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DIY Tyre Lettering


Strudul

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Been tempted to do the stencil and spray paint option but was concerned about the paint causing problems with the rubber. So enamel of primer should work?

 

Shouldn't be too hard to make your own stencil, especially if you want to just colour the existing lettering.

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  • 1 month later...

toyo-proxes-racing-billboard-tires-1.png

 

 

 

 

 

Aside: does anyone know what wheel this is? I'm in love. I know its CH-R style, like XXR 530s and similar, but this is different, it's more concave than CH-R and it doesn't have the strengthening webbing between the spokes that the cheap copies have.

 

Right! Sorry for the resurrection, but this is something that I've been trying to figure out on and off, since I made the above post.

 

I finally found out what these wheels exactly are!!

 

They are APEX EC-7!

 

At frickin' last!!

 

:D

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Hm, judging by the likes, I'm going to assume that more information would be welcome! So here's everything I know about this wheel...

 

It's cheap (relatively) and flow formed, like Enkei and BBS road wheels. They are relatively lightweight and have a good reputation in BMW circles (for non forged wheels), very similar in market position to VMR for example.

 

They are only available in BMW fitment (5x120), so when looking at offsets, figure an extra 20mm (15mm if you're prepared to do some searching) for PCD adapters, the adapters need to be 5x114.3 60.1mm hub bore, to 5x120 72mm hub bore.

 

Deep concave face is available in six 19" sizes and five 18" sizes:

 

18x9.5 et22 (+2 with PCD adapter)

18x10 et25 (+5 with PCD adapter)

18x10.5 et27 (+7 with PCD adapter)

18x11 et25 (+5 with PCD adapter)

18x11 et44 (+24 with PCD adapter, good rear for 350Z, but you'd have to go to a medium concave face for the front or add lots of camber to the 9.5 option in this list)

 

19x8.5 et20 (+0 with pcd adapter - good front for stock tyre sizes)

19x9 et22 (+2 with PCD adapter)

19x9.5 et22 (+2 with PCD adapter)

19x9.5 et33 (+13 with PCD adapter - good front for 350Z or a good square setup, or a good rear for stock tyre sizes)

19x10 et25 (+5 with PCD adapter - good rear for 350Z)

19x10.5 et22 (+2 with PCD adapter - too aggressive I think)

 

As you can tell by the amount of research, I'm seriously considering making these wheels work on my car, don't know how I'm going to get them over here though, will pay double the price again in customs and delivery. :(

Edited by Aashenfox
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Love those wheels :thumbs:

 

In other news, Pirelli Color [sic] Edition tyres are now available to pre-order. Only for certain cares, but go have a look at the site and check out the prices...!

 

Interestingly they were discussing tyres during the MotoGp at the weekend, effectively they could do tyres any colour, but apparently there is a stigma that anything coloured wont stick like black, as thats how we have always known tyres.

 

Hm, judging by the likes, I'm going to assume that more information would be welcome! So here's everything I know about this wheel...

 

It's cheap (relatively) and flow formed, like Enkei and BBS road wheels. They are relatively lightweight and have a good reputation in BMW circles (for non forged wheels), very similar in market position to VMR for example.

 

They are only available in BMW fitment (5x120), so when looking at offsets, figure an extra 20mm (15mm if you're prepared to do some searching) for PCD adapters, the adapters need to be 5x114.3 60.1mm hub bore, to 5x120 72mm hub bore.

 

Deep concave face is available in six 19" sizes and five 18" sizes:

 

18x9.5 et22 (+2 with PCD adapter)

18x10 et25 (+5 with PCD adapter)

18x10.5 et27 (+7 with PCD adapter)

18x11 et25 (+5 with PCD adapter)

18x11 et44 (+24 with PCD adapter, good rear for 350Z, but you'd have to go to a medium concave face for the front or add lots of camber to the 9.5 option in this list)

 

19x8.5 et20 (+0 with pcd adapter - good front for stock tyre sizes)

19x9 et22 (+2 with PCD adapter)

19x9.5 et22 (+2 with PCD adapter)

19x9.5 et33 (+13 with PCD adapter - good front for 350Z or a good square setup, or a good rear for stock tyre sizes)

19x10 et25 (+5 with PCD adapter - good rear for 350Z)

19x10.5 et22 (+2 with PCD adapter - too aggressive I think)

 

As you can tell by the amount of research, I'm seriously considering making these wheels work on my car, don't know how I'm going to get them over here though, will pay double the price again in customs and delivery. :(

 

Why not just have jr18's they are near enough identical, there are loads of wheels that style, if your worried about cost and fitment.

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Interestingly they were discussing tyres during the MotoGp at the weekend, effectively they could do tyres any colour, but apparently there is a stigma that anything coloured wont stick like black, as thats how we have always known tyres.

Always assumed it was because other colours would show dirt quicker / easier and look crap.

 

You get bicycle tyres in loads of colours though.

