Stock Alloys Vs After Market Alloys

[daliparthysuman]

We know that almost all manufacturers supply Alloy Wheels with higher end models. Some alloys are great looking and some are provided just for the sake of providing. Also if we check the prices of the alloys from manufacturers, taking the examples of 12" or 13" wheels of say Santro or Alto, they are well above Rs 5000 per piece whereas in the aftermarket, the same sized branded alloys are priced at around Rs 3000 per Piece.

Well I myself paid Rs 32000 for my Quanto's alloys from mahindra whereas I could get them for Rs 24000 or so from After market

The Aftermarket alloys gives a sporty stance to a car whereas OEM ones look plain simple (except few OEMs).

My doubt is, Why cannot Manufacturers provide the Alloys just like after market ones. I feel it will increase the WOW! factor of a car right in the Showroom and also it is OEM so another peace of mind prospect.

Any thoughts experts

 

[amit1km]

I think if you will fit after market alloy, you will loose your warranty on the suspension.
Manufacturer have some certain operating standard. They need to do a lot of verification and testing before recommending the alloy wheel design and size.For this they need to spend a considerable amount.It may not be cost effective to them. So they stick to some limited design which they recommend.(IMO)

 

[parveen]

Alloys that company fits is tested & have proper size & match to to the footprint of car while aftermarket alloys not made for a specific model, they have size like 13" ,14". aftermarket alloys can affect you suspension if selected without proper study, aftermarket alloys can change footprint of your car(make wider footprint or little narrow) as you can see many cars with wheel little outside the wheel arc. one of my friend fitted alloy in old Zen & he face issue that tyres started wearing from inner corners even if the alignment is proper.

In my opinion stock alloys are best & if someone go for aftermarket alloys then do proper study so that it will not affect your car.

 

[D.J.D.]

Alloys that company fits is tested & have proper size & match to to the footprint of car while aftermarket alloys not made for a specific model, they have size like 13" ,14". aftermarket alloys can affect you suspension if selected without proper study, aftermarket alloys can change footprint of your car(make wider footprint or little narrow) as you can see many cars with wheel little outside the wheel arc. one of my friend fitted alloy in old Zen & he face issue that tyres started wearing from inner corners even if the alignment is proper.

In my opinion stock alloys are best & if someone go for aftermarket alloys then do proper study so that it will not affect your car.

that's the reason i am still holding on this alloy thing for my ecosport. My heart says go for the after market alloys but my mind say's no. Also, i am not an expert on alloy wheels. So, i cant decide which one will be good for the car without effecting the suspension. IMO for people like me, it is always better to stick to the OEM.

 

[TAIDhana]

I have used after market alloys (LENSO) on my previous and didn't have any issues with suspension, handling, tyre wear, mileage etc. As long as you choose the right size ones & can be fitted without any alteration like spacer addition etc you should be good. Needless to say, better to go for a reputed brand like LENSO. Experts can comment on other brands.

Warranty could be an issue and you might have to double check with dealer.

 

[kinshuk.arya]

Warranty is never an issue. The warranty remains as long as you dont make any kind of modifications in the electrical system at least thats what comes from Mahindra.

Regarding the question that why manufacturers dont provide good alloys or if you can get cheaper ones with an aftermarket manufacturer. I think it has to do with branding. There are aftermarket alloys which are even more expensive than the OEM ones and there are those that are cheaper too. the price depends on the quality and the design.
The OEM ones are expensive maybe because they are "OEM".

Same like one can get Headlamp bulbs cheaper in the local market of Philips but the "OEM Quality" ones are expensive than them. or basically any other thing.

The next question comes which ones to choose. If you have the correct size of the alloy which includes the wheel diameter, the width, number of nuts etc. with the correct size of tyre which includes width of the tyre which can be fitted properly on the given width of the alloy, the inner diameter of the tyre which should be equal to the alloy size and the aspect ratio such that the outer diameter of the changed alloy+tyre combo does not vary from that of the original, +/-10% is the max one should go for if you dont want any speedo errors (or basically errors related to sensors) post mod, then I think modding the vehicle wouldnt be a problem.

 

[kinshuk.arya]

Sorry for the info provided above the difference shouldnt be more than 2-4%

 

[Mr.Boss]

Not all after market alloys are cheaper than OE ones. It depends on the brand and quality of the product.

So many reasons for after market alloys being cheaper than OE,
1) Production volume:
OEM uses a specific design for a specific model ==> production volume is less ==> high cost
2) Quality:
Part being supplied to OEM will be 100% QA passed (all the parameters) where as the after market ones have very minimal QA check (speaking about the cheaper ones, all branded)
3) Warranty:
I agree that after market alloys do have warranty, but OE has the additional pain of "warranty handling" between the customer and supplier
4) Profit margin:
Actual part cost to OE should be cheaper and the kind the profit margin they have is very high (also due to inventory carrying cost)

The OEM ones are expensive maybe because they are "OEM".

