Is it finally time to admit HRE Wheels are overpriced and overrated? HRE's 'new' $2100 RS2M & RS3M series

[Sticky]

There was a time where HRE Wheels were the most desireable wheels on the market. They had an unbeatable combination of looks, pricing, and performance. Along the way something happened and HRE has moved away from performance and focused more on profit margins.

Their new RS2M and RS3M series of wheels retail for $2100 per rim. Why? What justifies that price tag? Are they lightweight? No. Do the have some sort of technologically advanced materials? No. Do they offer a new or stunning design? No.

Frankly, you would be hard pressed to tell this is a new wheel line unless HRE told you. Here is what HRE's president had to say about them.

Sometimes less is more. The RS2M and RS3M are for those customers who appreciate the fact that wheel styles don’t always need to be overly complicated to be gorgeous. In an age where wheel styles are getting more and more “fancy”, we recognize that wheels don’t stand alone, but have to work with the design of the car

Translation: We ran out of ideas and this is a cheap way to reintroduce our same old tired designs at a premium.

As a matter of fact, I remember those lines of his on a previous wheel line introduction. He is using the same lines from a 2015 wheel release: http://www.boostaddict.com/content.p...05M-and-RS108M

HRE's president then:

The RS1M is a perfect example of how in design, usually less is more. In an era when everyone, including HRE, is moving to more and more aggressive designs, sometimes the more difficult and rewarding challenge is simply finding out how to improve on an icon.

They rearrange a few words, use the same basic press release, and here we are with a 'new' $2100 per wheel line.

When was the last time HRE actually was innovative? Why aren't they offering high performance and lightweight composite rims for some of their exorbitant prices? Do not think BoostAddict has some axe to grind here as the BimmerBoost.com M3 wears HRE wheels. The thing is, when the HRE C90 wheels were purchased eight years ago they were chosen because they were the lightest on the market offering a great blend of performance, strength, weight, looks, and cost. HRE does not even bother to include what the rims weigh any longer.

What happened to the performance aspect? It seems to have taken a similar tumble as their customer service. HRE just seems to be all about squeezing out every last dime by recycling as many tired designs as they can. This is stuff we have all seen before except now we get a higher price tag along with absolutely no performance benefit. BoostAddict was shocked when inquiring about current HRE wheel weights. They haven't gotten lighter, that is for sure.

This article will not change anything nor will any words written by anyone as HRE is a juggernaut and too big to care. However, many enthusiasts do care how they spend their money and this one in particular is going to look elsewhere for a set of performance rims.

[Newguy123]

Over 2k a rim? Uhhhh who ever feels the need to pay that and support them can send some money over to my paypal account too....thanks

[Sticky]

Over 2k a rim? Uhhhh who ever feels the need to pay that and support them can send some money over to my paypal account too....thanks

Not even their most expensive rims.

They keep jacking up the prices yet not delivering anything new or worth the money.

[Den*]

it is all abut buying their logo

[subaru335i]

Get some Forgestars and put the HRE center cap if you need the logo haha. Forgestars are cheap-ish and really good quality and are light.

[maxnix]

One of the guys who owned some Texas racetrack records for his class of E36 328i ran a two piece rim and was disgusted with their fragility ten years ago. They looked really poorly made to me back then.

[Evan Patak]

Get some Forgestars and put the HRE center cap if you need the logo haha. Forgestars are cheap-ish and really good quality and are light.

I run Forgestar F14 SDCs I agree they are a good value when you consider the price, looks, and weight. However I don't fully agree about "quality" in other words -strength. I have been through a pair of rears already since they were both damaged beyond repair; flat spot, and the whole barrel was torqued off center, those were 19x10 with a 275/35 on the rear of my 2-ton+ E61, to their defense I was driving on Bay Area highways which are prety brutal with some big expansion joints etc.

I replaced them with 19x11s and now run 285/35 and given the amount of balancing weights installed by the tire shop there might be some more imperfections with the rears but that hasn't been officially confirmed.

The owner of MRF Engineering used to run F14 SDCs on his E92 and bent 3 or all 4 of them during a single track day outing so they are far from bulletproof and personally if someone was looking for a STRONG wheel I would not recommend them.

For unabusive daily use they seem to be fine, I guess the lack of strength strength is the trade off for having the looks, weight, and price point. So if you don't thrash on them they should be fine.

Personally I continue to run them as I haven't found a design I like more than the SDCs and am willing to accept the shortcomings.

Evan

[HRE_Jurrian]

You are correct in seeing the similarities with the RS1M series. All the RS Series have the same mission, but we felt the RS1 really needed a refresh and that’s what our intention was with the RS2M and RS3M series. We want all the RS family to be based on traditional styles, but with more refined and contemporary details. We think we’ve achieved that with the new styles, so we will be retiring the RS1M series soon.

