So I've been doing ALOT of wheel research (some would say an obsessive amount) trying to find the best balance of cost- looks- and performance(weight). I haven't found anything that comes close to the REV model VI for the money (they are basically Gram-Light replica wheels) . It seems that I can get a set of these wheels - with tires for about $600 and they weigh only 15.7 pounds at 17x7" and are available in 3 color combos (I like silver).

The only downsides I can see are these:

1- They are cast not forged- i've had cast wheels before without any problems so that's not a concern.

2- They are not hub-centric -( but i know alot of people use centering rings nowadays so I'm not really concerned about that either)

[B]So what's my question? Well are they too good to be true? I haven't seen any other cars on any of the MINI sites featuring these wheels- does that make me a genius or an idiot?

Has anyone heard of REV? Anyone have pics of these wheels on their car- or better yet experience with them?[/B}

Any help would be much appreciated.

here's a pic and link:

Thanks-



www.revwheels.com


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B/W Cooper :: Sport Package :: Moss Intake :: S Gas-cap Conversion :::::::::::::::
MINIblog

 

most of these generic wheels are made by the same manufacturer and
rebadged. cast wheels aren't bad as long as they are pressurized cast (which
most wheels are these days).

for the streets, wheel/tire weight will not make that much difference other
than braking distance(from my experience) so get the one that looks best
to you.

if you get the right centering rings, it will be hubcentric. :smile:

 

I say don't get them. Anything that is a copy is not good. I mean you wouldn't wear a fake rolex would you? I think it is better to save a few extra months and buy some quality products. I mean you would not buy some Tenzo wheels (SSR Copies), and you should not buy ADR, Motegi, and some of these other copy brands. Please buy quality, you will not regret it.

Lastly, ask dandp for info, he has helped me out a lot, and as far as I can tell he is the QUALITY wheel guru around here. :smile: :smile:

Good luck, and let us know what you decide.

 

I have "quality" Volks and I regret it. Wish I bought some lighter wheels, mine weigh 18lbs. With tire, we're talking 40-50lbs easy. :smile:

(Don't have to be fast if it looks fast right....?) I'll have the spicy chicken with egg roll please.

_________________
-goin440 IB/IB MC

 

>>I say don't get them. Anything that is a copy is not good. I mean you wouldn't wear a fake rolex would you? I think it is better to save a few extra months and buy some quality products. I mean you would not buy some Tenzo wheels (SSR Copies), and you should not buy ADR, Motegi, and some of these other copy brands. Please buy quality, you will not regret it.
>>

I have Tenzo RS5 wheels and I Luv em.
They are strong, terrific looking, mid range weight(20+lbs)...and are pressurized cast.
I live in NY where pot holes are a way of life and these rims...hold up...extremely ...well!!!!!!!
:smile:

Expensive is not always the best answer.
One should consider price, quality and what you intend to use these rims for :smile:.
then make a ....educated...purchase

Peace,
D

_________________
I own a 2002 MCS w/ alot of stuff on it.

 

>>I have "quality" Volks and I regret it. Wish I bought some lighter wheels, mine weigh 18lbs. With tire, we're talking 40-50lbs easy. :smile:
>>
>>(Don't have to be fast if it looks fast right....?) I'll have the spicy chicken with egg roll please.
>>
>>_________________
>>-goin440 IB/IB MC

What kind of volks do you have? Most of them weigh between 11-15lbs.

 

or go to your MINI dealer and get a set of 15" holeys with tires for about $400 (accdg to my dealer) and tear them up on the autox

 

>>I have Tenzo RS5 wheels and I Luv em.
>>They are strong, terrific looking, mid range weight(20+lbs)...and are pressurized cast.



Dennis,

My apologies, I did not mean to insult your Tenzo's. I did not know you had them. For those who know the history of the company, based out of california. They basically started the company by copying the OG SSR Shumachers from Japan, and called it the Tenzo SHU. To me thats flagrant copyright violation, and just cheap stunts. If tomorrow Honda copied the mini and sold it as a honda, we would be outraged, thus I have the same feelings towards tenzo. Imo, they are a cheap, aftermaket low quality company. It was nothing personal against you, my sincere apologies.

