docwra

Generally speaking you get exactly what you pay for, in weight, looks, quality of manufacture and uniqueness of design - there are some exceptions (the 350Z Rays are a great example of something thats way cheaper than it should be) but most cheap wheels are heavy, ugly and will corrode quickly .......... you dont need that in your life The number of pieces doesnt really have a lot of effect on anything - in an ideal world you can re-barrel a 3 piece split rim to run wider tyres or a different offset, but in reality this is difficult and expensive. That said, most 3 piece wheels are good quality and therefore not cheap, its a fair indicator I suppose. Most wheels are cast, forging them makes them much stronger but TBF an average user wouldnt notice the difference (unless you happen to drive into kerbs at 80mph on the way to Le Mans 24H) so TBF while its nice to rock a 3 piece forged rim its by no means essential. I personally think that around £1K/1200 is about right for a decent set of Zed rims, maybe a bit more for perfection ........... dont make the mistake of buying cheap as you will only regret it when the car looks a bit gash

Yep, Im running 18s on front and 19s on the back, Ive had to unplug the VDC though as it doesnt like it much - 255/30/18 front and 275/35/19 on rear IIRC. It feels like it handles better than 18's all round, the front is very good for traction but it can be light at the back when braking, it tries to swap ends quite a lot I did it for aesthetics as much as anything, I might buy some cheap 18's for the rear as replacing the 19's every two trackdays is killing me though

Wow, thats got to be one of the best cars in the UK now. Much respect

Nice intro, I totally agree with the M3/350Z comparison - I personally think that all things considered the E46 M3 is probably the single best car in the world .......... but I prefer driving a Z33

I still say a 5 inch lip isnt possible with those specs though. Like I said, Ive got about a 5 inch lip on my Equips and they are 10J ET -18, the spec you are quoting is 40mm further inset than that.

Get a cellar Thats a set of Rays, a set of Compmotive MO's, 2 Work Equips, a set of Enkei RPF's, 2 SSR Leon Hardiritt, 2 SSR Type C, 2 Gewalts and 2 AVS model 4, there were another 12 wheels fitted to cars at the time too Oh, and a cheeky Kahn RS-R sitting out front. Most are gone now though

I think youre a little wide of the mark here TBH mate - if youre buying wheels brand new then why not get better offsets and lose the spacers, and I still maintain theres no way a 10J ET22 will have 5 inches of lip like in that top picture - a quick fag packet calculation suggests that the midpoint will be 127mm from the face, if you then take 22mm off for the offset it leaves 105mm which means even if the mounting face is only 30mm deep (which it wont be) youve only got 3 inches of wheel remaining for the lip. A 10J ET 22 with a 30mm spacer is effectively 10J ET -8 anyway which would require a fair amount of archwork to get it to fit as well, Id head back to the drawing board for a bit before you go shelling out any cash

Dish/lip like that on a 10J has got to be offset of -20 or even more, youll need the spacers to clear your brakes and then youll need severe arch modification to fit the wheels under as well. Comme ca: Thats 10J ET -16 running with a 25mm spacer, and it only just clears the brakes .......... you may also notice the 70mm odd arch extension that was needed to make it fit as well

I think hes just giving an opinion, not belittling anyone TBF ......... and I agree with what hes saying too, cars are there to be used and enjoyed IMO, not looked at and lusted after. Mine Zed is almost constantly filthy, the bumper is currently half hanging off after some track action and I drive the daylights out of it everytime I get in, its horses for courses.

Thats the kicker though, for a lot of people (myself included) the drive is more important than anything else. Hence Ive owned 3 Lancias and want an Alfa next year As an all rounder the GTR is an amazing achievement but Id take a rusty old Italian that only starts half the time and has never actually reached its intended destination without breaking everytime

Im sorry, but I reckon most would be sporting a permanent erection just sitting in a P1, even pulling it out of your garage would be an event. Thats exactly the point Im getting at, something like a Murcielago will always be reminding you its a supercar, whereas a GTR is only a supercar when you give it the beans. M135i is a faster car in a straight line ............. but this also illustrates the point above beautifully, M135i feels like a fast 1 series, the 1M feels like something entirely different as soon as you get 20 yards down the road.

