Lexis11

Ijust can't believe we jacked this thread into a discussion about Manaray, he defenitley doesn't deserve that.

SandRock

He will not steer you wrong. He has been thought the trial and error MANY times with all types of car products. I even had it out with him a long time ago. I know for a fact when it comes to wheels there are only 2 people I will talk to about wheels Manaray and GS4Will and that’s it. Whenever Manaray tries to steer people in the right direction and they take it the wrong way, I just laugh. I felt the same way about him...but you know what, I wouldn’t change a thing about him. He is the only person I know that actually gets mad at the thought of people buying inferior products. I’m sure if you PM him he will be a lot nicer in helping you. You gotta like a guy that won't change. Manaray is straight up no chaser. That’s exactly what you need if you want to be informed when you are spending your hard earned cash. He actually saved me money...and no I am not crazy...lol

gsnav

You know you can say many things here...Manaray might say things that seem harsh and they probably are harsh. Some people just have a really hard time changing their ways. Honestly...being sponsored probably sucks more than having to buy the stuff yourself, what does it do...only feed your pride and ego and what does that do, that just separates yourself from others, how is that good? Honestly...IF you got the money, is there a point in getting sponsored unless it's a hobby. Just my 2 Cents...

chicagoblknazn

I agree with this one here. I make a pretty penny, but I am no way a silver spooned grown up. I love my car passionately, but I have to be practical on how I spend my money and where it goes. Some of the rims I am in love with cost as upwards of $1000 each. Of course they are said to be the best in quality and look really great, but I can't comfortably afford that and still keep my current standard of living. That is over 8 of my car payements, and trust me, there are more better things that I can spend my money on then a few shiny trinkets that just might get cracked, bent, chipped or scratched.

I don't have anyone sponsering me, donating parts to me or helping me out with any of my material items or financially, so If I like something and it's working for me, then I will get it. Now, I can appreciate Manaray's wealth of knowledge, and he has tons of it to share, but I do have to agree that some of the things he says can be a little offensive and a bit rude. Does his vast knowledge make the offensive and rude comments and tons acceptable? Surely not...not to me anyways, but that's how he is and I've recognized, it and I have no choice but to accept it. I'm not trying to change anyone on this board...all I can do is post and hopefully someone will find my postings tobe useful or at the least entertaining. This is a board of people who have a passion for our vehicles and as in any arena there are tons of personalities and characteristics that are great and not so great...to us personally.

When I first joined this club, I had no idea about the differences between HRE, Hartage or ADR. To me they were just rims. I know getting more expensive and more reputable ones are best, but they are just wheels....they are going to be spinning around on the dirt and splashing through the puddles. If I had the funds or if someone was paying for them or donating them to me, I'd gladly throw them on my car, but that is not the case and I think we all should recognize and respect that. Not everyone has $20K worth of disposable income or West Coast Wheels companies begging them to sport their wheels on their ride.

Now, if someone would like to donate a set to me, I'll be happy to throw them on...and I'll even post thier names all over the boards and tell everyone that the wheels are the greatest from the greatest company as well. I'd swear they are God's gift to the aftermarket wheel industry and try to convince everyone to buy them.......

but until then, I'll respect everyone's choice to buy whatever they want and only offer constructive critiscm in a nonconfrontational and respectful manner.....even if it's ADR or Giovannis

chicagoblknazn

Also...regarding the comments "Well you drive a Lexus, so you should....."..........

I am soooo SICK of hearing that. I abosultely love the Lexus brand but just because I OWN a lexus, should I go to the dealership and get a new $30 windshield wiper when I could have just gone to an autozone and bought one for $5. HELLZ NO!!

Buy whatever you want, and just cuz you own a premium brand vehicle, that does not mean you need to or have to waste money and spend like you're Donald Trump.

Stop already with the "You got a Lexus, so you should spend $50K on a new house..BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!"

Sleepyboi

iTrader: (4)

I do agree with manaray tho...the whole argument about any rims being bent is true, but the better rims like volks and what not which are forged do get bent a hell of a lot less. I have gone through a lot of different rims already and the volks are the only ones that have stayed straight....but if you really dont have the money for better rims, i guess you do have to settle for what you can get...

i know that manaray does come off harsh but he really does have a good point...i dont think its always about "u drive a lexus u shouldnt put such crap on ur car" but for me i would recommend better wheels to CL members because in the end it will probably save them some headaches. Thats just my .02 cents

GS wanted

iTrader: (9)

Whoa...talk about a thread going in a new direction. (ha ha)
Manaray reminds me a little of my pops. If you want his opinion, just ask. If you don't want his opinion, too bad because he's going to give it anyway. =) Actually, I've used some of his posts for advice.
The Z5 were my 3rd choice wheel and I waivered back and forth before actually getting them. They weren't the Dronells, Lowenharts, or L Sportlines that I wanted more but after researching them a little more and finding a couple people who own them my decision became a little more informed. Plus, after spending good money on the other mods my wallet quickly became the decision maker. We all have to do what makes the best sense (or cent$) for our situations. I got what I thought was a pretty good deal and jumped on them...w/ no complaints so far. And for what it's worth, the compliments keep coming daily...
But really, who mods their car for what other people think? (HA HA HA)
jd

chicagoblknazn

Well, usually I also agree with Manaray as well. I'm not arguing that he doesn't know his stuff, but these newbies usually don't know what is up or down. And we don't want to beat them up for just asking a question or having a few bad ideas. There's a way of saying something, including your opinoins, that isn't offensive or a bit on teh rude side.

