Manaray, are you out there.....What do you think?
-19" Racing Hart C5 , 8.5F, 9.5R($2800)
-19"Dronnell Type-1 , 8.5F, 10R ($3200)
-20"Work Equip, 8.5F, 9.5R ($3300)
Let me guess.....Work Equip?
Dave at GTAutosports has been very helpful and attentive....hes also the only contact I have for pricing the Equips. Do you think it is worth attempting to shop around on a special order wheel?
This choice should not be so hard.....If Dronnell would put the crack pipe down (They are charging more
$$$ for the Type-1 than it costs to buy the Hamman they are knocking off, and charging basically the same as the 20" Equip) and quit charging soo much I would have already ordered them. I really like that wheel.
The Work Equip really seems the best route for both my current taste and the following three reasons:
1-Knowing that there will never be a need(or want) for anything larger than 20" on a sport sedan.
2-Knowing that there are probably fewer than 30 sets of Equips in the states..and safe to say probably no 20's yet.(just released)
3-I really think that the rim is "timeless" and classy enough to hold onto and use on the next "JAPANESE" sports sedan I will get. Whatever Lexus it may be!!! heehee (even if it is 3-4 years)
Gimme some feed back please?.?.? Thanks, Tiny

 

Tiny,

i guess manaray could be taking he long nap , so if do not mind me sharing a few thoughts.

basically you have answered your own questions in your quest for the best wheels.

1.the prices that dave gave you are not bad. when you are ready, may be try a little harder for him to give you a bit more discount.

actually i checked the retail prices in japan, and $3300 for 20s equip is good. heck $3300 for any big name japanese wheels in 20s are decent.

2.being that they need to be special ordered, i recommend you have dave take care for you as members have bought wheels from him. he knows to steer the boat from japan in the right direction

3. as you said, by getting the 20s Equip you would never have that "what if ..../may be i should " bugging you. do not get the 19s if you know you want 20s.

4.though RH and Dronell are both good quality, when you spend that kind of $$$, do you want to see them every where? on civic, integras w/copies. sure the look of dronells appeals to you, but you are ONLY getting19s.

no offense, this is truly a NO-BRAINER. i am like to you too when it comes to shopping for wheels, especially wheels for lexus. i take time and do my research so that i can be happy and proud of my car after i spend several thousand $$$. with WORK EQUIPS, you cannot go wrong-they are 20s.

william

 

Sorry to the "long nap"...I took a mid-week Vacation to Palm Springs (115 Degrees...WTF?!) and there were like 10,000 new messages here...guess this one slipped by!

You know, I kinda like the old Club Lexus that would not expire a message until you read it or marked it as read...this "by date" expiration sucks! I don't always remember what the last day was that I read a message damn it!

ANYWAYS (as I popped a couple of Vicadens...)

As Will said, I think you answered your own question. Equips all the way! I say order them up, get them put on, and take some pictures and share with us!

You'll be the first and ONLY Club Lexus member with 20" Equips...probably the first Lexus owner too...

 

Just curious what does the Work Equip's look like??

Can someone post a pic for me please so I can see what all the fuss is about..

Thanks!

 

Tinygs,

I like the Dronnel Type 1 also. Am thinking about them also. I am going to start a small business here in Atlanta, GA for Lexus, BMW and Mercedes performance parts and wheels. There are not a lot of places here that specialize in anything worth a crap.

I can get Dronnel rims as soon as I get a name for my business. A lexus service adisor and I are going to try it out in ATL. Give me a PM if you are still interested in the Dronnel's. I am most likely going to go with that 19" Silver 19x8.5 FR and 19x10 Rear.

Manaray - what is the perfect offset? for FR and RR? Thanks you are the man..

I already have Bilstien and H&R.

Also in regards to body kits - what do you think of this combo -

JRD(OEM) rear skirt, side skirts and then a TTE front lip spoiler?

Khanh

 

2Savvy - Here's the link...scroll down to the second post...

https://www.clublexus.com/vb/showthr...threadid=15955

They're simple 5 spoke rims...they are OG (they have been around for a while and they have been knock-off and re-invented by others...)