I agree

 

[Figoian]

I think if you will fit after market alloy, you will loose your warranty on the suspension.
Manufacturer have some certain operating standard. They need to do a lot of verification and testing before recommending the alloy wheel design and size.For this they need to spend a considerable amount.It may not be cost effective to them. So they stick to some limited design which they recommend.(IMO)

Amit - Any particular reason for warranty being void for After Market Alloys? AFAIK, it's the case only when you differ from the OE specs. like Size, ET etc. If not, nothing to worry.

Alloys that company fits is tested & have proper size & match to to the footprint of car while aftermarket alloys not made for a specific model, they have size like 13" ,14". aftermarket alloys can affect you suspension if selected without proper study, aftermarket alloys can change footprint of your car(make wider footprint or little narrow) as you can see many cars with wheel little outside the wheel arc. one of my friend fitted alloy in old Zen & he face issue that tyres started wearing from inner corners even if the alignment is proper.

Again, as mentioned above, if the specs. are maintained as same as OE, then nothing changes. As I highlighted above, wheel peeping out are the ones having positive offset (ET). This is done while upsizing the tyre in one way or other (Size, Width, Sidewall etc.) in order to accommodate extra size well with in the wheel arch and not to brush the inner walls etc. This will definetly void the warranty as the OE specs. are deviated. Here is the pic explaining ET.

BTW, did your friend (Zen) upsized his tyre in someway? If not done perfectly matching the specs. it would surely have negative impacts as mentioned.

We know that almost all manufacturers supply Alloy Wheels with higher end models. Some alloys are great looking and some are provided just for the sake of providing. Also if we check the prices of the alloys from manufacturers, taking the examples of 12" or 13" wheels of say Santro or Alto, they are well above Rs 5000 per piece whereas in the aftermarket, the same sized branded alloys are priced at around Rs 3000 per Piece.

Well I myself paid Rs 32000 for my Quanto's alloys from mahindra whereas I could get them for Rs 24000 or so from After market

The Aftermarket alloys gives a sporty stance to a car whereas OEM ones look plain simple (except few OEMs).

My doubt is, Why cannot Manufacturers provide the Alloys just like after market ones. I feel it will increase the WOW! factor of a car right in the Showroom and also it is OEM so another peace of mind prospect.

Any thoughts experts

Simple theory... Brand = Expensive! Imagine, a regular Wheel Alignment is Rs. 400-500 in ASS and the same is done for Rs. 200-250 outside. The same logic applies here too. Anything sold by the ASS is got to be expensive, be it Alloys or Tissue Papers. Moreover, after market stores do have competition and hence, will try to lessen the price, discounts etc. to attract customers. However, ASS dealers don't. They have a fixed price across dealership, so no need of any discounts.

On the other hand, just a simple word from the dealer that "After Market Alloys will void your warranty" will make 80% of population to buy it then & there! That's their key selling point than anything else. So, why to sell it for less?

Any particular reason for you to choose OE over after market despite it being 8K more?

 

[daliparthysuman]

Well I was getting a discount of 20% on the accessories. Also my mom wanted the accesories to fit before car reaches my home. Simple funda. Haato haath kharcha karrlo baad mein paisa lagane ka mann nahi karega.

You know what, even with OEM alloys the ODO has gone awary.

Amit - Any particular reason for warranty being void for After Market Alloys? AFAIK, it's the case only when you differ from the OE specs. like Size, ET etc. If not, nothing to worry.



Again, as mentioned above, if the specs. are maintained as same as OE, then nothing changes. As I highlighted above, wheel peeping out are the ones having positive offset (ET). This is done while upsizing the tyre in one way or other (Size, Width, Sidewall etc.) in order to accommodate extra size well with in the wheel arch and not to brush the inner walls etc. This will definetly void the warranty as the OE specs. are deviated. Here is the pic explaining ET.

image

BTW, did your friend (Zen) upsized his tyre in someway? If not done perfectly matching the specs. it would surely have negative impacts as mentioned.



Simple theory... Brand = Expensive! Imagine, a regular Wheel Alignment is Rs. 400-500 in ASS and the same is done for Rs. 200-250 outside. The same logic applies here too. Anything sold by the ASS is got to be expensive, be it Alloys or Tissue Papers. Moreover, after market stores do have competition and hence, will try to lessen the price, discounts etc. to attract customers. However, ASS dealers don't. They have a fixed price across dealership, so no need of any discounts.

On the other hand, just a simple word from the dealer that "After Market Alloys will void your warranty" will make 80% of population to buy it then & there! That's their key selling point than anything else. So, why to sell it for less?