I took one for a no holds barred test drive and if you fail to find it exciting when giving it MAXIMUM ATTACK then youre probably dead However, I wouldnt buy one because I found the 97% of the time you arent giving it the max it didnt feel much more exciting than a mid size Audi. I concurred that as losing my license and probably getting banged up or cartwheeling into a field at 180mph werent the best of ideas I probably shouldnt buy one

I drive a lot on business in Europe and generally ask for a manual BMW 3 series or similar. The last 4 have been ........ Merc C180 auto - not too bad Vauxhall Insignia - mmmm, I can live with it Peugeot 307 Station Wagon - really? The winner was last time though, where I turned up on my own only to be told I had been given an upgrade. An upgrade from a 3 series is going to be pretty decent, maybe an E class or even something more interesting, right? No, its a 2.0 diesel, automatic Seat Alhambra. When I asked how exactly this was an upgrade from a 3 series I was told "Because it has 7 seats". I told him how pleased I was that my 6 invisible friends could travel in comfort.

Youd notice clutch slipping before you noticed the smell Id have thought, and that wouldnt really explain the stinking tyre either

If it was smoking that would suggest serious alignment issues, like the lower arm has detached completely or something. Id get it somewhere with a ramp ASAP and get them to have a look, Ive had buggered alignment but never as bad as smoking tyres before

Number rings for me, its not the first car Ive seen for under 4K either.

Id disagree TBH, as Ive said elsewhere the HSD's improved pretty much every aspect on my JDM - turn in was sharper, feedback better, body roll massively reduced but they are still as compliant as standard was. Even on bumpy roads theyve got that little bit more give than most coilies do, so rather than bouncing off into a field the car keeps its composure. IMO coilovers are much better value than ARB's, the adjustment alone speaks for itself .......... and Im also thinking it shouldnt take more than 2 hours to fit them, I certainly paid less than £100

Nope, and gutted as I know most of the other guys. Seen the RX7 one yet?? Its amayazin

Rota's entire range (last time I looked) are copies of other famous wheels, the brands you so lovely threw down have actually made their name with some of their own designs. Ahhh, right, so its OK to be original initially but then you can get lazy, fair enough then. Funnily enough Rota have actually started making their own designs now anyway, GTR-D, RM100, Mesh for instance, I dont think Varrstoen do. Dont forget the "brands" up there are all £3K+ a set rather than the grand that Rota charge ....... and they wont sell individual wheels in a lot of cases. Im the biggest wheel whore out there but I recognise Rota for what they are, cracking value, strong and light and good replacement service. When you offer this many styles http://www.rotawheels.com/wheels.php its difficult to make sure they are all unique anyway

Personally Ive never seen the point of doing ARB's and then coilovers, coilies stiffen the car up a lot and you may find you dont need ARB's afterwards (I certainly didnt) Im also a big fan of the HSD's I have fitted, with most other cars Ive owned Ive found that coilovers make the car less compliant over bumps but Ive really not suffered that with mine, I honestly think they are better than standard in every case. EDIT: And Kudos for keeping the traders off the thread as well, fair play they are here to sell their wares but you know the advice will always be biased

:yawn: BBS LM: Work VS-XX: Work CE28N: Varrstoen 3.3.2: Veilside Turbine: Mercedes SLR: Work Equip: Veilside Andrews: Which came first out of the Work Meister, SSR Professor and Gram Light 57F?

Ekona's right, I had loads more fun in the missus MR2 Roadster at Anglesey than I did in my Zed, Ive also just said to someone in my office that I wouldnt swap my GTI-6 for a 10K Golf GTI. Driving experience > everything else.

I dont. Ive got a few cars so none get driven much and it always pisses me off when stuff needs replacing, even more when it breaks. I didnt used to mind upgrades and stuff when I was still modifying (coilovers on the 200SX were good, the 400hp engine was better) as I knew it would come back better but like for like ......... An excellent example is my 350, funnily enough. Last year I had to get it MoT'd which meant banging out for a new headlight ballast, OE lower arm, new exhaust, new front tyres (due to lower arm) and fitting for all of it. I then drove to Spa, did a trackday, came home and did another trackday at Donington where I flatspotted the front tyres, killed the rears and cracked my bumper. You can work out the cost of all that (I cry when I think about it) but the point is the car isnt any better than when I still had all that money in my pocket ...........

Weds Kranze Bazreia, I came soooo close to buying a set last year: You might struggle finding a set for £1500 though However, these are for sale and I know he would take less than £1500 for them, Gram Light 57F Pros:

Apparently if you exceed 70mph while doing it there is ...........