Knguyen - For a 19" x 8.5", I think +37 would work perfectly (using a 245 size tire)...for a 19" x 10", I'd think a +38 to +40 will work with a 275...if you go 285, you might rub...I haven't seen any 285 applications except for Mike Kilty's setup...you might want to ask him what offset he used and if he had any rubbing issues)

As for the Dronell's (double "L", single "N"! Hehehe...I just checked the website...I couldn't get it straight either!), if you have a inside hookup, tell them to stop making knock-off rims! They have great build quality but making knock-off designs (like the Dronell I = Hamann, Dronell M-10 = BMW M5, Dronell Type R-S = Intensive Hunk/DazzMatiz)...and I don't think they make fake 1-piece with a 3-piece look...but if they do, tell them to stop. It's cheesy and really doesn't look good for them...

As for your body kit combo...hehehe, I actually entertained that idea too...

 

Manray - Don't correct me when I am wrong :eek:



The DRONELL's are three piece forged rims. Yes I know they are a Knockoff of the Hamann - but I really liked the Hamann until I found out they were only available for the BMW's only. I will tell them to stop making knockoffs. Have you seen some of their new stuff?

www.aktusa.com

There are so many rims and I have been looking for something that I really like. There are so many flavors. UGH. I wish I only liked Vanilla instead of an entire Baskin Robbins 31 flavors.

So when you say that you entertained the body kits combo... Do you think that it would look killer? or just so so?

BTW - where do you get all this info on Jap wheels and specs? Are you 1/3 Human, 1/3 RIM, 1/3 Japanese?

Thanks for the help.

Khanh

 

Manaray,

Thanks for the link but I have to say the Work Equip's don't do it for me (Not enough show for my taste).. Just my honest opinion but on that same thread you had the AutoCouture Indicator and that is a sweet wheel.. Do you have any idea who I can talk to about the AutoCouture skirt package for the SC430??

Just curious about pricing.. I figure I will just lower it to begin with (L-Sportline suspension unless I find something better) and I have the wheels to put on but to complete the look that body kit would fit the bill (Still looking for a better picture of that body kit too)..

Thanks for any input you can give me!

 

Knuguyen - Actually, it should be DRONËLL (with the accent mark over the "E")...but who's looking anyways?!

As for thier new stuff, the CA-05 looks cool (should have been a FORGED wheel though!). The MU and the M05 look EXACTLY like some rims by Mutec which is an offshoot of Hamann (from what I heard). I don't know if Dronell is manufacturing it for them but I doubt it...and finally, the BR looks exactly like the TM rim which in turn looks like the Brabus Monoblock III (very close, but not exact)...

Hmmm, I dunno, their build is impressive (mostly Forged), but they need to hire a new designer! Hey, I'm unemployed right now...I can work from home or I can commute to Japan if they're going to foot the bill...

As for the JDM/TTE body kit, I think it looks good! I wouldn't have considered it otherwise...the only reason why I didnt do it is because I still haven't figured out exactly which body kit I want...so many to choose from!

Anyways, if anyone is interested in the JDM kit (which is cool because it comes pre-painted and it's polyurathane), I think Steve over at Carson Toyota is selling them for only $1729! It comes in white, silver or black....I think he's got all three in stock...I'm still considering doing this kit...decisions, decisions! Every time I look at Hiro's car (that I modified with my rims and a lower lowering job), it makes me want to just get the kit!

As for wheel info...hehehe, I just "read" (ie: look at the pretty pictures) a lot of Japanese car magazines and check out a lot of Japanese websites....plus, I talk to people at various wheel manufactures and I know people in the "import" industry (like my homie that works for APEXi) so I get info that way too...just keep my ear to the pavement so to speak...

2Savvy - Yeah, like I said, it's a simple rim. I like it cause is such a clean design...but then again, I also like the Indicator...

As for the body kit, it's not on AutoCouture's website yet so it's probably just a prototype...you might want to email Dave over at GT Autosports to see if they are shipping them yet...

As for lowering, L-Sporlines kit is cool cuz it's adjustable (to a certain degree)...I would then do rims and then the body kit.

I have been serious considering getting STB's manufactures for cars that have a hard time finding one (like the GS300, SC300/SC400, SC430, LS400, LS430, etc.)...would anyone out there actually buy a STB made by me here in the good ol' USA? Of course, they would be of top notch quality (either like the TRD style rigid tube type, UGO carbon fiber like, OR some sort of solid bar type like RMM)

I have a few machine shops that I could work with but I'd have to get at least a minimum of 10 people per style....hmmm, maybe I should post this in each forum section to gauge response...

