ION Wheels And Mediocrity In General

[SJTD]

So I'm looking at wheels. Since M/T's no longer have steel inserts in their mounting holes I'm looking at other brands.

ION's look pretty nice so I go to their site. Can't find a dem thing about them other than they're "alloy". I can probably name 10 or 20 alloys off the top of my head, 9 or 19 of which aren't aluminum alloys. This bit of ignorance has bugged me for well over 40 years. I can forgive Joe Consumer for not getting the distinction but these clowns are professionals and should know that "alloy" isn't short for aluminum. And if they used the term properly everyone else might learn.

At least the gun industry has started to get it but now they're using "furniture" for the stock.

What I really wanted to know is are they forged or cast. At least M/T's are still forged. Edit: Silly ass-umption on my part. M/T's are no longer forged.

Also no country of origin. To me that means China.

Rant complete.

[MysticRob]

While we're at it...

That's pretty much Duhmerika's Idiocracy in a nutshell anymore. We don't manufacture, we only consume, and it's mostly sub-standard crap from those who DO manufacture.

I'm not a right or left leaning human, but it sickens me that we allow illegals to flood into the country, offshore many of our jobs, and import the H1B visa crowd instead of putting our own citizens to work, all while the goobermint wrecks the economy with pork barrel spending on garbage.

For each $1400 we got recently, the total bill is north of $5000 per person. That's idiotic...

Rant complete. For now.

[rang-a-stang]

Haha!
Alloy: A mixture of metals.
Aluminum Alloy: a mixture of metals with mostly aluminum.
So saying a wheel is made of "aluminum Alloy" is like saying "This wheel is made out of some mixture of aluminum. It could be super hard/brittle, it might be like American Cheese, or maybe, it's a nice mixture in the middle. Roll the dice, buy our parts! You know they will be good because we use fancy engineering words like 'Alloy' in our titles! Everyone knows that if you add "alloy" to aluminum, it is MUCH better!"

Same with "Billet"
Billet: A chunk of metal
Billet Aluminum: A chunk of aluminum
So "Billet rims" were made out of a chunk of aluminum. Could be the same super hard/brittle piece or the American cheese piece.

Imagine if a company sold Billet Aluminum Alloy rims! Those would be the best rims EVER!!

[SJTD]

Yeah but I don't expect them to list the particular alloy. That would be too much to ask.

This makes me think of "mags". Used to mean a magnesium alloy then came to be used for all non-steel wheels. Pretty much fallen out of use in favor of "alloy".

True about billet also. Another term that's bugged me for years. When it first started being used in the aftermarket industry it implied a part made from a forging or piece of rolled stock as opposed to a casting. I guess now it means a machined part.

[oregonphil]

Yeh, but it's just like almost everything made of "steel" we buy is recycled steel.
We use, drive, build then scrap it out. It is shipped over seas, melted down and recycled back to us as raw material for us to do it all over again. Years ago I worked for a sales business (bar stock, beams, sheets, pipe, fencing, tools, etc.) Plumbers would swear the pipe did not thread as good as pipe made in the USA. The fittings did not seal up as well. And fence t-posts and wire, bent or stretched more than the old USA stuff did. I imagine aluminum products are the same also.
That's just the world we live in now. We need to be smart consumers.

[letank]

same for any nuts and bolts

Take your calipers and measure OEM vs. anything that you buy locally .... there is always a few thousandth missing (brake bleeder screws for me)... same for wires... some of the power supplies or voltmeter wiring are a joke....
Same for plane parts made in the overseas countries... the rejection rate is over 90%... from an accountant that works for a major airline manufacturer.

Check those lightbulbs in the newer vehicles... it seems that mostly new cars have burnt out bulbs...

Thinking of buying a newer used vehicle and checking the forums for what to avoid... the rate of complaints for severe engine defects is mind boggling... valve springs to undersize piston... and failing timing chain tensioner ... it is ridiculous... Looks like my 85 honda civic is going to be driven to the ground.


Forgot to add, stainless steel that rusts...

[Tripwire]

listen to frank zappa's "Flakes" song and read the lyrics sums it all up