Ok guys, these are some really fat rear tires......They are Ruff Racing, 19 inch staggered, 8.5 in the front and 9.5 in the rear. Tires are the new BF Goodrich GForce KDW 2's Really awsome tread pattern! Tires size is 245/40 front and a massive 285/35 in the rear!! I have the ground control coilover coversion in the back seat as we speak!!!!

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k152/jasonator28/IMG_0077.jpg

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Wow jasonator, that's one bad-looking Element you got there! :cool: Very clean with the blacked-out headlights and de-badged lift gate; and the silver rims set off the whole package very nicely. Be sure to post additional pic's when those GC's go on!

Oh Man that looks swwweeeet!

Honda and their bicycle tires....

I like those rims a lot! Get that GC kit on there and you'll be looking real nice! Be sure to carve away the wheel wells so you can get that tight drop too or you'll be rubbing.

good looking E'' i like the wheels

Burn619, you were my inspiration for the staggered look!!!!! I love your car, my only regret is not having the chrome lip, mine is just polished. And the tires are soooooooo nice. I love them, Real grippy.

hey can you post some pics of your E. I was looking into some bronze rims for my E yet its hard to picture them.

if ya mean me sorry no digital here some one stole it....

hey can you post some pics of your E. I was looking into some bronze rims for my E yet its hard to picture them.
here ya go:
http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24930&highlight=green+Gold

It so reminds me of my days back in high school when we were all running 13 inch gold spokes sticking way out the side of the car!!!! But with a modern twist. The rims I was going to get were the 281 design but twice they gave me the wrong offset. Fist was like a 38 in the back and they rubbed the inside fender well, then a 20 and those stuck way out..... then I setteled on these and they were 3 lbs lighter thenthe black Ruff Racing rims I had special ordered. www.StreetBeatCustoms.com has a huge 70 inch long ragtop for 595$ That is sooooo the next thing I get!!!!!

How are you gonna do that moonroof with your existing rear sunroof? I've thought about that full sunroof idea but wondered how you could integrate the two...

i think a 70'' would take away from the strengh of the roof...

From the research I've done you can't do a full roof like that if you already have the rear sunroof.

If you do a search for sunroof you'll find lots of info. :D

I am sorry I think I mislead you guys by calling it a moonroof, I meant ragtop. If I caused confusion I apologize!!

The element moonroof is 33 inches wide, hence if I get the RAGTOP that is 35 inches wide, which is still plenty wide enough to fit inside the roof line by 70 inches forward I would end right in the middle of the upper center console. Ill definatley need a new headliner done. But in the long run it will totally be worth it. Its Either make that work or trade her in for a Jeep Wrangler for the wife, Its what she wanted to begin with but I talked her into this. If there is something I am missing Pleassssse tell me. I searched all over and the only thing I could find is guy with a blue E with the same ragtop but there was no write up on it. I did search alot though. I also read the instructions on how these work and the rectangular mount itself acts as support for the top. But like I said I am willing to learn from others mistakes!!!!

Not to hijack this thread but from what I've learned from webasto.com

The ragtop cannot be put on a E that already has the rear sunroof.

Those are HUGE rear tires nice:???:

Not to hijack this thread but from what I've learned from webasto.com

The ragtop cannot be put on a E that already has the rear sunroof.

What about replacing the factory sunroof w/ the sliding rag top? :cool:

I don't think they'd "look" right together anyway.

BTW...the new wheels & tires look great jasonator!

Will

that may work....i dunno if webasto's kit will do that tho or fit that far back.....good question for webasto ppl :-|

thanks BURN looks GREAT!!!!!!!!!!:razz: :razz: :razz: :razz:

Jason.. In your opinion.. Do you think it's possible to mount 9.5 front and rear??.. (clearance)


Nice wheels btw... looks awesome..

-O

I don't know how he's even got the 9.5's on the back.....I would think they would rub on the strut!

I'd be curious to see it tho.

I don't know how he's even got the 9.5's on the back.....I would think they would rub on the strut!

I'd be curious to see it tho.

heheh, yeah... but remember, offset is your friend...


i really would like to get some 9.5 all around...