 

Manaray...I was also considering the JDM parts, but wasn't sure how well the parts will lie on the car....I mean gaps n such...I have a silver car so if there is any, it will be noticeable...

Do any of you know???

Mike

 

Manaray...the STB sound interest, but I work in the industry so the lower the volume, the higher the costs....if prices are competitively set, then I would definitely consider it....and if they were on your car...

 

Mike - Well I've only seen, in person, the JDM kit on a Black car (Hiros)...it looks good. I didn't notice any ugly gaps or weird body lines (trust me, I look for this kinda stuff! )

If you take a look at all of Brabus's stuff, it's ALL add-on. They parts just screw into the stock bumpers and I've seen a TON of Silver Benzes and the add-on kits look like they belong...seeing how this kit is a factory Toyota kit, I can not image that it won't be AT LEAST as good as a Brabus kit.

As for the STB's, well I would be making them for cars that don't have STB's readily available...I have a GS430 so I already have STB's...so I wouldn't make a version that fits the GS400/430 (which would sit lower)...but if the business takes off and there is a demand for the part, I would develop a GS400/430 part for sure.

Right now, I'm thinking about the following models:

GS300 (98+), LS400 (90-2001), LS430, SC300, SC400, SC430.

I'll put up a poll in each forum to gauge the response...

 

Manaray, whats up, how are you? This no job thing is a downward spiral for my sleeping habits...heehee Oh well...
About the Equip: Dave sent me photos from the Work web-sit, and some older pics as well to illustrate the difference between the "old" style equip and what he called the "new" equip. Am I seeing correctly or does the "old" style LIP have a more pronounced look? The way that the rivets are on the new one gives a much smoother transition from the lip to the spokes.(not an abrupt 90 degree change, which IMO accentuates the lip better) Just in case you dont know what Im talking about, look at the illustration on their site of the 17,18,19,20 line up. The 18" is the old style and you will notice a difference between it and the other three. The pic of the LS430 looks like the lip is TINY. Dave said no need for 10" rear because the lip on the 9.5" is 68mm and it is the exact same on the 10". The front 8.5" is supposed to have a 38mm lip. Where is the measurement taken from, where the spoke meets the lip, or from the edge of the rivets???? The 10" rear is $15 more per wheel, maybe a tad heavier, so I dont see a reason to get it....Also, my BIGGEST concern is avoiding the Bling-Bling. Im getting silver but is it still going to be TOO bling with the polished lip?
Again, thank you and GS4Will as well for ALL the info...This HAS to be done right the first(really the second counting my SSR's) time. I just know the look Im after and it includes a BIG nasty lip! Just want to make sure before I drop 4K+. Thanks again, Tiny

 

Tiny,

what you are seeing on 17", 19, and 20s are called Dynamic Dimple Composite-DDC. what it is compare to the 18s is that the new style dimples are even more lighter and stronger. i already liked the 18s, now i love the 19s and 20s. did dave quoted you price for 19s?

my knowledge on the lip depth is measured from the end of the spoke where it meets the lip. the 68mm lip will be NASTY. i know because i have a set of rims w/70mm lip in the rear(18x10s). so for 9.5 to get 68 mm is GOOD.

imo, in no way are these Bling, or too Bling. a classy 5-spoke silver fifnsh w/polish lip are just right for the GS. the 19s and 20s shown are in "super chrome" finish. the 17s on the site is called "Lightening Silver"-japanese have ways w/names on wheel finish. just look at the 17s, (this is the finish that you will be getting) it has that matt/polish look, how can they be Bling at all?

you already picked the right 1st set-the SSRs. w/the Equips in 20s, you would be king of the road.

look forward to see them on some pics.

william

 

Tiny - There is NO REASON to go with a 10" wide rim in the rear. 9.5" is the perfect width for a 275 tire anyways. Your tire won't look stretched...

Will covered the other points...as for "bling-bling", a silver rim with a high polished/chrome lip looks classy. That's one of my favorite combos...and as will said, the SSR's were a great first pick, the Equips in 20 will look simply awesome!

Hopefully, your spring/shock setup is low enough...with 20's, you're car will be raised up a little more...you might need to go coilovers

Definitely hook up the pictures when you get them...

Oh yeah, hey, if you're not in a huge hurry to get them, let me see if I can get you a better price on them...PM with the price (and size and finish and offset) that you got and I'll see if I can beat it...