On my last car I bought some Rotas, I liked the looks but I didn't like having some obvious knockoffs, and I didn't feel as comfortable driving on them b/c Rotas aren't made that well.

Anyways I just picked up a Nissan Versa and I'm looking for some 17" wheels in 4x114.3. I really wanted some Buddy Clubs but they don't make them in my bolt pattern. I'm looking for a wheel that's black with a red stripe on the lip. I noticed Tenzo has a couple of wheels that fit my car, is Tenzo a decent brand? They're considerably more expensive than Rotas or other cheap knockoffs so it seems they should be solid. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

And one more thing, I'm looking for a nice wheel at a decent price, basically under 1k. Otherwise I'd shell out the money for some Works or Volks...

 

1. What Buddy Club wheels are you looking to get?
2. Why does the color matter so much? Paint's cheap, and the majority of those black/red scheme wheels are just painted.
3. To answer your primary question, I wouldn't trust Tenzo-R wheels to do anything more than moderate daily driving. I would class them in a realm beneath Rota's, to be honest, as their production methods are sub Rota-quality. To be absolutely honest, I would defintely prefer an OEM wheel to them.

 

I was looking at the Buddy Club SF Challenge but I called Weksos and they told me they didn't come in 4x114.3.

Color doesn't really matter that much, I was just looking for black with a red lip. As long as it goes well with a black car I'm just fine with it :D.

Thanks for clearing up things about Tenzo-R, any other companies you would recommend?

 

If your budget is tight, check out Konig's wheel lineup.
http://shopping.netsuite.com/s...99949

But, getting some actual Volk Time Attack wheels will offer you a nicer wheel. But, you will definitely be paying for it (rather expensive wheel manufacturer).

 

Ive heard nothing good about tenzo, go rota if you want replica.

 

I had a set of Tenzo wheels for about 5 years. Never had a single problem with them. They were good quality, and they saw hard driving/track days. Tenzo does make replica wheels. I feel they make a nice quality replica wheel than Rota. I've had Rotas, and they did the job just fine. But I've grown up, and so has my wallet, I'm on Mugens now. Regardless, Tenzo gets a thumbup from me.

 

If your budget isn't that much, just hold off and pick up a used set of wheels either from the forums or from used JDM wheel places. So a little bit more money than replicas, you can get ther real deal...

:D

 

Oh and BTW, I'm not a fan of tenzo.

 

Konig also makes replica wheels. they offer a "supermesh" design, as well as a Mugen NR knockoff, other mugen knockoffs, etc. so yeah i wouldnt call konig reputable.
That really blows that Buddy Club doesnt make a set of wheels in your size because from a lot of digging that I've been doing for my own wheels, theyre pretty much the only JDM wheels i can afford being at around 480 for 15s and 580 for 16s in the wheel im getting.

 

i wouldn get tenzo's either. maybe some drag wheels at ur local discount tire shop. and i thimk blk with red lip is played out now. try a differnt color lip

 

You must be joking.

Tens of thousands of cars are autocrossed, road raced, and/or driven daily on Rota wheels without issue. They may not be forged or designed with massive bulletproof strength as the #1 priority, but poorly made or unreliable is something that they are not. There's not much that can be screwed up on a wheel, and I can't say that Rota wheels have an above-average failure rate.

Look, if you want to buy other wheels, that's great. If you don't like Rotas, that's fine too - but don't make up bogus reasons to back up your choice. That's coming to the right conclusion for the wrong reason.

 

i got tenzo r wheel in my 90 crxsi for the last 4 yrs. i stand by them and would buy them again . as a matter of fact i used to sell them..i live in pa and anyone that lives in pa know what bad roads we have. ive alson owned roja and racing hart and many other wheels.if you going to knock a wheel brand at least back up ya story. its like saying chrome wheels are heavy . chrome is a process and 9 times out of10 the wheel manufacture uses a hevery mat. to make the wheel . dont forget chrome is a process and doesnt stick to all mat. do your home work first.

 

i had tenzo zt6 rims and i loved everything about them. never had a problem, no leaky tires, no chipping on the rims or anything. I loved the look. I've got mugen mr5 on my crx now and i'd trade for the tenzo's.

 

The Rotas seem like a quality product. However there is no way that there are "tens of thousands" of them in use. They're not even imported by a major distributor like the Tire Rack, and at times they can be hard to get.

If you want a wheel that really is used on "tens of thousands" of cars, you would have to choose a wheel maker that also produces wheels used as OEM stuff by various auto manufacturers, like American Racing for example. They also produce the Motegi and Motegi Traklite wheels.

 

Its funny to hear all the comments regarding "knock off" or non-Japanese wheel companies. Alot of high end wheels are made in the same factories that Tenzo, Buddy Club, and alot of "lower name brand" companies.
As far as tens of thousands of cars, as far as I know, the manufacturer of some of the Tenzo wheels, do make OEM wheels for several of the major car companies. I'm not a big fan of Tenzo either, but just because its not a JDM name, its not inferior to those higher priced brands.

 

I would look at Konig... Tenzo are crap!!!!!

 

basic business.. different businesses use same factories to manufacture the "same" or "similar" rim to save money. why build their own factory when they can pay others to make their wheels? they might not want to invest that much $$$. brand name most of the time just adds to the price tag.. just find a reputable one

 

Exactly. You'll find names such as Tenzo, Lexani, etc using the same factories such as AMG, Brabus, Buddy Club. You really can't judge a name to its quality. Alot of wheels are made in same factories in the same strict environments that high end wheels and lower priced wheels are made.
So you're $450 JDM wheels are made at the same place as the $150 US brand wheels. Like with any product, brand name can mark up to a certain price point. Its just a matter of the consumer who is willing to pay for a similar product 3 times more.

 

Since when were European wheels like AMG and Brabus made in the same foundries as Buddy Club and other Japanese wheels? They're not even made on the same continent, much less the same factory.

Don't pay big money for a wheel unless it is forged. There are plenty of lightweight cast wheels out there at reasonable prices.

 

If you only knew. Yes some European brand wheels(even high end ones) are made in Asia. How do I know, because I deal with these factories and I've been there.
Don't confuse Asia standards as low standards compared to what you would normally think of European standards. Alot of Asian manufacturers have strict and extreme guidelines they stick to. There are your cheapy places of course. But there are plenty of factories that have the best equipment in the world manufacturing for the best brands in the world. You can't judge a product based on where it is made. You also can't completely judge a product just because of its name brand.

 

It has been like that for a VERY LONG TIME. There are a lot of things in the wheel industry that will surprise everyone if they knew the truth. For example..... Lowenhart wheels are 100% cast pieces....

 

Oh I totally agree. I'm not trying to say that Japanese wheels are lower quality in any way. I was only saying that most of the European wheels I have personally seen have "Made in ..." prominently stamped on the wheel, and so far it has always been a European country.

 

x2

 

they are not usually made forged no need in other countries we make them forged because our roads are worse than theres