-O

Jason,

Did you install the ground control coilover coversion? If you have pics, please post them! :] Also, what was the cost on that conversion (not counting the wheels and tires).

Thanks!
Daniel

I do have 9.5 in the rear, with a 35 offset. It didnt rub at factory height and I just got done lowering it and it barely rubs when I hit a dip in the road, but it rubs the fender, not the strut. The rim shop i worked with helped me before my decision, so if you go to a reputable place then they will fit a 9.5 rim and tire to see if it works. I have no direct experience myself with that application hence I wouldnt be qualified to answer this ?. But 9.5 is big. I had 8.5 in 20's with a nice 2 inch lip and had no issues, but it did stick out farther in the front than the rear, due to the negative stock camber in the rear. Thats why I got the staggered and the camber kit. It looks soooo bad ass now, I cant wait to upload pics!!!! Soon, very soon! Thank you to everyone here who has pioneered a way for us others to follow! Without your help here I would be lost!!!!

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p260/jasonator2007/IMG_0083.jpg

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Took about 5 hours to lower it.....Ground control coilovers, Highly recommend these over just the springs, cuz you can adjust it where you want it. But if you can afford the Teins, then....... but after the first one it wasnt too bad. I did screw up a tie rod end beating it out of its seating, ooooops! but all in all it was fairly easy. The back right tire rubs if I hit a dip hard enough but other than that I think I can live with it. I do have the Ingals camber kit for the rear, and nothing but stock adjusters in the front.Enjoy!!!!! I think I paid 329 plus shipping for the kit, like 140 for the camber kit and 40 bucks for my buddy helping me out. And 100 for the alignment.Ride is a little bumpier, but I expected it. Handles great though, much more fun to drive now then when I had those heavy 20/s on there, plus the rim and tire diameter is smaller then stock by about 1.5 inches.

Looks good man! But personally, I would go at least an inch lower. I hate having that gap between the tire and fender. Just carve out your wheel well so the tire can travel up in there when it dips.

I would love to but with such a wide rear tire, it sticks out past the well, I Found out that with the GroundControl coilovers, I can order new springs with a different spring rate, I think Om running a 400 in the rear now, if I went up to 5 or 600 then I could go lower but with a little more bounce. Also this is my wifes daily driver, just my toy!!! I drive a Titan, and Im trying to get My box to go as fast as my truck!!!

I agree with burn that it would look better a little lower, but I understand not wanting that on your daily driver.....it's just not practical.

My offset is 35 as well which gives the E a nice wide look but the tires also like you said stick out past the wheel well and make it harder to get that drop down where you want it.

I personally don't think 9.5 will fit on the front espically if you would lower it. There's just not enough room to turn with the strut there.

Yeah, my E's not my daily driver and I'm glad. And after looking at your pics again I now see that the tire sticks out past the wheel well and cutting your well wouldn't really help. I put a 600kg spring in my rear coilovers to keep it from dipping so low, it's stiffer but not too bad. Lower does tend to equal a bumpier ride and more problems unless you live in a smooth asphalt paved heaven. I have to chose certain routes to my frequently traveled locations so as to avoid potholes and dips. I sometimes feel like it's not even worth it, but then I look at her!:D

Kudos on the entire package, dude. Looks sweeeeeeeet! Love the rims and tires. Good luck with it.....

That is just awesome... I think it is perfect.. Very nice ride..

that is it!!.. My wife is gonna hate me for it, but i see some big rims/tirer in my near future..

-O

Ok, so after having the lowering kit on for a while and seeing the pics that I took, I decided to lower the front by 1 more inch and I think that will give a lower look all around. I think I can get away without rubbing still, gotta love those coilovers!!!!!! I Highly recomend the coil-overs vs just springs, Either the Teins, or the Ground Control if your budget is limited.

I'm sure you already know this but I thought I would state it....that each time you raise or lower your coilover that changes you 4 wheel alignment and thus your wear on your tires will not be even unless you redo the alignment.

Not sure how significant the wear would be but it will be there.

wow, i like how those tires look! and the rims are absolutely awesome!

nice job!

