i would rather spend the $1500 on my car that will actually make me $1500 faster. the spoons wont do that, so my slipstreams fit the bill perfectly.

Dont get me wrong, the Desmond wheel IS LIGHTER and is FORGED so its probably stronger, but when it comes down to it, $1500 can go a a long way towards making your car faster and handle better then 2lbs less on each wheel.

Besides, I want to get platinum fronts (teeth) then i'll get some "real" desmond rims.

Oh, and all you "keeping it real" jdm freaks. why dont you go diss a fake ctr or itr. If it aint right hand drive, it aint JDM

 

I eat my cereal with a Rota, not a spoon.

 

I am getting a set of streams for my hatch (well once I actually take possesion of it). My reasons are simple. Cost. I like the Spoon wheels, heck, they are lighter and stronger than the Rota's, but cost is the big concern when the other two are so close. True, I could go spend the extra $1500 on Spoons, but I would rather spend that money on getting the rest of the parts that I will need to complete the turbo kit that is just sitting on my floor. That way I can put the money to better use, in my opinion.

Everyone here sits and dogs on the knock-off Rota's. They act as if the Spoon wheels will drastically reduce ET's or lap time. Personally, I can find better ways to drop times with the money I save.

Local JDM Freak : "Man, that hatch of yours is tight! Are those Spoons?"
Me : "Nah. They are Rota's."
Local JDM Freak : "Ricer! You should have spent the extra money and got the Spoons like I did. Then you could be true JDM"
Me : "Well honestly sir, I don't care about being JDM or anything else for that matter. I will tel you what, I will run you ad show you what I did with the money I saved"

 

>>i pity the fools who cant appreciate research and development. spoon and mugen have been in the game a long time and have race-proven reputations. rota is a biter company that prevents more japanese companies from bringing their products to the US. if you dont see the value in those products, that's fine. but i have a problem with blatant copies.<<

I have a problem with your grasp of economics.

I also have a problem with some Japanes companies and how famous they are for price gouging, "japanese inspections", market flooding, etc. But, as for my problem with price gouging, the laws of economics will soon solve that one.

The FACT is, Spoon, Mugen, and several other companies have been gouging the holy crap out of the import scene for quite some time. Other opportunistic companies have figured out that they can offer what the customers want at a substantially lower price. (Rota wheels for example)

If these high dollar companies want to survive they can either carve out a unique segment of the market, or learn to make a profit without such a freaking ridiculous margin. However, the most likely scenerio: they eventually quit selling their goods on U.S. shores because they are no longer a competitive player in the market, but continue to make huge profits in their own country by imposing ungodly import tarrifs.

 

I think you guys will like this. I too have 15" Rota Slipstreams and the money i saved i used to buy a ZEX kit. To each his own. If you've got deep pockets buy Spoon but i would rather spend it on something that will help me go faster.

 

interesting point.

its kinda hard to say what "price gouging" really means. i mean i look at websites like http://www.j-garage.com and he lists what he can obtain spoon parts for in japan... the prices are lower than what they are here but once you add in shipping and import fees etc the prices are about the same. and i'm assuming that guy makes a profit too. so whether it's here or there, spoon and mugen are making a pretty penny on their parts no doubt.

but again, demand dictates pricing. neo geo game systems were obscenely priced for quite some time and people were paying for them. same with jaguar. but when they became obsolete they dropped down to under $100. i know spoon is making good money off their parts but as long as people are expecting to pay that much and are willing to do so, then they'll keep charging that price.

like i continue to insist (but people dont seem to notice).... if people wanna buy rotas, that's great! but i do think spoon makes superior products, esp in the case of sw388 vs slipstream. cost/benefit justification is another thing. is spoon $1500 better than rota? probably not. but people are also paying for the exclusivity, which was taken away with the flooding of the market by rota. so all in all, if people wanna use the "i'd rather spend my money on performance parts" thats fine. i spent $ on performance and wanted real spoon wheels. i just cant stand people dissing the real thing just because there's a copy out there that's cheaper.

lets let this topic die, it's not going anywhere.

 

AMEN!!!!!!

 

I like Spoon wheels and Volks and Advans. i lost my job lost year and my income has been severely hit (I'm only bringing home less then half of what I made per month).

The other reason I'm getting Rota's is like I said. the sooner I'm happy with my Hybrid is the sooner I can concentrate on other (Like the RX-7 I want, my wife wants to do a SR20DET in a S14, I want a home etc).

Spoon, Volk and Advan just don't fit in my plans right now. Not when I can take the Volk money and get my Toda Cams springs and retainers for the money it was gonna cost to get the Volk wheels I wanted originally.

 

Now Toda Cams those look like good products. Don't they make the Cams that Spoon sells? Any way Toda cams look good.

 

Rota streams are just that...fake Spoon knockoffs. They are heavier, not as strong and total ricer looking. Like i said, equivalent to a fake Polo Shirt or something.

Why even buy the streams? Example: Kosei's look better, weight about the same (maybe less), come in colors and are the same damn price. Plus, they aren't trying to look like something they aren't.

I got spoons for my 91 Si because yes, I *do* race the car and 3 lbs at each wheel is a lot of weight. Spoons are easy to take care of because of the flat black finish and get the job done just fine. When you cry because you were a few tenths out of first place, know in the back of your head that the spoons could have made that difference over the streams. That extra $1000 for the Spoons or regamasters is worth it IMO when it comes down to it and you are looking for every legal advantage in your class.

And if you're buying NOS for your car, then you probably should buy 18" chrome Daytons or something else because being fast at stoplights and looking good is all you care about.

