Edit 2 After much debate, we’ve come up with a solution where we hope everyone will be happy with. Featured Cars (these are the cars we contact to do a particular photoshoot) – Must be rocking the real deal while with Readers rides, Reps will be ok as long as cars fit the mold.
Edit: We would like to know your opinion on this matter as we definitely do not want to alienate people from being featured. We do however know that companies that spend alot of time and money doing R&D building these great wheels are suffering from copycats. We are however considering being lenient with them on Hellaflush since it isn’t about wheels itself but is about the overall fitment and look as a package.
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Original Post.
So the debate continues.. Should we feature or not feature cars that rock replica wheels. It’s not a debate whether or not it’s cool to rock them on the daily, to each it’s own, but its more to support our friends who run and own Rays, Advan, Work, and AME. Our friend Jay from JDM EGO has pushed this ideology for as long as we’ve known him and we’ve become good friends with these wheel manufacturers throughout the many years we’ve been tuning cars. A big part is that we’re sponsored by one of the Japanese wheel manufacturers mentioned above so we feel it’s part of our loyalty to their company to not showcase a copycat of their wheel on certain channels of our site.
These companies push hard to come up with designs that excite all of us when they first debut at Autosalon only to get copied the day they’re released with a cheaper knock off. Sure, some of the knock off brands are built well and can handle the track but its only due to the origin of its design. If the design wasnt built tough, the original manufacturer wouldnt make it, right?
So to this site that has tried to take a stab at us by using nationality (btw, we LOVE the philippines and that was a cheap shot) as a reason to like/hate the brand, please understand the logic behind this decision.
Here’s an example of a new wheel manufacturer doing their thing. Rotiform out of Westminster, California. Their own designs & Their style.
I feel you. Fakes don’t bother me personally… they make good track/daily wheels to thrash around on and typically the new fakes look good too. I’d still rather be on the real deal, but that’s not always an option for different reasons. What does bother me is when someone buys some Fakes that probably 2,000 other people have, slam their car, and think they deserve praise and features galore. There’s a new trend I hope hits the Fitment community harder than ever before… and that is… keeping it clean with quality and performance in mind.
I honestly could care less about replicas or the real deal. What’s important is that people shouldn’t fake the funk. Don’t go around saying your Rotas are TE37’s.
dude i feel you, but as far as your whole “sponsoring your sponsor” thing goes, what if dudes who rock rotas rock em because they’ve made friends who work at rota? then they would have to take rota’s side in the matter, not because of the fact that they make fake, cheap wheels, but because they are friends with the dude. After all, dude’s just supporting his friends at rota hq. according to you though, right? the saying goes both ways, my friend.
oh, and you DID feature a miata that had rotas and a flake hardtop if i remember…and you sure didnt sound like you were flaming rotas then…
Who’s flaming rota? I said I own a set of original designed Rota’s. There’s tons of other wheel manufacturer’s that make replica wheels. I just made a note of Rota only because the site called out Rota.
I cant afford advans or volks. So im forced to go with knock offs… damn nippon!
this is why I still rock oem…..
to each its own, but to me those bottom rims remind me of (bbs rs with less mesh, inverted spoons with no lip, Work equips 02 with no lip). Would those be considered original designs?
OEM all day for me as well. But i love a nice set of wheels too. Real or fake i could care less.
i know right. who wouldn’t like a nnice set.
but im scared out here in socal thefts like finding a penny on the floor.
plus its hard for companies to come out with new wheel designs. they make what sells..
just like rayban’s wayfarers. so many replicas but do people cry fake when they see em?
Good point.
no they dont cry when they see fake sunglasses or fake shoes. but those who are wearing those sunglasses and shoes dont get public exposure and props for what they are wearing are they? cause if they were it may be a different story
hey hey now, fake shoes are a WHOLE different ball game. In my opinion fake sunglasses arent that big of a deal, fake rims arent that big of a deal (because they arent “fake” rims they are just replicas) but fake shoes are a NO NO. LOL 😀
So why the change in your decision on profiling these cars? It’s not like you guys didn’t JUST profile cars that run replicas…I can name 3 off the top of my head. Elvis’ charger with replica viper wheels, blue sti profiled with mb battles, and the miata you guys profiled with grids when you guys relaunched the new site. You guys can be alienating fans of your site…just sayin. And I know you have original rotas. Just sounds a little hypocritical IMO. I just don’t understand why you posted this after profiling those cars I mentioned. Again…justsayin
It’s only to show loyalty to our friends that own and run the brands that we mentioned in the post. That’s all. Thanks for understanding.
