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Thread: The truth about Rota wheels

  1. #16
    6,000 rpm - mere mortals would shift Demon I Am's Avatar
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    Never being too serious. If someone takes pride in knowing "shit's legit" then all the better. If you're broke and you gotta fake the funk, that's all good too. I've bought high-end stuff that was pure garbage, and I've bought the cheap shit that was perfect quality. It's all a gamble.

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  3. #17
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power BoBo's Avatar
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    I've had many Rota wheel sets in my life and I have nothing bad to say about it. It was there for me at the tracks and a few AutoX events. From experience, Rota wheels works well in low HP/Torque cars. I've seen them crack on Evo's and STI's in one of the track events that I attended to back in the days. At the same time, I've witnessed OEM and various aftermarket wheels go bad as well. Anything can happen when pushed to the limits.

    The only time that I experienced negative comments about Rotas were from the JMD crowd. I never cared about what people said to me when I had my Slipstreams, I cared about what the wheels could do for me which was a lot at the time, when I was still in JC.

    People have a budget, it's what you do with your budget that will make it count in the long run.
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  5. #18
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power freedomgli's Avatar
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    So instead of Rays Engineering being the quality wheel supplier to OEMs, you have Rota. If not for blatant copying of other companies hard work Rota would not be where they are today.

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  7. #19
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power freedomgli's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BoBo View Post
    People have a budget, it's what you do with your budget that will make it count in the long run.
    Rota and companies like them distort people's perceptions of quality and cost in a bad way IMO. They do real harm to other businesses and ultimately harm the hobby we all love. When there is no more originators to copy from, what will all the copycats do then? Innovate? Yeah, right. If your budget is small then maybe aftermarket wheels shouldn't be a consideration until you've saved up more money.

    It's not like those other businesses can't compete in the marketplace. It's that companies like Rota, XXR and others dishonestly undercut their competition. Life is not fair. Trademark and design patent infringement litigation is easier said than done especially across international borders. The WTO is a joke for small companies like Rays, SSR, Weds, etc. So they just take it on the chin and hope that enough customers value originality, innovation and high-quality to keep them in business. Think of Rota customers as people who buy a cheap unlicensed print of a Salvador Dali painting from Taobao and Rays customers as patrons of the arts who help those artists live and breathe and create new beauty in this world.

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  9. #20
    Super Moderator tsingson's Avatar
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    While I do love SSR, Rays, brands like that, if it isn't them, it will be somebody else. Somebody will always be around to innovate, create new unique things. Just the way it is. Just buy what you want to buy. I had WideOpens on my NB before and the only reason I went to RPF1s is because I like the way the spokes look on the 15x8 +28mm. I prefer the lip of the WideOpens though.

    Main point still is it's your car, do what you want to it.

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  11. #21
    4,000 rpm - entering the fun zone RustRat's Avatar
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    I like certain Rota Wheels. Would rock them as second/daily set. Quality is pretty good nowadays, availability isn’t an issue, and they are pretty cheap.

    Yeah, they are rip-offs, but I’ve seen several “Quality” wheel brands start as replica manufacturers, and now they are considered as a legit option, being lightweight, flowformed etc.


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  12. #22
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power BoBo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by freedomgli View Post
    If your budget is small then maybe aftermarket wheels shouldn't be a consideration until you've saved up more money.

    It's that companies like Rota, XXR and others dishonestly undercut their competition. Life is not fair.
    To be honest, I couldn't find OEM wheels at the time and I'm not gonna miss a track event for that, my time is worth more. Obviously, Rota is not the best out there, but as far as I know that company is running their business within the law, at least at the time I bought from them, so it should be OK. Were they in legal issues before ? If so, then my mistake I shouldn't have bought from them.

    At the time I had Rotas I was still in junior college, so my funds were limited since I was all on my own. I was a Full-Time worker and Student. It's not an excuse it's my reasoning. My priority was to graduate and I made sacrifices to make that happen. Fast forward to the present, buying wheels is the least of my worries now.