I love Manaray and I have nothing but respect for his plethora of knowledge, but not everyone can spend spend spend....

Just because we own a Lexus, that doesn;t mean our pockets have no bottoms. Eventually, I probably will get better rims and in the meantime, I'll have to deal with the possibility of bending a less expensive rim, but i'm sure I'll sure feel better knowing I bent a $400 rim rather then a Lowenhart or HRE rim.

People...get what you like and what you can comfortable afford. Don't let the Big Scary Skull scare you...he means well.

2SAVVY

Wow just came across this thread and expected to read about a body kit being installed but its all about Manaray.. Now I disagree sometimes on how Manaray bring his points across but he does know what he speaks about.. As for spending $1,000 or more per wheel is way out of my league even if I have the money to spend but Manaray brings up a great point that you should just wait and put better quality components like wheels on your Lexus.. Many of the Japanese wheel manufactures (ie. Work) have great looking/quality wheels that won't break your budget and you won't have issues like wheel balancing problems or major unsprung weight to deal with..

Do a search on Manaray's posts he really is a good member of CL.. He's helped out alot of us make better decisions on how to mod our vehicles the right way.. You bought a quality car like a Lexus you REALLY should put good products on it when the mod bug hits.. Just my 2 cents from an old CL'er who doesn't post as much as he used to but knows who helped him out when he first started to mod his cars.. BTW I still love Chrome.. (just in case you see this Mike )

Ken

CamRen

Ha, almost 3 years on this Board .... and not a Dam thing has changed...



Manaray and I had many arguments/wars.... haha .... All of them pointless...


He knows alot about wheels... and it is true... more $$ you spend... better their R&D..
better over-all balanced/better quality/Alot stonger wheel you get... i dont know... thats just what ive learned from the years of owning this car... nowin the case where im Short on cash.... i would have no other choice but to go with the cheaper wheels... cause some people do have a budget to keep...

AlphaJZS

iTrader: (2)

chicagoblknazn

lol

LS400

Manaray may be the type of guy who "speaks his mind" and straight-to-the-point (refer to the second quote in his signature, hehehe). You can either love-or-hate him for his "methods of communication", but past that, he's a guy who takes the time to steers members towards better decisions on their Lexus' (and he really knows his stuff).

pvmike1

Word. I just let people buy crappy stuff if they want to.

Manaray

WOW...WTF happen to this thread?! I didn't expect the thread to get completely hijacked...oh well...

Well, it seems like I'll be needing to clear up some things (again)...grab a drink and sit down...I typed all this because I want to instill some PASSION into these noobs...if you're not really into a hobby, why bother even doing it...find something you can put some PASSION into.

First off, I'd like to thank all the folks that know me well enough to post the comments that they have. Thanks for the full and even partial support guys... Contrary to many noob's beliefs, I don't give out my opinion because I make money on it or because my sponsors make me do anything...I do it because I want don't want to see the Lexus aftermarket turn into the Honda aftermarket. Chock full of pure low quality, bull***** product with plenty of clueless suckers. The only way to stop these "bottom feeder" vendors from coming about is to NOT buy their products. VIS, Kaotic, Katana, etc., etc... are all bottom feeders....if you like to make your Lexus a bottom feeder, why not just sell it and buy a Saturn and fock that up instead?

As for sponsors, if anyone here thinks I received anything for FREE on my car, they are QUITE mistaken (RU-INAW) For example, I paid **more** for my AP's then everyone who was part of that AP group buy because I bought them 2 or 3 years before anyone else. My body kit? I paid a pretty penny to have the first (and still only as far as I know) Classy kit in the USA. It was CONSIDERABLY MORE than what the Wald group buy price is for a kit...again, I've had this kit for 2 or 3 years now. My coilovers? Yeah, I got them for less...you think half price....I think not....I paid a little less than what a group buy on them would cost. For a lot of my suspension parts, I paid MORE than most of you because I had them long before they were known or popular so please don't talk about how I get ***** for free or how I talk about paying good money for items that I don't pay a lot for.... I also bought my 2001 GS430 NEW in late 2000. How many of who think I get ***** for free bought your car new? I put my money where my mouth is.