I’ve seen too many cars that look like crap because the owner dumped every bit of money in to some “real” wheels and didn’t do anything else but put ebay coilovers and slam the car. NOTHING else is modded on the car. I’d rather roll on reps and be able to mod more of the car…especially when you want to start playing with “proper” fitment…go cheap with spacers until you find what you’re comfortable with and BAM…drop coin on some “real” wheels. But segregating people that choose to spend their money wisely and still try to be part of the culture is absurd and arrogant….
Sorry but we’re not being arrogant. The brands we mentioned above are the ones we’re supporting. Thanks
if you cant drop some coin on real wheels, then you can hang with the big boys in the magazines and on the web. should we feel sorry or sympathy for those who skimp out on wheels…? if your not able to afford it yet, then thats ok. you just wont get featured until you do. simple as that
I roll on a set of replica Rotas and every time I look at my Z I wish i could own a set of Work Wheels. I understand Rotas been biting everyones swag, and i hope one day they can be original again. Till then im agreeing with OEM and saving money for Works!!!
Look at WEDS Racing. They make some really nice wheels at a decent price with some great offsets.
I got my Rotas for almost nothing off a friend been saving up for Works ever since…
I’m actually loving the WEDS Racing wheels. Thank you but my heart is still in love with the Works.
In the end people are going to do whatever they want to their car. For me its more about showing your own style and effort in your car. People will always have your wheels whether they’re real or fake.
I can agree with that, WEDs make awesome wheels with decent prices
linking isnt necessary. I should have worded that differently. Bone stock cars with only coilovers and name brand wheels. Yeah, they’re hellaflush but what else do they have to offer? I personally have fake wheels but I had them refinished in a full one-off custom color and I’ve gotten more compliments on them (with people knowing that they’re knockoffs) than when I had a real set.
So with this article, are you saying that you will not feature or even post up show photos of cars with knockoffs?
We’re not going to that extent. We’ll feature the coolest cars from the show. For features, we’ve been lurking all over the world lately and have been personally shooting cars for the new site launching soon. Again, we’re not attacking all the fake brands or reps out there, just protecting the brands that are mentioned above.
Some people will never be able to afford those that you are protecting. But they still like and enjoy being a part of this culture…
yeah, that is unfortunately true.
and they still can be apart of the culture… you can still show off your car on the forums, and at shows and meets, it just wouldnt be featured until your rockin real shit
I can definitely see where they are coming from with this. Companies like Volk and Rays, to name a few, spend a butt load of money in R&D to put out a quality product only to find that their designs are being copied. I know its good to have competition but to shamelessly rip-off another design is something else. In my opinion they are doing the right thing in supporting the companies and people that support him.
I am in the same situation as many of the readers that support fatlace in that I cannot afford a really nice set of wheels. I really wish I could but for right now I am stuck with MB Battles. I believe that many readers feel almost betrayed (that may be a little harsh) because they like what fatlace and hellaflush represent but they themselves cannot afford, for whatever reason, a nice set of wheels.
I believe that they are taking a step in the right direction and there will always be haters. In the end, the true supporters will continue to support no matter what.
exactly… lets say if i owned some POS chevy corsica or something like that… just because i cant afford a sweet ride and nice wheels… does that mean you guys should give me sympathy? no! if you cant pay to play with the big boys, then chill back until you can… you can still support from the sidelines…
Word up…i understand it aswell, same what you said…
I understand how we should support the real deal, but not everyone can afford expensive wheels.. sure we can all easily say “save up for them”… but why should people hate on one anothers wheels? If i rocked reps i’d admit it, but sure hate on the people that claim they are real. You have to understand that wealth comes differently for people and that not everyone can drop major coin on some wheels. Take in mind that thieves love this kinda stuff too…and people dont want 2g’s+ gone, after they worked their asses off tryna get them..