Any particular reason for you to choose OE over after market despite it being 8K more?

 

[Figoian]

Well I was getting a discount of 20% on the accessories. Also my mom wanted the accesories to fit before car reaches my home. Simple funda. Haato haath kharcha karrlo baad mein paisa lagane ka mann nahi karega.

Well, that's what majority would do. Plus, when the dealer try to threaten with the word "Warranty", the remainder would surrender too. However, an exceptional list of people will always opt out for what they want. I know many others who would drive out the car straight from delivery to the Tyre / Wheel Shop for immediate exchange of stock tyres/wheels for the one they prefer to. This is again the logic you mentioned to have the expenses done hand to hand, but also to fetch a better resale for the stock ones.

PS: Please keep the conversation in English for everyone's understanding.

You know what, even with OEM alloys the ODO has gone awary.

Sorry, can you explain it better?

 

[SankarNarayanan]

Guys warranty will be void only if you upsize from manufacturer specifications and that too the warranty of suspension only.

Regarding manufacturer alloys vs after market ones - basically all are same. No car manufacturer in India or probably anywhere in the world makes alloys. Alloys are provided by OE suppliers who also make aftermarket alloys. So if someone says manufacturer supplied alloys have better quality than after market ones then it's just a myth.

Regarding cost of manufacturer alloys being very expensive, i can surely say this is because of dealership margin. Dealership get atleast 50% margin in accessories including alloys and other service parts. This is the reason why manufacturer supplied alloys are very costly while aftermarkets alloys are cheaper. If you can find out the OE supplier of alloys for your car you can get the very same alloys at much better prices. For example VW Polo GT alloys supplied by VW costs 22k per alloys and set of 4 costs 85k. These alloys are actually manufactured by Borbet. I can get the very same alloys for 50-55k from Borbet directly. Same goes to Etios TRD where alloys are supplied by Lenso.

Regards,
Sankar

 

[daliparthysuman]

Well, that's what majority would do. Plus, when the dealer try to threaten with the word "Warranty", the remainder would surrender too. However, an exceptional list of people will always opt out for what they want. I know many others who would drive out the car straight from delivery to the Tyre / Wheel Shop for immediate exchange of stock tyres/wheels for the one they prefer to. This is again the logic you mentioned to have the expenses done hand to hand, but also to fetch a better resale for the stock ones.

PS: Please keep the conversation in English for everyone's understanding.



Sorry, can you explain it better?

You can read my thread http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...1-erratic-speedometer-mahindra-quanto-c6.html

 

[daliparthysuman]

Guys warranty will be void only if you upsize from manufacturer specifications and that too the warranty of suspension only.

Regarding manufacturer alloys vs after market ones - basically all are same. No car manufacturer in India or probably anywhere in the world makes alloys. Alloys are provided by OE suppliers who also make aftermarket alloys. So if someone says manufacturer supplied alloys have better quality than after market ones then it's just a myth.

Regarding cost of manufacturer alloys being very expensive, i can surely say this is because of dealership margin. Dealership get atleast 50% margin in accessories including alloys and other service parts. This is the reason why manufacturer supplied alloys are very costly while aftermarkets alloys are cheaper. If you can find out the OE supplier of alloys for your car you can get the very same alloys at much better prices. For example VW Polo GT alloys supplied by VW costs 22k per alloys and set of 4 costs 85k. These alloys are actually manufactured by Borbet. I can get the very same alloys for 50-55k from Borbet directly. Same goes to Etios TRD where alloys are supplied by Lenso.

Regards,
Sankar

If I need to spend 85K for Alloys then I would prefer to keep Steel Wheels

 

[SankarNarayanan]

If I need to spend 85K for Alloys then I would prefer to keep Steel Wheels

daliparthysuman the alloys cost starts at 15k and moves very high up at 1.5L for set of 4 alloys. Chinese alloys like Flying Eagle, Evo, GTR and Onyx cost 15-20k depending on alloy size and most of them look stunning (basically because they copy the alloy designs from bigger brands). Then comes the brands like Lenso, Plati, HRS which costs 25-50k depending on alloy size. They have much better finish and are made of much better quality alloy grades. Also they last longer. Then comes the super costly alloys made by big brands in automobile industry who are OE suppliers of alloys for supercars and for racing cars like O.Z, BBS, Borbet, ADV.1 etc. The costs would start at 60k and will north of 1.5L for certain high end models. Probably best alloys in every criteria but suitable for only high end sports and luxury cars.

In such a small state like Kerala we have started seeing guys fitting high end alloys from O.Z Borbet on cars like VW Polo and Swift. IMHO they look simply stunning.

Regards,
Sankar