Yeah Dance, but for the initial set up It was very important for me to get the look I was after, and with out the adjustments I would have been stuck with what the manufacturer wanted me to have. Also is you pay the little extra, you can buy a lifetime alignment at a major tire shop. But first and foremost is the initial setup. I did the lowering myself on sunday, let it sit for 2 days, then had it aligned tuesday. Even still I want to lower it 1 more inch in the front and the alignment I got has a 30 day warranty. And thanks to all to the compliments Ive gotten. I had an S2000 back down the other day when I pulled up, He didnt realize my motor was stock, very phunny!!! Just looks that bad assssssss.....

Dance i agree with you let the guy do what he wants too his E'' it is his ride
:D

Geezer here (53) nice looking ride!!!! I'm truly impressed:-o that you got those tires under you E, nice work. Drew:)

good Jason glad you are staying...:)

I have to have some of those shoes... :D

But i'm so confused as to what exactly to ask for after finding a good tire/wheel shop.

Do I just drive in the door, pick out the wheel I like, tell them I want 35* offset, pick the tires and I'm good to go???

"Help"!!!:confused:

In about a month I am going to be taking off these winter tredz and looking for new wheels/tires. I was thinking of going more for the "off road" look with larger aggressive on/off road threaded tires, adding a brush guard, side steps ect. But now that I seen Jason's E it may have changed my mind!

Yeah, I'm an old geezer.... 54 years old geezer that is. But that also puts in the age group that remembers the bad azz 70's muscle cars. The setup Jason has brings back those memories.

Don't feel bad Jason, I thought it was funny. While there may be a few that don't want to hear my "fuuny" story, too bad.... don't read it. Here goes.

Back in the early 60's I couldn't afford much of a car. I lived in South Bend, IN at the time... the home of Studebaker. So my first car was a '64 Lark. Lark you say? Yeah, but it did have a 289 V8. During that first summer I put on some glass packs, red line tires and put on a "supercharger" hood bulge plus got me a couple of Avanti R2 stickers for the fenders (Studebaker did make a limited number of Larks with Avanti R2 supercharged engines in them - 350+ HP and they were bad). Any who... it was funny just how many Mustangs and Camaros wouldn't race me.

Aaaahhh....order is restored! :D

Speedy couldn't agree with you more....jason needs to stay with the thread as we're again talking about his ride, how nice the big tires look on it and what not.

Hobbytalk....good story....reaffirms my post before about being young and doing things that you look back upon with fond thoughts.

Heck just 6 mo. ago I put spinner exhaust tips on my E :shock: Took them off after about 4 days when they didn't work for crap and cost me $90. Part of the process of live and learn :D

Again thank you alll. I actually just made a bet with with the manager at Tires Plus here in tampa, I called in to get a price on a 4 wheel alignment, count them 4. I get there and they charge me another 40 bucks for the custom camber kit in the rear. 99.00 total for the alignment. "Why the extra 40?" Its for the extra work to align the rear end. " So if I bring in a car that has stock adjusters in the rear then it is still a 4 wheel align.?" Yes. So why is my car different? Because they rip us off. Long story short I got home and saw that my rear tires were set at stock camber. "Hell no!!!" With the wide ass tires in the back those things need to be at 0* so as not eat up one side or the other. I take it back 4 days later after I lowered it another inch all the way around to get re-done. Manager comes out and tells me cuz of the staggered rims and tires that I will never get it perfect and my tires wont last more than 15-20,000 miles. Bull****. "How do the align specialty sports cars, Porsche, Ferrari's and Dually's?" Ohhh I can do it he says, for 200 more bucks!!!! f%^$ you! Give me my money back, "Done" He bets me 500 bucks and shakes on it that I wont get it done and done right and have my tires last more then 15-20,000 miles. I look at my reciept, the mileage read 34,000 I have 64,000 in reality! I dont drive that much so Ill be back in 9 months to collect my 5 bills. Long story short theres a high perfomance tuning shop that will align and guarantee thier work for 6 months for 99.00

Oh and Burn It wasnt rubbung after all, I Didnt seat the two large rubber caps together in the rear and every time I hit a bump it would squeak. I thought it was rubbing. Took it out reseated it and all is perfect now!!!
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k152/jasonator28/IMG_0115.jpg
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You always want to look at the fine print.....all the tire, brake and alignment shops usually advertise a price and then under it "on most cars".....and unless you have a 1984 Ford Escort, your car doesn't fall under the term of "most cars".....

