Genuine Volks

[B16a4me]

I tried a search but couldn't find what I wanted.

Anyone know how I can tell if Volk TE37's are genuine? Is there something stamped on the rim that will ID them as real.

Thanx in anticipation

[white97ex]

im not sure...how to tell if they are genuine or not.. other than the say either volk racing or rays engineering on one spoke and on the opposite it says te37. look inside the front cover of the new turbo mag, at the bf/goorich ad...it shows them in white. anyway, are you looking for price? if so they are 1800 shipped, give or take a few bucks

[legacyciv]

Yeah they're tagged at volk racing in japan. If you look at the May 2002 SCC they show a pic of the CE28N's in the off the shelf section and you can sort of see it there too. It's just two labels behind the spokes. Also from what I've seen, real TE-37's are just smooth where the spoke comes down in the back but the knock offs aren't like that.

[drift]

real volks will be stamped with "rays engineering" on the backside of the wheel.

there is a knockoff company in the philippines that even stamps them in the back, so watch out.

the only way to find out is to weigh the wheel. only Rays Engineering uses a spun forged wheel for strength, making them stronger, lighter, and much more expensive. all knockoffs are cast, and therefore a bit heavier.

[legacyciv]

Originally posted by drift
real volks will be stamped with "rays engineering" on the backside of the wheel.

there is a knockoff company in the philippines that even stamps them in the back, so watch out.

the only way to find out is to weigh the wheel. only Rays Engineering uses a spun forged wheel for strength, making them stronger, lighter, and much more expensive. all knockoffs are cast, and therefore a bit heavier.

Hell yeah, i've had both and the knock offs were nearly 10 lbs. heavier. My 16 x 7 TE-37's weighed in at less than 11 lbs.

[SilverY2KCivic]

Originally posted by drift
real volks will be stamped with "rays engineering" on the backside of the wheel.

there is a knockoff company in the philippines that even stamps them in the back, so watch out.

the only way to find out is to weigh the wheel. only Rays Engineering uses a spun forged wheel for strength, making them stronger, lighter, and much more expensive. all knockoffs are cast, and therefore a bit heavier.

Drift, what about other lightweight wheels, such as say Rotas or the new Konig Heliums that are substantially light weight. Are they made from materials that are stronger, but weight less, or are they actually weaker than typical alloy wheels? I ask because a couple weeks ago I got a set of Rota Circuit 8's, and always on my mind when I got them was are they weaker than typical wheels since they are much lighter weight. I got them so my unsprung weight is less, and also because they look good, not to mention they should be great for auto-X/road racing as I plan to get into that.

[B16a4me]

Thanx for your input guys. I'm now looking at MX5 rims at 10 - 12 lbs each as opposed to 16.5 lbs stock. Cost/benefit thing

[drift]

Originally posted by SilverY2KCivic


Drift, what about other lightweight wheels, such as say Rotas or the new Konig Heliums that are substantially light weight. Are they made from materials that are stronger, but weight less, or are they actually weaker than typical alloy wheels? I ask because a couple weeks ago I got a set of Rota Circuit 8's, and always on my mind when I got them was are they weaker than typical wheels since they are much lighter weight. I got them so my unsprung weight is less, and also because they look good, not to mention they should be great for auto-X/road racing as I plan to get into that.

they are definitely weaker than the wheels they copy. the Mugen MF-8, MF-10, Regamaster EVO, Gram Lights, and CP-035's which Rota and Konig copy are spun forged wheels, which are very light and strong.

the Rota and Konig knockoffs of those wheels are a bit heavier and are weaker since they are cast to reduce cost. as for their durability, they're not too bad from what i've heard as they are vacuum cast... more durable than standard casting but nowhere near as strong as forged.

they shouldnt be much weaker than most other cast alloy wheels, but some of the lighter weight designs may not be able to stand up to a pothole at 60mph. then again, i havent owned a set of the knockoffs.

[SilverY2KCivic]

Thanks for the insight, Drift. When I got the wheels put on, they warned me not to go through dips real fast, or to avoid big bumps in the road suck as like when they lay asplault up to concreat in the road, and one is at a higher level than the other, and of course potholes as well, but I think they were saying that for the sake of having lower profile tires, which another guy that worked there said that shouldn't be a problem with 50 series profile tires... Eitherway I drive pretty conservatively on them reguardless. They seem like strong wheels though, and if they meet whatever requirement they need to to be road worthy, then I shouldn't have much to worry about in terms of their strength durability.