There is one photo that I know of that made the rounds many years ago. I think this is it:



I honestly don't know the situation that caused this wheel to fail. My guess is that it was in an accident. I can say that in all our years selling Rotas, we've had ONE wheel that developed a crack in the spoke, which did NOT result in any kind of catastrophic failure. That wheel was replaced by the manufacturer. We have sold many hundreds of sets of Rotas, so from my experience even that minor failure is not common.

Cast aluminum wheels are relatively stiff and light. They can bend a little, but if the impact is hard enough they will crack. Normal road use would not usually be hard enough -- it would take a serious road hazard or a crash of some sort. Forged aluminum is a little stronger and has a little more ability to plastic deform, but there are still limits. In any case, your wheel is going to be ruined if you hit a curb or run over a tree with it.

This doesn't really add much to the discussion. Please share a personal experience or some facts related to the original question.

We have had some reports lately of this issue -- specifically about clear coat flaking on the polished lip of some of the wheel designs, in some of the finish colors. We ask that our customers send us photos of the wheels, and we'll get with Rota to address each case. All wheels are subject to damage from normal wear and tear, but wheels that seem to have a factory finish defect may be repaired or replaced under warranty. If you've bought wheels from us and have a concern, contact me. The first thing we'll ask for is photos to show us what you are seeing, and then we'll proceed from there. On a four-year-old wheel, I'm not sure there's doing to be much we can do, but in any case we can take a look at it.

That's my take on them. Reasonable price, they look decent, and they roll. They're a good value.

That seems to be the experience of most of our customers. I have many customers who come back to buy a second or third set of Rota after the first ones get too beat up, or when they get a new car.

This is not related to quality, but I'll address it because it's a valid point. Rota DOES make wheels that are "inspired by" or "similar to" other styles. The RB looks much like a Panasport or Minilite design. The Slipstream looks like a Regamaster or Spoon Sports wheel. The Torque looks similar to a Work wheel. You may not like this practice, but it's legal and common across all industries. (It's NOT legal to mis-represent what the product IS -- Rota wheels don't have "BBS" cast into them or have BBS-logo center caps, for example. Nor is it legal to make exact duplicates of someone else's work.)

Clothing is the most common example of how companies mimic others -- this year's designer styles will quickly show up on the racks at Target, as the low-end brands pick up the styling cues from the industry leaders. It happens in car design, too -- take the "me too" styling of, say, the Hyundai Genesis sedan, which looks very much like a Lexus sedan, which itself looks like a nice copy of a Mercedes S-class sedan. Athletic shoes, wristwatches, computers, cell phones -- across industries, there are style leaders and style followers. There's room for both. For a lot of people it's just not good value to buy the style leader, when a product with similar function can be had for 20% of the price. For others it's worth it to have the superior product, even with the price premium. That's up to each consumer to decide.

--Dan
Mach V

 

Having posted what now looks like a negative comment, I feel the need to make one more observation.

I've been to a whole bunch of Mini related things over the past two years, e.g. MOTD. MTTS, etc.

When you see a Mini with non-factory wheels, the most common replacement is one of the Rota variants. I've not talked with any of those people who are unhappy with their wheels. Not one.

 

 

Most of the time I dont think its the wheels, but more of what your using to clean your wheels as well as what the local car wash use as well. I've learned the hard way with my Black MRR GT-1's and some my bronze Fn01r-c's. And those are pretty good quality/priced wheels. it is the reason now that I do-it-myself when washing.

Dont ever use Purple Power....

 

Never had a problem with mine in over 4 years. I know at least a half dozen people who have bought them after seeing mine.

 

Earlier I couldnt see these pix^^^^.

This not because wheel maker. This is exactly what happen to my MRR's. That from what you or whatever THEY are cleaning it with. Maybe a corrosive.

 

Rota RBs are copies of Watanabe RS wheels, which are an old skool Japanese design. I'd rock Rotas. I know plenty of people who daily drive on fake brands without incident.

 

I've been running Rota RB's for years and love them. No problems. Zero.

 

I bought some used Rota RBs. I like the look a lot but am not happy with the clear coat flaking on one wheel. Is there a good fix for this?

 

I'm going on my 3rd year with my RB's and have had no problems.