Strap In Purist.. Alibaba Wheels Long Term Review/Test

[ICantDriveStick]

Hello.
You're either here because you are open to the what if's or the pitchfork is already in hand. Nonetheless, welcome to the show! My ideal goal is to start a long term review of forged aftermarket wheels purchased on the Alibaba platform. I will do my best to cover the process start to finish and answer any questions/requests folks may have while I cover real miles on this set up. Quick disclaimer, my FL5 is not my daily driver. What I will lack in massive overall miles compared to others, I make up with spirited driving where I do try and push my stock FL5. Track time is not out of the question either.

Research

As you may know, Alibaba is a platform with a rather large variety of suppliers/manufacturers. Most of these companies still do act like middle men between you and the manufacturer. I went out to find a company that was listed as "verified" or "verified pro" on the platform with at least 4-5 years of history as well as certificates including DOT. It is, of course, debatable how authentic these certificates, reviews, and titles are. I end up going with LSGZL (Shuyang Zhongxin Automobile Technology Co) who are a verified pro supplier with 5 years on the platform and 4.8/5 on 300+ reviews.

Ordering

Ordering process was very smooth. I was contacted by a sales manager to discuss my desired design and specs. I provide a photo of CE28N-Plus wheels, which is what my set is based on, and my desired specs at:
Forged
18x10
ET40
CB:64.1
5x120
Color: Silver
I provided this information on 02/24/2026 and received renders for my set in matte silver on 02/27/2026 (images below). Out the door price was $1,300.00 USD with shipping included. 50% was paid up front and the remaining was paid when the wheels were shipped out. I received images of my produced wheels (images below) on 03/20/2026 and they were shipped out via sea freight on 03/23/2026. Air freight is available for an extra charge. *Disclaimer* Looking back, I should have requested for them to produce the wheels with no engravings as I do not want to portray these as authentic in any way .

Received

My Alibaba set was delivered today, 04/12/2026 via FedEx Express. First thoughts? They actually look really damn good for what it's worth. I unboxed all 4 and the finish appears to be very smooth and does not contain any knicks, runs, or other imperfections. Something I am considering at the moment of writing this is that I probably should of requested a knurled bead. Oh well. FedEx was not very kind to one of the wheels (see image below). It does not appear to be bent to the human eye and I did some very rough measuring of the diameter and it *appears* fine. Besides that, wheels came packaged very well. I did weigh all 4 on a basic electronic home scale. Keep in mind this is on a very basic scale while I am applying very light pressure to keep the wheel from rolling off so take it with a grain of salt. Results are:
21.4 lbs
21.4 lbs
21.6 lbs
21.8 lbs
This set is hub centric so that may add some additional weight due to the extra material however, I am unsure. I'm sure someone will chime in to that. Test fit went great. No clearance issues and the wheel fits snug on the hub. Looking to get the tires mounted and balanced as soon as possible. I will report if the one wheel ended up getting bent during shipping or if any of the wheels have issues balancing. These are being wrapped in Potenza RE-71RS tires size 275/35. Its like putting lipstick on a pig . More to come.

 

[ChampionshipWhiteFL5]

Nice. Most wheels come from there anyway....just do some homework on who does a nice job and you're good to go! Nice wheels!! And a LOT less costly!

 

[coolnick]

Cease and Desist incoming from Rays in 3...2...1....

I would never post an image like that online FWIW.

 

[SKINNIE]

I would've at least had them omit the Rays engravings

 

[iforgettopee]

looks good

 

[ChampionshipWhiteFL5]

I would've at least had them omit the Rays engravings

likewise. Too much risk down the road if you try and sell them. Can’t bill them as rays if they aren’t.

 

[RODSCIVIC]

I have my pitchfork in hand...... but it's no different than replicas from Rota.

Keep us updated no on how they handle spirited driving. I wouldn't mind throwing a fake set on an EV if they are strong enough.

 

[ICantDriveStick]

I would've at least had them omit the Rays engravings

100%. My biggest regret so far.

 

[TchnoZ33]

I mean..I know alibaba gets a lot of negative press…but a lot of wheels come out of China anyways…

 

[RODSCIVIC]

I mean..I know alibaba gets a lot of negative press…but a lot of wheels come out of China anyways…

This is true, but the question then becomes how much of the safety standards are met when made in China.

I have a set of HRE's that are made in Taiwan even though they claim USA made. I had one wheel replaced under warranty. Will Alibaba do the same? Rays/Volks are all made in Japan to my knowledge, specially the forged ones.

 

[ChampionshipWhiteFL5]

Yeah, the big thing with getting stuff off of that site is to just do some research into the companies. There are some on there that do OEM stuff which is what you typically wanna look for. Then they have all their certification stuff either on their website or online.

 

[optronix]

Sorry, I guess you'd call this a "pitchfork"- but the engraving is the only piece that makes me pretty sick to my stomach. I mean, I'm all for being a fan of a design and not wanting to splurge, because wheels like this are insanely expensive. I still can't believe I spent what I did on my wheels... but the 1:1 attempt at copying the engraving is just- gross. There's no other word for it.

Overall though China has been labeled as this 3rd world commie hellscape for as long as I can remember, literally dating back to childhood- but there are plenty of examples of "American made" products being pure shit. I don't think a country of origin directly correlates to quality, there's a lot more to it than that. "Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see".

But the pure copying... "made in Japan"...

For reference, THIS is how it's done IMHO: https://relaxwatchshop.com/

 

[ChampionshipWhiteFL5]

Haha. Actually technologicaly Wise China blows the US out of the water these days. It’s not even close. From EV’s to bridges to manufacturing. You do know that practically everything in your house come from China right lol

 

[SKINNIE]

Haha. Actually technologicaly Wise China blows the US out of the water these days. It’s not even close. From EV’s to bridges to manufacturing. You do know that practically everything in your house come from China right lol

But most people can't cope with that

 

[AZCWTypeR]

I've lived in China. Don't believe the hype that China does better than the west. They're good at making things look great, but are otherwise garbage.
The same can be said for any consumer products made there. If you find a company making real forged, quality alloy wheels in China, there are a another half dozen companies copying them with garbage quality. Buyer beware.

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