Anyone who has been looking at my car since I arrived will have noted that my tires were too-small. They were 215/35R/18 Nankang NSII tires that came with my wheels (18" Silver Motegi MR7s) when I bought them second-hand. I'm guessing the previous owner had them on a Volkswagen or something. I wasn't too worried -- I had some time, since that would be the launching-board for every modification that followed and I knew I would be working on the car for a while.
This is what I had last fall:
Even after lowering, there those damn tires still spoiled the look! I was actually getting pretty used to them, but I was constanty reminded that others were not. That simply wouldn't do.
Well, naysayers, the moment has come. All the naggers can rest. I picked up a wheel and tire combo from a local classified ad. See the details of that transaction in
this thread. Long story short, I bought a *different* set of 18" MR7s (yes, I like these wheels), in gunmetal, and already wrapped in some appropriate rubber. They are Yokohama Parada Spec2 tires, in the correct 225/40R/18 size, with about 50-75% tread remaining. I paid $500 CDN for them, which given the price of these tires new, basically means in my mind that the extra set of rims were a bonus (and saved me some time mounting new tires).
Of course, this also gave me an excuse to try out my new bottles of Meguiars Tech Wax, wheel cleaner, and tire shine. Just for the record, their Tech wax is easily the best wax I've ever used. Behold.
Only issues I've noticed so far:
a) The front-left tire has a screw planted in it, in the tread at a repairable spot, and will likely require that repair sooner than later.
b) The rims had a few more blemishes and scrapes than I had been led to believe, but were still respectable. I may try to use some touch-up paint on them.
c) These tires seem much noisier than the Nankangs, especially under braking. I wasn't expecting that.
d) If I turn full-lock left, I get some minor rubbing on what I think is the inside of the right tire.
e) While trying these out, I started to fishtail and probably came closer to ditching the car than I have in a long time. Granted, there was some gravel on the roadway, so I'm probably just retarded for going so fast.
Anyways, comments welcome as always, and if anyone is interested in my old tires and rims, feel free to PM me.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Saturday, June 16, 2007 4:55 PM
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looks better
Getting "better built" for the '08...
i thought 18s for use were supposed to be 225/45/18???
cause i have 225/40R/18 and my speedo is 4mph slow
My car may run 18s, but I can do your taxes in 10 seconds flat.
JBO lube - they would never have enough in stock and we'd never see RodimusPrime again
Machzel08 (Teh Jew) wrote:i thought 18s for use were supposed to be 225/45/18???
cause i have 225/40R/18 and my speedo is 4mph slow
Well, if you think about that -- if you get a larger-profile tire, your speedo will be even slower.
It's odd that you would already be on the slow side though.
Seems like 225/45 series is supposed to be the correct size for 17 inch rims. Not 18s.
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nice rims. now please lower that thing.
1996 Chevrolet Cavalier SOLD | 2002 BMW 330i SOLD | 2004 BMW 645i
StikiGreenZ wrote:nice rims. now please lower that thing.
I'm guessing you didn't wait for all the pictures to load . . .
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Saturday, June 16, 2007 7:04 PM
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looks much better
not trying to thead jack but
i love the tech wax it is amazing
Lanman31337 -F = fatties = do not want. A little chunk in the junk is ok though.
very nice, man althought i think the silver rims look better, i do like the darker ones, but not as much as the silvers on YOUR car anyways.
nice upgrade, your getting there! whats next?
nice upgrade, looks alot better! What else you got planned?
Darkstars wrote:MUCH better
- 93 mph in the 1/8 mile
Member of J-Body Of Michigan.
a z24 kit and u will be lookin pretty fresh
very nice. looks waaaay better.
What % tint is your windows?
WOW! The gunmetal rims are perfect with that red!!
Get a Z24 kit and call the outside a day!
Eh...old man with a Corvette now...it was bound to happen sooner rather than later right?
don't blame the tires..get some airride and slam that bitch the right way! @!#$ that spring bull@!#$
z yaaaa wrote:very nice, man althought i think the silver rims look better, i do like the darker ones, but not as much as the silvers on YOUR car anyways.
I though so too, at first. I'm begining to like the color. The darker overall look is inline with my image for the car. They're easier to keep clean, too.
markaj04 wrote:What else you got planned?
- Addco Front Swaybar (in the back seat, ready to go)
- SS braided brake lines (in a box on the floor next to me)
- Black vinyl strip to fix crappy adhesion around the dot-matrix in the rear window tint (in the mail)
- Rksport lower engine mount and upper insert (in the mail)
- Shortie antenna (in the mail)
- Simple body kit such as Rksport lips and/or Z24, probably to coincide with a full paint job (not for the foreseeable future)
- Sell the car at get a Subaru Impreza (way off)
Donnie Darko wrote:What % tint is your windows?
20% on the sides and rear. Windshield untouched, as per legal restrictions.
shaggy wrote:get some airride and slam that bitch the right way!
That would have been another option, though I'm happy with the cheaper / more reliable / more practical / more friendly / less overkill / easier to install Sportline/D-Spec setup.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Sunday, June 17, 2007 4:59 AM
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Geeky wrote:Machzel08 (Teh Jew) wrote:i thought 18s for use were supposed to be 225/45/18???
cause i have 225/40R/18 and my speedo is 4mph slow
Well, if you think about that -- if you get a larger-profile tire, your speedo will be even slower. It's odd that you would already be on the slow side though.
Seems like 225/45 series is supposed to be the correct size for 17 inch rims. Not 18s.
good point...but if thats the case then why the hell is my speedo slow..lol
My car may run 18s, but I can do your taxes in 10 seconds flat.
JBO lube - they would never have enough in stock and we'd never see RodimusPrime again
Yeah you definitely need some kind of kit man. With the 18s and base model bumpers you can't even tell it's lowered just by looking at the overall car, only if you look at the wheel gap.
Lance Sharpe wrote:Yeah you definitely need some kind of kit man. With the 18s and base model bumpers you can't even tell it's lowered just by looking at the overall car, only if you look at the wheel gap.
As I say, it's in the plans. I'm not in any big hurry though. The paint on this thing is starting to rebel in a few areas, and it would be nice to do any body additions at the same time as a paint job. In the meantime, I like the clean look of the base model on Sportlines. Not alot of plastic to get torn off on speedbumps, either.
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looks sweet....nice upgrade
ClassGlass / RkSport / Eibach / Motegi / Ractive / Borla / K&N
