Excellent point. And I do follow Bill's Blog, it's great.

To keep it on topic Bluestick G, feel free to share your authentic parts that you have here since you have commented that you do love authentic parts. And I love the color of your car, it seems more and more rare. I never see them around Houston.

 

Blackbetty,

Your assuming that the Sportline TE.6 are cheap and are just like any imitations out there. You are wrong.

Like I've told YOU and many other people, Sportline TE.6 have VIA & JWL certifications and it's been through the same test in Japan. Also, I don't think it's fair that you are comparing a Flow-Formed Cast wheel to a Fully Forged Monoblock wheel. I agree with you that a Volks TE37 Fully Forged Monoblock wheel is a better wheel than the Sportline TE.6 which is a Flow-Formed Cast wheel (same way BBS or Enkie makes their wheels). But that does not mean Sportline TE.6 wheels are crap wheels. Many replica wheel manufacturers can't even provide authentic certification documents. I'm pretty sure if you have been in this industry as long as me, you can agree with me that just because a wheel has VIA & JWL stamped does not mean jack squat because any wheel factory can just stamp it onto the wheel.

You don't like the Sportline TE.6 because they are a replica - I get it and I'm pretty sure everyone else here gets it already. But going around the forums and saying that the Sportline TE.6 are crap wheels and implying that they will break apart like the wheel in the video is wrong.

Besides, let's try to keep our own opinions about Sportline TE.6 out of this thread as this is for AUTHENTIC parts only.

-Frank

 

I don't see anything wrong with the sport line wheels and I buy authentic parts BB, but again who cares. If we really want to search every single wheel made I'm sure the all mighty Volk will even have some design "similar" to another brand, as long as ppl aren't buying that Chinese made stuff faking it as real who really cares?

Why aren't you in your teammates thread with the Baus kit I'm sure the fb isn't the same quality as Zele & fitment isn't anything to brag about yet I've never seen you in his posts bashing him.

Or your teammates with the china made Vossen wheels?
You even wanted to buy one of their china made knock off iPhone cases.

In your words can we keep this thread on topic.

 

thanks man! I think i have only seen 2 or 3 in socal too. But then I rarely see a g37s coupe. But everytime it makes me my head turn. Gotta love the G. I have a cusco strut bar, and tanabe springs and midpipe. Just got the springs but I kinda want to switch to coils now haha.

 

I'll keep it on topic and let the quality knockoff guys do their thing in this thread and the other one. I can see that nothing I say will make any difference in how people choose to do what they do. That doesn't mean I can't say it if they ask my opinion though.

But a couple of things - show me what Volk model has ever been a direct knockoff of another brand's wheel please. Not similar, but a blatant ripoff copy. Not saying they've never done it, but I don't think so and if they have I'm not aware so school me please.

I bash my team mates choices in person at every available opportunity for the exact same thing until I'm blue in the face. Ask any one of them that's faking the funk. However I don't think any of them have knockoff wheels, only body parts. Not that it's nay better. My talking does as little good with them as it does here unfortunately.

Vossen is a whole other issue. I don't have their wheels. Neither do any of my teammates that I'm aware of, maybe you have an inside line on some of their new mods that I haven't kept up with? However Vossen has original designs, not ripoffs so I don't have beef with them. They are what they are. If their cool phone case is a ripoff of anther company's patented design I stand corrected. Let me know whose exact design they are stealing and I'll seek it out there. I believe that it is a part that numerous companies can have personalized and sell as marketing items. Maybe I'm wrong about that

It seems that nobody is understanding the very simple point I have been trying to make. I don't care if a company isn't a high dollar JDM company. I have plenty of non JDM parts on my car. There is a need and a market for quality inexpensive parts and I applaud any company that is fulfilling it the right way. Just don't counterfeit someone else's work. I suppose that point just doesn't seem to be understood or resonate. That's my problem with the Sportline wheels. In fairness perhaps they are a ton better than the vast majority of fakes out there. Frank seems to think so. So I'll withhold any judgement on the quality of their build because I honestly don't know enough to say one way or the other. But they are still counterfeit IMO.

 

When I created this thread, I did not believe that there would not be someone, at some point, to make an attempt to argue the merits of replicas and knock-offs. I am hardly surprised it is a representative from a company that is making money off the sale of those parts. Nonetheless, I think some people are misunderstanding the point here. Yes, there are very poor quality replica/knock-off parts out there. I am not, at this time, going to list them. There are also replica/knock-off parts that are not poor quality. However, that does not take away from the fact that they are based upon a stolen design. I don't doubt that this Sportline TE 6 (ironic the name they chose) is a decent quality product. My issue is based on the fact that they copied a design from, very likely, the top wheel manufacturer in the world. They decided to steal a proven design, not because they are "opening the market" or whatever rationale the people making money off the sale of this product want to spew out to the disillusioned masses, but because they knew it would put money into their pockets. Let's not be naive here. If this company is so fantastic and truly has the best interest of the enthusiast at heart, they would be creating new, innovative designs to give the enthusiast options, not, as Jeremy suggested, riding the coattails of, arguably, the most popular Japanese wheel to ever be produced, the TE37.

 

I'll get back to you on their designs I have to check the million of 5 spoke wheels turned concave on the market before 2010 when the CV3 was released.

And Blueslate showed you the cell phone case, very very similiar, they tweeked what 5%? So I guess it's original now to your standards.

You make a great point Bill, although stealing the design isn't right at all, they should have tweeked it slightly to call it their own, but I'd rather see members on these than those Rotas that fall apart.

I personally wouldn't buy any non forged wheels, but everyone's purse is different.

 

can we all get along??

screw it, ill take it for the team.

beers on me, this satruday, 9 o clock!

 

^ calls :.: shotgun in the M3 :.:

I don't usually drink beer, but when I do I prefer dos equies!

 

leaving tonight to pick you up since you're on the other side of the country....hahahha

 

you just became the most interesting man in the world.

 

I'm gonna start buying replica parts from now on. It might actually land me the GOTM title.

 

Damn Bill. I haven't really kept up with this thread at all. I went back and actually read your very first post that clearly said not to instigate the Authentic vs Replica debate here. I'm sorry about that, I guess I should have paid more attention. My bad.

 

you're not the same eric i know. I'm gonna report you cuz someone hacked into your account.

 

LOL, I'm the same guy! See how i write my engrish?