Why are some people weird about wheels?

[moatilliatta]

This also frustrates me because reps are just replicas. They didn't have to do the initial hard work. Whether it be Taiwan, China, Or Poland, And that cheap price is for cheap, almost "subsidized" labor.

[rturbo 930]

Genuine items always command a premium. Real Ferrari or replica? Real painting or a print? Real Rolex or a fake? You get the idea. Authenticity can't be replicated.

[roguetoaster]

Genuine items always command a premium. Real Ferrari or replica? Real painting or a print? Real Rolex or a fake? You get the idea. Authenticity can't be replicated.

But it can be replicated, and ultimately, if it's 1:1 functionally/cosmetically there is no difference. The ability to make something on an industrial scale is not special or limited to certain parties.

[e30austin]

my mentor always said "do it once, and do it correctly." so, that is the motto i try to live by. spend the money, buy the correct item, do the job once. quality items will forever hold their value, i think. replicas can be made over and over again, usually for far cheaper - usually, there's a reason for that.

[rturbo 930]

But it can be replicated, and ultimately, if it's 1:1 functionally/cosmetically there is no difference. The ability to make something on an industrial scale is not special or limited to certain parties.

It can't. There are perfect replicas being made of the Bugatti Type 35, and they do not command nearly the price of the original examples made in period by Bugatti. Bugatti, as it existed at the time, is permanently defunct, and the mastermind behind the vehicle is dead. There will never be another authentic Type 35 made.

If you don't care if your BBS wheels were actually made by BBS, or just look the part, fine, but prices reflect the fact that there's plenty of people who do.

[roguetoaster]

It can't. There are perfect replicas being made of the Bugatti Type 35, and they do not command nearly the price of the original examples made in period by Bugatti. Bugatti, as it existed at the time, is permanently defunct, and the mastermind behind the vehicle is dead. There will never be another authentic Type 35 made.

If you don't care if your BBS wheels were actually made by BBS, or just look the part, fine, but prices reflect the fact that there's plenty of people who do.

Isn't it just a marketing exercise? If two parts are cast in the same way from molds in the same plant, and held to the same standards what's the actual difference if one is BBS and one is whatever?

Look at it another way, if the E30 were made by Isuzu would they be as loved as they are? Doubtful IMO, even if the car was identical.

[Victell]

Thread title delivers.

[rturbo 930]

Isn't it just a marketing exercise? If two parts are cast in the same way from molds in the same plant, and held to the same standards what's the actual difference if one is BBS and one is whatever?

Look at it another way, if the E30 were made by Isuzu would they be as loved as they are? Doubtful IMO, even if the car was identical.

What I think it comes down to is that people see someone creating something that has an intangible special quality about it that puts it above things made by others, and they want what was originally made by that person or company, not from someone just copying the design (and also not having had to come up with the design, they're just remaking someone else's creation).

[roguetoaster]

What I think it comes down to is that people see someone creating something that has an intangible special quality about it that puts it above things made by others, and they want what was originally made by that person or company, not from someone just copying the design (and also not having had to come up with the design, they're just remaking someone else's creation).

It's an interesting take on the scenario, and not one I would have considered on my own. I get the original versus derivative, I suppose I am just okay with getting something that's a little less inventive at a lower point of entry, or in other words, I'm extremely cost driven.

[hteverow]

rturbo 930 and roguetoaster have the best comments in this thread. I get the authenticity argument, but that bit about an E30 being made by Isuzu is funny and apt. I think replicas get a bad rap mostly because people can be snobs about this stuff. Even I am of two minds about this: there's a part of me that would prefer a Porsche 550 Spyder over a Beck 550 Spyder, but...I'd probably have more fun driving the Beck, because it's not so insanely valuable that I worry about driving it too hard. I think I probably feel the same about replica wheels--if it looks good and performs well, good enough. Wheels are for driving on, not for preserving in a basement hoping they'll hold their value.

