Rota Flashback wheels...any info on these?

[capt_furious]

 

They're a copy of the Work Equip 03. Rota has a photo of one in their 'Latest Wheels' section of their site(including this photo), but nothing further, and a search on Google reveals nothing.

 

Any ideas? Just a teaser photo? I'd love a set...Work wheels are way out of my price range.

[olie05]

Wish I did have something to reveal about these wheels. They look like they could be zero offset too.

 

I know MSA was offering something similar the Konig Maxxim screech and Maxxim fourplay and those are work knock offs.

 

http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/CTGY/WWC19

[RedEvilrps13]

why not support the real thing, and support the people who actually put in the R&D for these wheels?

 

knockoffs=fail.

[capt_furious]

I knew I'd get a response like this, which is why I put that last line in there.

[RedEvilrps13]

oh trust me i understand that, but why pay any amount of money for an inferior product, and why support knockoffs? its like buying an ebay replica of a HKS SSQ blowoff valve, you're not only screwing yourself in the long run because of the lack of quality, but you're screwing the people who actually put the work into developing it.

 

I am not trying to flame, trust me, but i just don't understand the point of spending money on crap just to save a couple bucks.

[capt_furious]

With regard to 'screwing' people who developed the wheel, the reason these 'knockoff' wheels exist is because the original patent has expired and there is no legal issue in copying them. They are not getting 'screwed', especially considering that the original wheels are just as cheap as the copies - if not cheaper - in Japan...the absurd cost that people pay stateside is due to profiteering. It costs very little to ship a container full of parts back to the states from Japan, especially if one were to spread the cost of shipping out over all of the wheels you could fit in said container.

 

In reality, the companies that originally make all of the wheels that are now being knocked off are screwing themselves by not exploring a massive market potential here in the states...they've already done the development work and have all the tooling, all they need is a distributor network.

 

The high price of original JDM wheels is not due to their quality or scarcity, it's due to the fact that they are JDM wheels with no USDM counterpart...until now. Someone else has jumped on the USDM because the original manufacturers are happy exploring the Japanese market. Buying knockoffs would only 'screw' the original manufacturers if one were able to buy directly from them here, or from a factory distributor of theirs...in which case, the price for said wheels would be much lower, because you're not going through some exclusive one-off importer feeding off of the 'culture' who is maximizing their profit and charging whatever they want.

 

Quality? It's a wheel...and not a very precision one. As long as the castings don't have any porosity, quality isn't much of an issue.

 

I'd sooner sink my money into quality tires and have inexpensive wheels that look good.

 

Back to the original issue: Anyone know about the Rota Flashback?

[RedEvilrps13]

eh i disagree, ive heard quite a few horror stories on zilvia about people and rotas breaking and cracking, especially on the track.

 

but again, i'm not here to flame, and i'm quite broke too so i can't blame ya.

[78280z]

Some Rotas may be "knockoffs," but I wouldn't necessarily say that their quality is subpar. Many members on this forum are buying Rota RB's (which are panasport/watanabe "knockoffs") and I know many Subaru owners use Rotas for autocross and track events. Just a thought...

[78280z]

RedEvilrps13, I have also heard some stories about some people experiencing the breaking and cracking. Others have had no problems at all. I guess it is really up to the owner whether or not Rotas are "track quality." Anyway, my guess is that anyone who has the money to build a dedicated track car has planned out their wheel/tire/suspension setup meticulously and will not spare a dime for one of the most important performance features of their car. For street use, Rota's should be just fine.

[capt_furious]

...and if I were to build a track car, JDM wheels wouldn't be anywhere in the equation. I'd be using a 5-lug or center hub nut conversion and some form of modular forged wheel...not a wheel with a cast center.

 

Considering this is for a daily driver that might someday see the occasional autocross or track day, some cheap knockoff is just fine. I bought my Z because it was inexpensive, simple, lightweight, handles well, is fairly common, has a large engine bay, and a considerable aftermarket. I DIDN'T buy it for image or to be part of some subculture...it's a machine. I'm going to make it whatever I want it to be. It stopped being Japanese as soon as someone made the first modification from its stock form.

 

Edit: You know, I just realized that I put this thread in body & paint and not wheels & suspension. MY BAD! Sorry, folks. Admins, can I get a move?

[Tx1021]

This is off topic but I thought I'd post about Rota's quality. With owning a Suby I see tons of threads regarding Rota's quality.

 

From what I have gathered, Rota produced a bad batch of wheels in their earlier years that had a tendency to crack. To counter this they replaced, free of charge, any of the wheels from that batch that customers felt concerned with. Since that batch there has been no evidence of Rotas failing. As stated above many Subaru owners use Rotas as their track wheels and none seem to have problems. If you want to read up on your own just go to http://www.Nasioc.com and search for rota quality or something similar.

 

So, in my opinion, Rotas are a great, fairly inexpensive wheel and I will be getting the Rota torques in Yamaha black for my Wrx when its time for new tires.

[Lazeum]

I'd love to know more also about those wheels.

