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[Zero_09]

After months of looking for a rim with decent quality I decided to get the Alufelgen SF 71 Diamond Cut Titanium from Patrick at Sonic Tuning. Pat was very accommodating and patience with all my questions.
Top notch customer service with Pat.

Anyways I finally received my rims after waiting three weeks because
the finish I wanted was out of stock. After picking it up and crossing back to Canada I went to Simply Tire to get my Hankook V12 mounted and
balanced. So the other morning while I was driving to work I felt some
vibration. Definitely felt out of place and talked to Allen from Simply Tire. Explained to him what I felt and he told me to drop by and he'll balance them again for me and wanted to take a look at it himself. I had thought the lugs were probably loose or some of the wheel weights had maybe fallen off because I waxed my rims and the inside wheel barrels with Collinite 845 the day I got them.

While I was waiting for them to balance me wheel, Allen came out and asked me come out back with him and he showed me the rims were bent. We were both pretty shocked. He told me he's never seen something like that and said he sells tons of VMR and Avant Garde wheels. VMR are supposedly of lower build quality because they use a gravity cast while Alufelgen and Avant Garde uses low pressure casting for their wheels. I did not know these wheels bend so easily and expected them to be more durable than that. If I had known these wheels would have bend on the first pothole I hit I would have avoided them all together. I guess not all wheels are made equally even if they use the same type of manufacturing method.

I'm pretty disappointed at this point with the quality and durability of the wheels so far but I'm even more disappointed in the customer service I received with Alufelgen. I thought they would have held up better than this and not bend so easily. I honestly don't recall hitting a pothole that hard but obviously I did. I'm pretty frustrated since I only drove on these for one week!

I took some pictures and videos while at the shop and sent them to Pat.
Pat responded very quickly and we're waiting on what Alufelgen can do
for me.

Hopefully I get a response soon from Alufelgen.

Here's a picture and video of the wheels







First wheel

Second wheel

Update:

I had the first rim repaired and put it on Friday. Drove around with it and I still had vibrations so the my local rim repair guy told me to bring them in and he'll check all of them for me.
Looks like all the wheels have been bent! One only slightly, another just as bad as the first one in the video and the last one less than the one in the video. Not even sure what to do now since these seem like they all bend really easy. This is only after a week of driving on them! My god these rims are garbage. I recommend everyone to avoid Alufelgen wheels and look for another company that stand by their products or at least respond to emails and phones calls. Either I've received defective wheels or the wheels just can't hold up to the suburban streets I live in.

Overall I'm pretty disappointed at this point with the quality and durability of the wheels but what I'm even more disappointed about is the customer service I received from Alufelgen. They do not respond to emails or phone calls and if they do they respond it's like once in a blue moon. Several members have also received the same treatment when they had problems with the wheels.

[SfValley335i]

Seems like you have a little tire stretch and soft sidewalls.... just asking for bent wheel....

[project335i]

That's a very unfortunate situation. There are so many wheel companies out there these day with such low quality wheels. Anyone of these rep companies you can easily bend there wheels. I would see what they can do for you in regards to a return and save your money for a quality set of wheels that will last you years to come.

Good luck man

[Zero_09]

Originally Posted by SfValley335i

Seems like you have a little tire stretch and soft sidewalls.... just asking for bent wheel....

I'm not sure what you mean. I'm running Hankook v12 235/35/19 et 35 for the fronts. That was the one that was bent. From what I read those are what most are running. What would you recommend because I'm thinking of selling these set and getting either the forgestar or avant garde

[psmitty95]

Originally Posted by Zero_09

I'm not sure what you mean. I'm running Hankook v12 235/35/19 et 35 for the fronts. That was the one that was bent. From what I read those are what most are running. What would you recommend because I'm thinking of selling these set and getting either the forgestar or avant garde

Oddly enough my Alufelgens are bent too although I think they have been for a while. I might get them repaired soon for $100 a wheel but if its this easy to bend them idk if it's worth it. I really would like to sell them and get some really nice wheels like HRE or MORR but obviously don't wanna drop that cash at the moment... I've been considering the forgetstar too but can't decide if i'm a fan of the look. The avant garde you'll have the same issue as with the alufelgens most likely. They are both low pressure cast

[AlexGT]

Sorry about your bent wheel man. I have a E87 130i with TSW Nurburgring's and they're great, the price is not "that" high. My 5 cents for you to consider.

[P Casey]

Originally Posted by project335i

That's a very unfortunate situation. There are so many wheel companies out there these day with such low quality wheels. Anyone of these rep companies you can easily bend there wheels. I would see what they can do for you in regards to a return and save your money for a quality set of wheels that will last you years to come.

Good luck man

This.

Scary how easily these types of wheels break, bend, etc.

