Tire Rack ROCKS!
08-23-2007, 02:39 AM
#1
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Tire Rack ROCKS!
So, I finally pulled the trigger and placed an order with Tire Rack. I needed better all-season tires 'cause this little commuter couldn't make its way up the hill in front of the house in
deep snow, so the order included some Goodrich Traction T/As. I wanted WHEELS, man, so the order included Sport Edition wheels. I put the order in late Sunday night, and my wife
called me today and said they were in already! Woo-Hoo!!!
Putting them on was a breeze. Tire Rack even thoughtfully included a 3/8" drive socket of the right size (now I have a spare ;^) and the tires were mounted and balanced
and inflated to 35 PSI just like I wanted 'em. I noticed that these are directional tires (my days of mounting and balancing motorcycle tires makes me aware of directional arrows)
and they had two lefts and two rights just like they should.
After putting them on and one last session with a torque wrench, I took a drive on the route I use for checking newly-mounted motorcycle tires. A bit of 80-mph straightway,
some long sweepers, a full stop (done from 60 to 0 in minimum time), some twisties, and then home again. Everything is OK; I'm almost wishing it would snow soon so I can find out
how good these tires really are! Almost.
Steelies as nekkid as the day they were born:
Stock wheel covers (my wife actually LIKES these!):
Disks that work OK, but are still only a coverup:
And finally WHEELS:
Ooops! Forgot the locks. Oh well, this is a low crime area; I can get away without 'em . . . for a while, anyway:
Now the only thing I need to decide is what to do with the stockers . . . keep them and drive them in the summer until they wear out? Sell them (they ain't worth nuthin)? Trash them
(seems wasteful)? What typically happens to stock wheels and tires after an upgrade? Any suggestions??
deep snow, so the order included some Goodrich Traction T/As. I wanted WHEELS, man, so the order included Sport Edition wheels. I put the order in late Sunday night, and my wife
called me today and said they were in already! Woo-Hoo!!!
Putting them on was a breeze. Tire Rack even thoughtfully included a 3/8" drive socket of the right size (now I have a spare ;^) and the tires were mounted and balanced
and inflated to 35 PSI just like I wanted 'em. I noticed that these are directional tires (my days of mounting and balancing motorcycle tires makes me aware of directional arrows)
and they had two lefts and two rights just like they should.
After putting them on and one last session with a torque wrench, I took a drive on the route I use for checking newly-mounted motorcycle tires. A bit of 80-mph straightway,
some long sweepers, a full stop (done from 60 to 0 in minimum time), some twisties, and then home again. Everything is OK; I'm almost wishing it would snow soon so I can find out
how good these tires really are! Almost.
Steelies as nekkid as the day they were born:
Stock wheel covers (my wife actually LIKES these!):
Disks that work OK, but are still only a coverup:
And finally WHEELS:
Ooops! Forgot the locks. Oh well, this is a low crime area; I can get away without 'em . . . for a while, anyway:
Now the only thing I need to decide is what to do with the stockers . . . keep them and drive them in the summer until they wear out? Sell them (they ain't worth nuthin)? Trash them
(seems wasteful)? What typically happens to stock wheels and tires after an upgrade? Any suggestions??
)
08-23-2007, 04:16 AM
#4
Hmmmmmm... Stock steelies with plastic wheel covers to Stainless Moon
Discs, to BFGs on Sport Editions from Tire Rack. Sounds like we followed the
same path (see profile gallery). :D
You'll like these wheels and tires al ot better than stock.
As to the OEM wheels/tires, I kept mine, bagged and stored properly, until a
local Scion person curbed the heck out of what they were running and
needed some new wheels/tires RIGHT NOW. Their dad picked 'em up from
me and gave me a minor amount for 'em. Everyone was happy.
Tom
Discs, to BFGs on Sport Editions from Tire Rack. Sounds like we followed the
same path (see profile gallery). :D
You'll like these wheels and tires al ot better than stock.
As to the OEM wheels/tires, I kept mine, bagged and stored properly, until a
local Scion person curbed the heck out of what they were running and
needed some new wheels/tires RIGHT NOW. Their dad picked 'em up from
me and gave me a minor amount for 'em. Everyone was happy.
Tom
08-23-2007, 12:23 PM
#7
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Originally Posted by Tomas
Hmmmmmm... Stock steelies with plastic wheel covers to Stainless Moon Discs, to BFGs on Sport Editions from Tire Rack. Sounds like we followed the same path (see profile gallery). :D
My wheels look better . . .
. . . on my Camo box (and yours look better on your white box ;^)
I still like the looks of the moon disks, so I might switch back in the spring. But I don't drive nearly as much in the summer, so it might take a long time to wear out the Goodyears . . . .
08-23-2007, 05:29 PM
#8
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Location: Slimey Valley, SoCal
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ok, one thing really buggs me.... the wheels look great BTW, but when reviewing your pics, my eye was instantly drawn to your rain guards on the front windows... there is a notch in the rain guard for where the clip in the window channel "should" line up with.. the clip is moveable, just pop out the rain guard and pull the window channel rubber out a little bit around the clip, it pops back in really easy. just push / pull the clip back and forth a little bit untill it gets loose... there is a little 2sided tape behind it to help hold it in place, but the rubber does the job on it's own.. once the clip is loose, just slide it to line it up with the groove in the rain guard. watch your paint though, dont try to slide the clip into position while it is resting on the paint, it is a pressure clip, so you ca actually pop it off and pop it back in. i just took mine barely out enough not to be touching the paint on the door, and moved it gently and then popped it back in all the way..
sorry, i am **** about stuff like that, i just think it looks a little cleaner, and attracts less attention to the window line.
should take all of 3minutes to do both sides.. but the wheels look great, i like the moon disks as well, they would look great polished up really nicely.
sorry, i am **** about stuff like that, i just think it looks a little cleaner, and attracts less attention to the window line.
should take all of 3minutes to do both sides.. but the wheels look great, i like the moon disks as well, they would look great polished up really nicely.