They look like Konig B.Bomb which is another knockoff.

[capt_furious]

Actually, the B.Bomb is a copy of the SSR MKIII...which now that I've seen those, I'd prefer them, with the right offset.

[rudypoochris]

 

They're a copy of the Work Equip 03. Rota has a photo of one in their 'Latest Wheels' section of their site(including this photo), but nothing further, and a search on Google reveals nothing.

 

Any ideas? Just a teaser photo? I'd love a set...Work wheels are way out of my price range.

 

I am 95% sure I saw these a week ago at Rota's HQ for North America. I could inquire if you have something specific you are wondering, or you could message Kim Bong, the representative for Rota USA (kimcosmic@juno.com).

 

As for why people use knock offs? Because they are cheaper... Because sometimes the knock offs look nicer... Because they are available in other sizes so that they ACTUALLY FIT... additionally the knock offs can often outperform the originals. The list goes on.

 

As for quality and Rota. They have a pretty good record - from what I have seen. I am currently organizing a Rota group buy. IF the there are wheel failures (which would be surprising to me coming from such a large company that supplies OE wheels...) I am quite confident the representative will fix it at absolutely no cost to us. I have a Rota RB sitting right next to me right now, it looks pretty solid (obviously this means near zero in terms of whether or not it actually is...). In fact I asked Rota to reduce the weight as much as they can while maintaining what they consider a safe amount of material for street use.

[midnight-z]

I saw other vesions of these by 4 other manufactures

slv/red/blk/wht/gld/plsh

 

Some replicas lack the curveture and filleted edges or even a spoke but additionally the knock offs can often not look as good.

 

I like these better than the 8spoke blk wheels every other ae86,crx and Z has

 

I would get these in 16x7.5 all polish with red nuts

 

The real wheels are often imatated but never duplicated

[Challenger]

Just as a warning last time there was an argument on buying a knockoff Nismo seat coughMEcough it went to the toolshed.

[capt_furious]

It's been civil so far. We got moved from body & paint to wheels & suspension, so if we were going to get TSed, it probably would have happened by now.

 

There have been some good points aired on both sides. I think in the case of reproductions, it comes down to how particular you are. If it's dead on(such as the current production SSR MKI, MKII, MKIII and FLII - SSR went out of business and the name was bought by Tanabe, they're now producing repros, but one wheel will cost you as much as a set from another manufacturer!), there's probably no issue, but some might take license and just grab the overall look, and not the construction / exact shapes. If you're not particular and just like the overall look, there's no issue.

 

What we SHOULD be asking, since this is HybridZ, is what does its job the best with a minimal investment...it's not about looks or impressing others, it's about performance. I suppose I should be asking how light and strong the Rota Flashback is.

[RedEvilrps13]

It's been civil so far. We got moved from body & paint to wheels & suspension, so if we were going to get TSed, it probably would have happened by now.

 

 

What we SHOULD be asking, since this is HybridZ, is what does its job the best with a minimal investment...it's not about looks or impressing others, it's about performance. I suppose I should be asking how light and strong the Rota Flashback is.

 

agreed and agreed!

 

i know alot of owners rock the rota RBs and i can't blame them, it looks damned good, but i dunno man, i wouldn't want to risk it.

 

and to rudypoochris: what OEs does rota supply wheels for? enkei covers alot of them, and i know ray's does the wheels for some nissans.

[rudypoochris]

The company's first production of its Rota brand of wheels was in 1977, with an initial production capacity of 4,000 wheels a month. In just the company's first year, Rota wheels are chosen by Chrysler-Mitsubishi (Philippines) as OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) for its vehicles passing through the stringent OEM specifications of its parent company in Japan.

 

The following year saw other major car assemblers engaging the services of the company to manufacture their OE wheel requirements for their vehicles. These companies included Ford, Datsun, Isuzu, Mercedes-Benz, Opel and Volkswagen.

In 1983, after seven years of operation, PAWI became a 100% Filipino corporation. It also marked the year that Japanese technology was introduced into the company's manufacturing operations.

 

In 1988, PAWI develops its "magnesium-strengthened, heat treatable alloy," making Rota wheels lighter yet stronger and more durable. The following year saw a major upgrade of facilities as PAWI introduced state-of-the-art technological improvements in the form of the latest equipment and machines that speed up and improve chemical analysis, machining, painting and finishing. With the comeback of Toyota into the Philippine market, they chose Rota wheels as their OE wheels, as well as Daihatsu.

 

 

Not to be an arse, but if you are going to speak negatively of Rota wheels - which is completely okay to do in my opinion - then please show us some evidence that details how the wheels were used, what was mounted on them, where they were being driven, Rotas actions after knowing of failure... that sort of stuff.

 

Because it is "cheap" and because it is a "knock-off" does not cut it in my opinion.

[JakeWard]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/DRAG-DR-20-DR20-Work-Equip-03-Style-15x7-4x100-Gold_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247QQcategoryZ43955QQihZ019QQitemZ290155554939QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V

 

Is that the same thing?