CSL copies: Some questions

[GTWayne]

I know that they are not Magnesium but does anyone know what the weight difference might be and is it noticeable enough to worry about?
It just strikes me that aside from the one up-manship factor, a very good and well made alloy copy is a good bet on any non CSL @ £500 a set brand new!
I have a set of genuine CSL's on my Z4MC and although I have done my very best so far to be as careful as possible, 8 months down the line and I only have the front O/S still unscathed!
What do you think?

[ASBO]

£500 for a set of copies is asking for trouble.

Replica wheels are really heavy and notoriously recalcitrant to balance. This will have a big impact on the way the car rides and wont do your acceleration any favours either.

I've had enough experience as a teenager buying cheap wheels for even cheaper Fiesta's to know that with wheels, you generally get what you pay for.

Also, I doubt you'd be able to get the staggered set-up you currently have as it's much more expensive for Twingwang Industries to manufacture.

Stick with the Genuine items and get them refurbished

[E30M3SE]

Genuine CSl wheels weight 12.626 Kg's front and 13.790 Kg's for the rears without valve and tyres, what reps weight depends on the reps, but I would guess that they are at least half that again.

[m12_nathan]

For info at Bedford last week a CSL running reps as his track set had a wheel failure at high speed.

Real CSL wheels are only a grand a set (and aren't magnesium either )

[GTWayne]

E30M3SE said:

Genuine CSl wheels weight 12.626 Kg's front and 13.790 Kg's for the rears

Just been up to look at these copies and I have to say that they really are very good quality. The mere mention of the word 'copy' makes anything sound inferior so I will call these rims 'replicas'. After much debate with the suppliers I have decided to purchase a set and coincidentally, the fronts are 1 x kg and the rears 1.6 x kg lighter than the above quoted weights, but I will weigh back to back in a few hours in case my scales are reading incorrectly and report back

Edited by GTWayne on Thursday 26th June 14:08

[m12_nathan]

Fingers crossed they done fall to pieces at high speed or over a pot hole and kill you.

A refurb is cheaper than the replicas anyway. I don't get it.

ETA that you can't determine the quality by looking at them, you don't know the make up of the alloy used nor do you know the quality of the casting, internal air bubbles etc.

Edited by m12_nathan on Thursday 26th June 14:52

[shunt]

I remember a BMW ad years ago showing an x-ray through a genuine and a replica wheel. That is the reason I put genuine CSL's on mine. ££££ versus a high speed wheel failure, pay the extra £500.

[GTWayne]

Well, I weighed the original CSL's and front AND rears both came in at 11kg's a piece?, weird that. I thought that maybe the scales were wrong but why would it weigh, or how would it know a front from a rear? In any case, I bought the replicas and am confident that as a road wheel at least, they will be fine. I will now get the original rims re-furbed and shod with cups ready for my visit to the ring in September.
Can anyone recommend a re-furb company that has successfully renovated a set of CSL's with curbed outer rims?

[E30M3SE]

GTWayne said:

....... how would it know a front from a rear?

A Gen set of CSL wheels, as per fitted to CSL's, are staggered 8.5J front and 9.5J rears.

[ASBO]

E30M3SE said:

GTWayne said:

....... how would it know a front from a rear?

A Gen set of CSL wheels, as per fitted to CSL's, are staggered 8.5J front and 9.5J rears.

They are (so I've been told) deceptively light given the size of the wheel. Therefore I find it very odd that the OP doesn't find the 'replicas' much heavier - if at all. Perhaps his genuine wheels are not in fact genuine?

[Nano2nd]

pics?

[GTWayne]

ASBO said:

E30M3SE said:

GTWayne said:

....... how would it know a front from a rear?

A Gen set of CSL wheels, as per fitted to CSL's, are staggered 8.5J front and 9.5J rears.

They are (so I've been told) deceptively light given the size of the wheel. Therefore I find it very odd that the OP doesn't find the 'replicas' much heavier - if at all. Perhaps his genuine wheels are not in fact genuine?

The wheels that I have damaged are indeed genuine CSL's, 8.5 x 19 front and 9.5 x 19 rears born out by the correct part numbers etc. and the point I was trying to make above was that even if the scales that I used were faulty, how would they have known that the front rims are narrower than the rears? Both rims weighed the same (11kg's) and the only explanation I can think of is that the rears must use less material?
With regards to the reps, they really are only 1 and 1.1kg's respectively heavier than the originals. There is no denying the outright quality and integrity of the original rims but the reps. are definitely worth a gander. I will try and get some snaps up

[audi321]

Can you let us know where you got the reps from pls? Are they the exact same size or will you need spacers? What tyres are you putting on?

I'm gonna change my M3 'Chrome' wheels for these reps soon, never have really liked these chrome wheels - too blingy for me

[GTWayne]

RnR Auto design, they advertise on here in the wheel classifieds.
No spacers are required, they are an exact replica except for the shape of the rim inside the tyre as far as I can see.
I have had my PS II's fitted onto them; Front 235/35 and rear 275/30.
For just tooling around I think they are well worth the money, but for something serious, I will be fitting the genuine rims with Cups , that is as good as it gets.

Edited by GTWayne on Monday 30th June 01:20

[audi321]

Any pics to show us?

[audi321]

I've found the RnR site, but they're not listing any CSL wheels for £500?

Maybe you bought their last set

I've emailed them

[GTWayne]

^^^There was one set left on Friday out of three sets that they had in initially, the first set went onto the firms owners own M3. Thinking about it, I saw the advert for the rims on fleabay.

[audi321]

UPDATE - All wheels gone

BUT THERE'S MORE ON THE WAY

He's ringing me on Friday with an update to timescales, I'll report back.