LTxArucAx60

iTrader: (9)

Nice WDP Type S!

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Silvr, if you would like that done, send me a PM and I'll take care of it for you.

M.I.N.O.

iTrader: (1)

Clean WDP! Even the interior looks to be in good condition. Congrats on the pickup!

silvrbreez

Thanks man! PM sent.

Thanks! It took test driving three to find one in this great of a shape. One was SSM with the dove/black interior. Another was NBP with this gray/black. And then I found the WDP. With the exception of some minor seat belt buckle scrapes on the driver side console trim, the interior was pretty much mint.

silvrbreez

I resurrected an old thread, but I figured I'd just post a link here to document what I'm contemplating...

25mm long.........................CBP Type-S

I'm thinking about trying to pull off this look too. Reasons being...

I love the way this car came straight from Acura and I'm having a tough time finding wheels that I feel like will suit my tastes and compliment the look of the car to my liking. I've seen some I like, but nothing that has me wanting to fork out the cash just yet. Everyone's got an opinion on wheel choices (lips vs. concave, flush vs. poke, split vs. solid spoke, small vs. large), but I dig the Type-S look and can't find a way to make it more of an OEM+ look without comprising the style I bought the car for. If Acura made the TL, and then released the Type-S...I'd like to find a way to make this car look like what it may have it Mugen got a hold of it (but more in the classic Mugen style as opposed to this).

I'm not ready to invest in coilovers quite yet, and a mild drop with spaced out stock waffles and new lugs (i.e. green, red, or neochrome) might be enough of a change to either meet my OEM+ look I'm going after or buy enough to tie me over until I find that perfect wheel and scratch the side funds together to make it happen.

If my budget had room today I'd consider picking up some Tein Basics and throw on some 18"x8.5" or 18"x9.5" Work Emotion XT7 ($3,500 to $4,000 setup altogether) to achieve the look I think I'd be happy with. But for now I may go with some Tein S.Techs and 25mm eBay spacers ($300-$400 setup altogether) to get me sitting more like the OP in that thread.

rossv1

Anxious to your setup once you get the spacers and all.

TurboGSR96

My spacers are on order and will be here next week for my S, I ran 25mm H&R's all around on my TSX and it was perfect fitment and I will be running them again (kicking myself in the arse for selling them with the car), I highly recommend H&R's if anyone does get them.

silvrbreez

I was pricing different spacers today and saw the H&R's are about twice as much as some CNC billet options you can find on eBay/Amazon. What about the H&R spacers do you think makes them worth the cost?

TurboGSR96

I cant give you a definitive answer to your question, typically in life you pay for quality, and in my eyes when buying a part that if it fails your wheel could fall off, I try to go with a good quality part.

I can tell you I ran them on my TSX without hub rings on my wheels as i was unaware they werent on there like an idiot (which puts a huge strain on the studs) and I ran into a huge hole that trashed 1 wheel and dented another and they are still going... not sure if a cheaper version would of lasted or not.

TurboGSR96

Also remember not all metal is created equal, just because its cnc'd doesnt make it good.

silvrbreez

^True dat, but while cost is often a good indicator of quality, sometimes you pay for what's in a name. Believe me, I do trust H&R, don't get me wrong, I ran some of there suspension equipment back on an '02 Civic coupe I had.

Here's what I'm comparing (citing 15mm for the sake of comparison)

H&R spacers (notes taken from an eBay listing)

-Lightweight
-Hard Anodized for durability and corrosion protection
-Superior strength proprietary aluminum/magnesium alloy
-Hubcentric for perfect fit and precise wheel alignment
-100% Made in Germany
Approx. $118/pair on eBay for hubcentric 15mm H&R spacers

Cheap eBay spacers (again, notes taken from eBay listing)
-Anodized, Corrosion/Scratch Resistant
-CNC Machined 6061-T6 Billet Aluminum
-Hubcentric
Approx. $75/pair on eBay for hubcentric generic spacers

Believe me, I get the emphasis on quality and that's why I'm doing the research. But at $40+/pair more ($80+ all around), I'm not sure that the fact that they are made in Germany and the use of an aluminum magnesium alloy is worth the difference. From what I've read, most wheel spacers are billet aluminum (grade 6061), and those eBay ones apparently step it up a notch to the 6061-T6 which is anywhere from 3 to 4 times stronger than basic 6061. They also site using grade 10 hardware, which is a plus.