Yeah, this subject pisses me off. Buy the streams and be a faker...I don't care. But DON'T knock those who actually buy the spoons for their intended purpose. Morons.

Edit: I wrote "schit" in front of "streams", but the board filtered that out for all of you





[Modified by Todd00, 5:31 PM 1/23/2002]

 

please tell me the visual difference between the two, besides flat black and gloss black. if thats all you can notice, then you are one petty and stupid ****!

 

Real ones have a rough surface... Rota Slipstreams have a smooth, glossy surface. After seeing so many, and then comparing them to a real set of SW388s that I picked up (waaaay cheap to... real deals, they say RUSSIA and the lip is different, as well as the weight), the Slipstreams look like ****.



I still have 2 sets lying around.... don't ask why, but 1 set has drag radials and track slicks on them

I'll take a pict of my real SW388 rims next to the Slipstreams.... VERY OBVIOUS when they're side by side.

 

Last time i checked this thread started with a person looking for slipstreams and eventually turned into a bunch of people telling him he should get spoons.
Not for nothing, but your post shouldnt even be on this thread, it doesnt answer the initial question, and only contributes to mindless arguing..

 

i think your just jealous because you cant afford spoon products. dont talk about the product or the people who buy it just because you dont care about quality.

 

Like I said. I'm not knocking anyone for buying the real deal. I can't afford the real deal and I don't like the Kosei's. I can't find a gun metal wheel I like in 16 inch. The rota's unfortuneately are the only ones. I'll be a biter and get "fake" spoon wheels. @ least the money I saved on the wheels can go into making the car that much faster.

later on down the road I may get some wheels that are worth it but quite frankly I can't see me taking 2000 bux to get some good wheels when I can spend the 2 g's on a front mount intercooler or a standalone computer unit for my weekend warrior.

 

So did you find a set? If you can't find em' used just look around you can always find new 15's for 400 bucks a set.

 

Its obvious that everyone with real spoons are happy with them. There are also obvious differneces between the two. The slipstreams are obviously cheaper. (for the price of ONE 16" Spoon, you can get FOUR Sliptreams).

The Spoons are obviously lighter. IMO, the Spoons look better too.

Now lets talk about quality, since everyone with Spoons keep bringing it up. Ok the hard anodizing type finish on the spoons is higher quality then the paint on the rotas. But that is part of what makes the spoons more expensive. Can you scratch a spoon as easy as a rota? Sure you can.

Spoons are forged and rotas are cast. Another reason why they are more expensive, forged wheels ARE stronger then cast wheels.

My rotas spin true just like spoons would. So what else is there quality wise? Nothing. The spoons have a more durable finsih, and are maybe 30% stronger. Does that mean my rotas will bend or break if I hit a bump? Nope. Does that mean I can't autocross or roadrace with my rotas? Nope.

BUT if I do damage one of my rotas beyond repair, it will only cost me $112 to replace it. If you think the rotas are so crappy, stop comparing them to Spoons. Because the only thing they have in common are looks. Compare Rotas to other rims in that price range, and you will see that they are among the top 5 for quality, performance, and in my opinion, looks.

Why is everyone so butt hurt that Rota copied Spoon? Wheel companies copy eachother ALL the time.

And stop using the fake polo or hillfiger comparison. For one, my rotas dont say spoon all down the spokes and across the back. It doesn't have spoon tags, spoon stamps, or come with spoon stickers in a spoon box. They are rotas.

If you want to take it even farther, this whole jdm style/movement is fake too. We are just biting how cars look, and how people fix up cars in japan. We are taking our american hondas, paying inflated prices for imported parts, so we can pretend we are in a real civic type r.

Thats it for me. Much repect for those who not only like nice AND fast cars, but put them to use...that means the track...autox, roadracing, drag. To each their own. Everyone has their own wallet and their own taste.

A big to the people that build fast motors and back breaking suspension, and then put their car in a show, or to be "fast" at the street races.

 

Irony: Everyone was always saying how "ugly" the spoons were and the racers said that they didn't care. Now all of a sudden, everyone is singing the praises of the schitstreams and how good they look. Hmmm...

Let's face it, both wheels are ugly. However, one is a race wheel and one is a cheap @ss wheel that tries to look like a real race wheel. How do we define that? Rice!

Let me ask a question: Why do you want schitstreams? Because they look good? Honestly, do they really look that good? Or is it because they have that fake spoon appeal to them and it will score points with the carshow judges and the teenagers in a 94 Accord DX on Main street?

 

Cheap Bastard loves the knock offs. Something I can acutally buy without feeling too much guilt.

 

so what brand tires do you run on you 20 inch chromies ? all the teenagers on maine street want to know !

 

"However, one is a race wheel and one is a cheap @ss wheel that tries to look like a real race wheel. How do we define that? Rice!"

Damn todd, you really got a chip on your shoulder. You almost seem mad. What are you mad about Todd?

 

Change of topic for a minute Buyin 1 of these in 17 inch
(I already have 15s)for the flamers
Want a new set 'o' wheels


Volk Gtp, Gtn or Te37(bronze) for black 92 si hatch

 

Ever since someone asked me where I got my Rotas at because they are sweet. Mind you, I have Spoons. Plus, this has been brewing for a while and I just hate fake parts.

 

"Ever since someone asked me where I got my Rotas at because they are sweet"

Thats classic. The other week, someone asked me how much I payed for my spoons.

Ahh, the irony!

 

buy the real ones, if you cant buy the real ones buy something else, have some respect for your ride and yourself. all you slipstream owners, do you guys sew tigers on your shirt? or buy the fake front mount intercooler so that people think you have a turbo?