Quick advice on REPLICA rims.

[PANDAemic]

I know that replicas aren't always the best around the block but I'm on a budget so I need some advice.

What are some trusted replica brands that YOU would recommend to others?
I hear a lot of bad things about XXR and Rota but those brands are the only brands that I can think of off the top of my head that sell the replica's I want.

If you guys could recommend me some good brands I'd be much appreciated.
On a side note, I'm trying to look for TE37 or CE28N replicas. Been looking at the Varrstoen 2.2.0, XXR 527, and the Rota Fighter.

[MellowZ32]

Hi, welcome to NICO!
well. I know you're looking for replicas because the common thought is that they are more inexpensive. but in reality there are other reputable, legit brands that manufacture better wheels.
Try looking into the Enkie RPF1s or 5zigen FN01R-Cs they are affordable and your supporting a company that puts time and money into the R&D of the wheel the manufacture.
If you want to get something that looks like Volks why not the real thing? try searching the Classified section for used wheels.
by buying replicas of popular wheel designs from shady manufactures you are hurting the tuning industry.
so I would say save your money and buy good quality wheels! I know it will take longer to get the wheels but at the end it's worth the wait.

[PANDAemic]

Thanks for the welcome! I hope to be a more frequent poster.
I was looking at the RPF1 Type-II and some other real brands. I would love to buy some real brands but I have a really hard time coming accross some 4lugs. I would like to get a 5 lug conversion going sometime in the near future but as of now I'm on a budget. Know of any brands that still continue to make 4 lugs?

Also about looking on Classifieds like Craigslist or something I get really confused as to what to search up, like key words or something and how I should spot fakes posing as the real deal.

[Razi]

RPF-1s still come in 4 lug, but sadly the Type-II does not.

I recommend swapping to 5 lug, you get more brake and wheel choices.
Be patient and look around for deals on wheels and a 5 lug swap, it'll pay off in the end!

[PANDAemic]

How much would a 5 lug conversion run people usually? I'm not that good with cars so I'll probably have to pay somebody to do it for me also.

I think I've seen the Type-II come in a 4 lug unless I was looking at a bad site.

*EDIT: Also, I forgot to ask. What are your guys' opinions on 5 lug adapter plates?

[Razi]

Nissan cars have a 5x114.3 or 4x114.3 bolt pattern, the 4x100 one won't fit on our Nissans.

A used OEM 5 lug setup could be found sometimes for about $200.
You can also find new hubs from Ichiba but the bearing quality on those are a hit or miss, though you can press in OEM bearings but I don't know how much they cost.

[PANDAemic]

Yea, I was reading some write-ups about the Ichiba 5 lug conversions. Would my stock bearigs on my current 240 be pressed onto the ichiba conversion?

I've been google'ing like crazy trying to find an exact list of things I would need to get for a conversion. From what I've seen, I can get s14 rear hubs and the front I'd have to put a little more work into it?

[Razi]

Interesting. I guess you could press your current OEM bearings in the Ichiba if the Ichibas were ever wear out.

Doing a 5 lug swap isn't all that hard, be it front or back, as long as you have the proper tools and the bolts aren't rusted on.
I recommend buying a breaker bar, it'll become useful for the 5 lug swap and other future projects.
Also, you'll need to rent a large socket for the rear nut (I think it's a 36mm).
Mine was being stubborn (and I didn't want to jump on the breaker bar) so I broke it loose by gently apply force with a jack:

[PANDAemic]

Yea, I've been wanting to learn how to work on cars for the longest time. Only 2 things that held me back. Lack of space to work on my car and the write ups. The write ups are usually really vague or lack the pictures I need to know what is what.

That asside, I see people on the forums selling Attain 5 lug conversions for the front. If I were to purchase those I wouldn't need to get extra parts like balljoints, bolts and such?

[Razi]

If you get an aftermarket front 5 lug conversion, you only need to unbolt the old hub off of the knuckle and bolt the new one on.

Also, we have a good set of Factory Service Manuals here, I recommend downloading them into a folder.
240sx-fsm-full-service-manuals-s13-s14- ... 11075.html

I also found that the 91-94 manual has more information on everything (torque specs, etc..), so even if that isn't your year you should downloading it.

[PANDAemic]

Thanks a lot for the help! Hopefully soon I can get a project thread up and running.

How do you feel about 5lug adapter plates? Something cheap I can use for the time being I guess...

[themadscientist]

2 legit 2 quit

[Razi]

Thanks a lot for the help! Hopefully soon I can get a project thread up and running.

How do you feel about 5lug adapter plates? Something cheap I can use for the time being I guess...

The thick hunks of aluminum?
That's going to space your wheel out quite far, don't do it.

No need to rush, save up and buy the correct stuff.

[PANDAemic]

2 legit 2 quit

Suck ride bro. 6 lug 25" rims?

[PANDAemic]

Thanks a lot for the help! Hopefully soon I can get a project thread up and running.

How do you feel about 5lug adapter plates? Something cheap I can use for the time being I guess...

The thick hunks of aluminum?
That's going to space your wheel out quite far, don't do it.

No need to rush, save up and buy the correct stuff.

Yea, most likely going to buy part by part until I get enough for the whole set AND rim/tires. Going to be a long wait but worth it in the long run.

[Razi]

Proper mindset.

[PANDAemic]

Alright!

[krash]

I went with the XXR 527s. They're doing a good job of holding me over until I can finish collecting my 5-lug parts.

