Here are my first photos:

A stack of Toyo race rubber (235/45ZR17 front / 255/40ZR17 rear):



I'm going to try to make these last for a summer as my everday and track tires. I'll switch to SO-3s when the long rainy season starts (or the tires are gone).


Fresh out of the box:




Fronts old & new:




Rears old & new:




Finished result front (center caps are on the way):




Finished result rear (center caps are on the way):




Rear fits flush:




Front is a little tight with 235s; might rub on full suspension travel:






Here are the specs I have:

Volk Racing CE28N
front 17x7.5 114.3 50mm offset 13.8lbs (stock 17.5)
rear 17x9.0 114.3 63mm offset 14.8lbs (stock 18.6)

Toyo RA-1
front 235/45ZR17 25lbs (stock SO-2 22.5)
rear 255/40ZR17 26lbs (stock SO-2 24.0)

Total weight front: 38.8 lbs (stock 40.0 lbs)
Total weight rear: 40.8 lbs (stock 42.6 lbs)

So if those numbers are correct, I've saved 1.2 lbs x2 in the front and 1.8 lbs x2 in the rear. Of course the moment of inertia may actually be worse than stock with my new setup, as more of the weight is near the outside of the wheel/tire combo. But I have lots more grip, and it looks cooler!


Here's the much-requested full side shot; not too much gap (remember, no driver or passenger weight) :

 

Nice wheels Ted!!! Where are you getting the RA-1s? I'm looking to try a new R compound, but Les Schwab has the grip on Toyo distribution in the Norwest, and their prices are ridiculous.

-- Chris

 

Chris,

Les Schwab.

They not only have the northwest market cornered, I couldn't find another tire retailer in the country that had the sizes I needed. If you think Les Schwab's prices are bad, try the Canadian stores!

Ted

 

nice wheels! How much were they???

 

I believe that many people order RA-1s from www.tradepot.com

Any pics of the car from the side with the wheels?

 

Ted!!

Your car looks excellent!! Love the new rims!!!! Sorry I stuck my thumb in your tire, but with an DOT 80 treadwear rating, I'm surprised you're not pulling up pavement!!!!

Way to go

 

You could contact R&DMotorsports for the latest pricing.

 

ferrariman,

like Prolene said, I got them in a group buy from David at R&D Motorsports; I believe he may still have a couple of sets available, otherwise it's a several month wait. They were in the $1800 range.


pellisS2k,

treaddepot.com lists RA-1s for $199 a piece, but they didn't have the sizes I wanted in stock. I'm not sure how much shipping would have been, but I didn't actually pay too much more locally.

I've only had 'em on the car for 48 hours, and it's been raining the whole time, so no other pictures yet. I'll try to get some of the whole effect later, once I've got the center caps and some sunshine.


bruce,

no problem, LOL! Your car's got more bling bling than mine! Good to see you again.

Ted

 

Tedster y put up a photo of your car from side view so we can see how it looks...

 

those are slick wheels and tires. congrats.