But who knows, I could totally splurge on the H&R when the times comes. Just doing my homework.

Since you've had the H&R before, I've got another question...
Did the H&R come with the adapter studs pre-pressed/installed, or did you have to do that? I'm not sure what I'm asking exactly, I just see that some spacer come with the studs in them already and other come with loose studs in the package.

silvrbreez

Considering a range of wheel options. I like the look of the simple classic wheels. I've got a lead on some OZ Futura in 18", but at the price they would cost shipped internationally, I think I've found a better looking option that fits the budget in the shorter term. The timing of all of this is still up in the air, but I did a couple of quick Photoshops to get an idea of what the Privat Legende (OZ Futura / Work Equip-esque) reps would look like.





Of course the car would need a slight drop, and for that I'd consider either Tein S.Tech springs or the Basis coilovers.

Thoughts?

The Machine

iTrader: (8)

I like that style of rim, but I think the front needs to be more concave like the rear. A drop is definitely a must though for any aftermarket rim to look good.

The S Techs are nice for springs, but if you have coilovers in the runnings, defintely go that route. It will save you more money in the end by just going with coils right from the start.

silvrbreez

Thanks man. I think my bad chop-job doesn't do the front wheels justice. They're 8.5" wide with a +40mm offset, so that should give somewhere around a 1.25" lip I'd guess. Here's the pic I chopped the wheels from to put on my car to give you a better feel for the lips. This car has 18x8.5 up front and 18x9.5 out back. Offset unknown.


And here's an Accord with 18x8.5 and 18x9.5...
http://board.accordtuner.com/showthr...x8-5-30-9-5-25

And here's a video of the wheels to get a reference eon the lips.

Privat Legende Wheel from all angles. - YouTube

Yeah the springs vs. coilovers thing is in my head. I think both would look good for know, but the adjustability to go lower later is in the back of my head. I only want to dismantle the interior and swap the setups once, so coilovers solve that isssue. We'll see.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Why do those wheels remind of Diablo wheels?

silvrbreez

Lamborghini Diablo? I dunno. Maybe because its a classic and traditional wheel style. Lamborghini may have used something similar.

TurboGSR96

The H&R's came with all new studs already pressed in, the hubs mounted to your old studs using new supplied lug nuts and then your wheels mount to the new studs.

silvrbreez

Thanks man. Good to know.

mike_dc5

nice

silvrbreez

RDX caliper covers on the way for the rear.

silvrbreez

Between kids birthday parties and busy weekends I still haven't found time to install the RDX covers on the rear. Sucks not being able to find 30 minutes to tinker around with the car.

I was able to throw together a few cleaner side-on photoshops of the car to see how I felt about a few wheel options. I'm heavily leaning towards the Privat Legende, but can't decide between 18" or 19". I also did one with a new release from Cosmis called the XT-005R. The Cosmis seems more muscle-car-ish, but it's designed for imports. Both wheels are shown with a drop to envision what I might be looking at with whatever coils I decide on. I think these give me a good goal when the funds line up.

Privat Legende 18" with drop


Privat Legende 19" with drop


Cosmis XT-005R 18" with drop

06tl4life

What about the new Varrstoen es6's? They come in perfect offsets and they have a couple different colors to choose from. A pretty big lip to.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8122/8...ac4b8821_c.jpg

silvrbreez

Those are a good option too. I'm see they only offer those in 19"s, at least on the website, and that's not necessarily a bad thing since I'm considering going bigger.