[Zero_09]

Other rims I'm looking at Apex and Forgestar. I really like that diamond cut titanium look. Are there any other wheels that are better than low pressure cast that don't cost over $2000.

Also I've seen the Enkei EKM3 and they look awesome.



edit: Just found out the EKM3 are gravity cast

[Revlis]

I ran some gravity cast for a year up here in the NW and they held up great, not all gravity low pressure is bad. They will never be as light as forged or as strong, but they can be plenty tough and lighter than OEM...

Fwiw, I think buying wheels From Tire Rack cuts down on a lot of potential bs and hassle, they stand behind their stuff.

[Zero_09]

which wheels did you get from tiretrack?

[bplant13]

There's a reason why BMW uses forged wheels!!!! Any type of cast wheel is going to be soft, and have a chance at bending. I've hit pot holes and I ruined 2 tires this past winter because of them; but while my winter tires got destroyed, my OEM wheels (used for my winter setup) are in perfect shape.

I've got Morr vs8.2s for my summer setup, which albeit are expensive, but worth every penny. But if you can't afford a set of $3500 lightweight forged wheels, then spend the $1800 and get a set of OEM wheels, or even look for some used M3 wheels online that someone is selling. A $1000 set of cheap cast wheels will look great in your driveway, but that's about it.

You're driving a BMW for Christ's sake, not a Kia! People should go aftermarket only to improve their car, not weaken it! So if you're not prepared to shell out the money, leaving it stock is a wise choice. Last time I checked BMW made some pretty high quality cars....

[._.]

My SF-71 bent as well (totally my fault though, road debris). MORR and Alufelgen are run by the same guys BTW.

[SfValley335i]

Originally Posted by Zero_09

I'm not sure what you mean. I'm running Hankook v12 235/35/19 et the fronts. That was the one that was bent. From what I read those are what most are running. What would you recommend because I'm thinking of selling these set and getting either the forgestar or avant garde

Your tires are known to have softer sidewalls compared to other tires. Softer sidewall means more risk to the wheels.

Looking at the pictures, the tire doesnt look to be covering the inner lip of the wheel complelely. Looks as if the tire is stretched slightly. Look at a set of oem wheels and tires and youll see how the tire sticks out of the rim by 1 or 2cm to protect it...

[bplant13]

Originally Posted by R 4 5 T 4 M 4 N

My SF-71 bent as well (totally my fault though, road debris). Finish flakes easily as well. MORR and Alufelgen are run by the same guys BTW.

Correct, same group of guys, but they don't actually make the wheels. Morr and Alufelgen engineer their design, and outsource the manufacturing.

Morr has their wheels forged in California by a specific forging company, and then uses another California company to finish their wheels.

Alufelgen wheels are low pressure cast and finished in Taiwan.

Quality, Finish, Strength, Weight, etc can't even be compared. I track and autocross my car, and have seen many aftermarket wheels come and go.

[P Casey]

Originally Posted by bplant13

There's a reason why BMW uses forged wheels!!!! Any type of cast wheel is going to be soft, and have a chance at bending. I've hit pot holes and I ruined 2 tires this past winter because of them; but while my winter tires got destroyed, my OEM wheels (used for my winter setup) are in perfect shape.

I've got Morr vs8.2s for my summer setup, which albeit are expensive, but worth every penny. But if you can't afford a set of $3500 lightweight forged wheels, then spend the $1800 and get a set of OEM wheels, or even look for some used M3 wheels online that someone is selling. A $1000 set of cheap cast wheels will look great in your driveway, but that's about it.

You're driving a BMW for Christ's sake, not a Kia! People should go aftermarket only to improve their car, not weaken it! So if you're not prepared to shell out the money, leaving it stock is a wise choice. Last time I checked BMW made some pretty high quality cars....

Well said

[secretsquirrel]

Lets not act like all BMW wheels are known for being extra strong. There is a reason why they offer a wheel insurance that cost the same as many aftermarket wheels.

I'd be interested if someone else has been driving your car, such as valet. Few wheels are so soft that you would have a bent wheel and not have any idea of the source (such as a large pothole).

[KMEninety335]

I have Avant Garde and just bent my front wheel but it was due to a big pothole that I couldn't get around in time. My fault and I'll be fixing it soon. My oem bmw wheels were worse though with those damn RFT. 3 of the 4 oems were bent when I bought the car few months ago so I replaced them with the AG M359. Love these wheels. Hold up great except for that one shitty night I hit that big pothole. Right now car drives mostly fine with a very slight vibration. Hopefully I'll get it fixed soon.

[chumley]

Well I've had the SF-71's for 3 years now and they've been perfect and I still think they're a spectacular value. They don't just spontaneously bend. There's got to be more to this story.

I do believe you get what you pay for but I had forged SSR's ($3,500+ with tires) back in the day on my E46 and bent (much worse than yours) both front and back on one side after hitting a nasty pothole so any wheel can bend.

