Getting Up To Date

After the time and money spent on the wheel setup it is hard to believe that I kept them for as short of a time as I did. From the start I was honest that the wheels had been a choice out of availability not inspiration, and now I began to learn the drawbacks to the setup. The wheels in 18x8.5 looked large on the car, tires became dramatically more expensive in the size, and even with a conservative offset I was limited in overall tread width. Also, as much as I tried to let the RG-IIs grow on me they just didn't look as good as I felt a wheel could look on the car, nor did these issues really coincide with the push for effective and concise modification; they were a nod towards showmanship. Searching for wheels was an everyday event, finally finding a pristine set of not just four, but five Advan Racing RG models. Not only did I have the opportunity to pick up the set plus spare, the wheels were also the super desirable 17x8.5 +43, and they were silver, making them the only 5x100 fitment in this size that I have ever seen in the U.S. Ashley and I would be getting married soon, making these the last part purchased before our wedding. The benefits from the wheel swap far outweighed any argument to turn them down, I was now able to loose around 6 lbs a wheel [24 total plus rotational mass reduction ftw], enjoy cheaper tire cost, and run 255 section widths instead of 235s. Getting the car ready for the wedding and honeymoon trip this was incredibly useful, I don't know how I would have been able to afford the continuation of 18s at this point in our marriage, they would have at least mandated some much cheaper tires. Not only was I able to pick up my literal dream wheels, but they reinforced the sense of purpose and lack of "show" feel that I was after.




And finally here is a great shot prior to my bachelor party by Brent, the only guy I have seen take a good quality shot of a black car in overpowering light:

Immersed in the dull activities of being my daily, the STi rarely gets the cleaning she deserves. While at work one afternoon, I crossed paths with Raymond [optikal blitz] who was in the area and wished to take some pictures of the car. His work absolutely amazes me, he captures the messy reality of a daily driven car with incredible focus and clarity. These are his photos of the car just parked out front of the store, and hopefully a real shoot will commence when we are able to line up some time in our schedules.