Why you NEED to research your aftermarket wheels before purchasing

So after a series of misfortunate events, I learned a lot about wheels...

Noticing that I was losing pressure on my driver side front wheel, I decided to head to the tire shop for a proper patch job. After removing the wheel, the issue was clear, the KMC wheel I had purchased had cracked on the inner lip. Luckily, this should be covered by KMC warranty. During my search for a solution I called a few wheel repair specialists and did a bunch of research. What I discovered was pretty shocking...

Did you know that the US has no structural integrity standards for wheels? The DOT and SAE only care about a few things regarding width and diameter. The majority of wheels available on the aftermarket here in the US have not been put through rigorous testing. Most of these manufacturers just make a design and send them off to be cast, flow formed or forged. Then they are immediately pushed out onto the market.

Now here comes Japan... Japan has very strict regulations in place regarding wheels and their structural integrity. In order for a wheel to be sold and used on the streets of Japan, it needs to pass JWL certification. JWL VIA standard (Japan Light Alloy Wheel standard), is a set of requirements for alloy wheels set by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Japan) that must be met for all passenger cars in Japan.

In short, wheels designed for and sold in the Japanese market are of a much higher quality. They must meet the minimum requirements set forth by the Japanese Government and are verified by an independent third party. Because of these standards, you end up with a much higher quality product.

I bring this up because so many of us are running these big American brands that offer a nice looking design and claim to provide offroad capabilities. The fact of the matter is, they're most likely designed as cheaply as possible with looking cool being their only concern.

Most of us have never thought twice when purchasing wheels. The fact is not all manufacturers and wheels are created equally. If you are planning on upgrading your wheels, you should take into consideration if the wheel is JWL VIA certified or not. This certification process ensures that you are getting a quality wheel that will hold up over time and will not deform.

Sadly the brunt of us are guilty for sitting on a lower quality wheel because we like the way they looked. Don't make the same mistake when purchasing your wheels, if it's not JWL VIA certified you're likely looking at some fancy looking disposable rims.

When shopping for your truck you want at least the same quality as OEM or better. Spending the extra money for a quality wheel could save you in the future. The last thing you want to happen in the backcountry is a critical wheel failure.

Open for discussion...

 

That sucks

 

Thanks for sharing, I thought wheel damage is more common with street wheels and super low profile tires going over potholes.
I always assume that having aspect ratio of 65 or higher, our truck tires would protect the wheels from damage.
Good to know, this can still happen.

 

Bummer about your KMC wheels but appreciate comments related to JDM wheel quality! Wheels designed to be sold into Japanese markets have been my go-to for all of my vehicles for this exact reason.

 

Now somebody needs to list companies that comply with Japans rules

 

I wouldn't worry about something until you have a reason to be worried. If the wheels have good reviews, I'm sure your wheels will be fine. I'm sure if they were cracking all the time, people would be bitching.

 

Absolutely not. There are tons of them out there and I've never seen a failure from normal use.

 

the SCS crowd is about to get all defensive when they find out the wheels they spent $1500 dollars on cost $80 each to mass produce in Thailand....

 

If you get a chinesium wheel (like 90% of aftermarket wheels out there), how much do you trust the JWL/VIA stamp isn't falsified?

Assuming the stamp is real, how much do you think the mfr can change the wheel material, heat treat process, and design before they need to recertify?

The standard doesn't address mfg consistency and quality control. The first batch may pass certification. Who's to say the next batch will be just as strong?

Food for thought End of the day, you're still protected by normal market mechanisms (tort law, warranty costs) and your own judgment. Say you got a gouge on the wheel off road, do you trash it?

 

Although companies should perform R+D, as well as rigorously test their products, I do not believe that getting the government involved with more regulations would help. That would actually likely make the situation worse and put some companies out of business. The less the DOT and SAE worry about our vehicles, the better!

 

SCS wheels are actually produced in the same facility as Toyota OEM. At least that's the rumor amongst the grapevine. They don't have to be produced in Japan, just compliant with JWL VIA.

 

Your crack is from air pockets in the cast aluminum, they are supposed to vibrate the air out after they pour the metal into the cast mold.
Did you hit any potholes before you noticed the air leaking? Usually, the cause as the weak area takes the beating.

Below are cheap wheels made from who knows what. They cracked under stress.

 

The majority of the products on the market are made in Thailand.

 

BUT,.... what happened here?

 

OP curbed his wheels and blames manufacturing.

So you never heard of SAE J2530? Or have heard that many states require wheels to adhere to J2530 prior to registration of the vehicle.

J2530 tests radial fatigue, cornering fatigue and impact fatigue

 

That wheel took a major hit.

 

I used to sell wheels and while I have seen plenty of crap (out of balance, poor machining, etc) wheels, I never saw a single structural failure that was not the result of noticable impact damage to the wheel.

 

Do you have a lot of experience with industrial engineering, OSHA regulations etc? It sounds like you know some stuff the rest of the world does not. Can you explain more?

 

"I was just driving along, minding my own business, 20mph under the posted limit and..."

 

Speaking of rims, anyone familiar with these? They make some cool Monoblock rims for Chevy for like 2k each. None for

https://www.relationsracewheels. com/collections/tacoma-wheels/products/rr5-v-17x8-5-6x5-5-6x139-7-toyota-tacoma-4runner?variant=40021948399698