Back in the early 60's I couldn't afford much of a car. I lived in South Bend, IN at the time... the home of Studebaker. So my first car was a '64 Lark. Lark you say? Yeah, but it did have a 289 V8. During that first summer I put on some glass packs, red line tires and put on a "supercharger" hood bulge plus got me a couple of Avanti R2 stickers for the fenders (Studebaker did make a limited number of Larks with Avanti R2 supercharged engines in them - 350+ HP and they were bad). Any who... it was funny just how many Mustangs and Camaros wouldn't race me.

Going back to the summer of 1988 here...my '60 Lark had an inline 6 w/ a "3 on the tree"...it was that medium green color. I added 15x10"9!) Crager SS wheels w/ MIckeyThompson tires (swap meet specials) that had a bunch of back spacing so they got stuffed inside the fenderwells.(Trunk was a little rotted so I sorta "tubbed" it...the tires cleared the leaf springs by less than an 1/8" !) I cut two colis out the front to give it a nasty rake. And added a generic turbo muffler. It was a mean green crusin' machine...'till I replaced it w/ a similar green Chrysler Newport (think b-52s "Love Shack" video) w/ green vinyl top...and a 440 cop motor. Took the wheels off the Stude and "almost" fit 'em on the Newport!

I love weird stuff like this. :)

Will

I'm glad you're getting it done correctly....but I wouldn't hold my breath on getting 500 from that guy......I will cross bet you (gentlemen's bet of course) that he doesn't pay up :D

Of course the best betting story is from Dumb & Dumber when they bet $5 he could get him to gamble by the end of the day :razz: :razz:

I'm glad you're getting it done correctly....but I wouldn't hold my breath on getting 500 from that guy......I will cross bet you (gentlemen's bet of course) that he doesn't pay up :D

Of course the best betting story is from Dumb & Dumber when they bet $5 he could get him to gamble by the end of the day :razz: :razz:
I realize that I ll never see that money, Its just wierd that everyone is an expert, when in fact in the USA only 20 % of the people are actually skilled enough to be an expert in thier field.

Ummm....? (quietly raising hand in back of room, so as not to get the old cranky geezer label)

You have the four wheel drive option indicated in your profile. Can you speak to the actual loaded radius of the tires and how close they are front to back?

You see, it is a definite no-no to have different loaded radius tires/wheels on a four wheel drive vehicle. I'm curious as to how close this combination is so that you do not place a mechanical strain on the system and cause it to prematurely fail.

EXPERT= EX-has been, SPERT- drip under pressure:D

Ummm....? (quietly raising hand in back of room, so as not to get the old cranky geezer label)

You have the four wheel drive option indicated in your profile. Can you speak to the actual loaded radius of the tires and how close they are front to back?

You see, it is a definite no-no to have different loaded radius tires/wheels on a four wheel drive vehicle. I'm curious as to how close this combination is so that you do not place a mechanical strain on the system and cause it to prematurely fail.


The tires front to rear are no more than 3 sheets of paper difference. 3.5 millimeters I believe it is, and also the 4 wheel drive system in our cars put power to the rear when the front slip. There is always a margin of error in this system to acount for play in tire pressure, and spare tire issues. I coudnt quote the exact percentage but If I had to guestimate I would put it at +- 1%. But I did take this into acount. Very good observation though! And I wouldnt call you an old geezer, unless you insult me and reference yourself as such!! JK!

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html this is great tire tool!!!!

A good alignment takes at least an hour if not two to do the job. Takes almost an hour to set up a car on an alignment machine and then you need to add weight to the drivers seat. Your shop does this right? And then after the alignment you need to take everything back off and take car off machine.
Most tire shops are worthless especially the major chain stores when it comes to an alignment.

