Replica eBay S2000 OEM-style Wheels Review
Is buying a set of cheap replica wheels for your S2000 a wise choice or equivalent to signing your death certificate?
We’ve all been there at least once in life. You need to buy some parts for your S2000, but you only have so much cash to spend. So you start looking around at replica or off-brand parts, which draw you in with their apparent value. But in the back of your mind, you’re probably thinking this is a good way to get burned. Heck, maybe you’ve even been let down in the past by parts of inferior quality. But that attractive asking price is an evil temptress.
That temptation proved far too strong for S2ki member Brady936 to resist, that’s for sure. But the OP was smart enough to seek out advice on replacement wheels from fellow members first. The vast majority recommended a set of replica eBay rolling stock, so he took the plunge. And then he posted a very detailed review of said wheels right here in the forums.
Right off the bat, it’s abundantly clear the OP did their research on the matter. Heck, they even figured out exactly where the new S2000 wheels came from.
“The name for the eBay company selling the wheels is Tobacco Road. I did some digging after my bill was from a well known wheel refinishing / refurbishing company called, Wheels And Caps. They are easily found via Google. I decided to dig a bit more and found that Wheels and Caps is owned by a company called, Transwheel Corp. Transwheel was purchased in the 90’s by LKQ Corp and has a good reputation from what I have seen in my limited digging. LKQ happens to be the country’s largest nationwide provider of collision replacement parts and refurbished engines.”
That research also produced some welcome news for those concerned about the safety of these wheels, which are made in China.
“This company test their wheels ‘under conditions that are more extreme than those specified by SAE International.’ Further, ‘All three of the fatigue and impact test are performed on each wheel, and at double the required rotation levels for the dynamic cornering fatigue test.'”
And when they arrived, the new S2000 wheels sure looked the part, too.
“The finish / color looks dead on the pictures of stock rims I enlarged online. The faces appear clean, no cracks, no blemishes, no unevenness. If one didn’t look at the back of the wheel, I doubt anyone could tell the difference.”
And aside from the sniff test, these wheels hold up in other, more important ways too.
“They are the same as the OEM wheels, if not a smidge lighter (a tenth or two). Which is probably due to the scale being off a touch or that the OEM wheel weights I’ve seen on this forum were weighed with center caps.
REAR: 22.4 lbs
FRONT: 18.2 lbsTo me, this shows they are cast the same. I have been told by another dealer they are manufactured to the same specs and with the same process.”
After the wheels balance out extremely well, it’s far enough in the process to make a determination, right?
“At at this point, my overall opinion is that these wheels are of good quality. So far, I have zero negatives to say. Quite the opposite, in fact. Where else could you get a brand new set of wheels for $520 shipped to your door that look as nice as these do? The true test is time but there are zero indicators, at this point, that would lead me to believe that they are any less quality than OEM.”
Once the new wheels are fitted to the OP’s S2000, it’s abundantly clear that he made the right choice. And so far, he has zero complaints about them. But still, we’re curious to know – have you purchased a set of replica wheels like these from an online source? What was your experience with them? Head over here and let us know!
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