Rota Formula Mesh on my wagon

http://store1.yimg.com/I/fastwrx_1837_12644656

http://store1.yimg.com/I/fastwrx_1837_12738098

http://store1.yimg.com/I/fastwrx_1837_12833568

Rota Formula Mesh, 18 x 8, +48.

Comes in silver (shown), steel gray, or gold. (Clicky the link above for pricing and more pics.)

--Dan

Mach V

FastWRX.com

Those look really nice!

Price isn't bad either, tho I'm not in the market for them now. (unfortunately, because I like that look)

Looks really good, Dan! Any chance we could get bigger pictures, or at least not pixellated?

http://store1.yimg.com/I/fastwrx_1837_14947249

http://store1.yimg.com/I/fastwrx_1837_15748433

http://store1.yimg.com/I/fastwrx_1837_16394830

--Dan

Mach V

FastWRX.com

i'm surprised you haven't debadged the car - or is that next?

Along with a tint job.

Just need to lower the car a little bit Dan Looks good but what tire size are you using with those 8? Too bad that that these Formula Mesh doesnt have a lip and come with more spokes.. otherwise I would get a set for the track use.

Keefe

wheels come in steel grey or charcoal grey?

Why are you asking when you already have them? LOL:lol:

22.4lbs... thats a bit heavy for me...

Please keep in mind, these ain't BBS, Volk, or SSR wheels. They're from Rota, the folks that basically make a living selling cheaper, sometimes heavier knock-offs of other guys' original designs. So yeah, they're heavier than the BBS RE, which they look almost exactly like. The BBS wheels cost $535 each at a random online store I just checked. These are exactly 1/3 the price. Heck, I'll take the modest two-pound weight penalty over my stockers for the $1432 I save compared to the BBS version. Honestly, as long as they're not boat anchors, I don't care much about the wheel weight on this car. It's not spending a lot of time at Summit Point race track. It's mostly going to be trundling back and forth to work. In a straight line. On the freeway.

centers don't look as nice as e.g. BBSs

As far as I can tell, they're cosmetically identical except for the center caps. (The BBS rim pictured obviously has a larger bolt circle diameter than the 5x100 Subaru one...)

http://www.tirerack.com/images/wheels/bbs/swap/bbs_re_ci3_l.jpghttp://store1.yimg.com/I/fastwrx_1837_7050874

--Dan

Mach V

FastWRX.com

By the way, for those who don't want the car to appear in public until it's fully modded, here is the list of up-coming changes:

- Tint

- Springs

- Turbo-back exhaust (we'll be experimenting with a couple of different prototype systems)

- Up pipe

- Short shifter

- Sway bars and lower frame braces

Then probably I'll stop. Maybe.

--Dan

Mach V

FastWRX.com

i'm surprised you haven't debadged the car - or is that next?

I dunno. I haven't really been anxious to do it. I don't think the badges look bad.

--Dan

Mach V

FastWRX.com

By the way, for those who don't want the car to appear in public until it's fully modded, here is the list of up-coming changes:

 

- Tint

- Springs

- Turbo-back exhaust (we'll be experimenting with a couple of different prototype systems)

- Up pipe

- Short shifter

- Sway bars and lower frame braces

 

Then probably I'll stop. Maybe.

 

--Dan

Mach V

FastWRX.com

I'm confused.

You don't care about heavy wheels that slow performance in EVERY way (acceleration, steering, braking, handling, etc) and you justified it by saying you are

not going to the race track with it and your car is basically being used

to go to work and back, on the freeway.

Yet, you are going to spend thousands on performance mods like:

TBE

Up Pipe

Springs

Short Shifter

Sway Bar

All of which are intended ot increase acceleration, braking, handling, ride quality, steering, etc.

So some of the performance things you plan to giveth your car, you taketh away on heavy wheels first. Don't get it?

Please keep in mind, these ain't BBS, Volk, or SSR wheels. They're from Rota, the folks that basically make a living selling cheaper, sometimes heavier knock-offs of other guys' original designs. So yeah, they're heavier than the BBS RE, which they look almost exactly like. The BBS wheels cost $535 each at a random online store I just checked. These are exactly 1/3 the price. Heck, I'll take the modest two-pound weight penalty over my stockers for the $1432 I save compared to the BBS version. Honestly, as long as they're not boat anchors, I don't care much about the wheel weight on this car. It's not spending a lot of time at Summit Point race track. It's mostly going to be trundling back and forth to work. In a straight line. On the freeway.

 

--Dan

Mach V

FastWRX.com

Exactly. I am sure 70% of drivers can't actually feel the difference of 2 lbs on rim weight.. let alone it's already 18x8 anyways.

On another note, for that price, you can buy 2 sets of Rotas in different colors if you really want to (IBKeefe) and get one set for the summer, and one for the winter.. can't go wrong there if you really want to spend all $3000 on just rims.

Keefe

I'm confused.

