Top 10 alloy wheels manufacturers

There is no longer any talk of cheap silumin: the Italian company stresses that not even the most “pathetic” Racing series is made from an aluminum-magnesium alloy and is subjected to thermal strengthening. So Italians manage to create truly lightweight alloy wheels with characteristic openwork shapes, without causing any doubts in durability: in addition to the mandatory list of certificates, they can recall that their products have been used in WRC for over thirty years. And the participants in the world rally championship cannot be called people who choose some kind of disks just for sponsorship money: here reliability is really important.

But, of course, not everyone can afford the new OZ Racing wheels now: with the current exchange rates, a four-wheel kit will “hang out” a considerable amount.

The German company receives from us a kind of “audience award”: it even at current prices will allow it to fit into a moderate budget, choosing, however, high-quality discs that honestly meet the stated test standards. Moreover, by European standards, the company is young - a little more than twenty years old, and for Europe, with its tradition of motor racing as the main “engine” of the industry, this is not much.

The safety factor of the cast disks Alutec is more than sufficient even for Russian conditions, so you can be no longer afraid of becoming like the immobilized “Panzerkampfwagen” somewhere near Kursk. But the price of this is expected: a decent weight, here the "Germans" are about the same level as the "Russians." Also worth noting is the limited warranty - even for coverage it is given only for five years and then not on all discs. Domestic Alutec dealers themselves provide a warranty for only one year.

Well, go away, kids! Indeed, Borbet is one of the oldest European manufacturers of alloy wheels, because a German company has been working with light alloys since the end of the 19th century. Of course, disks in their assortment appeared later - only in 1977, but for European automobile conveyors the company became one of the main suppliers. And when we talk about “OEM court suppliers”, we always remember that they are usually chosen as “strong middling”, for a reasonable price with guaranteed quality.

Well, Borbet gives exactly this: with the prices imputed by the standards of the current Russian market, the disks of this brand have both normal balancing, quality stability, and durable coating. Such a purchase will not make you regret, except that the design of most models will seem bored and unoriginal.

Not the brand most promoted by us, but, nevertheless, it is worthy of attention.The strength of MAK discs fully satisfies both European requirements and current Russian standards, although it is worth pointing out that many models of this company are too heavy. This is especially true of "crossover" drives: if you see the abbreviation SUV in the description, then gather your strength in front of the tire shop.

But the material itself is good, a crack in such cast disks can only cause a very strong blow when, with a guarantee, the tire will be replaced and the suspension, and the suspension will not be easy. For Russian conditions, such discs fit fine. But with the price for our market, the Italians got into the most unsuccessful plug - similar strength characteristics can be obtained from Alutec, saving two or three thousand on the disk, or you can look at more “fashionable” brands, if you add the same two or three thousand .

The closest (and now, after the purchase of RusAl, is a formal one at all), the competitor of the SCAD is the same age as the collapse of the Soviet Union, an enterprise created in 1991 on the initiative of the German side, at that time became one of the largest investment projects. Actually, the abbreviation Kik (or K & K, as you like more) is the union of the names of the Krasnoyarsk Metallurgical Plant and the German KOMOS GmbH. So the start of the company was what was needed - it was investments, equipment, and huge production areas of KraMZ.It is not surprising that these disks were also registered on the conveyors of Russian automobile plants (both “ours” and assembly plants of foreign firms) and in the secondary market.

However, it is worth noting that in terms of the mass of K & K wheels, they are reinsured more than SCUD: no, we, of course, are only “in favor”, that these wheels will not fall apart with a strong impact, but the extra weight of the disc is a deterioration in comfort due to height unsprung masses, and more “dull” handling, especially at high speeds, when the gyroscopic effect of the wheels becomes noticeable. To this we add a higher price order: although the difference is small for one disk, we take them as a set.

But in terms of reliability, durability of coverage, we have no complaints: alloy wheels are more than high-quality for this price segment, they are worthy of our purchase and recommendations.

But this company of alloy wheels, the production of which was launched in Rostov-on-Azov, is forced to become an outsider in the rating. Honestly, even the official website kills her right from the main page: "Azov-Tek products are made in accordance with the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union" On the safety of wheeled vehicles "." After this masterpiece phrase, you already begin to doubt both “safety” and in accordance with the norms of the “CIRCULAR UNION”. Adding oil to the fire of suspicion and the mention of the applied technology for low-pressure casting: it’s not so easy to avoid spillage in the mass of the workpiece and the unevenness of the metal structure, this technology and the leading global manufacturers of automobile wheels honed for a long time.

But let us turn to the insensitive test results, abandoning our emotions. The Tech Line's discs, in general, hold decent blows decently, but with cyclic loads, the expected problems are found in thin-spoke models - fatigue cracks develop, which is unacceptable. Here is a consequence of both the low pressure casting and the smaller compared with similar in construction discs SKAD / K & K mass, and the “customs union”. Of the alloy wheels produced under this brand, it is worthwhile to consider only heavy, with wide spokes, moreover, in the place of coupling with the rim and with the hub.