[2024] Varrstoen Wheels Review: What Happened to Them?

There seems to be no shortage of wheel companies with random, hard to pronounce names these days.

However, in the case of Varrstoen, it seems that there is one less of those companies.

What exactly happened to Varrstoen, and are their wheels any good?

I’m about to answer those questions and more.

The History of Varrstoen

Varrstoen was founded in 2011 and was owned by a man named Richard Park. They came seemingly out of nowhere and began to flood the market with replica wheels.

Naturally, people became interested in their products since they offered the look of popular wheels like BBS, Work and Volk at significantly lower cost.

This got them a bit of popularity over the next few years since they were launched.

However, last year, all of a sudden they just disappeared.

What Happened to Varrstoen?

Varrsoten went out of business in 2022, and their wheels are no longer available.

While this may have come as a bit of a surprise to many people, once you start digging you begin to see some obvious reasons as to why.

Problems With Varrstoen Wheels

A quick search online will reveal countless threads of issues with Varrstoen wheels ranging from poor quality finishes with discoloring, bubbles or chips, to wheels breaking apart and failing, and even issues of being designed in such a way that made mounting and dismounting tyres difficult.

The problem with Varrstoen is that their wheels were cheap replicas, clearly sold to just make a buck and capitalize on current wheel trends. They didn’t seem particularly interested in actually providing a good product, and were certainly not doing anything ground breaking when it came to wheels.

There are also many reports and poor reviews about the way they dealt with customers and handled business, which are pretty easy to find online.

Their entire line up consisted of replica wheels that blatantly copied other wheels designs, I haven’t seen a single unique design in their entire range.

Now, while many people will argue both sides of the rep wheel dispute, when you combine that with poor quality and bad customer service, it’s pretty clear that the brand wasn’t there to become the next BBS.

Overall, it seems that all these issues added up, which resulted in them closing their doors.

While I wasn’t able to find the exact reason behind why they closed down, I would imagine the issues I mentioned above had a lot to do with it.

How Varrstoen Rims Were Made

Like most cheap wheel companies, Varrstoen revealed very little about how their wheels were made.

But judging by the price point and the nature of their wheels, I’d be willing to bet that they were low quality gravity cast wheels made in China. I can’t prove this, but they were very similar to other wheels that match that description.

Safety Certifications

I was not able to any information about any safety testing or certifications such as JWL or VIA, and can almost guarantee their wheels were not TUV certified.

Some of their wheels do have the JWL and VIA symbols on them, but it not like a rep wheel brand has never put those markings on without actually having a certification. So who knows if they really were or not.

Now, while this does not always mean the wheels are poor quality or unsafe, combine that with the other information about these wheels and the picture is starting to come together about their true quality.

Varrstoen Wheel Options

Varrstoen made a range of replica wheel designs that copied wheels such as Volk TE37s, BBS LMs, CCW Classics, Work Meisters, Rotiforms and more.

Here are some of the wheels they offered:

ES1 (BBS LM Rep):

ES2 (Volk TE37 Rep):

ES3 (Volk CE28 Rep):

ES5 (BBS LMR Rep):

ES6 (Work Meister Rep):

ES7 (CCW Classic Rep):

ES8 (Work Equip Rep):

Conclusion – Should You Buy Varrstoen Wheels

In my opinion, no, I don’t think you should buy Varrstoen wheels.

Based on my research seem like the cheapest of the cheap replica wheels which were solely made to make a quick buck. There are far too many issues reported and the fact that they went out of business just proves that they had a poor product or poor customer service, likely both.

Personally, after researching them, I wouldn’t go anywhere near a set of Varrstoen wheels. You can’t buy them new any more anyway.

What Wheels to Get Instead

There are a number of good wheel brands including some rep wheel companies out there that make decent wheels for affordable prices, so it just doesn’t make sense to buy wheels like Varrstoens.

Here are a couple of great affordable wheel options that I would recommend:

Enkei

Top of the list is probably the most popular affordable wheel companies especially when it comes to track wheels.

Enkei wheels are very good quality, extremely light and durable and are made using a special flow forming technique that makes their barrels extra strong.

If you are looking for very good wheels at an affordable price, Enkei are basically the best option.

GET ENKEI WHEELS FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE

Kansei

Kansei are a relatively new brand who are doing some cool things in the wheel industry.

They make a range of completely unique designs and their wheels are flow formed, making them a good quality, lightweight option for both street and track.

Kansei wheels are quickly growing in popularity and come in some cool designs at great prices.

GET KANSEI WHEELS FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE

Konig

Konig wheels have been around forever and are one of the go-to brands for low price wheels that are decent.

A few years ago they released a flow formed line which are proving to be very popular and are on-par with Enkei’s.

These are another great quality option if you want affordable wheels which are durable, strong and lightweight. They also offer a cast line for street use which are decent as well, though not as good as the flow formed line.

GET KONIG WHEELS FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE

Cosmis Racing

Cosmis Racing are another fantastic affordable option which are extremely durable and come in a range of unique designs and aggressive offsets.

Cosmis Racing specialize in wheel sizes that are difficult to find at the lower end of the price range, particularly wide widths and low offsets.

Their wheels are extremely durable and are very affordable, making them a great option if you want wheels that look good and can take a beating.

GET COSMIS RACING WHEELS HERE FOR THE BEST PRICE

Rota

Probably the most popular rep wheel company out there. If you are going to buy reps, get Rotas.

Rota wheels have proven to be extremely durable and despite a negative reputation in their early years for being reps, they have proven to be excellent quality and are often used on the track and on drift cars due to their strength.

They offer a wide range of designs, sizes and options and are one of the best as far as affordable and rep wheels go.

TSW

TSW have been around forever and make an absolutely huge range of wheels.

Their speciality is making affordable wheels that look good for many different cars.

TSW wheels are decent quality and the company has been around for decades and supplies many OEMs with wheels. Another good quality affordable wheel option.

GET TSW WHEELS HERE FOR THE BEST PRICE

FAQ About Varrstoen Wheels

Are Varrstoen Wheels Forged?

No, Varrstoen never made any wheels that were forged. All of their wheels were cast.

Are Varrstoen Wheels Replicas?

Yes, almost every Varrstoen wheel design is a replica of another wheel. They also made many fake multi-piece wheels and never made a real multi-piece wheel.

Are Varrstoen Wheels Durable?

No, Varrstoen wheels tend to be pretty weak and break easily. There are many reports online of issues with Varrstoen wheels easily bending or breaking.

Author
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Mateja Matic

Having been in the car tuning game for 15 years, I'm now using all the knowledge I acquired to help other people learn and select the right parts for their cars through this blog.

Cars owned: Mk2 Golf with 1.8T swap, BMW E28 with M30B35 swap, BMW E36 328I Mtech, BMW 750IL, Nissan 300ZX, Honda Civic EF