new wheels, tires, and springs on the way!!!

[kicker22705]

well i had one of those impulse buys, and if anyone understands... i thought it would be the members of this forum :)

first the wheels...
... Gram Lights 57 Maximum (color - gunblue)...17x7 offset 50... 17lbs

http://www.msprotege.com/members/kicker22705/gl57_maximum_ltgrey_ci3_l.jpg

... Rays wheel caps

http://www.msprotege.com/members/kicker22705/gramlights_cap.jpg

... Tires... General Exclaim UHP 215/40/17

http://www.msprotege.com/members/kicker22705/ge_exclaim_uhp_ci1_l.jpg

... can't rock the new wheels w/o ridding myself of the wheel gap...

http://www.msprotege.com/members/kicker22705/Eibach_Sportline.jpg


and finally to finish it off, i'm debating on these...

http://www.msprotege.com/members/kicker22705/R40_Lug.jpg
kics project R40

or

http://www.msprotege.com/members/kicker22705/rayslugs.jpg

Rays Engineering Racing Lugs

thoughts and comments are encouraged.

[mhrebin]

are the lugs in the first pics ones that turn but the base at the bottom stays put so it wont damage the rim? id get them to protect the rims.

gram lights are pure sex.good choice. and your right, gotta get the springs with the wheels.ha havent seen too many people run the sportline springs, always the pro kit. but im sure the sportline will give a bit more drop.

[kicker22705]

yes sir you are correct! im leaning towards them too.

i chose the sportlines over the prokit b/c i decided to get shorter sidewalls tires... 40 vs 45... so i thought i'd need the bigger drop to fill the bigger wheel gap.

[shane02pro5]

Very nice! I have been running those tires and so far the best with such good wear. I've been on my second set up front for that last 6 months. 215/35/18's

[crashkelly]

yes sir you are correct! im leaning towards them too.

i chose the sportlines over the prokit b/c i decided to get shorter sidewalls tires... 40 vs 45... so i thought i'd need the bigger drop to fill the bigger wheel gap.

I hope you chose to pick up the optional camber kit with those sportlines...when they start to sag your tires will end up completely bald on one side and full of tread on the other!

[We Are Ninja]

Gram Lights FTW. 17lbs FTMFW. If you don't mind, how much did they run you?

[kicker22705]

Very nice! I have been running those tires and so far the best with such good wear. I've been on my second set up front for that last 6 months. 215/35/18's

i'm pretty happy with the wear myself. i'm running those tires 215/45/17 on my stock rh right now.

lemme ask you a question, did you notice the handling to improve as the tires wore off? i noticed the tread is a lot deeper w/ this brand than others such as the KDW i owned before. these tires seem to roll and slip a lot sooner at the limits than my old KDWs. i wasnt sure if it was from the soft sidewalls or the deep treads... that why i opted for the 40's this time instead of the 45. thanks.

[kicker22705]

I hope you chose to pick up the optional camber kit with those sportlines...when they start to sag your tires will end up completely bald on one side and full of tread on the other!

thats what cheap tires are for :P

haha seriously tho, these springs are jus temporary. i just needed something so my car wouldn't look funny w/ a now even bigger wheel gap w/ the 215/40/17.

thanks for the heads up tho, i wasn't aware it would camber in that much.


Gram Lights FTW. 17lbs FTMFW. If you don't mind, how much did they run you?

the rims w/ center caps before shipping was just shy of 1400.

[shane02pro5]

I don't AutoX but I have to say I have a very winding road into my neighborhood and these don't make a peep in the tight turns. They do feel more planted with a few miles on them. I have heard people complaining of the weak sidewalls but my 215/35's feel perfect. Before my clutch started slipping these were the only tires I couldn't get a 4th gear chirp out of!

[kicker22705]

I don't AutoX but I have to say I have a very winding road into my neighborhood and these don't make a peep in the tight turns. They do feel more planted with a few miles on them. I have heard people complaining of the weak sidewalls but my 215/35's feel perfect. Before my clutch started slipping these were the only tires I couldn't get a 4th gear chirp out of!

thats exactly what i wanted to hear. it appears you aren't noticing any rolling w/ the 35s, i'm hoping i'll get the similar results switching to 40s from 45s.

[crashkelly]

thats what cheap tires are for :P

haha seriously tho, these springs are jus temporary. i just needed something so my car wouldn't look funny w/ a now even bigger wheel gap w/ the 215/40/17.

thanks for the heads up tho, i wasn't aware it would camber in that much.



the rims w/ center caps before shipping was just shy of 1400.

if you do go long term with them definately get the camber set...its only like 60 bucks i think, but it will make a huge differece...I was detroying tires and wheel bearings like it was nothing with those sportlines...They do look killer though when they tuck those tires up in the fenders!

[kicker22705]

if you do go long term with them definately get the camber set...its only like 60 bucks i think, but it will make a huge differece...I was detroying tires and wheel bearings like it was nothing with those sportlines...They do look killer though when they tuck those tires up in the fenders!

damn i never heard of any of these issues w/ the sportlines. my friend marco has a set on his speed and he never complained of any problems.

[mazdaspeed777]

Nice, subbin for install pics. When are you supposed to get them in??

[kicker22705]

Nice, subbin for install pics. When are you supposed to get them in??

they shipped out thursday, and were sent 2 day FedEx. The wheels won't go on until the springs go on, b/c its gonna look pretty goofy w/o the car dropped. hopefully everything will be installed come middle of next week.

more things to come... thanks to HiPrsur

Tial 38mm EWG

http://www.msprotege.com/members/kicker22705/TIAL38-225225.jpg

[GhostMercury]

sweet shit cant wait to see the finished product

[Rally Ninja]

Those rims look so similar to the 5Zigens, very nice though. Those exclaims are very nice tires. was suprised how nice they were in light snow.