As long as you know you are supporting the right companies for the right causes, it shouldn’t matter what others do, but if it requires legit wheels to be “HELLAFLUSH” might as well change the saying to “HELLAFLUSH go REAL or go home”. (i know some of you are going to like that saying)
I will still support FATLACE/ILLEST/HF/SS and there movements!! but why so much controversy over something that doesn’t affect you. It just make you feel better inside if you got the real goods over someone that doesn’t.
Good points in this post and replies. This post can also go with rocking replica lip kits.
Out of the blue, you guys decide to post that you no longer feel that you should no longer post cars with replica wheels? In my opinion that is a very bad decision. You’re going to lose many people that support you guys (by buying stickers, shirts, etc.), because you feel like it is your responsibility to remain loyal to your “sponsors”… Maybe you guys should have thought about that BEFORE you’ve featured X amount of cars with replica wheels.
I’ve been on both sides of the fence here. I had Rota D2’s on my old DC2 Integra….and Varrstoen (TE37 Rep’s) on my 350z. However, I sold the Varrstoen’s and ordered a custom set of wheels from a “legit” company mentioned in your post. I know what it’s like to rock replica wheels. I got a lot of shit from the arrogant guys that have never been unfortunate enough to only be able to afford replica’s. But to be truthful, it really didn’t bother me. In fact, the only reason I sold my Varrstoens was because the wheels I ordered have been my favorite since I saw them before I was even old enough to drive a car (I’m 19 years old). My advice to Fatlace is to not burn your bridges with the people that have TRULY helped this company become what it is today..
Thanks for your comment, we will consider ALL comments and decide a a group.
It’s not out of the blue, it’s been lingering for a while.
I wish I could afford Volks and Works but the simple fact is by the time you get the rims you want and tires your flat out broke when you can go with a off brand and get the same thing its just a fad to get the NAME brand wheels I think companies like Rota are seeing that ppl are demanding something and are supplying them with a product with a reasonable price that will satisfy as well . I understand that HF obviously has something to do with type wheels cause they do make a statement but isnt it mainly about the overall stance and offset correct?
I think you’re absolutely correct since Hellaflush is about overall stance and offset.
how about xxr’s? haha they’re fake wheels too. 2 piece design that’s actually one piece. haha. but they do have their own design. which probably explain why i got a feature a long time ago. and will probably not get a feature ever again…haha. vrt miata had rotas tho?
i mean why not feature a car with reps… the tuning culture has been a long time about budget builds and i know not everyone can afford 2-4 grand wheels so if i can get some decent wheels for a cheaper price and still achieve the hellaflush stance/lifestyle then why not
I am more than positive that there are sicker builds and far better stance on cheaper wheels
point taken. thanks.
It’s like girls when they buy replica purses & what not.
It does the job, it looks the same, but why pay more money to have a name printed on essentially the same product?
Just my $.02
It’s essentially the same look but not the same product. It’s forged vs cast. Its a big difference.
thats actually a big deal imo, if i was to wear / own the exact stuff i currently own but fakes, i would not have even bought them. I’m not material but it just doesn’t feel right to have something that is trying to be something else.
would you rock fake nikes? frontin’ is frontin’, whether it’s kicks or wheels. dropjay had it right. food for thought.
Also consider that “real deal” wheels don’t always have the right size or offset to fit your car and make a hellaflush stance. Guys with 04 sti’s are left out in the cold by most “legit ” brands because they don’t heavily support 5×100 lug pattern. So to get hellaflush they could throw away $1500 for new brake rotors and hubs in 5×114.3, and then buy a $2000 set of works, weds, etc, or buy replicas that provide more options (in some cases) for sizing, offsets, and lug patterns. I tried asking a “legit ” wheel manufacturer, not gonna name names, if a wheel they already made could be drilled for 5×100 instead of 5×114.3 and they refused to talk to me unless i was a dealer. People don’t always rock reps because they can’t afford “legit” wheels, sometimes it’s because they just won’t work. Please consider that before you decide to lock out people with replicas from getting a chance to have their hard work displayed on your site. You may have company sponsors but those relationship are in place because you have a loyal fan base. It seems a little harsh to not include people who helped fatlace and the whole fitment community/ lifestyle get where it is today.
