Real Vs. Fake Wheels Explained

 

Real vs. Fake Wheels | What's The Difference?

At Driver Motorsports, we pride ourselves on offering real wheels on our entire inventory of JDM-imported vehicles. But what does that mean? Great question. For us, Real wheels signify a brand and design of aftermarket wheels that are authentic, carefully engineered and originated from Japan exclusively. While this is a more stringent approach to some of our competitors and wheel dealers, we truly believe in the heritage that Japanese wheel companies provide our industry and that level of care in quality extends to the vehicles we sell. 

On the other hand, “fake wheels” is a common term to describe wheels that copy or imitate designs, sizes, or styles from real wheel manufacturers. 

Real wheels typically carry an increased attention to detail, feature more design elements, and have undergone a more stringent quality control process versus their real wheel counterparts.

 

 

           

 

A Brief History of “Real Wheels”

Real wheels have been around since the early 1950s and have primarily dominated the Japanese and European market of aftermarket wheel manufacturing. Most brands that host the “real wheel” tagline have history in the early 1970’s of JGTC racing, WRC, and even Formula 1. 

Over time, these wheel manufacturers began exclusively producing wheels for on-the-track usage and had found demand from spectators who wanted something similar on their street vehicle. Companies like Rays Engineering found this with their TE37, Work found this with their Emotion series, and Enkei with their RPF1. 

The following decades would continue to see this development of racing wheels trickle into street variants and ultimately; onto modified cars that we all know and love. 

Design Differences Between Real Wheels & Fake Wheels

Design elements can be tough to spot if you’re looking at a wheel that is $200 vs. $800, but here at Driver Motorsports, it’s easy to notice the differences. Always know that all our imported vehicles, regardless of “Premium Inventory” or “Direct From Japan” feature real wheels.

 

Some key differences between real wheels and fake wheels are:

• Construction | Often enough, most real wheels are either forged, rotary forged, or multi-piece construction. Replica wheels will often replicate the design, but in a low-pressure cast or gravity cast construction.

• Finish & Quality | Replica wheels will feature a single coat finish on their wheels, whereas real wheels feature a multi-stage paint and clear process which increases the strength of the paint against dings, dents, and bends.

• Imitation Elements | Replica wheels will utilize terms that look like “TUV,” “FEA,” “JWL,” and even brand acronyms (BBS, Volk, Forged) but use different words to make it look the same. Common acronyms would be “RAW,” “KIKI,” “BORN,” and more.

Are Rep Wheels The Same As Fake Wheels?

No. Fake wheels often gain popularity due to their lower cost and similarity to real wheels. Oftentimes, fake wheels imitate center caps, spoke designs, colors, and even names (BBS vs. 55S) to trick consumers into buying their wheels. Due to the shortcuts fake wheels commonly take to save on cost, most customers will experience “exploded” wheels when fake wheels take an impact or bends in everyday driving conditions; ruining tires and giving you a poor overall experience.

Why We Care At Driver Motorsports

We put value on the vehicles we import and care about the heritage of each JDM that leaves our lot. Our goal is always to ensure you have the best possible experience with your JDM car and that includes leaving on wheels that won’t leave you stranded. 

 

Remember, if you have any questions about finding your next dream JDM dream import car, give us a call at 434-944-1421 or email us at drivermotorsports@gmail.com