Archive for May, 2010
Back in April, I attended the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai Circuit. It was a rushed weekend since I flew from Shenzhen to Shanghai, and then after dropping off luggage and eating lunch, it was immediately off to the track to watch qualifying (and the Asia Carrera Cup).
Everyone constantly mentions the piercing sound of a F1 car when seeing them in person, and that is the first amazing thing about them. Their stopping ability is also awesome, but sitting in Turn 1 at the Shanghai Circuit, my ability to witness that is minimized as the drivers have to balance braking with turning entering the corners. Nonetheless, the engines sound like some of the most unholy banshees dragging their prey to hell. Simply stunning, and capable of causing you permanent hearing you.
One amazing thing is how quickly one adjusts to seeing the speed of cars. F1 cars didn’t seem amazing at all until after they were done with qualifying and the Asia Carrera Cup cars were on track. Now I’ve witness Porsche Cup cars running while I was at a track day and back then those cars seemed so much faster than what we were driving. The Carrera Cup is a couple notches higher than anything the Porsche Cup has, but the Carrera Cup cars looked positively slow, like they were stuck running in molasses, after seeing the F1 cars. This was especially apparent in the Turn 7-8-9 complex. Where the Carrera Cup cars seem to transition from corner to corner, the F1 cars appear to just flick from apex to apex. Flick, flick, flick, and they’re gone. Amazing.
Overall, Saturday qualifying came and went with another Red Bull pole and not much surprise in the results. I went back to my hotel weary, but in anticipation of the raceday to come.
Nothing sets off a car more than a nice set of properly sized rims. Here is some that i’ve been oogling about for the last couple of monthes.
To start off, currently on my car:
 18×8.5 45mm Rays Gram Light 57F, custom powder coated to Time Attack colors. These babies were originally sourced from a batch made for the Nismo Altima, which never made it to the states. Thus the rims were discarded and sold through smaller vendors at a very cheap price. For about $1000, you get a set of very lightweight (17.6lbs) forged monoblock wheels (read, strong). A deal i could not pass up. |
 The Potential Replacements:
It’s been a couple of years and the finish on the once brand new Gram Light wheels has grown dull from brake dust and rock chips. The time attack style is already played out. (much like spinners, once you see a toyota camry with timeattack styled Steelies, its out.) I find myself looking more and more in the for sale section of forums and on vendor websites. Weds Sport SA67r in BLC, at $650 a pop these cost quite a pretty penny. But they are gorgeous. Although they dont have a lip that subtle concave look in the Blue Light Chrome finish can definately conjur up the word sexy in my mind. |
 Weds Sport TC105n, I’ve always thought that a wheel should be as light as possible on a sports car to reduce rotational inertia and unsprung mass. The TC105n definately fits the bill, being the lightest Weds Sport wheels made to date. There is no crazy chrome finish, no lip, just a simple titanium coating and simple yet elegant design. Form over Function. |
 Volk Racing Ce28n, Everyone into imports have probably heard of Volk Racing. From back in the days when fixed up civic hatch backs used to roam the streets looking for stop light races, Volks have always been revered as the best wheels that money can buy in terms of quality and style. The ce28n is no less, being the one of the lightest Volk wheels offered they are also unmistakably stylish. |
 Volk Racing Re30 formula silver, Volks strongest rim. In racing applications while weight plays a huge part in performance, so does rigidity. Some wheels are lightweight but are not very rigid, during hard cornering or acceleration certain wheels would bend or flex, minimizing performance. RE30 while not the lightest of Volk Racing wheels, is probably one of the strongest. |
 CCW C14, I found the brand CCW while in a temporal emotional affair with the datsun 240z. While browsing through pages and pages of beautifully restored and modded Datsun Zs, i noticed some beautifully crafted 3-piece wheels (classics). The affair ended, but the infatuation with the wheels remained. CCW c14s, while not old school nor 3-piece, is a beautifully crafted wheel. CNC machined out of 1 peice of solid aluminum, with spokes designed to encase large brakes. CCW also makes wheels to order at almost any size and offset specified, with multiple finishes to choose from, truly a custom choice. |
 CCW Classics, after my temporary infatuation with oldschool cars, i began to appreciate thier style. I noticed that alot of the contemporary cars while tuned to be trendy and racy, with carbon fiber parts, lips and canards everywhere, lack the old school charm. Reintroducing the classic 3 peice racing wheel look. With a hint of modern design and technology. These beauties come in 2 trims. A race version and a street version. The Race version has no center caps and a swissed out face for lighter weight. Also comes with cheaper fasteners. The street version comes with centercaps and ARP fasteners for that extra bling. As with other CCW wheels, these are made to spec and come in several different finishes. My current favourite wheel, if i do choose to go down this route will have a polished lip and clear anodized center. |
Angeles Crest Highway is one of my favourite backroads in and around los angeles. Before the fire i used to visit every weekend, but every since the fires, the rain and subsequent mudslides have forced Cal trans to shut down the road. Recently the rear section of the road is once again open, and accessible by taking a slightly longer route around. This is exactly what we did.
