mCassidy Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Info I am looking for: Aesthetics aside - I am looking for information on the quality & durability of cheaper aftermarket wheels vs. the stock 2005 LGT wheels. Background: I have a stock 2005 LGT Ltd. I commute daily to Westchester, NY. Bent a rim and killed a tire on a pothole.Had the rim repaired to learn that the other 3 are bent and also need repairing. Consideration; Cost to repair the remaining 3 wheels will run around $450 with mount and balance.For around the same $$ I could get some less expensive aftermarket wheels ($500-$600 price range). I am trying to figure out best option for moving forward. Spend the $450 to repair the remaining 3 OEM wheels or spend a bit more to get some new aftermarket wheels?? I need a durable setup for the commute without going steel. Any recommendations or facts would be appreciated. I will be replacing all tires at the same time. Thanks for your help - Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urfsin Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Get a nice fat rim design like Rota P45f and get a tire that has a bit more sidewall. Slide It Sideways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeFromPA Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 At $500-600, you probably won't find a wheel too much stronger than stock. Step it up to the $800-1200 range, and look for 17x7-17x8 wheels and you'll find some stronger. Also, don't go crazy for forged. A well made cast wheel (i.e. Enkei) will be exceptionally strong and decently light in weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBGuy Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 save your money and get a good well made rims. there are used rims out there for that price but it i rather save up and get some nice rims. why would you repair stock wheels. keep them and use it for off road or in snow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobydoobie Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Go aftermarket. You can find wheels that are lighter, wider and better looking in your price range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattg Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 A bad enough pothole will kill any wheel and tire. I think the OEM Enkei's are very stout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mCassidy Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 Thanks for the Enkei recommendations. Any other quality wheels in this price range I should look at? Thanks all, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 DRAG D31 wheels. Pick a color. I picked 18x8 gunmetal. 17x8 $499 or less Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobydoobie Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Thanks for the Enkei recommendations. Any other quality wheels in this price range I should look at? Thanks all, Michael Rota makes some good affordable wheels. They have a lot of 17" options in the $650-700 range: http://www.wheeldude.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=90_217_97_129 (and those prices are shipped too) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk6933 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Get some Enkeis.. They aren't too expensive, and good quality wheels. I personally wouldn't recommend Rota.. They look great, but I have nothing good to say about quality. If you consider Rota, as LALGT said, get some Drags. They are much cheaper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Heck yeah. The wife said "You know I'm just going to curb whatever wheel you get." I replied "Thats okay, I bet I can get a little discount for a replacement set. At this price, I should buy TWO sets instead of bothering with wheel repair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobydoobie Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 My Rotas have held up just fine over 4+ years and on two different subarus. Tons of people run them for a long time without issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I dont think MK's car has ever gone over 4000rpm (not a slam at all - he is a careful, polite driver who respects his car and cares for it like a lovechild - its UBER clean). The terrible quality of Los Angeles streets meant no lightweight wheels for me - in fact the stronger the better at a cheap price point. I'd love some OZ ULeg. FACT: The OEM wheels went in 50k worth of potholes without issue. The OEM wheels survived the wife climbing curbs WITH THE RIM LIP. The OEM wheels took a BEATING. I bought a set of used whatevertheywhere from GetErDun and a couple of potholes later one was out of round enough to see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drift Motion Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 rota are not bad quality wheels...just knock offs same with drag, xxr and all that crap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk6933 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I have 2 friends that have Rota... After the accident, they only have the outer lip left, all the spokes are gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 ^Id love to see pics. Id wager these were not hitting a parking block at 10mph wrecks but something that would destroy almost ANY wheel. Personally at a certain point id rather the wheel break than everything else. The pics I've seen of "Rota failure" are all from wrecks that the car is DONE or at least not driveable by any stretch of the imagination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougl33 Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Interesting topic. I've got a 2005 LGT Wagon LTD that I bought brand new back in Aug of 2004. Only 56K miles and all I've ever had to replace are brakes, wheels, and tires (knock on wood). I bought the wheel and tire protection package and picked up my last of 4 brand new wheels back in 2007/2008 (can't remember exactly). That was money well spent. I live in the NE and the pot holes kill the rims. I've got quite a shimmy at speeds over 50mph these days and the dealership has told me they're too banged up for weights to help. Not looking for anything special, though I do love the look of the OEM's. These days I mostly use the car on the weekends to haul stuff to the boat and cart the dogs around. It does occasional commuting duty (that's when I found the shimmy). Something stronger and lighter would be nice if it was an affordable option. Anything fit that bill in the $500 price range? Thanks in advance for your assistance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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