Thanks for your comment and contribution to this post. It will be considered and is being considered. There are adapters that go from 5×100 to 5×114. We’re actually coming out with some for those that want to get to 114.3
horrible analogy. fake nikes and original nikes are in 50-100 dollar range difference.. and these wheels are in thousands and if you rock fake wheels it still looks good..i dont know about your shoes…
this subject boils down to who has the money and who doesn’t. i rock rotas simply cause i cant afford to drop $3k+ on just wheels not to mention the tires to put on em. dont get me wrong im dying for a set of ccws or forgelines i mean everyone would have real wheels if they could afford it right? i see STOCK cars with just coils and the worlds most expensive wheels get featured and everyone drools over it. take that same car put cheap wheels with the same fitment and the car doesnt get even get a look. i think this whole scene is getting too materialistic. is it about fitment or is it about your expensive wheels??? if it werent for replicas this scene wouldnt be nearly as big as it is. im down for this scene as a whole there more to a slammed car than just the wheels, but it kinda seems like its goin to only be available to those that can afford it…
if we would think real good about this issue..we should have understand why they did their decision even if its kinda little late… but decisions are always thought about and some takes time to finalize…changes are not changed in the beginning of everything, and changes with decisions and things are mostly changes for the good and better, specially once we know who to give more and deserves respect and recognition the most….
“I love them Rotas, but damn I love more of them legit ones…and i understand their rights for legit design so Im willing to give their legit respect”
i feel like big impacting blogs like yourself should do whatever you like. you guys have helped pave the way for a flush fitment and stance. so start whatever trend you want.
but “with great power, comes great responsibility”…. i feel that the industry needs some cleaning up of the knock off parts, whether its wheels, manifolds, or seats, and so on. i dont mind the owners who purchase them, to each their own. but as a mainstream publisher i feel that you guys should be supporting all that isnt fake. which can help support the real manufactures from so many of the population seeing that its ok to rock the knocks.
to be honest, its really about what caliber of a car you guys are willing to post. it seems like all you need is a decent car platform, a common wheel size, coilovers, and a tweaked camber and drop to get a feature as long as its flush and stanced. it seems almost too easy already. and now with cheaper wheels everyone is trying to jump on the bandwagon. i say if you are trying to get featured at all on the internet, or intend on getting any little bit of fame on the internet. then you should put down the extra $1k or $1.5k for authentic wheels instead.
i vote for the stop of knock off wheels. it has nothing to do with who your sponsored by. its about doing whats best for the industry.
i feel like you are 100% spot on man.
If you don’t like fatlace’s stance on fake wheels… Don’t visit fatlace.com..
Well… I think you should post fakies on Hella Flush… but just not under the JDM Ego section
Thanks and its been like that for a very long time. It’s also why we’re still considering it for hellaflush.
If Fatlace is going to take that stance, then there never better be a featured car with replica Top Secret hood, replica body kit, or anything else. Or even a carbon fiber engine cover. If you think about it, all they are doing is stealing the design that the car manufacturer spent R&D on to produce, then some company takes the exact mold and just makes it carbon fiber.
Thanks James. If you read the post correctly, we’re only protecting our friends that run the brands mentioned above. Sometimes a line needs to be drawn and sometimes there’s dots on the line. I think we’ll pick and choose who gets featured on the site, like we’ve always done.
I have no issue with people rocking knock offs. If people would rather spend their money in different areas, kudos to them. To me, i could care less. No harm saving a few dollars. BUT i do have an issue with people that sport knock offs and try to pass it off as the real stuff. That right there is a no-no in my books because at that point you are just frontin’. Not only does it make you look bad but it would make fatlace (and their affiliates) look bad in the event that the wheels used were fake at a date after the feature has been up.
