PFF7 / WR1 Replica's. Whats the story ?
 

I've only just come across this deal with replica PFF7 / WR1 alloy wheels that seem to be available for a remarkably low price compared to the Prodrive originals. Such as Inovit ones or Midland Wheels ones.

Im all for a cheaper option and if the only difference is this 'Prodrive Flow Formed' thingy that makes them lighter and stronger. Frankly Im a happy man if the replicas fit, dont break and look the part.

Maybe Im just not searching for the right thing on this forum but there seems to be a lack of discussion on these replica wheels.

Can someone please shed some light on the subject for me, what it really boils down to is ; will replicas stay in one peice when Im driving down the road?

Cheers peeps, Sc101.

They fail, as predicted by Mike Wood (from Prodrive).

You say they fail, fail when? When your ragging your car round a track, off-roading or just pootering to work like most of us do?

Just want to get a better idea of this 'anti-replica' idea that some people have got. Considering over a grand for PFF alloys and tyres is a shed load of money, I'd be happy with some robust replicas.

In normal use, I think. Ive seen several cracked PFF replicas, but I cant be certain what caused them to fail. My understanding is that the spokes are too thin to be made using conventional squeeze-cast techniques. Mike Wood would be a better person to ask.


Simon

ive had a set of replicas for nearly 2 years now and they have been sweet as a nut with some hard use...
:norty:

They must all be alright then. On the strength of the above endorsement I would disregard what the man from Prodrive said.....

Mine are still fine on my type R... No curb marks too...

I've had one crack!....maybe an isolated incident,but keep a look out for any signs of paint bubbling on the spokes as thats how I discovered mine.

I've got the 18" from Midland wheels, had them for about a year now and they are fine, no bubbling and the Toyo's are holding in fine too. Like GC8 says there have been a few cases of Replicas failing. Not sure if it's because of the spokes being too thin though, i mean look at all the other non genuine alloys out there, theres a fair few with spokes a lot thinner than PFF7's

GC8 , Maybe Mike Wood should have tested them before ' predicting ' they would fail , I have been using copies on a tarmac rally car for 12 months with no problems , The one I have seen crack are the Dare alloys , not the Inovite , the Dare ones have very hollow spokes compared to the inovite , and I believe its this reason why they crack , I have a set of Dares but use them for wet weather tyres where the grip and loading isn't as high , the inovites have put up with very high speed cornering , braking , and the occasional jumps :D this is with racing tyres fitted which give more grip than road tyres would ever do

And I have about 30 of these wheels , so its not as though I may have got a good set

I'll see if I can sort my camera out to show the difference in the rear of the spokes

Strange that the guy from Prodrive doesn't advise you purchase the cheaper version of his wheels isn't it! :rolleyes:

Has anyone got a link to one of these sites that sell these wheels?? I've been looking to price a set but can't seem to find them through my search engine.

mine are nearly 2 years old and no probs at all

A pic of mine on my car...

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/8...1570613di5.jpg

Had mine from Midlands wheels via E-bay... £695 quid with Toyos... sold my old gold wheels for £200 which were fitted with Kumhos... crap if your running big BHP...

Ive had mine for 9 months now .... came from Revolution (I think they are the Dare ones) and they look now as they did when they same out the packaging!

Ive heard a couple of stories about these wheels failing .... but only a couple from probably the thousands of sets that have been sold through here and other forums.

I was also told not to expect the finish to last more than a few months .... totally untrue, although I do look after them!

As far as Mike Wood from Prodive having anything good to say about anything that dosent come from Prodrive??? .... c'mon, take a walk in the real world!! :rolleyes: .... the guy would probably lose his job!!

Should add, it was because of piccies of Scoobyslammed's car above, that I bought that style of wheel!! ;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...e/4841e39c.jpg

I've never read about a genuine prodrive PFF7 fail, but these copies have failed on a few occasions (from what I have read on here and other forums in the past, with photos I might add)
Wouldn’t touch any PFF7 copy with a very long pole thanks.

