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Ok, winters mounted - had to replace one of the tires because the side wall was cracking, got a cheap chinese winter to carry me over (Zeta Antarctica 5), turns out it actually has pretty good snow performance from what the reviews say, so hopefully it'll be fine with the other 3 Bridgestones.
Now I'm busy dipping my wheels. Going to be bright high gloss aluminum, hopefully it turns out like I envision
Probably wanted to quote n1h1h1h1l1t1ty but the RE-11 have a 200 UTQG. My tires will have lasted me "2 summers" but they already had a summer in from the previous owner, so 3 summers total.
As for UTQG being bogus... it's kind of the opposite because the tests are very clear and stringent, but the problem is that the treadwear test is short and data needs to be extrapolated by the manufacturer, meaning it can lead to strange results real world results. Ideally better to compare different tires between a brand than brands together.
That's the number. They used to be 180 and then they changed to 200, overnight. They did it so they can be used in a certain class of racing. I had a set of the 180s. Because the DOT doesn't do the testing, there's bullshit that can and does happen. I bet they rarely if ever inspect a company's UTQG numbers. It's another VW situation.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standards (UTQG) were originated to provide consumers with useful information to help them purchase tires based on their relative treadwear, traction and temperature capabilities. While it is required by law for most passenger car tires sold in the United States, it is not required for deep treaded light truck tires, winter/snow tires, temporary spare tires, trailer tires, tires under 12" in diameter and other select tires.
When looking at UTQG ratings it is important to realize that the Department of Transportation does not conduct the tests. The grades are assigned by the tire manufacturers based on their test results or those conducted by an independent testing company they have hired. The NHTSA has the right to inspect the tire manufacturer's data and can fine them if inconsistencies are found. While most new tire lines have their grades established when they are introduced, they are allowed a 6-month grace period to allow the tire manufacturer to test actual production tires. Once a grade is assigned it must be branded on the tire's upper sidewall and printed on its label.
Unfortunately, the rating that is of the most interest to consumers is the one that appears to be the least consistent. While the Treadwear Grade was originally intended to be assigned purely scientifically, it has also become a marketing tool used by manufacturers to help position and promote their tires.
I would love to find a set of them RL calipers with the brackets. You put yours up that time and I was thinking about it but didnt really have the extra cash atm but do now lol. Where could I find em ? You didnt need like all new knuckles and shit?
Last edited by Oh Sickest TL; 11-24-2015 at 05:49 PM.
I would love to find a set of them RL calipers with the brackets. You put yours up that time and I was thinking about it but didnt really have the extra cash atm but do now lol. Where could I find em ? You didnt need like all new knuckles and shit?
Honestly, just keep waiting for them to pop up on the BM. I'm very happy I didn't sell them. I've had a good week to break in the pads and rotors and I'm very impressed. Definitely better brake feel - much more progressive. Haven't noticed any issues and I've been inspecting the calipers and banjo bolts every night. Also it significantly improved the look of the front of the car, so much so I'll probably spring for the Wilwood rear kid at some point in the future (plus its gloss black as well, so I won't even have to repain it )
EDIT: I should add that if you're going to buy the bracket separate, buy the Fat Four Customs bracket set - its better machined and specifically made for the 12.8 inch rotors. I haven't had any issues fitting the 12.8 rotors with the Fastbrakes bracket but honestly, better safe than sorry I think.
ain't nobody needing new calipers...be happy with what you got!
Always room for improvement But Like N1 said it improves the look on the front end much more. Not looking to do this anytime soon however if a set came up I would def consider it.
ANd N1 did u get PCDs yet? I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on the sale they got. Was wondering if you got to that yet? Its the only bolt on I haven't done yet other than pulley but the PCD is the best bang for buck.
Last edited by Oh Sickest TL; 11-24-2015 at 07:22 PM.
Always room for improvement But Like N1 said it improves the look on the front end much more. Not looking to do this anytime soon however if a set came up I would def consider it.
ANd N1 did u get PCDs yet? I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on the sale they got. Was wondering if you got to that yet? Its the only bolt on I haven't done yet other than pulley but the PCD is the best bang for buck.
Nope, not yet. Probably going to order around Christmas time. I've got the pulley actually, just haven't had it installed yet. Probably won't get it installed or the PCDs for that matter until spring time. Going to be driving like a grandpa this winter because too much time effort and money has been put into her now
I'm also not entirely sure I want to do PCDs yet. I was going to do PCDs and just have a race cat welded into the exhaust, but the whole purpose of that was to allow me to run an MS3, and honestly I'm not really sure I will EVER want to go beyond bolt ons at this point, at least not on this car, so HFPCs might be more convenient
I think I did good - For my first time dipping anything, I'm very happy with how they turned out. I think I may dip the grille and lower valence to match as well and see how it looks. I tried to go as hyper-silver like as possible to match the grille and I think this is actually pretty good.