As for pricing, the RS2M and RS3M fall right in the middle of our forged line-up. We do recognized that our costs have been increasing with the ever increasing complexity of our designs. This is difficult to balance. Even on wheels that are seemingly simple and clean like the RS2M and RS3M, they still take about 3X as long to machine as one of our best ever selling Monobloks, the original P40. The details may be subtle, but the level of refinement in the RS2M and RS3M is on another level compared to our older styles.

As for weight, the RS2M and RS3M series we envision being installed on sports sedans and sports GT’s, and I want to point out that you’re totally right, they aren’t super lightweight wheels. Not all wheel styles we design with lightness as the #1 goal, but we have styles where lightness is the main focus when designing and engineering as opposed to a wheels designed to be visually striking. Of those designs which are geared more towards performance, the R101 Lightweight is the most extreme where we have examples weighing 16.00lbs in 20x8.5.

You mention, “This article will not change anything nor will any words written by anyone as HRE is a juggernaut and too big to care,” We like to think we’re a part of the community so we care what everyone thinks. Rave reviews are always uplifting but criticisms are more important because they make us better.

[subaru335i]

I run Forgestar F14 SDCs I agree they are a good value when you consider the price, looks, and weight. However I don't fully agree about "quality" in other words -strength. I have been through a pair of rears already since they were both damaged beyond repair; flat spot, and the whole barrel was torqued off center, those were 19x10 with a 275/35 on the rear of my 2-ton+ E61, to their defense I was driving on Bay Area highways which are prety brutal with some big expansion joints etc.

I replaced them with 19x11s and now run 285/35 and given the amount of balancing weights installed by the tire shop there might be some more imperfections with the rears but that hasn't been officially confirmed.

The owner of MRF Engineering used to run F14 SDCs on his E92 and bent 3 or all 4 of them during a single track day outing so they are far from bulletproof and personally if someone was looking for a STRONG wheel I would not recommend them.

For unabusive daily use they seem to be fine, I guess the lack of strength strength is the trade off for having the looks, weight, and price point. So if you don't thrash on them they should be fine.

Personally I continue to run them as I haven't found a design I like more than the SDCs and am willing to accept the shortcomings.

Evan

I know a few people who run them but none have bent them but I don't doubt your experience. They probably just don't beat on them like that. Good to know tho!
Most or maybe all of the forgestars are that spin cast/centrifugal forging technology which definitely will not be as strong as real forged wheels so that's not too surprising.
I wonder what the cheapest real forged wheels are.

[subaru335i]

You are correct in seeing the similarities with the RS1M series. All the RS Series have the same mission, but we felt the RS1 really needed a refresh and that’s what our intention was with the RS2M and RS3M series. We want all the RS family to be based on traditional styles, but with more refined and contemporary details. We think we’ve achieved that with the new styles, so we will be retiring the RS1M series soon.

As for pricing, the RS2M and RS3M fall right in the middle of our forged line-up. We do recognized that our costs have been increasing with the ever increasing complexity of our designs. This is difficult to balance. Even on wheels that are seemingly simple and clean like the RS2M and RS3M, they still take about 3X as long to machine as one of our best ever selling Monobloks, the original P40. The details may be subtle, but the level of refinement in the RS2M and RS3M is on another level compared to our older styles.

As for weight, the RS2M and RS3M series we envision being installed on sports sedans and sports GT’s, and I want to point out that you’re totally right, they aren’t super lightweight wheels. Not all wheel styles we design with lightness as the #1 goal, but we have styles where lightness is the main focus when designing and engineering as opposed to a wheels designed to be visually striking. Of those designs which are geared more towards performance, the R101 Lightweight is the most extreme where we have examples weighing 16.00lbs in 20x8.5.

You mention, “This article will not change anything nor will any words written by anyone as HRE is a juggernaut and too big to care,” We like to think we’re a part of the community so we care what everyone thinks. Rave reviews are always uplifting but criticisms are more important because they make us better.

Very professional response and surprised at how quick you found this.

That is much different than some vendors around here haha.

There were one one or two members here that had quality issues with HRE wheels and they had a hell of a time getting any customer service to help them, can you address that?

[HRE_Jurrian]

Very professional response and surprised at how quick you found this.
That is much different than some vendors around here haha.
There were one one or two members here that had quality issues with HRE wheels and they had a hell of a time getting any customer service to help them, can you address that?

I looked over the thread that Sticky pointed out in his post and it does look like there was communication difficulties. I agree, back then we needed to have a faster response time to resolve issues, but since then we've added several new positions including myself to ensure our customer service is second to none. We have also added Jon Kohl our new customer service representative, to help communicate directly with repairs and refinishing that may be needed. We're continually improving ourselves and our processes, but should anyone have a customer service inquiry they need addressed, please reach out to us, I would be happy to help out.

