I am looking to replace my wagon wheels on my 99 coupe with some kind of chrome wheels. As I look at all the wheels available, I see "OEM", "replicas", "factory replicas", "alloy", "steel", "forged", "cast", "3 piece", "1 piece", "hubcentric", etc.
What does it all mean?
Are the OEM wheels the same as the wheels you get from the dealer when the car is new?
Are replicas any good?
I know the general rule that you get what you pay for. But are there any GOOD wheels out there for under $2k?
My driving habits are rather mild (except for potholes and occasional burnouts at a stoplight). Love to cruise on long trips at high speeds (75-90 mph). Wheels will never see winter salt.
I want to use my current wheel sensors and tires (GY Runflats with only 9k miles).
REPLICAS (or factory replicas) = non OEM wheels that look like OEM wheels, they may not be of the same quality of the OEM wheels (ie: heavier) but will still perform fine.
I'm no expert on wheels by any means and these descriptions will get you started, I'm sure others with more knoweledge will chime in shortly!
OK, what is the difference in reliability between the two?...the degree of accuracy during manufacturing?
Mike
Railfan, aftermarket wheels are simply as good a quality as the seller specifies from the manufacturer; in other words, there is no way to answer your question. Wheels can be made under poor quality control conditions with mediocre raw materials, or they can be the finest quality that money and technology can provide. With a few exceptions, there isn't anyone monitoring, setting standards, or approving of aftermarket wheels, so you pretty much have to rely on anecdotal experience and reputation. You get what you pay for, to a point...., but there are definitely some overpriced wheels out there for what you get- exacerbated by the "Corvette tax" effect. You might want to check this out as a sort of primer to answer your various questions: http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/wheeltech.jsp
Good luck.
Corvette Store
Need wheel advice-don't fully understand types.