If anyone is curious at the process - 4 coats of black as base, 1 solid coat of "Bright Aluminium" metallizer (I did 2 just because I felt like I wanted maximum coverage but 1 is probably more than enough), 1 coat of glossifier (again, did 2 coats because one can would be enough for all 4 wheels in this case)
Looks very good, N1! Great job!
I have always been tempted to do it, but then I worry about how much work I put in and how long it'll last. Great protection for the wheels though!
I wasn't saying bbk are bad, I just think you guys are nuts for spending as much as you do to put them on the car if it didn't come with it. I obviously agree that they look much better!
Looks very good, N1! Great job!
I have always been tempted to do it, but then I worry about how much work I put in and how long it'll last. Great protection for the wheels though!
I wasn't saying bbk are bad, I just think you guys are nuts for spending as much as you do to put them on the car if it didn't come with it. I obviously agree that they look much better!
I would do your homework on PCD and rasp...
Yeah I'm concerned as to how long it will last but honestly I just want it to get me through the winter - Especially with the nasty curbage on the 530s (the sad reality of learning to drive on a lowered wide car ) I think after sanding down the lips and dipping it they look really good.
I actually spent very little on the RL calipers ... 250 shipped for the calipers and bracket, and about the same I'd spend on regular rotors and pads for the TL. All in all, money well spent in my mind
As for the PCDs, that's why I plan on welding in a cat and likely a resonator - It should deal with most of the rasp and the gas smell. At the same token, its not guaranteed that I'll be doing PCDs just yet
you have stock j-pipe? or aftermarket? Either way why would you want to weld in a cat when the goal is to remove the bastards with PCD and long tube j pipe. If you dont want any smells then keep the cats in?
you have stock j-pipe? or aftermarket? Either way why would you want to weld in a cat when the goal is to remove the bastards with PCD and long tube j pipe. If you dont want any smells then keep the cats in?
you have stock j-pipe? or aftermarket? Either way why would you want to weld in a cat when the goal is to remove the bastards with PCD and long tube j pipe. If you dont want any smells then keep the cats in?
RV6 V3. The reason for adding a race cat after the jpipe and not keeping the cats or using HFPC is heat. Any cat, even HFPCs right at the cylinder head will cause some backpressure leading to added heat. Welding a cat further in the chain will have the same effect as the HFPCs in terms of reducing rasp and the smell, but will also cause less additional heat at the heads. Also if you want to run any kind of engine management such as MS3, PCDs are pretty much the only way to go if you want to install a sensor on your exhaust (the way swoosh did his on his, right after the collector on his jpipe).
I'll probably be going with a Vibrant 200 cell cat, its perfect for the application and very inexpensive (about 120$) for a quality piece that lots of track oriented cars use when there is catless restrictions at a track.
Also, on a side - note: The wheels turned out good, but it almost feels like they're TOO bright. Like, its more bright than a gloss white. I'm thinking I might either dip over them and go gloss black, or go gloss white. What do you guys think?
A pic for reference from this morning after my silica treatment: https://www.instagram.com/p/-g1m49MH...fectionautospa - I also have to say, man the ceramic coating was a good investment. Almost 6000 hard kms later, the paint looks like the day after it was paint corrected. Marco at Perfection Auto has pretty much made a believer out of me, especially since you 1) don't need to clay or wax the car for 2 years, 2) end up actually spending less money on the coating than you would on the wax / application thereof over a period of 2 years.
Lastly, I want to say - The most important thing I've learned after dealing with plasti dip is TAKE YOUR DAMN TIME. I stupidly did not wait the required curing time for my last rear wheel, and when torquing the lugs, pretty much tore the dip, to the point that there was no way I would be able to touch it up. So tonight I'm going to be busy redipping the last wheel and hopefully will get some pics tomorrow if its nice out. I'm also considering trying out using the "smoke" plasti dip over the silver to maybe dull it out a little / make it match the front grille's matte silver a little more. Going to experiment a little and see what works best since I won't be driving the car for a few days.
whats this silica treatment? I cannot wait to get my car fully pro detailed. The paint was too fresh to do anything with it this summer (no wax, gentle washing) so theres def some spots that need some buffing from swirling and shit
And i was gonna say earlier too the wheels look good but yea theyre def really bright , prob more so in person. I wouldn't do white, buddy of mine has a genesis sitting on white volks and he keeps his car ULTRA clean and he's always bitching about his wheels but they sure do look great when clean for the 15mins lol
Last edited by Oh Sickest TL; 11-25-2015 at 05:11 PM.
whats this silica treatment? I cannot wait to get my car fully pro detailed. The paint was too fresh to do anything with it this summer (no wax, gentle washing) so theres def some spots that need some buffing from swirling and shit
The silica wash used is basically a sealant for the ceramic coating - I need to have it applied in a wash every 4 months or so, but it can be applied more often.