Do you think the 19"x9.5" +22 will fit nice without too much poke? I'm assuming I'd need to roll the fenders at that width & offset.

I like the simple spoke designs (5 or 6 spoke), with a polished lip (preferably stepped), with or without rivets, in some variation of gray (hyperblack, gunmetal, matte gray), and a square setup...no stagger for me. Now you know what I'm working with.

I used to be opposed to faux rivets cuz I thought it was semi-poser, but I've got no shame in paying homage to classic wheels...even though I can't fork out the dough for the real thing. Reason I liked the Privat Legende so much is because the are a decent replica of the Kinesis K59.

06tl4life

I think 19x9.5 +22 is the perfect offset for a good flush stance. Run a 225/40/19 tire and you will only have to do a mild fender roll. Honestly in my opinion Varrstoen makes one of the best replica wheels. And they have great finsishes. Here is my old setup with varrstoen es2's in 18x9.5 +22 all around with a 225/40/18 tire to give you an idea on how it will look with a good drop.

silvrbreez

Do they clear the Brembos?

I've seen your car on those before, and those pics are what makes me lean to 18" more than 19". Maybe by the time I pull the trigger they'll offer the ES6 in 18".

silvrbreez

Suspension solved. Should be picking up my ISC N1 coils on Friday.

Decided on wheels too and should be doing that in a few months. Don't want to say just yet.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

Andy11891

Beautiful car, trying to get my hands on the a spec rear but its almost impossible!

silvrbreez

I was fortunate that I was able to buy my car with the A-Spec kit already installed. The installation is close to perfect, so much that it's not worth me messing with it.

silvrbreez

Finally got the coils installed Monday using a friend's lift. Had all four corners installed in about 4 hours and spent the rest of the day getting them where I wanted. All four corners are at 25" from concrete to fender for this first round. Sorry I only have a crumby phone pic for now.




Also found some bad toe wear on the front. Guess that's what I get or never getting this aligned after I bought it earlier this year. I'll be replacing this tire as getting a fresh alignment on Saturday.





And I made a decision on wheels and opted to take on a refurbishing project. These should arrive Monday.

silvrbreez

Tire was replaced and alignment done Saturday. At this initial height, the alignment tech and a good friend of mine's Dad stated everything looks good and while the rear is slightly out of spec it isn't anything that should cause advanced tire wear. I've decided to hold off on a camer kit, at least for now, until I get the new wheels test fit and make a decision on whether or not to go lower.

zoostation

iTrader: (1)

Drop looks great. So what made you decide on the ISC N1's?

silvrbreez

Thanks. I went with the ISC N1's because I wanted something that already had the top hats included with the assembly and I also figured it'd be best to get the adjustable dampening now as opposed to wishing I'd have gotten it at some point down the line and having to do the install all over again. After those two things, pricing came into play and I got a great deal on these lightly used coils from a member here.

silvrbreez

This was waiting for me yesterday when I got home from work...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11822034266/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11822034266/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

From Malaysia with love...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821679834/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821679834/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

JDM Mineral Water yo...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821264225/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821264225/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

silvrbreez

Here's how the car sits now on the ISC N1 coilovers. This was taken just after my alignment on Saturday and it's at approx. 25" ground to fender all around.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11823237585/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11823237585/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

Guess I should've trimmed those crapemyrtles BEFORE I snapped this pic.

wannabeef9

nice purchase! love the color. im still in search of a clean wdp type s!

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Hmmm.........

silvrbreez

I'll be putting together a MEGA post sometime tomorrow sharing everything I know so far about the contents of that package & what I have planned.

Until then...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11822019456/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11822019456/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

I can't wait........

silvrbreez

Alright, well, my wife is still awake tonight working on a Bible study lesson for tomorrow and the light is on in the bedroom keeping me awake to so I guess I can get this written up tonight.

Why these wheels?