At the end of the day, as long as your whip game is tight and your wheel fitment is on point, thats all that matters. And that is what people are going to keep coming back for.
Okay this is what I believe. Some people have very little money to spend and want be Hellaflush but cannot afford the real deals. Yes i totally understand what point you guys are making because I am going into mechanical engineering and one day I hope to make some nice designs and I know if its a good design people will copy. But to me the car culture is about liking the car for what it is and the story behind the car is what makes it. Who gives a damn how much money you have or how little. I know lots of people around my town who have a huge passion for cars but can’t afford the real wheels so they do what they have to do to make their car look good by buying the reps. Also I think the car culture is all about the friends you make at the car shows. I feel it would be dumb to ban cars from the website because someone does not have the money to spend on the real wheels.
also to add yes i would love to own real wheels! It would be an awesome thing to have but if you own fakes you should straight up say they are so and so and are the knock off versions of so and so. Not say they are the real deals… thats cold shit there.
To be honest I didnt read many of the comments, so I hope this hasnt been stated previously.
Rota makes some GREAT sized wheels for the 4 lug crowd.
I personally rock p45r’s in 18×9.5 +15 on my 240sx.
This is by far the best sized 4 lug wheel readily available. I would much rather see my car with these FAKE wheels in GREAT sizes, rather than a comparable set of REAL Nismo LMGT4’s in 17×7 +40 or whatever bullshit they came in 4 lug.
But the question at hand is would you pass your fake wheels as the real ones?
Absolutely never. I powdercoated them white and thats that. I always represent them as Rotas because they look fucking good. Im not afraid to say it.
People that rock fake wheels with authentic stickers are a bigger problem then the fake wheels manufacturers.
My whole thing is, for now, the $4,000+ that a 5 lug swap and similarly sized authentic LMGT4’s (if I could find them) simply isnt justified. I would rather spend the money on tires and track events, that in the end, will make me a better driver.
I would also rather see a set of fake wheels that look and fit great over a set of shitty sized authentic wheels any day. This is HellaFlush, a fitment site, not HellaAuthentic wheels. After all, there have been many cars featured in the past few months that have shitty ass fitment.
Keep it like it used to be.
Gnarly Fitment > Everything
You make a great point. Thanks for your comments Ryan.
To be honest I didnt read many of the comments, so I hope this hasnt been stated previously.
Rota makes some GREAT sized wheels for the 4 lug crowd.
I personally rock p45r’s in 18×9.5 +15 on my 240sx.
This is by far the best sized 4 lug wheel readily available. I would much rather see my car with these FAKE wheels in GREAT sizes, rather than a comparable set of REAL Nismo LMGT4’s in 17×7 +40 or whatever bullshit they came in 4 lug.
After this. I see alot of people moving on to other websites. Alot of the hellaflush following has been from the dudes that cant afford real wheels but can dream. They work just as hard with what they have. This will be a big disappoint for the younger community that has made Hellaflush what it is.
Thanks for your contribution. Again, we’ve only featured cars on Hellaflush that we feel deserve a feature. There’s thousands of cars out there that we havent featured that dont rock the replica’s so theres plenty of life out there in the scene.
True stuff man.
My personal opinion on this subject is that most people that rock replica wheels is that they cant afford the real ones. My subaru had rotas on it but I wanted Volk’s REALLY bad, just couldn’t ever afford real ones.
Also I know people that will get the real ones but not be set at the right offset, so they get spacers. I do recall hellaflush explaining that putting spacers on a car did make it hellaflush but it wasn’t the proper way in doing it. With some of the replica wheels, they give you the proper offsets without even having to buy spacers, and also you save sometimes over $1000.
Fatlace has opened a door to a WHOLE new level of the car scene, and I think a lot of people thank you guys for showing us this level of “stance” and “fitment”. I feel that although you have your “loyalty” to the companies you’ve listed above, what about your consumers, what about the people that buy your product because of how much they love the designs, and what they stand for.
Just MY .02 on the situation, still love the site and strive to hopefully become apart of the hellaflush featured cars.
