hcbr929rr2 wrote:meh agree to disagree buddy, it is Enkei that manufactures wheels for Mazda (they are actually the 3rd largest wheel supplier in the world, chances are if a vehicle is made in Japan, or is Japanese to some nature Enkei had something to do with the wheels) However, I would have a hard time believing they are putting as much R & D into the factory Mazda wheel contract that they are into their own line up [snipped the rest]
The one and only reason I would need to believe that Enkei would put as much R&D into a wheel for Mazda is the fact that they're going to be making a lot more stock wheels for a 6 or 3 or any other Mazda that they will make money from because of the big contract, where as they are much less likely to sell anywhere near as many wheels from their lineup. Compare the number of stock wheels you see on any Mazda (and as you said, most other japanese auto makers) to the number of other cars running a set of wheels from Enkei's lineup. There's just no where near as many from their own product line than Mazda. Meaning that the profit they make from the contract is going to far exceed the money they make selling their other wheels, even with the lower profit they make per wheel on the stock wheels for Mazda because of the big contract. And part of the reason a company like Enkei stays in business has to be those big contracts. I don't think there's any way they could afford to make just the aftermarket wheels cheap enough to sell them without the contracts.
And Mazda is running a business too. They have to sell quality products to their customers that last a long time, just like Enkei. You can be willing to bet that if someone's Mazda last no more than a year without major mechanical problems, even with a warranty, they are much less likely to buy another Mazda, just like I wouldn't want to buy another set of Enkei wheels if they bend/warp too easily and get trashed and need to be replaced often.