    As you mentioned, life is not fair. It's a competitive world and people will buy what they want. I think most people will do whats best for them first before anything though. The tuition goes up every semester in college and it's not stopping anytime soon, but what can I do, so I take it to the chin. It's a cut throat world, but it's within the law and it sucks.

    I just wanna put it out there, I don't care what wheels everyone here has. This is still the best Miata forum
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  13. #23
    5,000 rpm - there be torque here! Greasemonkey2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by freedomgli View Post
    So instead of Rays Engineering being the quality wheel supplier to OEMs, you have Rota. If not for blatant copying of other companies hard work Rota would not be where they are today.
    Kyle do you actually read any of the links provided or do any research? If not then the comment is purely based on a bias attitude toward what you view as a purely 'replica' company which is inaccurate because the MAJORITY of the wheels are not 'replica' wheels.

    This sort of bias view is exactly why I created the thread, education based on facts. Let's look at some more facts, when some of these companies were founded as many think Rota has only been around a couple of decades.

    Founded:
    BBS-1970
    Compomotive-1973
    Enkei-1950
    HRE-1979
    OZ Racing-1971
    Rays Engineering- 1973
    Rota-1976
    RS Watanabe-1968
    SSR-1971
    Work-1977

    So Rota has been around for almost 42 years, a major manufacturer for both oem and aftermarket wheels(114 designs currently), produce wheels that meet JWL & VIA safety standards and provide TUV certification(where as some of the other major manufacturers listed above do not) and this still warrants such hatred? I don't get it but I just hoped to provide ACTUAL FACTS and instead of just internet opinion/gossip that is typically associated with the subject.

    To me it is like judging/forming an opinion about someone based SOLELY on the negative things you have heard/read instead of finding out who they truly are before making up your mind.
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  15. #24
    Super Moderator tsingson's Avatar
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    Great info Chad but unfortunately, it's all for nothing. People are going to believe what they believe regardless of facts. This goes for a lot of things nowadays. No point in trying to change it even though your intentions are good. I actually appreciate the information. Did not even know they were around this long. I only started hearing about them in the mid 90s.

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  17. #25
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power freedomgli's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BoBo View Post
    Were they in legal issues before ? If so, then my mistake I shouldn't have bought from them.
    You're confusing what's legal with what's ethical. They are not the same thing.

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  19. #26
    4,000 rpm - entering the fun zone Roadster7's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greasemonkey2000 View Post
    Kyle do you actually read any of the links provided or do any research? If not then the comment is purely based on a bias attitude toward what you view as a purely 'replica' company which is inaccurate because the MAJORITY of the wheels are not 'replica' wheels.

    This sort of bias view is exactly why I created the thread, education based on facts. Let's look at some more facts, when some of these companies were founded as many think Rota has only been around a couple of decades.
    If you're going to bring up bias, let's include a quote from your other thread on CR.

    that video "the truth on rota wheels" is pretty biased since they dont sell rays, but they sure as hell sell rotas.
    ...


    Quote Originally Posted by freedomgli View Post
    You're confusing what's legal with what's ethical. They are not the same thing.
    Also, this. Very much this.

  20. #27
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power freedomgli's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greasemonkey2000 View Post
    Kyle do you actually read any of the links provided or do any research?
    Yes. I've read all those links and seen all those videos before and skimmed them again before I replied. Remember, I'm ancient. I've been around a long time and I've been eating, sleeping, living, breathing cars and motorcycles for decades.


    Quote Originally Posted by Greasemonkey2000 View Post
    If not then the comment is purely based on a bias attitude toward what you view as a purely 'replica' company which is inaccurate because the MAJORITY of the wheels are not 'replica' wheels.
    We are all biased. I am biased against Rota. You are biased for Rota. Just because they make OEM wheels and private label designs doesn't change the fact they're widely known for ripping off other wheel designs.

    When you say "majority," what's your basis? Are you saying that most of their production volume on a per wheel basis is not replica wheels? Or are you saying that the majority of their wheel designs are not replicas? Heck, even Michael Rojas, president of Philippine Aluminum Wheels, Inc. (PAWI), admits that "Rota releases about 4 designs in a month, a mix of aftermarket and original equipment (OE) design wheels. We get our designs from magazines, mostly influenced by Japanese wheel designs, some designs are specified by customers." We can argue what it means for a design to be "influenced by" versus "blatant copying" but it's bound to go nowhere.