I have the same problem man… i have a 02 impreza 2.5 rs. yes its an rs because i can not afford the WRX or let alone an STi from japan hahaha so i do what i gotta do to make everything look atleast presentable. I also agree to with your point about Fatlace, the for sure have opened new doors to the car culture and they should keep these doors open and not shut them because of money issues in these times when people have small incomes
and i noticed they will be releasing spacers?
wasn’t this not the proper way.
i remember a while back when one of the FL staff stated “Putting spacers on your car doesn’t cut it”
We never had an issue with spacers and actually encourage them at times.
someone check the eg vs ek post on FL.
are those some rota track r’s i see on the eg?
LIke i said to each its own. As long as people with the real shit are supporting its shouldn’t matter. If someone met the HF requirements, should they not get looked at because they have replicas. Most wheel companies dont even make the wheels sizes people are looking for. like the honda scene not that much legit 4×100 15″ 16″ to look for, but they are getting all the hate… sorry for not going with the lexus, Nissans, Mitsus, Subies, Mazdas… majority of all the cars are brand new. So if you can afford a brand new car of course you can afford some spanking wheels.
again I still rock oem. because all this negativity kills.
The car scene is like art, not everything is the same, and everyone has and chooses their own unique style.
if this is what tears the car culture apart, then it’s really sad….
Still supporting FATLACE/ILLEST/HF/SS!!
smash the negativity guys and do whats right for yourselves!
It will be sad if the car culture goes down like this. Its a family if anything. Its not about the money its about the people you meet and the friends you make.
Now most of the people that rock rep wheels say they couldn’t afford the real one. In that case, that means the person did save up to at least $800~$1,000. If they had to ability to save up that much, I don’t see a reason why they can’t save up a bit more.
BUT! some people don’t put wheels as a priority for their car, which might be another reason why they rock rep wheels.
So~ opinions vary~
If you guys were a “market” business for wheels, I personally think it would be a problem because couple of days ago, I saw a letter written by Mackin Industries saying that they will NOT distribute rays, volks, etc. if the company is selling rep wheels. The world of business is getting competitive….
Been reading some comments ^ and someone said that legit companies do not make aggressive sizes for certain bolt patterns (for example, 5×100), which is why the reason other companies make reps with aggressive fitment and specific to the bolt pattern.
Got much more to say, but as for featuring cars with reps, I say yes..y not? but still not a fan of reps.
“I don’t see a reason why they can’t save up a bit more.”
– if you have a family to feed, priorities in life..you can see the reason..
Personally i’m running replicas for 2 reasons. First my car is my ONLY car and i drive it to work and back, there’s now way i’m running £3000 wheels on my car every day, not with the pseed bumps and potholes around London.
Second i couldn’t get the wheel I wanted in the right offset and stud pattern without going replica. If i had have gone original i would have ended up having adaptors (so wrong) or having to spend a fortune sourcing hubs, getting them fitted and then finding the wheels on top of that.
On top of that I can’t see a problem with reps. If a car looks good then it look good, simple.
Also, just to add that if i did ever spend out big on a set of rims then there’s no way they would be sat inside just for show days. Can’t ever see the point if having something and not using it.
i think there okay if your on a low budget or you have them on your first car, but if you can afford and you really love your cars and the culture around them youll buy the real deal, it also depends on how bad the roads in your town, city, country are
Exactly why i’m running reps at the moment. I would love some Rotiforms on my car but can’t justify the money on what is my only car.
It’s not about low budget for me (the car is bagged) but striking a balance. If i was to wreck one Rotiform on a pothole i’d be gutted. If i wreck a rep then just get another, simple.
You know running fake wheels in America is so big, that when you look at Japan’s “USDM STYLE”, they are running FAKE wheels too. Just something to think about.
CLOSING COMMENTS AFTER THIS LAST ONE.
Thanks to everyone who commented on this post. Some were very useful in helping us determine the final outcome. After much debate and having talked to the manufacturers, we’ve come up with a solution where we hope everyone will be happy with as this debate is definitely a double edged sword.
Featured Cars (these are the cars we contact to do a particular photoshoot) – Must be rocking the real deal.
Readers rides – Reps will be ok as long as cars fit the mold.