I agree with Kevin. I think when it comes to a safety point, you shouldn't buy replicas. Other things such as body kits, roof spoilers, etc should be fine.

 

This

 

real deal or nothing. at the end of the day you will feel soo much better knowing that your high quality Lexus has quality wheels from a high end company. Its a Lexus it only deserves the best. buy used if cost is a big issue

 

never buy fakes for go only for show

 

Don't buy 'em for "show" either. Authentic wheels take home the trophies.

 

I have this motto for MYSELF: Authentic or keep it stock!

 

When I get new wheels next year(maybe this yr....) I'll be getting real ones its not really worth being cheap lol

 

Lexus= authentic IMO..

 

do plenty of research, and get wheels that you feel is within your budget, and what the purpose is. for car show purposes or just for the sake of modding for yourself? with authentic though you can never go wrong of course in terms of quality. with wheel reps there are good and bad versions so just do research if you choose to go that route.

 

There was a quote around here that I kinda forgot, but it went something like this:
"the bitterness of subpar quality rims will outlast the short happiness of a good deal"

 

if you are a bad driver get fakes, if u are a good driver go authentic!

 

I do some work with a company that designs their own wheels and has another company manufacture them. A lot goes into stress-testing and certifying a wheel for use on the road in the USA. I'm not sure how the brittle 'fakies' do it, but they're out there and they're dangerous. Now a copy of a popular design by a reputable company is very different.

 

amen

 

Everything in life is a replica. Everything is a copy of a copy.
I'll buy replicas that I know are of good quality, from friends, reviews.

When I go to the Pharmacy i'll make sure I don't buy the Generic drug brand for $7.00 when I can get the "REAL ONE" for $195. Give me a break. Not everyone can afford to spend $3,000 on wheels. There is a trade off with the replicas there usually heavy but that does not mean they are crappy build quality. Run into a curb doing 50mph and i'm sure the Volk rim will be just as damaged as the Rota rim.

 

keep in mind that by supporting replica parts manufacturers, it's effectively taking away business from the authentic parts manufacturers. if/when you have enough replica parts manufacturers "stealing" designs and flooding the market with replicas, you end up in a long-term lose-lose situation: inferior quality wheels flood the market, driving up the price and value of authentic products. this shrinks the market for authentic products, and when not enough people buy them the authentic parts manufacturers lose business and are forced to restructure, move out of the market, or go under altogether.

best example of this is BBS germany filing for restructuring (US equivalent of chapter 11) in december 20, 2010, to refocus on high-end/specialty products. you think the number of lesser-priced replicas didn't affect BBS' business? what about volk racing/rays engineering? work wheels? with these replica parts manufacturers/companies (rota, konig, and even linea corse comes to mind) vulturing the business from these authentic parts manufacturers, it should not come as a surprise that the authentic parts manufacturers are hurting for business not only because of the threat of competition from these replica parts companies.

as individuals, we have the right to choose with our money. just don't mourn the death of our favorite companies/brands when they're gone.