t3h_Clap's Wheel33tist Blog

I don’t normally go on Rants, but it’s about time someone did. This needs to happen.

After the most recent post about the new tire rack website I got more than a few comments stating the following.

“Can we pick wheel size now?”

“Oh, it’s just a tire selection, no wheel selection?”

“Can we reverse search wheel size?”

unfortunately the answer to all of the above is no.

I, among many other enthusiasts want to be able to select and BUY wheels from tire rack that we know will work. LET US PICK A SIZE!

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Looks like Tire Rack took a hint from the guys over at Rays and decided to integrate some new goodies.

Check it out! http://www.tirerack.com

The new functionality is really going to make things easier to navigate. Gotta love progress!

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The magic delievery person dropped off Two boxes from the Famous TiC. I had gotten an email from Clint saying they shipped and I was anxiously waiting for my TiC SSTs. They only took 3 days to get here! For those not familiar with the Turn In Concept spec AST Coilover system here are some teaser photos until I get everything assembled.

Turn-In-Concept SST Coilovers

TiC’s Strut assemblies are made by AST to TiC SST specifications. TiC offers their coilovers with Swift Main Springs, Swift Helper Springs, and Swift Thrust Washers. I chose to go with the Vorshlag Camber Plates front and rear as well. They also come with a very detailed document on the assembly and care of your new suspension (rare to find that now-a-days).

This specific set of TiC SSTs runs the same setup as their Time Attack winning WRX with stiffer and shorter Swift Springs. I’ll be running 9k front and 8k rear, both front and rear are 6″ Springs. Once Clint & Tony knew the ride height and planned use for the suspension we custom tailored the spring choice to meet my needs.  Thank you again Clint and Tony!

Now More Pictures!

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I don’t normally post random “holy crap this is awesome” posts, but there is a first for everything.

The recently updated Rays Engineering site is really amazing. The functionality is increased along with speed and usability.

http://www.rayswheels.co.jp

Check it out and give me your thoughts.

This will make searching easier and should help expose some of the lesser known Rays brands.

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I’m heading to STU. I want to get back to street tires.

I’ll be putting together a few articles with the build progress and parts accumulation.

The build is going to be a simple STU build. Suspension, Bushings, Wheels, Tires and Driver tuning.

Round 1: Bushings, Mounts, Shifter from Turn In Concepts

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You read that right, 100% stock suspension 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STi with 9.5″ wheels! Quick background on the car/owner. Ben Wales has had a slew of Subarus over the years. What you see below is a 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI aka. Batscubie #5.

17x9.5 +44mm Enkei NT03+M 245/45/17

This STi was recently bought when Ben traded in Batscubie #4 aka. the Wraith. Ben had these 17×9.5 +44mm Enkei NT03+M’s on Batscubie #4 (08 STi) with some 275s. Ben wanted to compete in STU with the 2006 STI so he kept the 9.5 Enkei’s and bought some 245’s.

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As many of you know One Lap of America is underway and each day we slowly get more and more updates from the participants and the Motorsports Media.

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The car is a 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STi with a full Zero/Sports goodies and Volk Racing TE37s. Many people inside and outside of the Subaru community are familiar with the car that I’m about to feature (for a 2nd time). Bill Vitale has done it yet again, he sets the bar for Aggressive fitments. The first time Bill set the bar was over 14 Months ago with his 18×9 +29mm Advan RS’s.  Bill’s most recent overhaul included more than just fresh wheels and suspension. He decided it was time to go Rotated, a GT30R no less. 
 

9.5 +22mm TE37

Getting an 18×9.5 +22mm TE37 with a 255 to fit on any Subaru takes considerable effort and planning. Bill, as always, was willing to do what it takes to have one of the most aggressive setups on an GD STi.

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The great minds at Yokohama have decided to add a new wheel to their already popular line up which is properly named Advan Racing.

I can’t wait to see these wheels on some cars stateside. Some 19×9.5 +45mm RS-D’s would look spectacular on an 08 STi for a mild street setup or some 18×10 +35mm’s slapped on a GD for the aggressive side.

JUN STI Advan RS-D

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This new Prodrive wheel looks great, pretty standard design seen from different manufactures with a little Prodrive twist. The sizing is great too. The GR STi has another 18×9.5 with the proper offset! The GD STi (5×114.3 anyway) has some great options too.

Prodrive GC-05K

Who will be first?
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