#brada wheels

Import Alliance 2014 Fall “Homecoming” Meet

Pictures by Cade Garrett | Article by Dave McKee

  Consider this a disclaimer of sorts: The article focuses mainly on replica wheels and the photoset focuses on quality.  Moving on...

We met a good amount of Save the Wheels supporters at the Fall Homecoming Meet and despite what they initially suspected, we felt quite comfortable amidst the abundance of replica wheels.  It made us think back to the first Import Alliance we attended in Georgia where we distributed Save the Wheels decals.  It was there at the Atlanta Motor Speedway that we were introduced to STR Wheels, as it was impossible to ignore their copies of all the major BBS designs.

To an extent this Fall Homecoming Meet was similar, and even one of the vendors was selling Avid.1’s and XXR’s like hotcakes.  So why did we feel “comfortable” you ask?  Because it presented an opportunity for us spread the word about Save the Wheels.  Primarily, that’s what Save the Wheels is about -- raising awareness about “real” versus replica wheels, and educating on wheel quality and construction.  We talked with hundreds of people over the 2-day show about supporting our cause, and of course the free, laundry-scented Air Fresheners were a nice icebreaker!

We’re always surprised and humbled by the number of emails and PM’s we receive from converts.  Enthusiasts who message us just to say ‘thank you’ for taking the time to spread information about authentic, quality wheels.  Often times people don’t even realize the differences in the types of wheel manufacturing processes.  Or they don’t realize that their Rota’s are actually copies of an earlier produced wheel.  Prior to finding Save the Wheels, they simply saw wheels that looked good.  For us, the deepening of that experience is vicariously enjoyed.

Anyways, as we were planting seeds in the collective minds of the masses, we were also photographing a cross section of what we’d like to see more of at future events.  Ultimately quality is a worthwhile venture, and can be had by all.  But regardless of who you are, it always takes time, persistence, and hard work. To avoid being too long winded and/or preachy, we’ll go ahead and end the article.  Thanks for reading and thanks for supporting our cause!  #SAVETHEWHEELS