RPF1 is one of my dream wheels. A whopping 1200 for a set . It'll have to be when I finish school.

[Dittoz7]

Regular used ones with in decent sizing usually falls between 900-1000 bucks.

[simmode1]

Stopped reading thread after someone said go 5 lug. Looking for 4 lug wheels? See Sig.

I recommend XXR 006's in 17x9+20 and XXR 526's in 17x10+20. Can't get any cheaper than those two and still fit decent. But if you wanna break the bank, plenty of pricey wheels available too.

While not as popular as 5x114.3, there's still lots of 4 lug options with good fitment if you know where to look. The only thing that would make me throw money away converting to 5 lug is if I were gonna run Driftworks Geomaster Hub Knuckles...

And OP, don't believe the hype. Rota wheels are just fine.

[PANDAemic]

I hear a lot of bad things about XXR and Rota just because of the fact that their rims are made in a certain way that isn't the best or something like that.

@Krash: Can you send me a pic of your ride with the 527's? I'm having a hard time looking for pics of s13/s14's in 527, Rota Fighter, and Varrstoen's.

[simmode1]

I hear a lot of bad things about XXR and Rota just because of the fact that their rims are made in a certain way that isn't the best or something like that.

Uh huh. Keep on thinking that. Gotta love heresay.

I don't get paid to defend those guys rep, so I'm not even gonna bother debunking that statement.

[MellowZ32]

OP If you're planning to got 5-lug then i suggest to just hold off on buy wheels until you get the 5lug hubs!

[Dittoz7]

XXR wheels are made of dynamite.

Source:

[krash]

I hear a lot of bad things about XXR and Rota just because of the fact that their rims are made in a certain way that isn't the best or something like that.

@Krash: Can you send me a pic of your ride with the 527's? I'm having a hard time looking for pics of s13/s14's in 527, Rota Fighter, and Varrstoen's.

They aren't super light performance wheels, but they look decent and can fit some good tire. Click the picture in my sig and look at the last page of my build thread for picz0rz.

However, if your income is such that you can buy the real deal in a few months, just save up and convert to 5-lug and then get yourself some nice CE28s or something. I'm tend to be broke for extended periods of time so I opted for the cheaper option for now

[Dattebayo]

I've been wanting to learn how to work on cars for the longest time.

Slow down, guys. This dude has never worked on a car before and we're talking about a major upgrade here.

Take it slow, champ, and get someone to show you how to do this stuff who has ALL the proper tools before jumping into something that to DIY you're going to need to buy a couple of expensive tools for...

[PANDAemic]

I've been wanting to learn how to work on cars for the longest time.

Slow down, guys. This dude has never worked on a car before and we're talking about a major upgrade here.

Take it slow, champ, and get someone to show you how to do this stuff who has ALL the proper tools before jumping into something that to DIY you're going to need to buy a couple of expensive tools for...

Thanks for understanding. Yea for the word of mouth thing, I can only go from word of mouth just cause of the fact that personally I have yet to try the rims and neither have my friends. I'm taking things slow like just today I learned how to lower and raise my car (I feel retarded for saying this because of how easy it it) and other things from a friend of mine. Personally I learn things easier if I see it in front of me rather pictures from a write-up and such.

I'd say the hardest thing about working on cars is getting the right hook-ups. Get to know people and buy things for a cheaper price or get a good deal.

[simmode1]

Slow down, guys. This dude has never worked on a car before and we're talking about a major upgrade here.

Precisely why I recommended that simple 4 lug setup. Us old heads simply say stuff like "Just go 5 lug!" like it's the simplest thing in the world. But a new guy may not take into account that means not only buy new hubs, but also new rotors. And if you're doing that much, you might as well upgrade your brakes while you're at it. Thats alot of work and quite a bit of cash when combined with the cost of the new wheels/tires too.

Sometimes, you gotta crawl before you can walk. I prefer to subscribe to the K.I.S.S. Method: Keep It Simple, Stupid. If it doesn't need changing, I don't change it. But if you've got your mind set on it, knock youself out.

As for knowing how to get the best prices/hook ups on parts: I recommend checking the forum vendors around the holidays. They always have nice sales or Group Buys around holidays.

[300ZXttZMAN]

Hi, welcome to NICO!
well. I know you're looking for replicas because the common thought is that they are more inexpensive. but in reality there are other reputable, legit brands that manufacture better wheels.
Try looking into the Enkie RPF1s or 5zigen FN01R-Cs they are affordable and your supporting a company that puts time and money into the R&D of the wheel the manufacture.
If you want to get something that looks like Volks why not the real thing? try searching the Classified section for used wheels.
by buying replicas of popular wheel designs from shady manufactures you are hurting the tuning industry.
so I would say save your money and buy good quality wheels! I know it will take longer to get the wheels but at the end it's worth the wait.

Yea i agree with everything said above.. But to add to it also remember you get what you pay for

[300ZXttZMAN]

Yea, I was reading some write-ups about the Ichiba 5 lug conversions. Would my stock bearigs on my current 240 be pressed onto the ichiba conversion?

I've been google'ing like crazy trying to find an exact list of things I would need to get for a conversion. From what I've seen, I can get s14 rear hubs and the front I'd have to put a little more work into it?

PM me a list of parts that you need and i can help you out in your conversion im a salvage yard ( look me up in the z32 general fourm) I have a complete s14 96 zenki (bad motor) (k24de)