Sorry for the dirty car, but it's rained here for like the last nine days straight or something like that. Anyway, the wheels are Volk Racing LE28N (aka CE28N-L) 17x8, +33mm. The tires are Kumho Ecsta V700 235/40-17. If I get some time and the weather cooperates, I may post some better pix later. These will have to do for now...

JW

 

close up...

 

Love the gunmetal, and hope you aren't driving around on those V700s... they'll kill ya in the rain.

 

No problem with the V700s in the rain...I'm just using them for autocrossing. That's not to say it won't rain then, but...

I also forgot to mention that the OEM 21mm lug nuts don't work on this wheel. 19mm ones with a more cone like face to them were provided and work fine. I only mention it because if you will be swapping them frequently for autocrosses or whatever, it could become a bit of a PITA. Nothing major, but it is something to consider...

JW

 

Looks nice, but why didn't you get 18's? They look 120% better.

 

looks nice man...

 

Smaller and ligher are better performing if the brake fit of course.

I mean he said stock advan tires.

 

Did you go for 235/40 instead of 245/45 to save tire weight or to keep the same section width of the tire (or both)?

 

shoulda went 17x9.5 at least...

they look good though, a bit small, but nice for auto-x'in

 

I ordered a set of Victoracer 255/40s to go on my stock rims, and am swapping the stock tires over to the RPM2s next week. I wanted the widest sticky tire possible for auto-x use. Winning by a half second isn't as comfortable as widening it to a 1-1.5 range, going from stock to race tires.

 

2Cool: I guess there's enough clearance for the 255's without any rubbing then? Let me know if you have any problems. I was thinking of going up to 245's when I get new tires, but may get 255's if they'll fit.

Any reason why you're putting the race tires on the stock rims and not the new ones? Aren't the RPM2's lighter than the stockers by a few pounds?

 

For those who think I should have gone larger, the reason I went for 17x8 is that is the only size that is legal in Solo 2 A Stock (autocross), which is what I bought them for.

My decision to go with 235/40-17 Ecsta V700s was a bit less straightforward, but here we go:

- Much cheaper than Hoosiers. If the competition gets too close, maybe I'll pop for a set of those when I wear these out.

- Lighter & softer than the Victoracer. Having said that, an awful lot of lead got put on my wheels to balance them out with the Ecstas mounted. Must be lopsided tires

- Supposedly puts more rubber on the ground for a given size than the Victoracer. Don't totally understand that, but that's what I hear. Something to do with having squarer shoulders or something like that.

- About an inch shorter than stock size, giving me better gearing, so long as it doesn't force me into third gear too often.

- Not sure how big I could go. Going by the mfrs specs, the biggest I could go with a 17x8 was 245mm. I know people don't always pay attention to those numbers, but I figure I'll let someone else blaze that trail. The same goes for what will fit in our wheel wells without rubbing.

That's the beauty/horror of race tires...you go through them quickly enough that you can always try something different later if you don't like what you picked this time 'round...

JW

 

I'll post if there is any interference issue with the 255s. And yep, racing tires seem to be less balanced than Z speed rated street tires. Try some drag radials or slicks, they are often way beyond unbalanced... worst I saw was 16 ounces (1 pound) of lead on some 30" slicks...

I wanted something a bit different for my daily use rims, and the stock ones weigh pretty much the same as the RPM2s. Later I will likely swap back when I get bored... heh

 

nice

 

Those are very sweet looking rims. Three questions for you.
1) were those more expensive than the ce-28n (without the polished lip) and if so, how much more.
2) Could you feel any difference in the lighter weight (better acceleration, better handling over bumps, etc...). Seems that with about 7-8 lbs less per wheel of unsprung weight, you might be able to feel it.
3) With lighter weight rims, is it easier to spin the tires from a standstill (ie- would you still have to drop the clutch from 5000 rpm to get some wheelspin).

Thanks in advance.