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I know the job in hand here was DIY but I think the tredwear are worth the money IMO. I have these on my B4 RSK:

 

L7Y0efZ.jpg

 

They need cleaning every now and again (toothpaste makes them look brand new again) but it's worth it. I think mine were like 85 bucks or something which I think like 20 quid a wheel to transform the look isn't so bad. They're raised too. Trying to do these DIY to look as good sounds like a lot of work.

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They do look good, but I can't help but think it should be easy to replicate for a fraction of the price.

 

- Buy a few sheets of white rubber

- Print off some stencils in the correct size (may take a few attempts)

- Trace around the letters and cut them out (should only take an hour or 2)

- Stick them on with some special tyre / rubber glue

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Love those wheels :thumbs:

 

In other news, Pirelli Color [sic] Edition tyres are now available to pre-order. Only for certain cares, but go have a look at the site and check out the prices...!

 

Interestingly they were discussing tyres during the MotoGp at the weekend, effectively they could do tyres any colour, but apparently there is a stigma that anything coloured wont stick like black, as thats how we have always known tyres.

 

Hm, judging by the likes, I'm going to assume that more information would be welcome! So here's everything I know about this wheel...

 

It's cheap (relatively) and flow formed, like Enkei and BBS road wheels. They are relatively lightweight and have a good reputation in BMW circles (for non forged wheels), very similar in market position to VMR for example.

 

They are only available in BMW fitment (5x120), so when looking at offsets, figure an extra 20mm (15mm if you're prepared to do some searching) for PCD adapters, the adapters need to be 5x114.3 60.1mm hub bore, to 5x120 72mm hub bore.

 

Deep concave face is available in six 19" sizes and five 18" sizes:

 

18x9.5 et22 (+2 with PCD adapter)

18x10 et25 (+5 with PCD adapter)

18x10.5 et27 (+7 with PCD adapter)

18x11 et25 (+5 with PCD adapter)

18x11 et44 (+24 with PCD adapter, good rear for 350Z, but you'd have to go to a medium concave face for the front or add lots of camber to the 9.5 option in this list)

 

19x8.5 et20 (+0 with pcd adapter - good front for stock tyre sizes)

19x9 et22 (+2 with PCD adapter)

19x9.5 et22 (+2 with PCD adapter)

19x9.5 et33 (+13 with PCD adapter - good front for 350Z or a good square setup, or a good rear for stock tyre sizes)

19x10 et25 (+5 with PCD adapter - good rear for 350Z)

19x10.5 et22 (+2 with PCD adapter - too aggressive I think)

 

As you can tell by the amount of research, I'm seriously considering making these wheels work on my car, don't know how I'm going to get them over here though, will pay double the price again in customs and delivery. :(

 

Why not just have jr18's they are near enough identical, there are loads of wheels that style, if your worried about cost and fitment.

 

I appreciate the thought, that would certainly be much easier, but among all the CH-R clones, JR18s are pretty far away. One of the many other clones of BBS CH-R that I mentioned myself at the top of the previous page are also viable fallback positions. But none of them are like these Apexes. Every single other design has tapered tines, either tapered in or out, or a different shape of concave (Enkei Raijin which are also very close and a nice wheel, for instance, is flat at the edge then suddenly gets concave, not the smooth concavity of these and the BBS). There is no other wheel with that amount of concavity, no lip on the design OR between the tines (webbing for strengthening cast wheels, ala XXR 530, another very nice clone), and parallel tines. These are even better than CH-Rs cos CH-Rs dont get that concave at any size.

 

Basically, I have and always have had an unreasonable love affair with BBS CH-R and would fit them to my Zed if they came in a concave that suited it AFTER PCD adapters (cos they only make one size in 19" 114.3, and it's a weeeeak offset and face). So I was stuck looking at clones which are just not close enough. Until I saw these, these basically ARE BBS CH-R but with more concave, fractionally thicker tines and no 'motorsport' lettering. Plus they come in sizes that could just about be made to fit a Zed with the most concave face AND the needed PCD adapters. I'm willing to go a long way to get the exact look I want, and those Apex wheels are it. I will be painting them satin black like CH-R and fitting a silver BBS protection ring (ala CH-R).

 

Here is my 335xi wearing 19" CH-Rs...

 

full-crop_zpsuos7w5ya.jpg

 

bimmer_zpsbwkxqado.jpg

 

Good eyes might spot the funny angle of the buildings in the background, the photo has been corrected horizontally, the car was facing uphill on a steep incline. :)

Edited by Aashenfox
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I'm imagining it should only require primary school level cutting and sticking :shrug:

 

Wonder if toothpaste works on dip too. My wheels are brown rather than black these days.

 

Quite possibly actually, I just think about stuff like that and my initial reaction is that it feels like a monumental task!!

 

TP worth a try on your wheels, just try a tiny spot first, amazing how it cleans up the letters.

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99% of toothpastes are slightly abrasive, so if you use it on plastidip, it will probably work, but you'll have to go over the whole piece evenly or the area you cleaned will look like it has been mildly sanded I would expect.

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