting. Some aftermarket wheel lugs may not fit with the original spare, so you may have to carry some OEM lug nuts/bolts.
The Rack includes new lug nuts....even an extension socket so you can use the OE lug wrench on them. They also include center rings.

In my case the her Corolla had steel rims and use the same tapered acorn style nut. No reason to have to carry 2 different kinds.
 
Borbet will be better wheels than Voxx. You just need to find a style you like in your budget and go for it.

I have had many sets of aftermarket wheels with out any issues

most recent 2 sets I bought were from tire rack. Set before that was discount tire.
 
You can go down a crazy rabbit hole with aftermarket wheels. For a daily driver/commuter vehicle that sees "normal" road use, as said previously, look for a style you like (and if you upsize the wheel/smaller sidewall tires, be aware it can change ride characteristics) and as long it is from a reputable facility, don't worry too much. I have run many aftermarket wheels and haven't had any issues either. I would recommend not putting on a "universal" wheel, but other than that, I wouldn't worry much.
 
What's the Hollander part number for the wheel? How much are you aftermarket wheels anyway? For bent rims, I just get them bent back. Local place which I found on Yelp of all places charges $115 to bend them back which includes mounting and balancing the tire afterwards. Reconditioned OEM rims and replicas are about the same price, about $140 a rim for me so if the bent one is badly scratched up, I just get a replacement rim. I'm not a fan of aftermarket rims, they're made for a short while and if you break them a few years later, they stopped making them so you're SOL, plus aftermarket never looks right on the car, I prefer the OEM look.
 
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