[roguetoaster]

^
Concur.

[rturbo 930]

It's an interesting take on the scenario, and not one I would have considered on my own. I get the original versus derivative, I suppose I am just okay with getting something that's a little less inventive at a lower point of entry, or in other words, I'm extremely cost driven.

Yeah I don't blame you, like I said, if you just want it to look the part that's fine, and I'd consider going for a good quality replica myself as well, since as much as I'd like to have the real thing, at the end of the day, I like to use my stuff, and that means it'll pick up some damage at some point and it's nice not having to worry about damaging something special or worth real money.

rturbo 930 and roguetoaster have the best comments in this thread. I get the authenticity argument, but that bit about an E30 being made by Isuzu is funny and apt. I think replicas get a bad rap mostly because people can be snobs about this stuff. Even I am of two minds about this: there's a part of me that would prefer a Porsche 550 Spyder over a Beck 550 Spyder, but...I'd probably have more fun driving the Beck, because it's not so insanely valuable that I worry about driving it too hard. I think I probably feel the same about replica wheels--if it looks good and performs well, good enough. Wheels are for driving on, not for preserving in a basement hoping they'll hold their value.

I think a large part of the reason replicas get a bad reputation is because they're often poor quality, and more accurately described as 'imitations' than an actual replica, which, to be true to definition, would mean that it is a perfectly replicated version of the real thing. What we actually see when someone says its a replica is usually a body that looks kinda like the real thing, but on the wrong frame with the wrong suspension and engine, and the body is kinda similar, but looks goofy and the curves are off, and its made out of fiberglass instead of aluminum.

The Bugatti Type 35 I mentioned earlier is an example of a true replica, and there's a strong argument in that instance to purchase the replica over the original. The original will be about 2.5-3 million dollars, and the replica about a tenth of that, but it is exactly the same car, just made by someone else, and it's brand new instead of nearly a hundred years old, and they offer a few desirable improvements over the original that make it a bit more practical to actually use. The only downside to speak of is that it's not the real thing.

Here's a Jay Leno's Garage episode on the Pur Sang Bugatti replica https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIxlql0Ebnc

Going back to wheels, I don't know of a single BBS RS "replica" that is actually a replica, and I definitely don't know of one that meets the quality of the original. If there were a replica BBS RS that was of equal, or even better quality than the original but cheaper, I'd be all over it. But that's rarely the case. The closest I can think of are wheels made by Japanese companies in period that more or less copied euro wheels. SSR Mesh, some Hayashi Racing Equipment wheels, etc. Not quite replicas but clearly a borrowed design, while also being high quality.

[nando]

Genuine 3 piece BBS RS have been rare/expensive for a long, long time now. I assume you're new to E30s, because people have been complaining about their high cost as long as I've been around.

There's nothing in the aftermarket that is truly identical either - maybe similar in looks, but basically all of them are poorer quality single piece cast (not multi piece forged) made to sell for cheap prices.

You can rebuild a real BBS wheel, you can't do the same thing with a Chinese knockoff. You just throw it away and buy a new one.

personally, I like them but they're a huge pain in the ass to clean. I would definitely not want to be bothered cleaning a $300 knock off set to make it look pretty.. too much work for a fake.

[digger]

Isn't it just a marketing exercise? If two parts are cast in the same way from molds in the same plant, and held to the same standards what's the actual difference if one is BBS and one is whatever?

Look at it another way, if the E30 were made by Isuzu would they be as loved as they are? Doubtful IMO, even if the car was identical.

the devil is in the details, there is cast material composition and cleanliness and heat treat, stress relieve and infinite permutation and combinations of how to do things and quality checks along the way to ensure the thing when sectioned doesn't look like an aero bar. then there are thing like locating features and setup to make the machining removal uniform material from the cast part so that the thing remains round after material is removed and has been used in service.

Private sale price is not a reflection of quality its a reflection of demand