Refurbished OEM Wheels
 

I've been looking for a set of 177's but am having a tough time finding them...I found a site that advertises Refurbished ones at $279 a piece. After reading countless posts about Replica's i'm a swaying away from them and was wondering if refurbished oem's are a better bet

OEM's material may be slight better in metal composition

However, I would be leery of refurbs and would choose a replica over refurb.
Not knowing the history of a refurb, it could be a bent, crack wheel, been welded over and painted so it looks good. Just not sure what's ~under the skin~. YMMV

Do you have 177 right now(with curb rash etc), or you are thinking buying a whole set?

For the first situation I'll go to local rim store that fixes curb rash, painting etc.

buying a whole new set.....i have the stock 18's on there right now which i can't anymore after seeing all the great setups on this board.

my 3 cents...

if you are buying used from a reputable forum member, I would go this route...if a used set was available.

if not, I would go with replicas. They are brand new, they may not be as light or as good as a OEM wheel (from a finish standpoint if not a metal composition/wheel production) standpoint BUT I think the replicas are a better choice over a refurb wheel.

It's a hit or miss with a refurb wheel. Because it's been painted over or....u won't know the extent of the damage or condition prior to the refurb.

I have ran replicas on winters and the only major difference I noticed was that it took alot more weights to balance out the wheel and the finish was subpar....depends on how detailed you are but there is dust under the paint, paint is a bit uneven once it gets past the outside face, the paint is thinner on the inner barrel, etc.

But with all the cons of replica said, it still beats possibly driving on a cracked wheel that has been welded back and made to look perfect IMO

yeah i just can't seem to find replica's anywhere.....checked finish line (all reconditioned) and eurotech wheels usa (they don't have the 177's or the 214's)

any other places you know of by chance?

As someone who has 177 replicas, i look at it this way. If you spend a pretty penny on a set of OEMs, you will hate yourself more when you scuff or rash them on a curb. With replicas, if I ruin them, I won't be as angry knowing that I didn't spend a whole ton of money on them. They look great and close up finish-wise, they're OK, but they're good enough for me.

So...where did I get mine, I used Wheels & Caps on ebay. Some on this forum has sworn against using them, but I gambled and it turned out ok. YMMV.

:iagree: The finish on my 215 reps was maybe a 7 or 8 out of 10, but with only paying $700 for the whole set, I figured I could afford to repaint them somewhere along the line if they ever got banged up and still have paid less than an OEM set.

I think used OEM is the cheapest/best way to go (assuming you like the style)

Fares52, if you find a set, are you interested in selling your stock 18"? Let me know because today I was faced with buying a snow tire (extra set of wheels) or going with an agressive all season.