Posts from ‘Projects’
Centric Rotors
went to JRX rotary today to get new pads and rotors installed (finally)
Centric premium rotors are probably the best for the money OEM replacement rotors you can purchase, being that they cost about 50bux each.
The cobalt friction pads were made to order, eventually i wanted these for mazfest but they didnt get delivered until 2 weeks after, making it about 4 weeks in the making.
cars at JRX
We found one of the caliper sliding pins were stuck when we took off the caliper, probably due to heat generated running on very thin pads AND rotors. This is the result, note the uneven wear. These are project Mu pads with about 50k miles on them
So last week after i came back from Seattle, i yanked the Auto-power bar out of the car because i ordered a AWR racing roll bar. Yesterday i drove down to San Diego where AWR is located to pick it up.
First thing to in order was to rip out all the seats in the car, to make room for the bar. Since unlike Auto-power where everything attaches by bolts, the AWR bar is welded together.
On the website it lists 200lbs for the AWR bar, which i was a little apprehensive about the additional weight. To my relief i found out this 200lbs weight is the shipping weight, the actual bar is a lot lighter and significantly lighter than the Auto-power.
After lots of fumbling, bumping, jacking up the car, detaching a latch on the rear door and lots of cursing, this is what it looks like in the cabin. The bar clears the sunroof and dome light.
Over all i think the AWR is a much nicer piece. It’s a simple but functional approach to making a roll bar for the rx8. The rear attachment to the baby seat mounting points is very elegant, and preserves somewhat the usefulness of the back seats that makes the rx8 special.
Other stuff around the shop
Coilovers on, Front lip added
Finally got all the parts in for the bilsteins and had them installed. Still need to align and set the ride height a bit, will post full pix later. Track review coming after august 14th after mazfest. =D
oh yea and i took some pix of the 13b miata thats at jrx
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. |