I'm not about buying the most expensive thing. One thing I will NOT do is pay a lot of money for "name brand" when it's underserving. I'm all about getting your money's worth with quality products.

Getting back to sponsors, there are other perks to working closely with manufacturers and vendors but on the same token, I help them out. With iForged for example, I've help them work out good offsets for various Lexus setups. I'm still working with them to improve various aspects of their business but I can only do so much as it's up to them (like you) to listen to my advice. With HRE, it was >my< wheels that help them discover a flaw in their finishing prep work. I've helped Daizen out with their SC sway bars which I did get for free but the ones I had were beta products and wasn't the same as the final product (which I never got from Todd even though the deal was that I was to get a set of final versions)...I have spent more money on wheels then I think anyone here because I have had so many different sets (not just on my GS). I've never made money on selling any of my old wheels...in every case, I lost money (sometimes a lot, sometimes a little) but that's just part of the deal...

Let me just say this, all my advice comes from years of experience fixing up cars. I remember when 16's/17's were the shiznit...how many of you noobs remember a time before 18's?? Much less 19's and 20's...

Also, I'm not made of money nor was I born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I can assure you that NOTHING was handed to me. I know there are those of you who think I'm some elitist Pacific Palisades rich kid....hahahaha...I wish. I used to eat Gov't cheese and butter and that was NOT because we were scamming the system and thought it was "cool" to live ghetto....it was because that was our income bracket. I know what it's like to not be able to have things. I didn't get Air Jordans. I had whatever was on sale. I didn't get a Member's Only jacket. I got whatever was on sale. I didn't get a Rolex or a car at graduation. I got a pat on the back and a "expensive" dinner at $15/person.

I also don't mince words...why? Because like others have said, I don't give a flying fock what anyone thinks. For what I have gone through so far in my life, to say that I'm rather "jaded" would be an understatment. I give my advice/opinion because I want to see every Lexus hooked up the right way. I don't want to see the Lexus aftermarket turn into the Honda aftermarket and as a Lexus owner, you shouldn't either. There are many "right" ways but there are also many (and definite) wrong ways. You can take my advice/opinion or not. I'm not here to steer anyone in the wrong direction....people seem to do that well enough on their own....

I don't understand how people can pursue a hobby without passion. These people are not true hobbiest. They're just poseurs as far as I'm concern. Someone who is it just to be "cool" for now or because everyone else is doing it.

As for chrome, even though I don't like chrome, I think BlueLex's GS, Kirby's GS, and a few select others who have chrome wheel, look very nice and they are done up "right". They don't have the kind of chrome wheels that hurt my eyes.

THE PROBLEM is that there are too many "wannabe pimps" (and I really do blame Rap for pushing this pseudo-rich life style on kids that can't afford to live it)...too many kids that want to have "dubz" and "chrizome" and all that other bull***** that a lot of rappers push it as being the "shiznit". 99% of these rappers have no taste but because they have media exposure (MTV) with rich producers that just go with whatever that will make them a buck, they've pushed bad taste to new limits of acceptance and it's quite sad. Talk about the blind leading the blind. As someone who is formally educated and trained in various aspects of design/art/graphics, it really makes me cringe when I see such blatantly bad designs that people think is "good"....know something about design and aesthetics before claiming that you know what looks good and what doesn't. There's much more to it than just "preference".

When it comes to spending money, there is NOTHING that says you HAVE to buy a crappy product. Anyone that knows me knows that I'm all about getting a good deal on a good product. I have helped bring group buys and I've help get vendors to work with us so please don't try to insinuate that I'm all about just blowing cash unresponsibly. I too have a mortgage payment, insurance payment, bills and worst of all, a few other money draining hobbies so SAVE IT. I'm not Donald Trump nor do I pretend to be. If you don't have a bank account that can support proper mods, just don't mod. Worry about keeping the car in good mechanical shape instead. If I didn't have money to mod my car right, I would just drive it stock. There's nothing wrong with that.

In regards to "showing off", I don't think Lexus cars are just for "showing off". They're solid, well built and reliable cars. It's where you put the "smart money" for a luxury car. I think this type of thinking is what separates MOST Lexus owners from other luxury car owners. I mod cars with the same methodology. Do GOOD mods, not half *** bull***** mods. It's better to see a bone stock Lexus then a ****-poor modded Lexus. So you don't have $4K to drop on wheels and tires? That's fine, but don't put some bull***** $1299 "special deal, one at this price, love you long time" type crap on your car just because you're so DESPERATE to have wheels. Poorly modded cars say one of three things...1) They just don't know, 2) They're an idiot, or 3) They're desperate.

The bottom line is you can fock up your car all you want. It's your car and it's your money....no one has to take my advice and if you think I'm rude, don't read my post. Now go and have yourself a fockin' nice day.