Has anyone purchased the knock off 20" wheels? Are they of decent quality? There are several on Ebay for a reasonable price. Thanks

 

Be carefull with:

1. knock off unit metal quality/balance
2. even worse with knock off in higher size 20-22" vs 18", any balance or nonquality metal will show off HARD in these sizes
3. knock off may create car vibration and if you already have a car w small vibration it may make it much worse.

I would NOT recommend knock offs.

 

Kevin,
I just picked up a set of Gemballa Racing wheels off ebay and could not be happier. They are authentic Gemballa wheels with all the correct numbers, markings and shipped in original Gemballa boxes. I bought mine from Craig in Atlanta and he was very easy to work with.

 

Nice, I will give him a call. Thanks

 

Ive had my fair share of Original authentic wheels and some replica cheapee wheels in this business for the past 10yrs.

Most knock offs Ive seen are fine. They have to be up to DOT specs or the container will be sent back by customs. Yes some do get in, not every container is opened or inspected as they should be. Ive seen some replica wheels the same quality as original since so much is outsourced you dont even know what is made by whom or where anymore. I have seen people claim to have "real" this or that brand and they have a copy and paid original prices. There are factories in China / Taiwan and other, that copy everything down to box, numbers, manuals, etc.. The only way to know for sure is if you buy directly from an authorized dealer of the product or brand you prefer, and the mfgr or WD importer acknowledges this auth. dealer as legit.

Ive had my fair share of Original authentic wheels and some replica cheapee wheels in this business for the past 10yrs. I have had just as many warranty issues concerning either or and I deal HRE, Brabus, Hamann, AC Schnitzer, SSR, Volk, Antera, Lorinser, MAE, Lowenhart, etc.. etc..

Im not here to sell you anything just give some of my thoughts.

Some Japanese product and some German product is outsourced to Taiwan for example who have the same quality control but labor is very cheap so it is cost effective for the brand name to have made in Taiwan for example. Yet the brand name company will say Made in Japan or Made in Germany on their products. Companies like Hamann have their wheels made by OZ which is Italian Co. Ive seen plenty of Hamanns bend on bimmers and IMO think they are trash, but these are very expensive and very heavy brick wheels so are they really good quality?

The only negatives with replicas I've seen is they rarely come in lightweight, but most so called original German brand wheels are not light anyways esp for Cayenne. Also another negative is that if it has a polished lip it may not be as high polished like on a much more expensive brand, and there could be a minor defect like a small pit mark. If you expect flawless beautiful then get HRE or something similar.

My point is, if you like some wheels and the price is what you want to spend and the place is reputable, then go for it. If the deal seems too good to be true usually something is wrong or will be wrong. I would probably do some research on any Ebay persons to make sure they have legitmate business and offer warranty. Replica wheels these days usually all have some kind of warranty.

 

Woogiedaxel, Thanks for taking the time to give me your thoughts. As I am not an expert in wheels, your experience is what I was seeking. I am sending you a PM.

 

Kevin,
The above mentioned Gemballa wheels are authentic Gemballa wheels. Craig works at an authorized Gemballa dealer. I called Gemballa USA to verify and I was also told how to spot a fake at least with regards to Gemballa. I also checked the serial numbers and they are real Gemballa wheels.
Deals can be found. I just decided I was not going to spend $6000 for wheels and I was going to wait until I found a good wheel at a good price. I actually found a great wheel at a great price.
Don't let Woogie talk you out of a good deal because he believes they are fakes. He does not have a clue with regard to these wheels. Craig has one set left. If you like the looks of the Gemballa wheels - they are a no brainer- for the price. Do you own homework and make your own decision. It feels great to save money on something everyone else passes up. Especially when they are "real" wheels.

 

Hello Truble10. I am not saying your wheels are fakes. If you read my thread I do not even mention your Gemballas nor anything concerning your post. All I was trying to tell Kevin152 is that there is fine line between replica wheel quality and what people call Authentic / Original wheels due to outsourcing and also the higher quality being produced in countires like Taiwan and China. If he found a nice replica for the price he wants to pay then he should go for it. My response was due to what OZR orignally posted as we are all here for discussion and insight. I agree partially with what OZR said , he has very good points there and in the past years in many cases it was true.

The Gemballas looks good. I totally agree and dont doubt they are the real deal nor doubt the integretiy and authenticity of your friends wheel business. Not everyone has a $3k-$4K or more budget like others for a set of wheels. This is why

FYI - the most common used catch line for a salesman is " I have one set left"

Sorry if u feel I under appreciated your wheels or your friend but that was not my intention whatsoever.

 

I purchased the "last set" from Craig, but I am sure he will get some more. He sells wheels - thats what he does. I am mad at Truble10 because we will have identical exteriors!!!!! I guess I am not the only one with decent taste.

Aeson

 

Aeson,
I'm glad to see another forum member got the last set. I can't believe they were not taken earlier but everyone else's loss is your gain. These wheels look really great and you will be very happy with them. I've been getting compliments all over town. I was in Tuscon this weekend and a couple of football players parked next to me in their Mercedes CL 55 AMG. They wanted to know all about the wheels. They thought it was one of the best looking sets of wheels they had seen on a Cayenne.
Anyway watch out for curbs and enjoy,
Todd

 

Todd,
Well the deal with Craig was he works for Bulter Tire in ATL. They do really high end stuff. They outfitted my old BMW 850 w/ some AC Schnitzers (~8K 6 years ago). Craig told me that someone had made a deposit on the Gembella's and then moved out of the country. Probably some entertainer or athlete with a bunch on money to blow. That’s why he could price them so far under cost. So take comfort because they are the real deals.

BTW. What kind of tires did you use? And do you like them? Is the ride any different?

Aeson

 

Aeson,
I first placed a call to my local dealer. That conversation was short. They wanted over $500 for the Michelin Diamaris. Almost $200 over what everyone else wanted. Then I called a buddy at Discount Tire he recommended I try the Hankooks. After hearing about people on this forum getting under 10,000 mile on the Michelins I decided to try something new. I went with Hankooks. The tread is more aggressive than the Michelins, has a better tread wear rating and are still load rated. About $130 a piece less than the Michelins. I thought I would give them a try. So far, so good. Check them out at tires.com.
I went with 275/40-20, stock size so everything fits/works properly.
Anyway, nice set of rubber, mounted and balanced for under $1000.