As I always say, stock wheels and stock ride height make all cars ugly. We already immediately changed the suspension with JIC cross for the best handling on and off the track, but now it was time for wheels. For the 135I, we wanted to stay true to its roots of the track monster it could be. We wanted a lightweight wheel that had the Euro look to it. So we hooked up with our friends at HRE Wheels. Since the 1 piece monoblock wheel sizing was not available for us, we went with their Competition Series. The Competition series wheels feature titanium hardware and special honing on the spokes to reduce weight while still keep structural integrity. The 3 piece wheel features a mesh center with a step lip in true Euro fashion. The front is a 19×8.5 and the rear is a 19×9.5. The wheels are EXTREMELY light, weighing in around 18-19lbs. The finish of these wheels is a flat black center with a gloss black lip. Now I know the Time Attack look has been played out, but we need something more then the murdered out look. So instead of a tiny pinstripe, we added a full 1 inch red ring around the outside of the wheel. Hey, this is our business and we need to stand out!
For rubber we went with the Toyo T1R tires. The fronts are a 235/35/19 and the rears are a 265/30/19 with no rubbing. Toyo and Vivid Racing have been working more closely together since our debut at the 2008 SEMA show with our Project EVO X. The Toyo T1R tire is on par with the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires we have been running on our Porsche cars at a fraction of the cost. The tread design is amazing for dry and wet weather performance while also providing great handling and traction for those aggressive driving days. With a treadwear rating of 280, we expect to have these for at least 20,000 miles as long as the burnouts don’ get us first.
You can check out more pics of our Project 135I on our Gallery Here.
The wheels are nice, just wish the red stripe wasn’t soo wide. it’s hard to tell the that rear actually has more lip than the front.
Maybe I’ll have to wait until I see them in person… What’s with the big black and red themes lately?