As you can tell by Page 2 of this progress thread, I have flip-flopped quite a bit on what style wheel to put on this car. I've considered simple 5-spokes, mesh style wheels, wheels with lips, wheels without lips, replicas, you name it. Through all of that, I've consistently been drawn towards classically styled simple wheel designs. Each car I've owned in the past has had simple clean wheels and most of them 5-spokes.

To mix in something new on this car that I haven't had in the past, I've been drawn towards the look of a 3-piece wheel with the riveted face but I've always been a little uneasy buying something where those rivets are just for show. There's nothing wrong with replicas so long as you get a quality set, but for me personally I just felt like I'd rather have the real thing. Besides the 3-piece look, I've also really been attracted to stepped lips but never found the wheel that just did it for me without breaking the bank.

How did I find these?

Long story short, good old eBay. Short story long, it began years ago when I first found some wheels similar to these on StanceWorks some time back in their classifieds section. I'd also seen a very similar set to these on a car in Houston not long after moving to TX in 2006 and that style just stuck in my head.

After nearly pulling the trigger on some Avant Garde Bespoke series wheels, I decided to give eBay one last check for something potentially even more unique than the custom finished & custom cut AG wheels I was about to purchase. In doing so I came across this set and saved them to my wish list on eBay as I tried to learn as much as I could about these. I eventually pulled the trigger last week and they showed up at my door on Monday. Very fast shipping from Malaysia.

18x8.5 +45 in front of pic & 18x9.5 +45 in back of pic
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821666234/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821666234/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

Here's the expired eBay listing

So what are these exactly?

These wheels are a bit of a mutt when it comes to their construction, but the history is rich. The names involved are "Koenig Specials", "SSR", and "Modia".

Koenig Specials was a prominent tuner of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes Benz, BMW, and others in the European market in the 70's & 80's. Think of them like a Mugen, Spoon, Top Secret, etc for the European/Italian market. You can learn more about their history here. As part of their tuning packages, Koenig outfitted many of their tuned cars with unique wheels of their own design. Those design caught on worldwide and became sought after in other markets, the largest of which was the JDM market where the VIP scene was in its early stages.

Since the demand was there and Koenig was still in buisness (their website still exists as a source for new old stock parts and what nots), they decided to license their name out to a couple of JDM companies to get these wheels into production. The center/face of the wheel is cast and that work was done by Modia/Modex and the assembly with the lips, hardware, and barrels was done by Speed Star Racing (SSR). And that is information I received in an email reply back from Mr. Walter Koenig himself (son of the founder).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821718834/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821718834/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821717714/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821717714/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821715554/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821715554/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821575383/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821575383/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

I'd see two types of these Koenig branded SSR made wheels in the past but never one with a stepped lip like I bought. One style, to the right in the image below, has the face mating up to the rear of the lip and is similar to the more popular OZ Futura wheel. Rumor has it that Koenig designed the wheel and produced them through OZ for years until eventually working something out to brand them on their own with the KS center cap and Koenig decal on one spoke. That KG-JPN design is one in the same as the OZ Futura. I'd also seen the first design, the KG-WRV (aka Monster), all over the web and that's the wheel I'd seen on a Lexus in Houston back in 2007. A set of those WRV's were even passed around on here in the Black Market some time back with deep polished lips.

Still having never personally seen a stepped lip variety, it wasn't until I came across the following clipping from a JDM tuning catalog in the mid-late 90's that I was able to put a name to the stepped lip version. Enter the Koenig KG-IMP.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821663374/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821663374/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

From the best I can tell, the KG-IMP weren't as popular or they didn't stand the test of time. If you do a Google search for Koenig KG-IMP not much will come up. A couple sets are floating around the net being used for some pretty awesome builds around the world. There is also a gold faced set for sale on eBay right now from the same seller I purchased mine from; however those showed evidence of previous damage and repair in the listing. More on that in a bit.