Dipster

If we've tested any product and found it to be good, I may well say it's good if I'm asked.

The problem with copying any part is that you need to take into consideration the whole engineering of the part, not just making it look the same. Our P-FF7 is made by a process that allows a reduction in material thickness in certain areas because of how the wheel is made. If you merely copy the dimensions without making sure you have the same material properties you will not get the same strength in the wheel at all. The P-FF7, like all of our wheels goes through a process of FEA to make sure that it's strong enough for the job at the minimum weight possible but I can't be sure that a copied wheel will have undergone the same process. It may have, I don't know. Our wheel test standards are amongst the toughest in the world being tighter than most, if not all, OE suppliers so I'm pretty sure that no other aftermarket wheel manufacturer will be puttuing their wheels through the same process as we do.

One thing I do know is that one of the copies looks identical on the front face to our wheel, even down to the positioning of the JWL & VIA logos which I find rather intriguing. The only difference is the lack of Prodrive Speedline & Flowforming logos. I have been told by the wheel supplier previously that this wheel has been tested to 690kg for it's VIA approval. The only problem is that VIA approval for 690kg needs 5x114.3PCD, not the 5x100 that it was tested on hence it CANNOT be VIA approved at 690kg.

Draw you own conclusion from that...........

Mike

If the PFF-7's were a sensible price though. FFS, daylight robbery.
Would rather spend less than a quarter of that on some Rota's tbh.
And you get a 'proper' wheel then and not a poorly made replica.
I do like the look of the Prodrive ones, but as always its rip off UK innit.

You get what you pay for in this world.

Yes the original PFF7's are expensive but hey, look at the quality of them.

So instead of trying to save a litle bit of cash, just go that extra inch for satisfaction and peace of mind that you have a quality product on your car ;)

Same goes for brakes. AP all the way :D

Rota are quality. So you got no comment there really. They are not cheap replica wheels. Unless there was a side by side comparison of the two types of wheel it will be impossible to say. Would be nice to see, but i doubt it will ever happen. LOL.

Ran 18" PFF7 Inovites for 12 months on my JDM Sti 9 no problem. I live in the sticks and the B-road surfaces are crap - no cracks or problems though - may have got lucky though?

Once mine were 1.5 years old, the rear ones started to bubble. I have since had them powder coated and they are fine however I would prefer genuine ones - when I win the lottery, or if a decent second hand set came up.

We need to start a group buy :D

would the PFF-7 on 18" cause any rubbing or anything then on an MY03 WRX with the Eibach spring kit?
No, i must resist, i cannae keep looking, resist! Resist! LOL.

Any idea on the weight differences between the original pff7's and the "copies"

Would be interested to know...

Andy

> Any idea on the weight differences between the original pff7's and
> the "copies"

That misses the point.

There won't not be any weight difference because, as Mike said, the copies are exactly that, direct copies, even down to copying the approval stamps. And as they're both made of similar alloy they'll weigh the same.

What you should be asking is what is the weight difference between a genuine PFF7 and a cheap cast, non-flow formed, wheel properly engineerd and made with thicker spokes and thicker rims so that they are as strong as PFF7's.

Good point, well made.

Alot of time and effort is spent engineering these wheels (along with other things produced by Prodrive).
Flow forming is not just a gimmick, god knows how the blanks for the copies are produced before they are finish machined.

I know where my money would go.

Whilst imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, there is no substitute for something that has been engineered correctly.

prodrive wheels properly arn't made by prodrive themselves (unless they have there're own foundry) which i doubt !.So some copies may come from the same place anyway, and just boxed and priced up differently.
i know some wheels are made from magnesium alloy which is a stronger cast and a lighter material,but not sure about the prodrive wheels casting or material specs and same goes for the type of casting sand,lostwax, forge,induction and so on.

Right so after tonights Euro draw, I won't need any PFF-7's as I will be buying a Type-25 with my winnings! LOL.
/me wakes up from a wonderful dream :)