    Quote Originally Posted by Greasemonkey2000 View Post
    This sort of bias view is exactly why I created the thread, education based on facts. Let's look at some more facts, when some of these companies were founded as many think Rota has only been around a couple of decades.
    Their longevity has little to do with this argument other than they likely wouldn't be in business today or where they're at if not for ripping off other companies' designs.


    Quote Originally Posted by Greasemonkey2000 View Post
    So Rota has been around for almost 42 years, a major manufacturer for both oem and aftermarket wheels(114 designs currently), produce wheels that meet JWL & VIA safety standards and provide TUV certification(where as some of the other major manufacturers listed above do not) and this still warrants such hatred?
    The only companies that jump through the hoops to get TUV certification are those selling wheels in Europe. It's nice to have but it doesn't mean much to me, epsecially since most TUV wheels are way overbuilt. Good for a heavy street car, perhaps, but not generally what I want on my Miata. It's kind of like CARB certification. You only get it if you want to sell equipment in states that follow CARB regulations. Otherwise, it's unnecessary.

    Once again, 42 years doesn't impress me. Certifications are nice but they're not the be all, end all of quality. I don't hate Rota. I just don't support their business practices.


    Quote Originally Posted by Greasemonkey2000 View Post
    I don't get it but I just hoped to provide ACTUAL FACTS and instead of just internet opinion/gossip that is typically associated with the subject.
    In case you hadn't heard, we live in a post-fact world now. Not that I don't appreciate ACTUAL FACTS. Because I do. Because I'm an honorable man and not a piece of crap. But the facts that you shared don't do much to dispel my negative opinion of Rota as a cheap wheel manufacturer who got where they are today by stepping on the feet of others.

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  22. #28
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here!
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    Wink

    *pot stirring*

    Setting aside quality issues or lack thereof for a moment...

    What is one to do for sizes and fitments that were never available/continue to be not available from the original manufacturer?

    What if one really wants Star Sharks but doesn't like the limits imposed in a 13"-14" tire size? What's "wrong" with a good 15" rep in that scenario?
    What if one really wants Work Equip 03s but doesn't like the limits imposed by a low/zero offset? What's "wrong" with a Rota Flashback in an et40 in that scenario?
    What if one really wants SSR Longchamps (which haven't been in production by SSR for years)? What's "wrong" with Rota XRs in that scenario?
    What if the lineage of the wheel design is highly suspect or convulated? E.g., Minilites -> Panasports -> Watanabe RS-8 -> Mazda Daisies -> MINI 8-spokes -> Chapparals -> Rota RBs -> Konig Rewinds -> Enkei Classic Comp Es. How is the average consumer to know which are legit and licensed designs (if any) and which are "fakes" and thus shouldn't be supported on moral grounds? I'd wager in the case of this particular wheel, most enthusiasts don't even know.

    Point being, in some cases aren't reps the only viable option for that person, especially since the manufacturer is not exploiting the design in market? After all, it's not as if the original manufacturer is "losing" a sale in those situations, as the manufacturer has nothing to sell.

    XOXOXO,
    Dwight, Watanabe RS-8 and SSR Competition Type C owner

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  24. #29
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power BoBo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by freedomgli View Post
    You're confusing what's legal with what's ethical. They are not the same thing.
    Well, to me the Law comes first, especially if the subject is about material things. However, I respect your opinion.
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  26. #30
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power BoBo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tsingson View Post
    . I actually appreciate the information. Did not even know they were around this long. I only started hearing about them in the mid 90s.
    Same here, I had no idea about Rota being around for 4 decades. Because of this Thread topic I looked it up, thanks to the OP:
    https://www.autoindustriya.com/featu...-are-made.html

    I know for a fact that most wheel manufacturers have to pass certain quality control inspections and that's good enough for me. I'm out.
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