How much are those project kics lugs?

[kicker22705]

Those rims look so similar to the 5Zigens, very nice though. Those exclaims are very nice tires. was suprised how nice they were in light snow.

How much are those project kics lugs?

i can see the resemblance. 5Zigens spokes are very flat however, i'm hoping mine will appear more concaved but it'll probably be very minimal being only 17 inches.

i didn't get those lugs yet. i bought a wastegate instead haha. lugs are gonna have to wait a little.

[mazdaspeed777]

i can see the resemblance. 5Zigens spokes are very flat however, i'm hoping mine will appear more concaved but it'll probably be very minimal being only 17 inches.

i didn't get those lugs yet. i bought a wastegate instead haha. lugs are gonna have to wait a little.

Yah I bet after spending probably over 2grand in one week! LUCKY!(moon)

[kicker22705]

look what came in today...

~ 56k warning

[mhrebin]

damn. so jealous.lol

what do these weigh in at?
cant wait to see installed pics. gonna be hot fire.

[kicker22705]

don't buy springs from raceoptions on ebay... they are so incredibly slow. i paid over a week ago and they haven't even shipped them out yet.

once i get the springs and the black muteki lugs i order, i'll post pics of them on the car :)

[kicker22705]

eibach sportlines finally arrived. no more wheel gap as of tonight :P

[mr2 II]

them general tires got a lot of road noises

[Rush]

Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiics!!!

[shane02pro5]

They are the best tires I've had. I can't hear the road noise over the spooling turbo, loud exhaust and stereo jamming anyway. By far the best wet/dry traction I've had on this car!!!



them general tires got a lot of road noises

[thaikim]

Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiics!!!

yeah, what she said...

[kicker22705]

here they are... the gram lights 57maximum wrapped in general exclaim uhp, lowered on eibach sportlines, w/ black muteki lugs.

sorry bout the dirty car, it rained ALOT yesterday.

http://www.msprotege.com/members/kicker22705/loweredmsp.JPG

http://www.msprotege.com/members/kicker22705/lowerdmsp3.JPG

http://www.msprotege.com/members/kicker22705/loweredmsp2.JPG

little less than a 2 finger gap all around and still needs time to settle. hopefully it'll be jus one. btw i used to have 4 in the front, 3 in the rear.

[kicker22705]

them general tires got a lot of road noises

i think they're much quieter than my previous kdw's and potenz's. they jus don't corner nearly as good as they do.

[mhrebin]

i need to change my short after seeing those pics.lol

looking damn good. i think those are the color wheels i wanna go with my silver pro. looks damn good.

[shane02pro5]

Looks real good! Those wheels were meant to be on a Ti for sure!!

Rain sucks!! I have washed my car pretty much once a week for the past 4-1/2 years. But it has been about 5 weeks now and she is feeling very neglected especially after putting in a new clutch and welded LSD. Re-charged the a/c but dirty as can be!!

[kicker22705]

thanks for the compliments. i'm really happy w/ the wayeverything fell together.

couple of my friends think i should rock a "rays" sticker on the front fender or bumper but i think i like it how is it.

thoughts and comments are welcome :)

[sandspeed]

rims look real nice!

The car still sits high up but looks good (alot better than stock ride height).

[kicker22705]

thanks.

those pics were before the springs settled. it droped another finger width since, making it 1 finger gap all around :)

[M.S.C - M.S.P]

so pretty, now i know what springs ima get =P

[kicker22705]

so pretty, now i know what springs ima get =P

thanks... after couple months of having the springs settle in, this is what i think of them.

the drop is great, bout 1 finger gap maybe less at all 4. car stays planted thru turns and reacts fairly similar as stock. the ride is nice on smooth surfaces, not bouncy at or harsh. only thing you gotta avoid is potholes, manholes, railroad tracks, etc b/c it can be extremely jarring if you hit any at any speed. It wasn't like that when i first got them, they absorbed rough surfaces much better than stock but the ride got harsher as time passed.

i rate them 8/10 :)
if it ride comfort remained the same as the first couple weeks, i would easily give it 10/10.

[ND4MSP]

I was interested in the general tires your running. I am out of tread on my kdw's so its time for new tires. Was it a major letdown grip wise with the newer tires? Sadly this is about the only summer tire I can afford at the moment. Wheels look good btw.

[kicker22705]

its actually the tire roll that i noticed most. the exclaims 215/45/17 roll a lot more thru turns and feel less predictable than the kdw or stock potenza. i'm assuming this is from the softer tire walls and longer treads.

i switched to 215/40/17 when i got these rims and now that roll i was experiencing is gone and the feed back is much better.

the tires do lose grip thru turns earlier than the KDW but it feels very predictable and controlled when it begins to slide. straight line grip is very good, on par w/ kdw. Wet weather is also good. no issues w/ hydroplaning and such.

the ride comfort/noise is 10x better than anything i had on my car before and tread wear seems non existent.

i think they are good performance tires, great for the price. KDW perform better but they wear too fast and cost to much imo.

if performance is a major factor, espeically turning, i would suggest getting the 40 instead of 45 or sticking w/ the kdw's.

hope that helped. good luck.


I was interested in the general tires your running. I am out of tread on my kdw's so its time for new tires. Was it a major letdown grip wise with the newer tires? Sadly this is about the only summer tire I can afford at the moment. Wheels look good btw.

[M.S.C - M.S.P]

just got my sportlines installed, i'll have pics up soon. only thing thats killing me now is that i bent one of my RHs the day before and now the steering wheel shakes along with the car. gotta go to the rims shop today and ride with my donut for two days