Basically I go and get the car washed at the shop and Marco applies the silica after the wash. I was actually talking to him today while he was working and he pointed out that I can apply it myself, it just requires a careful wash of the car, which becomes difficult outside of a shop during the winter months.
EDIT: They do look really good, but because its a metallic dip, it actually pops in the light even more than a white dip would. We'll see, like I said, I'm going to experiment. Most important part is that after sanding down the lips and dipping the wheels, the unseemly rash is all gone
thats cool mang. I gotta step my detail game up it seems lol. Im sure my shop will take care of me. After spending what I spent theres no way in hell ill be doing detailing myself...
Good thing with experimenting with dip is its cheap and just peel that ish off and do a diff colour.
yea thats prob a bigger issue for you in a bigger city eh. Cops here wouldn't know the difference nor would they care. Unless its obnoxiously loud its fine
yea thats prob a bigger issue for you in a bigger city eh. Cops here wouldn't know the difference nor would they care. Unless its obnoxiously loud its fine
Well that's the other thing. Catless IS obnoxiously loud lol
I actually have a high flow stock location cat that came with my e-shift procats...when I couldn't get rid of the rasp with the jpipe, I highly contemplated throwing the stock j back in with it...
OK, I had a stroke of genius (to me anyway) - So if you read my commentary a little earlier in the thread, I thought the wheels turned out a little TOO bright. I mulled over potentially re-dipping them black or white over top the metallic silver, but that would have felt like giving up on my original idea - a hyper silver to match the TL's front grille.
Well, I can safely say I've achieved as close to a color match as I think you're going to get without going into attempting specific shade mixing with Plasti Dip. Ok enough of my prattling, here are some pics. Notice the center caps are the original silver color of the "Bright Aluminum".
The secret isn't much of a secret - after all of the above layers of dip, I used the "Smoke" Plasti Dip to effectively put on a layer of plasti dip nightshades equivalent. It perfectly achieved the dark satin silver you get on the stock TL grille.
Bonus shot of her apart while I dip the grey front grille trim and lower lip valence. You can see the AEM V2 sitting pretty (so far this is up there with my exhaust as one of my favorite mods - Above 5k the J just sounds ridiculously mean sucking air through this thing )
I was expecting compliments on my plasti dip handiwork but this will have to do
Also I've been driving around my parents' Mitsubishi Endeavor while they're on vacation and im working on my car, and I have to say I wouldn't entirely be opposed to getting a big SUV with awd and capable suspension as a second car. The damn thing floats over every imperfection in the road and speedbumps don't even feel like they're there. Also its pretty fun being taller than anything short of an F150 or Silverado
Wheels look great. Lets see how they hold during the winter (don't rash them!)
I'm learning lol. Almost all the rash is from me being a moron in the first 3 months I was lowered
Dipped the dark grey piece in the grille black yesterday, turned out really, really good. Probably going to dip the bottom grey trim on the A spec lip tonight and reinstall the bumper so I can drive the damn car again. Also need to pick up some paint thinner - apparently my issues with the lugs tearing the lug hole dip and pulling on it when torquing can be solved by applying some paint thinner on the lug hole - it'll make sure you can tighten and loosen the lugs at will without issues without having to remove the dip from the lug seat.
Next time though I'm going to leave the lugs in the lug seats while applying each coat and then quickly remove them prior to the dip drying - this should get maximum coverage in the lug hole while leaving the lug seat clear enough of dip so that the lugs won't catch it. I also realized that it helps to have a very sharp and small hobby knife for trimming dip carefully.
OK, pics of finished product. Also dipping the lower lip valence was so easy it makes me want to dip the rear lip valence as well. Came out great after 5 layers of flat black.
that does look pretty good man. could do without the orange caps but whatev..
those first few pics are those at Pearson ?
and the diff between RBP and ABP is actually pretty remarkable. I always thought they were the same! But if you look at some pics of my car then look at yours you'll see what I mean
Last edited by Oh Sickest TL; 11-28-2015 at 12:02 PM.
11-24-2015, 04:24 PM
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But Like N1 said it improves the look on the front end much more. Not looking to do this anytime soon however if a set came up I would def consider it.