 

>>Dennis,
>>
>>My apologies, I did not mean to insult your Tenzo's. I did not know you had them. For those who know the history of the company, based out of california. They basically started the company by copying the OG SSR Shumachers from Japan, and called it the Tenzo SHU. To me thats flagrant copyright violation, and just cheap stunts. If tomorrow Honda copied the mini and sold it as a honda, we would be outraged, thus I have the same feelings towards tenzo. Imo, they are a cheap, aftermaket low quality company. It was nothing personal against you, my sincere apologies.

I truly appreciate the apology..but it was not at all neccessary.
Your actions say volumes about your character....& I applaud you :smile:
It's extremely refreshing to see that the tone here is changing back to the positive position that ...we as people can respectfully disagree with out ... any ill feelings/consequences :smile:

All good things

Peace,
D

 

yep, some people are sensitive to copy wheels, but if you look around
enough you'll find decent low-end wheels that aren't copies of anything.
i buy those for my winter set.

 

Thanks for all the feedback- So what I'm hearing is...

Aside from any moral issues I may have about supporting "wheel-copiers" they seem like a pretty good deal no?

Can't beat the weight or price?

I would love to hear from anyone who has dealt with this brand?

Still curious why I haven't seen them around at all is that a red flag?

 

Those are real beauties, D! The 17 x 7s, right?


_________________
MINI: Best horse for the buck!

 

Do OG's make a similar wheel to D's (pictured above)? I'd like to see a price, quality, value comparison?!
>>
>>

OG is not a company. Og=original. I meant to say that Tenzo copied the original SSR shumacher wheels, and thus got the bad wrap. They sell their wheels to 99% of the honda crowd. I just feel like we cant bad mouth the loud ricers wtih their coffee can exhaust and then buy tenzos. It has to be either or. Just my opinion. As far as wheel prices it is all relative. For some people a 25K mini is expensive, for some a 29K JWC MCS is a bargain.

Its your wheels, choose appropriately. However I think my fake rolex example is rather valid. Just like you would not go to a nice dinner with a fake rolex, when you arrive with ADR, motegi, tenzo, and focal wheels, people will think the same.

That said, its your money, spend wisely. :smile:

At the end you do get what you pay for.

 

I mis-quoted there,- thanks for clearing that up. I gotcha. What I'm still wondering is what company out there makes a similar wheel to D's and at what price-point to value? Hamann, I suppose? For what, 4x the price?

Cast are so similar to forged wheels these days, that the structural point is nearly moot I've been told. IMHO, I could careless what someone thinks if I have "cheap" Tenzos compared to Hamanns? If someone's out staring at my wheels close enough to see that, they're not seeing the big picture, - motoring fun.

That said, I truely want to know the potential advantage of getting better-branded wheels. To me, th ebest wheels are not going to have any initials or manufacturer's name stamped into the gosh darn spokes. That's tacky as hell & I'll not pay to advertise for them.

 

hummm... if that Rev wheel came in 16" and is actual powder coated paint,
id get the bronze one and use it without the center cap.

it looks good imo and didn't really remind me of the Gramlites when i first
looked at it.

 

>>Cast are so similar to forged wheels these days, that the structural point is nearly moot I've been told. IMHO, I could careless what someone thinks if I have "cheap" Tenzos compared to Hamanns? If someone's out staring at my wheels close enough to see that, they're not seeing the big picture, - motoring fun.
>>
>>That said, I truely want to know the potential advantage of getting better-branded wheels. To me, th ebest wheels are not going to have any initials or manufacturer's name stamped into the gosh darn spokes. That's tacky as hell & I'll not pay to advertise for them.


Couple of corrections. Hamann's arent 4 times the price. Hamann's are about 450 a piece, whereas I guess these are 200 a piece, so they are 2wice as expensive.

Secondly, I agree wtih you that I dont like to see the name brand of manufacturers stamped on wheels. Then again Bentley puts thier name on their cars, and so does mini. That is sort of a moot point.