[Sticky]

You are correct in seeing the similarities with the RS1M series. All the RS Series have the same mission, but we felt the RS1 really needed a refresh and that’s what our intention was with the RS2M and RS3M series. We want all the RS family to be based on traditional styles, but with more refined and contemporary details. We think we’ve achieved that with the new styles, so we will be retiring the RS1M series soon.

As for pricing, the RS2M and RS3M fall right in the middle of our forged line-up. We do recognized that our costs have been increasing with the ever increasing complexity of our designs. This is difficult to balance. Even on wheels that are seemingly simple and clean like the RS2M and RS3M, they still take about 3X as long to machine as one of our best ever selling Monobloks, the original P40. The details may be subtle, but the level of refinement in the RS2M and RS3M is on another level compared to our older styles.

As for weight, the RS2M and RS3M series we envision being installed on sports sedans and sports GT’s, and I want to point out that you’re totally right, they aren’t super lightweight wheels. Not all wheel styles we design with lightness as the #1 goal, but we have styles where lightness is the main focus when designing and engineering as opposed to a wheels designed to be visually striking. Of those designs which are geared more towards performance, the R101 Lightweight is the most extreme where we have examples weighing 16.00lbs in 20x8.5.

You mention, “This article will not change anything nor will any words written by anyone as HRE is a juggernaut and too big to care,” We like to think we’re a part of the community so we care what everyone thinks. Rave reviews are always uplifting but criticisms are more important because they make us better.

First of all, very professional response. Some companies get angry if opinions are not positive but you handled this calmly and rationally. Whatever they are paying you, you're earning it.

That you're willing to listen and address issues is great to see.

[Sticky]

I looked over the thread that Sticky pointed out in his post and it does look like there was communication difficulties. I agree, back then we needed to have a faster response time to resolve issues, but since then we've added several new positions including myself to ensure our customer service is second to none. We have also added Jon Kohl our new customer service representative, to help communicate directly with repairs and refinishing that may be needed. We're continually improving ourselves and our processes, but should anyone have a customer service inquiry they need addressed, please reach out to us, I would be happy to help out.

Well done and well said.

[benzy89]

Forgeline -- the GA1R is one of the best looking wheels, but there's plenty of different options and styles available

[Sticky]

Forgeline -- the GA1R is one of the best looking wheels, but there's plenty of different options and styles available

I'm not sure why I'm just not really feeling the Forgeline lineup.

I do like those carbon rims they have for like $16k but the day I spend $16k on wheels...

[benzy89]

I'm not sure why I'm just not really feeling the Forgeline lineup.

HRE is still "the" wheel, and I'll probably never find anything I like more than the P43SC... But at over $2k a wheel, it's hard to ignore that you can but 5, sometimes even 6, wheels for a set of HREs

[Sticky]

HRE is still "the" wheel, and I'll probably never find anything I like more than the P43SC... But at over $2k a wheel, it's hard to ignore that you can but 5, sometimes even 6, wheels for a set of HREs

Me personally I don't even mind the price if I'm getting the absolute best. I want it strong, light, and with good looks.

[Sticky]

HRE is still "the" wheel, and I'll probably never find anything I like more than the P43SC... But at over $2k a wheel, it's hard to ignore that you can but 5, sometimes even 6, wheels for a set of HREs

HRE doesn't even have a Competition Series anymore... WTF?

[BlackJetE90OC]

Still rather see owners spend their hard earned money on HRE wheels, than that sh*t ADV wheel company. At least HRE actually manufactures their own wheels.

[subaru335i]

Still rather see owners spend their hard earned money on HRE wheels, than that sh*t ADV wheel company. At least HRE actually manufactures their own wheels.

I would agree with that but there are so many other options out there besides just HRE and ADV.
ADV are $#@! ass tho.

[Sticky]

Still rather see owners spend their hard earned money on HRE wheels, than that sh*t ADV wheel company. At least HRE actually manufactures their own wheels.

It's amazing ADV with what they pulled is still in business.

[BPCMotorsports]

eh, I love some HRE wheels but ill stick with my Apex wheels hahaha.

[Den*]

It's amazing ADV with what they pulled is still in business.

what's wrong with ADV? any topics available to read?

[Sticky]

what's wrong with ADV? any topics available to read?

There sure are: http://www.boostaddict.com/showthrea...t-Brands-sites

[Den*]

There sure are: http://www.boostaddict.com/showthrea...t-Brands-sites

aaa, ok thx, i thought ADVAN=ADV1, I use to run ADVAN TCIII and i'm not very happy with them too...