You don't care about heavy wheels that slow performance in EVERY way (acceleration, steering, braking, handling, etc) and you justified it by saying you are

not going to the race track with it and your car is basically being used

to go to work and back, on the freeway.

 

Yet, you are going to spend thousands on performance mods like:

TBE

Up Pipe

Springs

Short Shifter

Sway Bar

 

All of which are intended ot increase acceleration, braking, handling, ride quality, steering, etc.

 

So some of the performance things you plan to giveth your car, you taketh away on heavy wheels first. Don't get it?

You forgot, he's a shop owner/parts dealer.. so $$$$ to us is not as $$$ to him. Dont forget, 2 lb increase from 17x7 to 18x8 isnt that bad. Not everything has to be full out speed if you drive well. The key is average top speed (even daily drive to work).

If everyone was going to do speed including engine work, we would get the lightest and smallest rims we can get and allow the tire's diameter to be our distance factor. Everyone who is fast either runs a set of Volk Racing TE37s or SSR Competitions at 17x7. The car would be gutted, the car would be seam-welded inside out, the car would run only 2 to 3 gallons at a time, and every driver would go on a diet down to 140 lbs like Dan and I are (if you really want to count pound for pound). Remember, the car isnt going to see the track all the time, so there's no need to be running with such equipment like its got something to prove that the car is fast... you can put decals to put on the car to tell people the car is fast

Keefe

...here is the list of up-coming changes:

 

- Springs

- Turbo-back exhaust (we'll be experimenting with a couple of different prototype systems)

- Up pipe

- Sway bars and lower frame braces

Tint is done and short shifter i consider "free" since I bought it with the car. But for the rest, let me know what you guys come up while experimenting. I'm interested.

I'm confused.

You don't care about heavy wheels that slow performance in EVERY way (acceleration, steering, braking, handling, etc) and you justified it by saying you are

not going to the race track with it and your car is basically being used

to go to work and back, on the freeway.

 

Yet, you are going to spend thousands on performance mods ...

Yeah, so?

OMG, I'm probably going to add a subwoofer, too, which will probably weigh over ten pounds, and will simply be DEAD WEIGHT in terms of performance! Blasphemy!

There are lots of reasons to modify a car. Higher performance is one. Aesthetics is certainly another. Just the modification process itself is enjoyable for many people. I may sell my stock Legacy wheels to a WRX owner, who will -- gasp! -- gain weight over the very light 16" wheels the WRX comes with. But the look, (marginal) gain in handling, the brake clearance, or just the fun of it, will make it worth it for some person.

Yes, I am a shop owner, but I do pay for most of the parts that go on my own cars. Even my cost is still a good chunk of change. For me, besides the fun of modifying the car, and the increased performance, there's an additional incentive to modify my cars because...it's good for business. USING the parts we sell better allows me to give honest feedback to my customers about them, and to demonstrate them in use on a real car. It also prevents embarrassing situations (which I see a lot with other shops) where a new part turns out not to work as advertised, and the customer is the first to find that out.

My new wheels add two pounds per corner to a car that weighs 3350 pounds -- it might be equivalent to that subwoofer in terms of the effect on performance. (Even if you multiply the change in wheel weight by two, you get a 0.4% change in overall car weight.) So I don't care much. If I had infinite funds, I'd have $900-apiece Rays wheels on the car. But the price/performance tradeoff isn't worth it to me, given my budget.

--Dan

Mach V

FastWRX.com

P.S. 22 pounds for an 18" wheel isn't that unusual. Did you know the factory twin-turbo Audi S4 wheels weighed 28 pounds EACH? For a 17 x 7.5 wheel!

PM'ed ya a few days ago. Did you get it?

Yes, but I'll have to answer you when I'm back at work on Monday.

--Dan

Mach V

FastWRX.com

P.S. 22 pounds for an 18" wheel isn't that unusual. Did you know the factory twin-turbo Audi S4 wheels weighed 28 pounds EACH? For a 17 x 7.5 wheel!

Heh, try the 2004 Dodge Viper's 20" rim weighing in at 52 lbs. each..

Keefe

i have heavier wheels because the look cool

the tires i am running are also 1.9% smaller .. like switchgin to a 4.188 final drive ratio

i asked about steel grey or charcoal grey because i couln't find steel grey i ended up with charcoal

Please keep in mind, these ain't BBS, Volk, or SSR wheels. They're from Rota, the folks that basically make a living selling cheaper, sometimes heavier knock-offs of other guys' original designs. So yeah, they're heavier than the BBS RE, which they look almost exactly like. The BBS wheels cost $535 each at a random online store I just checked. These are exactly 1/3 the price. Heck, I'll take the modest two-pound weight penalty over my stockers for the $1432 I save compared to the BBS version. Honestly, as long as they're not boat anchors, I don't care much about the wheel weight on this car. It's not spending a lot of time at Summit Point race track. It's mostly going to be trundling back and forth to work. In a straight line. On the freeway.

That's true. I wouldn't mind getting a set of these as winter wheels...