This is how rumors get started on the internet, from someone posting pictures of which they don't know the whole story. Dan from wheeldude made a great post on another forum about Rota wheels:
There are many misconceptions with Rota wheels, most of the time these are posts made by users with no experience with the wheels. One misconception is Rota wheel weights, most models are actually very light. Rota wheels are cast wheels so they will never be the lightest wheel made, however that doesn't mean they are heavy.. Most new models like the Rota DPT in 17x9 fitment only weigh in at 18 lbs
Another misconception is the strength or overall quality of the wheels. I've seen broken Work, Enkei, Volk, etc.. in all my years modding cars and tracking my car. Any wheel can get damaged given the amount of force however these wheels do not just "grenade" on the track. The majority of our customers are buying Rota wheels for strictly track use and they are very happy with their performance. Also a time attack team who is constantly winning events runs Rota wheels {thumbup}
Quote from GST Owner/Tuner Mike Warfield
"
We have smashed burms, jumped the car and done all things brutal we can and we have never hurt a Rota rim ever.
For sure the best wheel for the $ and strong as hell.
Mike"
Rota P45R
Rota Torque R
Another misconception is the amount of R&D that goes in to a Rota wheel. I've been to the Rota plant and seen these wheels produced, tested, etc.. There is definitely a lot of work involved in to making a wheel and money is saved as labor in the Philippines is cheaper and they are a cast wheel so the entire manufacturing process isn't as expensive.
I definitely stand behind these products as I truly believe they are
quality wheels. I've ran tons of wheels over the years including Volk, Work, etc.. and I still love Rota wheels and run them daily on my car on the street, on the track, etc.. PAWI (the company that manufactures Rota wheels) has been in business since the 1970's and has been producing quality wheels for a long time. They manufacture a ton of wheels for the OEM markets (
Toyota, Ford, Datsun, Isuzu, Mercedes-Benz, VW, etc..). We also visit Rota and fly all the way from the US to the Philippines to attend meetings, review our upcoming wheels, monitor production, etc.. This is a product we believe in and hope you guys can see that
A few pictures from our last trip a few months ago
production meetings
looking over different wheel finishes for our new releases
no R&D?? please.... every wheel is blue printed, goes through computer simulations for testing, produced, tested on various equipment to ensure all JWL/VIA standards are met, etc..
again you say no R&D? Every new wheel is tested thoroughly to make sure they exceed all JWL/VIA test standards, this alone proves they are strong wheels and can withstand a lot of abuse
Toyota? Yep the largest car manufacture in the world runs Rota's
Rota Wheels, Engineered to perform {thumbup}
If anyone has any other questions about the production of Rota wheels or anything at all pertaining to Rotas I'd be happy to answer them
Karlton