I don't know what the roads are like in Toronto but if they're anything like Michigan, Ohio, Montreal, etc I don't think it really matters what wheel you run. 19" in areas prone to snow and potholes it's inevitable. Forged definitely buys you more room for error and prices reflects that but it certainly doesn't guarantee you anything.

Again, unless there's just a weird defect in your wheels you had to hit something. I have a hard time believing you woke up one day, noticed vibration and found bent wheels. I've driven on plenty crappy roads in Tampa and Miami and after 3 years and 25k miles, my wheels are fine.

[nitehawk]

Originally Posted by chumley

Well I've had the SF-71's for 3 years now and they've been perfect and I still think they're a spectacular value. They don't just spontaneously bend. There's got to be more to this story.

I do believe you get what you pay for but I had forged SSR's ($3,500+ with tires) back in the day on my E46 and bent (much worse than yours) both front and back on one side after hitting a nasty pothole so any wheel can bend.

I don't know what the roads are like in Toronto but if they're anything like Michigan, Ohio, Montreal, etc I don't think it really matters what wheel you run. 19" in areas prone to snow and potholes it's inevitable. Forged definitely buys you more room for error and prices reflects that but it certainly doesn't guarantee you anything.

Again, unless there's just a weird defect in your wheels you had to hit something. I have a hard time believing you woke up one day, noticed vibration and found bent wheels. I've driven on plenty crappy roads in Tampa and Miami and after 3 years and 25k miles, my wheels are fine.

Well said. No wheel is safe with a large enough pothole in the right conditions.

[Zero_09]

Well obviously I had hit something for the wheel to bend like I said in the OP but I just don't recall hitting it. I wasn't denying I didn't. Just disappointed since I just got these.

Didn't realize the Hankook v12 were not that right size. I did a lot of research and came up with the majority of the people on 19" running 235/35/19 in the front. Even tire rack had that as the default for 19" rims. I guess I must have missed the threads about Hankook V12 being not that great. I thought they would be at least decent but I should have expected this since I am running a real low profile tire that is has lessen cushion for my wheels. Can't imagine people running 20 side low pros.

Originally Posted by bplant13

There's a reason why BMW uses forged wheels!!!!

From what I read BMW uses low pressure cast as well and they are by BBS.

Is there an OEM BMW wheel in 19" that I don't know of? I didn't know they made 19" wheels. Just haven't seen any 19' ones that I like.

Originally Posted by bplant13

You're driving a BMW for Christ's sake, not a Kia! People should go aftermarket only to improve their car, not weaken it! So if you're not prepared to shell out the money, leaving it stock is a wise choice. Last time I checked BMW made some pretty high quality cars....

Just because you drive a BMW you're supposed to spend big $$ on everything? I bought a BMW because I thought it was a good deal compared to the other manufacturers in the same price range I was looking at. People have other priories in life besides their car and I have a lot of other hobbies I spend my money on. Would I rather spend $3500 on wheels or use that money for maintaining my family’s vehicles or spend it on other stuff I want. Yeah we've all heard the saying you get what you pay for. I just thought I bought something decent. It uses the same manufacturing process as the OEM BMW wheels I have which are low pressure casting from what I've been reading. I just didn't realized how the tires and the low profile of the tire will affect the rim.

Anyways I'm just sharing my experience for other members when they are doing research. I'm passed it now and just waiting for Alufelgen and see how the handle it. If they don't care then it's no big deal. I'll just get it repaired here for $130 which isn't much.

[JaysBlueE92]

I've had two sets of Alufelgens on my e92, one with more miles than the other, and have had no bends or cracks. The roads in jersey as well as my occassional NYC trip are rough, so I'd say they can handle quite a bit.
I'm sure Toronto roads are quite a mess also.

I hate to say it but another poster above mentioned the tires you are running. Softer sidewall doesn't help, and their is a reason shops basically give away the hankooks. If the wheel cracked I could understand you being upset with Alufelgen but I honestly think you need to consider the rubber you chose to mount in this case. Either way I hope it works out for you

[Zero_09]

Originally Posted by JaysBlueE92

I've had two sets of Alufelgens on my e92, one with more miles than the other, and have had no bends or cracks. The roads in jersey as well as my occassional NYC trip are rough, so I'd say they can handle quite a bit.
I'm sure Toronto roads are quite a mess also.

I hate to say it but another poster above mentioned the tires you are running. Softer sidewall doesn't help, and their is a reason shops basically give away the hankooks. If the wheel cracked I could understand you being upset with Alufelgen but I honestly think you need to consider the rubber you chose to mount in this case. Either way I hope it works out for you

ok thanks. Which tire do you recommend? I've heard a lot about the Continental DW. They any good and what size do you suggest me running?