A Hunter alignment machine or another machine from a top company runs over $20k and some over $30k.

I pay about $200 for a quality alignment with local shop charging approx a $100 + for labor.

If you have coilovers you can alos have the car corner balanced etc. Find a Prosche shop that specializes in drivers schools and PCA club racing.

Jason ,i take the vette's to a quality vette shop and they do a 4 wheel alignment take it to one of them..:)

Jasonator..

Curious to know what offset are on those wheels..

-O

Jasonator..

Curious to know what offset are on those wheels..

-O
35 all the way around. We (as in the tire shop) tried 45 at first but the rear rubbed inside, so we had to go with a 35, and 20 stuck out way to far. The rims I was supposed to get were black 5 star with a polished lip, then just by chance this set was in the shop that I didnt see three weeks prior. and they were 3 lbs less per wheel, and each lb of unsprung weight is equal to 7lbs:so 3x7=21x4wheels is 84lbs less net weight the motor has to push, coupled with the smaller diameter wheel (by 1.5 inches), it takes less power to create the rpms, so with a lighter,smaller wheel you gain a little more power. Not that It really matters, but going from a 38lb 20 inch rim to this 26lb;er is a biiiigggg difference, plus its less wear on the motor.

VAherder:

Where do we get this type of proper alignment ??

[FONT="Impact"]THOSE LOOK DOPE....ALL THE WAY AROUND![/FON:D T]

Nothing like a nice set to dress up the E!

35 all the way around. We (as in the tire shop) tried 45 at first but the rear rubbed inside, so we had to go with a 35, and 20 stuck out way to far. The rims I was supposed to get were black 5 star with a polished lip, then just by chance this set was in the shop that I didnt see three weeks prior. and they were 3 lbs less per wheel, and each lb of unsprung weight is equal to 7lbs:so 3x7=21x4wheels is 84lbs less net weight the motor has to push, coupled with the smaller diameter wheel (by 1.5 inches), it takes less power to create the rpms, so with a lighter,smaller wheel you gain a little more power. Not that It really matters, but going from a 38lb 20 inch rim to this 26lb;er is a biiiigggg difference, plus its less wear on the motor.

Cool, thanks..

Great looking rims/tires combo, Jasonator. I have put on close to 10,000 miles on those tires and they still look new. I'm thinking I'll get about 25,000 miles out of them with no problems. I have 255/45/18 on 18X7.5 wheels so they don't look nearly as aggressive as your set-up does. Plus mine is not dropped since I live in the snowy midwest and it's my main winter car. The only thing I don't like about these tires is that they are kind of noisy. I guess it's a trade off for the awesome looking treads and the great performance for the price. Also I get a lot of little rocks wedged between the treads all the time. I say don't worry about what the haters say about your ride as long as you like how it looks. You're better off saving your energy and put another coat of wax on those shiny polished lips.

Yeah he wasn't hating on his tires and wheels but more for his attitude for why his E looked the way it did.......OR maybe hardguy wansn't even referring to cb. :-|

On any account it be good for everyone to keep their comments on the subject at had and not get into a young/old street/rugged etc. debate....and get their panties in a bunch :-o

I remember when I put my windshied decal on a lot of people hated it and stated so, but I didn't take it personal just another person's opinion....as long as they're respectful about it...who cares if you don't like what they have to say.

I know I was the one who started this thread, and it ended up fairly well butttt......I really wish we could all get along. This here post, the onw Im typing this very instant, is for the **** starters. Man!, I hate to see us all bitchin like this. I can say that if this were my website alot of us would be banned, including myself for the dispariging comments I have made in retaliation. We should rename this site to ElementOwnersHaterClub.com I for one am sick of the **** that goes on here. Have you seen the way we respond to trader ads? We beat the crap out of people till they give it away! Thats sad. I am going to repost this in the general category, so feel free to respond there. As far as Iam concerned this is a dead thread.

On any account it be good for everyone to keep their comments on the subject...


Well said.

As far as Iam concerned this is a dead thread.

Closing for now unless OP wants thread opened.