Quote:
Originally Posted by b1aze
Its not necessarily the effort you have put forth that bothers me, but more so the expectations that a well crafted, very specific offset wheel should be both visually appealing to all and dirt cheap in cost while still holding enough quality to last over a handfull of pothole smashes.
The CSL style wheels are popular in the BMW community because of the CSL M3. Thats it. They are fairly easy to replicate and have good structural integrity by design.
How much do you think the materials cost that make up a single wheel. Now add the design time and cost of the mold to then make the wheels (both gravity and spin molded) as well as the cost to use the molding machine, assuming the wheel MFG didnt purchase one already. How many wheels does one expect to have to sell to then break even only on the initial costs. 100? 1000? Average that out and youre still coming in higher than the <$250 per wheel that you seem to be targeting. This isnt even taking into consideration true fully forged wheels that need at least a 20"^3 block of aluminum (probably along the lines of $300/block, a 4"x12"x8" block of high grade aluminum alloy from McMaster Carr is >$250).
What it really comes down to is the old addage (or my current adaptation).
Strong. Light. Cheap.
Pick 2.
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250 a rim is not dirt cheap. how hard can it really be to make the exact same rim ( design would already be done, machine already purchased,) with just a little more offset? i've found rims i like but dont go that high in offset. close but not quite there. i'm not asking for space shuttle grade metals. if i buy rims and go out and hit every pothole i can find and they break thats my own dumb fault. 250 a rim is not that unreasonable. especially since the rims are already being manufactured and sold for that much, just lower offset. you stated your opinion. can you let people add their experiences and knowledge to this or just keep saying i'm unreasonable?