Thirdly, you keep saying what are the benefits. Well a cheap Timex says the time just as well as a Rolex, but people still buy Rolex's dont they? You can live in the Hamptons or you can live in the Bronx, they are both houses, arent they?

Hopefully you get my drift. I would rather not go much more in depth, as I will be insulting many mini owners with ahem, different branded wheels

 

[quote]Hopefully you get my drift. I would rather not go much more in depth, as I will be insulting many mini owners with ahem, different branded wheels :smile:

If I saved-up for Hamanns, lord knows the wife or I would scratch 'em in their first pothole! :smile:

_________________
MINI: Best horse for the buck!

 

Tacky...hmmmm






It's all in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I like the history that OZ racing has in small scale event s like Formula 1 and WRC....for those who follow motorsport, OZ has cred. Tacky? Tacky is fake spinners on a Civic.

 

I'm not sure I'm buying the whole "Rolex" thing- I mean I have a Rolex- I like it- but the truth is that I don't wear it because of what other people think of it.

That said- I do realize that I have it because I believe it's of superior quality and I suppose you do get what you pay for.

Which is why i asked the question in the first place- are REV wheels too good to be true?

Would I love a set of VOLKS? hell yeah- they're sweet- light and strong- but -
I just can't see spending SO much money on just wheels(forget hamman all together 'cause they're pretty but they're also boat anchors- no performance gain there)-

If I can get a significant weight savings at a reasonable price in the style I want- thats good enough for me I suppose- and the money I save can be put towards other upgrades- for $1200 I can get the wheels, tires, H&R springs, a madness sway bar, and a short shift kit

I am still curious though - are these wheels total crap? or just not "the rolex of wheels" - Im just looking for better than I've got now (which leaves alot of room for improvement)

 

i always tell people that when you buy a set of wheels, buy a set
which you can afford to buy 6pcs instead of 4... you never know
when you're going to hit that pothole and damage your wheels.

it only takes one mistake to scuff up your wheels... always have
extra cash around to be able to get your replacements.

that being said, replicas might not be a bad choice.

and id probably get bigger discs if i was to get simple 5-7
spoke 17-18"s as the simple design reveal how small the
disc brakes are on this car......
_________________




03MCS IndiBlue/Blk

 

Those look like a copy of the volk gram lights, I'm planning on getting a set of volks.

I have a set of 15" holies I might be willing to part with :smile:

 

You should certainly be paying more attention to your wheel selection than your watch selection. Quality wheels are extremely important to the the safety of yourself, your passengers and other peoples on the road. I believe thats worth more than a rolex (even a really nice one :smile I honestly know nothing about Rev wheels or their quality but that being said, its not a risk I'd be willing to take. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and pay a little more for the piece of mind.

Dan, I miss those OZ/Prodrives!

--
Cheese

 

Cheese, the Prodrives are in good hands....I believe a certain tuner in Philly is now trying to clean them.

And yes Cheese makes a good point regarding wheel quality. A Timex quartz will usually tell better time than a manual wind or automatic watch such as a Rolex or Patek. But a higher end wheel in all likelihood keep it's finish better, and have a better build quality. The only thing seperating you from the road at 55, 75 or whatever speed you drive are the wheels and tires. Makes little sense to cheap out on that combination. The MINI, regardless of whether it is the MCS or MC, has handling ability that is worthy of decent running gear.

 

>>What kind of volks do you have? Most of them weigh between 11-15lbs.

Only the TEs, LEs, and CEs (plus one or two more)weight that much. Mine are GT-7s (17x7) I like them, there is a bit of satisfaction with having the only MINI with set of gold ones on. I thought about selling them off, but there aren't many (if any) light 15-16 I really like. I may take my stock 15" 7-holes to get polished or possible partial polish/custom painted (would look sweet). I haven't looked into it, but if I could get the Limited Edition Gold CE28 in 15" or 16", ET around 40---I'd be sold.



_________________
-goin440 IB/IB MC

 

>>Cheese, the Prodrives are in good hands....I believe a certain tuner in Philly is now trying to clean them.

You let my babies go? What are you running now? I might go visit them this weekend.

--
Cheese