Buying Experience & Current Condition

So far the buying experience has been amazing. Of course, like anyone would be, I was reluctant to drop down a good chunk of cash on something I hadn't put my hands on and was half a world away. But the thought of getting my hands on a set of rare classic wheels for the price of one new 3-piece was a risk I got comfortable with taking. Communcation with the seller was prompt and shipping was fast. The wheels arrived package very well and took me awhile to get them all out and where I could inspect them. That leads me to what I found yesterday evening.

When I unboxed the wheels I found three thing that were not represented in the listing.
1. One of the 8.5" wheels has a small bend in the lip.
2. I removed a bit of the sealant to find that the lips are welded to the barrels (common with SSR 3-piece wheels).
3. One of the 9.5" wheels has two patches on the inner barrel that appears to be a repair.

None of those three have deterred me from proceeding with these wheels, but it was a downer to learn something wasn't fully depicted in the listing. I'm in talks with the seller now to credit something back to repair the bent lip (local quote of $50) and labor to flush down the patch panels. The fact that the lips are welded to the barrels does't bother me right now since I didn't intend to break these down and replace any of those anyway. The seller has been respondent and helpful so far, and I've hopeful that he'll come through with a small credit back to cover the work needed to get them to the level that the auction listed them. As is, the listing for the gold faced Koenigs on his eBay page now clearly shows repairs so I'm not sure why these were left of the pics in my listing.

The patch panels are puzzling though since the portion of the barrel opposite the apparent patch doesn't shown any signs of cracking or welding work and it's aged and machined just as well as the original forged barrel. Its almost as if SSR did some sort of odd quality control that resulted in this. Still trying to figure out what that's all about.

All in all, these things are in GREAT condition for being somewhere around 20 years old.

Bent Lip
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821671954/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821671954/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

Welded together
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821566163/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821566163/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

Patch Panels?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821542373/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821542373/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11822035426/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11822035426/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

Plans for Refurbishing

1. Centers - I plan to disassemble the center face and center caps from the lip/barrel and have them blasted and powdercoated. What color yet I'm not sure. Possibly back to something close to the original silver, or gunmetal, or maybe just leave them machined and clear them. I plan to salvage the KS center cap logo and brushed/clear the center cap trim rings. I also plan to get new Koenig decals cut or sourced from Koenig Specials directly to put back on the spokes.

Closeup of damage to one spoke (this is probably the worst and there may be about 8 spots like this in the whole set)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821284895/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821284895/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

Typical center cap condition & example of the spoke logo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11822042776/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11822042776/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

2. Hardware - The assembly bolts are stainless and are in very very good condition but the nuts behind the centers are in varying stages of corrosion. I plan to freshen up the stainless bolts and replace all the nuts. I also plan to replace the bolts in the center cap trim rim.

Stainless bolts in good shape
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821272445/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821272445/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

Nuts...not so much
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11822019786/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11822019786/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

3. Lips/Barrels - I plan to strip the clear coat off the brushed stepped lips and sand down any imperfections and minor rashes...and believe me they are minor. After that I'd like to get the freshly sanded lips cleared to maintain/restore the original brushed look of the lips. For the barrels, I'm torn between just cleaning them up and leaving them forged aluminum or powdercoating them textured black to maintain the look forever and emphasize the face & spokes.

Typical lip condition
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821705114/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821705114/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

Typical Barrel Condition
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821255815/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821255815/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

4. Valve Stems - I will be purchasing new valve stems with integrated TPMS sensors. These things are pretty slick and you should check them out if you ever get something where this is needed.

Typical Valve Stem & more rusty nuts
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821712354/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmb-photography/11821712354/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/bmb-photography/, on Flickr

Fitment Plans

Being that these are high offset and won't quite kiss the fender plane on the car as is, I plan to run some spacers to get things where I want them. I don't intend to have much poke or run anything herra frush, but I do want it to give a nice profile when you look down the car. I may or may not be getting camber kits front and rear to achieve this look.

I'll likely tweak these ISC N1 coils down a bit more to get the gap where I want it.

I really don't know where to start with tire sizes but I plan to start researching that this week.

/