Just how bad are Rota wheels?

"aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe" (emaxxbl) 01/24/2017 at 09:10 • Filed to: None

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That’s a nice SSR wheel ya got there.

I know they’re knock-offs of other companies but I’ve heard they’ve gotten better over the years.

Plus do you know how hard it is to find a nice mesh wheel with positive offset in a 4x108 bolt pattern.

Tekamul > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 01/24/2017 at 09:16

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5x100 is also rare in a mesh for anything less than 18"

I’m still not gonna throw $$ away at a set of rotas that crack in a year.

Noah - Now with more boost. > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 01/24/2017 at 09:21

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not worth it IMO. I’d go 3SDM or fifteen 52.

ToyotaFamily > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 01/24/2017 at 09:30

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you’ll hear 50/50 on them, either they last through track days or shatter when they hit a pothole

Arrivederci > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 01/24/2017 at 09:38

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I’ve heard they’re fine for daily driving. Can’t say I’d trust them (or any rep) on a track.

Tripper > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 01/24/2017 at 09:40

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Had a set of Rotas on my 05 WRX (bought the wheels in 2005 also). I never had an issue with potholes, but can’t speak to track use.

MKVJunkle > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 01/24/2017 at 09:57

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I can make no conclusions but I will relate my experience with Rotas. I also can’t comment on any track use.

I had a set on my civic about 10yrs ago. I hit a semi trailer tie down(think 4" tall brick of 1/2 steel) at 65mph. It was enough of an impact to throw the car about a foot off the ground on the drivers side. The wheel of course cracked, but it stayed together so I could safely pull over. I’ve seen pictures of forged wheels with similar damage from the same types of incidents. I really had no issues with them in 4 years of year round Colorado use. I actually still have the cracked wheel as a bedside table.

Roadster Man > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 01/24/2017 at 10:49

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I have run two sets of Rotas in two years, they are fine. My first set was the Grid V and my second set is the Shakotan. The reason I bought a second set was that I wanted to move from a 9" wide wheel to an 8" wide wheel, and I wanted to switch up the look. And do you have any idea how expensive a real set of Hayashi Street wheels are!?!?!?

I think Rotas are about as cheap as you want to go. Sure, they are made in the Phillipines, but they meet DOT qualifications and all that. I’ve taken some bad potholes, bumps, and even hopped a curb and the wheels stayed true. To the same token, I’ve heard horror stories about Rotas. Never experienced anything bad myself with two sets of wheels. You’ll be fine for everyday driving, probably not fine if you race a lot and put a ton of stress on the wheels.

If possible, step up to Enkei. They are Japanese, higher quality than Rota but you pay for it. But then you will need a spacer to convert to Enkei’s bolt patterns.. Since you want a positive offset, maybe Enkei’s and a bolt pattern converter isn’t a bad idea?

MonkeePuzzle > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 01/24/2017 at 10:52

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I’d rate them as good as any OEM wheel.

I wouldn’t track them, but for everyday road use they are fine. They will suffer damage from a massive pothole the same as your OEM “rim” will.

BREADwagon > ToyotaFamily 01/24/2017 at 11:18

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That’s the thing, it’s a gamble. You can score a nice set that doesn’t have any manufacturing defects and are pretty darn durable or get a wheel or two that shatters when you hit a gnarly pothole.

It’s up to you if the affordability outweighs the risk.

Alan > Roadster Man 01/24/2017 at 14:52

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Spacers are literally always a bad idea, IMO. Finding the proper bolt pattern and offset is never a waste of time.

Roadster Man > Alan 01/24/2017 at 15:51

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Big difference between a waste of time and a literal impossibility. Find the companies that make 4x108 wheels with a positive offset. There probably are not many. Aside from having your wheels made to order or having holes re-drilled, there are not many options other than to use an adapter.

And why are spacers always a bad idea? I run 3mm spacers on my Miata because it looks better and I like the handling with the little increase in scrub radius. As long as you have enough thread on the studs and you understand what you are doing to your car’s suspension geometry, I don’t see anything wrong with spacers.

And OP would be using adapters in my hypothetical, so stud length is a non-issue there.

Alan > Roadster Man 01/25/2017 at 11:51

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Ahh well. I suppose being a literal impossibility is a slight drawback.

ateamfan42 > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 01/25/2017 at 14:29

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I used a set of 17" Rota wheels for winter on my Mazdaspeed6. That was a 3600+ pound car (without me in it), and I used the wheels for 10 winters on the “fabulous” roads with which we are blessed here in the rural northeast.

Granted, I took care not to beat the car on rough surfaces, but the wheels gave fine service over all that time, and I just sold them to a new home last month. My only complains were cosmetic:  a bit of staining on the paint (not uncommon with winter-use wheels) and a bit of paint bubbling behind one of the spokes.

Ash78, voting early and often > aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe 03/23/2017 at 17:50

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How bad are they? They’re so bad....(audience chuckles)...they’re soooo bad, the founding engineer, Miguel, asked his project manager “ Cómo está la rueda   ? ” and the man replied “ Rota .” That’s how they got named.