08-23-2007, 06:13 PM
#9
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Originally Posted by IH8ONYU
ok, one thing really buggs me.... the wheels look great BTW, but when reviewing your pics, my eye was instantly drawn to your rain guards on the front windows...
What the heck IS that thing? Oh well; maybe Scion only knows . . . .
The other thing I noticed is that the brake calipers in front and drums in back are really UGLY behind those wheels. I've got some hi-temp black paint that might fix that. Any warnings or suggestions?
08-23-2007, 07:11 PM
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Originally Posted by Tomas
Hmmmmmm... Stock steelies with plastic wheel covers to Stainless Moon
Discs,
As to the OEM wheels/tires, I kept mine, bagged and stored properly, until a
local Scion person curbed the heck out of what they were running and
needed some new wheels/tires RIGHT NOW. Their dad picked 'em up from
me and gave me a minor amount for 'em. Everyone was happy.
Tom
Discs,
As to the OEM wheels/tires, I kept mine, bagged and stored properly, until a
local Scion person curbed the heck out of what they were running and
needed some new wheels/tires RIGHT NOW. Their dad picked 'em up from
me and gave me a minor amount for 'em. Everyone was happy.
Tom
Also, where do you get a set of those Moon-disc hub caps at ??
08-23-2007, 07:39 PM
#11
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Originally Posted by Super-Stormtrooper07
Also, where do you get a set of those Moon-disc hub caps at ??
There can be a downside, though: https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...806&highlight=
08-23-2007, 08:26 PM
#13
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Scikotics
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Location: Patuxent River, MD
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Keep your stockies if you have room for them in the shed or garage. I had to put mine back on when I dented the rim on a set of Enkei 17" EV 06's. Also, it's nice to have a full size spare if you get a flat and will be without a wheel for a bit.
08-23-2007, 09:24 PM
#15
For storage my local tire folks have these big heavy duty opaque plastic
bags they put your old tires/wheels in when you have 'em change out your
wheels tires (like winter to summer treads, etc.) to keep them from getting
your car dirty when they get tossed in.
When I got home I thoroughly washed the wheels and tires, let them dry,
used a spray on tire preservative, then stuffed 'em back in their bags.
That's about all one can do to delay deterioration.
As to where to get the "Moons" there are a number of places, Here's info
on the ones I got: http://tijil.org/scionlife/parts.html
Pooder, it's interesting we made the same choices, and I even agree about
the look of the wheels we settled on. :D Check that link above, it includes
some of my reasoning for the tires, too...
Take care!
Tom
bags they put your old tires/wheels in when you have 'em change out your
wheels tires (like winter to summer treads, etc.) to keep them from getting
your car dirty when they get tossed in.
When I got home I thoroughly washed the wheels and tires, let them dry,
used a spray on tire preservative, then stuffed 'em back in their bags.
That's about all one can do to delay deterioration.
As to where to get the "Moons" there are a number of places, Here's info
on the ones I got: http://tijil.org/scionlife/parts.html
Pooder, it's interesting we made the same choices, and I even agree about
the look of the wheels we settled on. :D Check that link above, it includes
some of my reasoning for the tires, too...
Take care!
Tom
08-24-2007, 06:55 PM
#17
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Slimey Valley, SoCal
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you know i have no idea what that clip is on the window! some cars have them, and some dont... a few of my buddies removed them completely from their xb's with no noticiable issues with the windows..
when painting the calipers, make sure you completely degrease them with a good quality degreaser, and get in there with a wire brush, and really scrub all the crap off them. get into all the nooks and crannies. then wash them with soapy water and dry completely...
you can use hi temp paint, but it may crack and peel off, i really can't say.. you can get special caliper paint pretty cheap at your local auto supply store, although i have not used it before, i can't really attest to the quality. i do know caliper paint needs to be brushed on, and it is pretty thick from the pics i have seen, you'll probobly going to have to use multiple coats, so it may be hard to hide the brush marks. i say use hi temp paint, and make sure to do a few good coats, and then maybe even a matte finish clear coat for protection.. although, i like the way the grey calipers look personally. if i were to paint them black, i would deff use a flat black not a gloss.. thats just me though. post more pics when done!
when painting the calipers, make sure you completely degrease them with a good quality degreaser, and get in there with a wire brush, and really scrub all the crap off them. get into all the nooks and crannies. then wash them with soapy water and dry completely...
you can use hi temp paint, but it may crack and peel off, i really can't say.. you can get special caliper paint pretty cheap at your local auto supply store, although i have not used it before, i can't really attest to the quality. i do know caliper paint needs to be brushed on, and it is pretty thick from the pics i have seen, you'll probobly going to have to use multiple coats, so it may be hard to hide the brush marks. i say use hi temp paint, and make sure to do a few good coats, and then maybe even a matte finish clear coat for protection.. although, i like the way the grey calipers look personally. if i were to paint them black, i would deff use a flat black not a gloss.. thats just me though. post more pics when done!
08-24-2007, 11:56 PM
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Originally Posted by swartzautoman
i sold my stock rims for $25 each on ebay. what do i need them for?
ive got a set of 5 sportmax 501 15x7 28mm offset
ive got a set of 5 sportmax 501 15x7 28mm offset
08-25-2007, 01:20 PM
#20
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Tire rack did a awwesome Job on my wheel and tire package and what I was rewally worried about was offset but the guy I called and ordered from knew what he was talking about and it wasn't someone I couldn't understand. They will be the only one's I use. 
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