Factors to Consider for Wheel Fitment

• Wheel Size: Choosing the right wheel diameter and width is essential for achieving the desired stance.

• Offset: The offset determines how far in or out the wheels sit within the wheel wells, impacting both aesthetics and performance.

• Tire Size: Proper tire size selection is crucial for maintaining clearance and ensuring a balanced stance.

• Suspension Setup: The suspension system plays a significant role in achieving the ideal ride height and overall stance of the vehicle.

Tips for Achieving the Perfect Wheel Fitment

1. Research and Planning: Before making any changes, thoroughly research fitment options and understand the impact on the vehicle.

2. Consult Experts: Seek advice from professionals or enthusiasts who have experience with achieving the desired stance.

3. Test Fitment: Trial fitting wheels and tires before final installation can help avoid costly mistakes.

4. Alignment: Proper alignment is essential for both aesthetics and performance after adjusting wheel fitment.

Examples of Well-Executed Stances

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Improper Fitment: Incorrect wheel and tire sizes can lead to rubbing, poor handling, and potential damage to the vehicle.

• Extreme Stance: Overly aggressive fitment may compromise functionality and safety, impacting the overall driving experience.

• Neglecting Suspension: Ignoring the role of the suspension system can result in an unbalanced stance and poor ride quality.

ORACLE Lighting is best known for their wide variety of lighting solutions. From universal applications, to niche and model-specific lighting products, the product lineup is impressive and all-encompassing. When we had reached out for an unboxing, we were spitballing ideas on how to use an underglow kit to also add engine bay lighting to the project 240sx with additional LED strips. Rather than hack something together, ORACLE had the solution - two separate kits: One underglow kit, and one specifically designed engine bay lighting kit. With a quick visit to Design Shop React, installation was a breeze. Even though we used a lift and a second set of hands, both of these kits are simple and straightforward enough that anyone should be able to make quick work of these installs in the driveway or garage.

When we recently unboxed the custom care package from Dress Up Bolts for PAS Editor Adam Gordon's S13 240sx, we were already envisioning how good this stuff would look under the hood on the SR20DET. It all started in Vegas during SEMA 2022, when our team was hanging out with the dudes from Dress Up Bolts, Seth and Travis. We got to talking about their hardware, and our cars, and soon enough were were showing them photos of Gordon Leadfoot's S13 240sx. Immediately, they had an idea. Dress Up Bolts has an SR20DET kit, but Gordon's SR is from an S15 Silvia, which means different valve cover hardware. Luckily, they had experience with this and knew that older Evo valve cover hardware was a perfect fit. They also supplied strut tower top nuts, valve stem caps, and some custom ordered stuff that Gordon measured beforehand. The before and after speaks for itself!

BEFORE

AFTER

Mackin Industries, the name behind iconic monikers like RAYS Wheels, Yokohama ADVAN, and many more, has been a busy brand this year. They've been sharing all of the latest and greatest releases with us, even after SEMA 2022! Here are just five of what we think are the coolest new wheels Mackin/RAYS/Yokohama ADVAN have to offer lately:

RAYS Wheels
GramLIGHTS 57DR

While the 57DR may not be an entirely new design for RAYS Wheels, that Mach Yellow finish is certainly a fresh look! More info here.

RAYS Wheels
HOMURA 2x5RA

A new addition to RAYS Wheels Homura designs - the RA series. Following in the footsteps of the 2x7RA before it, the 2x5RA offers eye-catching personality in a sleek package. More info here.

RAYS Wheels
Versus VV21SX

RAYS Versus series wheels for 6-lug vehicles ready to off-road? Say no more. More info here.

Yokohama Wheel
ADVAN Racing Oni2

One of the coolest things Mackin showed us at SEMA 2022 - the return of the 3-spoke! THe ADVAN Racing Oni2 revives the triangle design of the original the ADVAN wheel and brings it back to the present day. The new concept 14- and 15-inch sizes target mainly K-cars and small cars... for now. More info here.

Yokohama Wheel
ADVAN Racing GT-4

We know what you're thinking. The ADVAN Racing GT-4? That's Yokohama Wheel's flagship model - that's not new! While it may be an existing design already, the most exciting news comes in the form of what *is* new: 17-inch sizes! More info here.

Photography by Adam Gordon, Michael Nardi.

We saved the best part for last.

This is part 5 of a 5-part series. Missed the beginning? Start here.

Way back when we determined what makes a proper street car, I boiled it down to three main factors: Reliability, Comfort, and Style. after addressing both reliability and comfort in the previous two chapters, I finally reached the crescendo of the entire build - style. the entire two-year process of turning someone’s old track toy into the perfect street car had finally reached the home stretch.

It's important to note that style is ultimately subjective, but some things are universal. Things like proportions, lines, color scheme, fitment, and overall composition are all factors in building a car in which all parts work together to create a cohesive theme or look. This meant that my S13’s badly-fitting OEM aero and mismatched gray panels were on the chopping block as I planned a total transformation from top to bottom.

Luckily for me, BASF offered to partner up with us for this portion of the build, and I couldn’t be happier to have the world’s best paint company helping me out. They introduced me to Kingsmen Kustoms in Mississauga, an incredible custom shop that specializes in bringing dreams to reality. In a meeting with both BASF and Kingsmen Kustoms, we narrowed down the three things that make up any car’s style points: overall theme, fitment, and color scheme.

Overall Theme

If you’re looking to build something that will remain timeless in its looks, you’ll need an overarching theme to tie everything together. Throwing everything that sticks at a car can result in overkill, even if it does take home the hardware at some shows (and there’s nothing wrong with that, if that's your thing). For me, less is more. I’ve always had a particular affinity for period correct “OEM-plus” JDM cars, and I wanted my 240sx to emulate the style of the golden era of 180sx drift cars, even if I don’t drift (I know, I know. Ironic name for the whole project, then).

In addition to lowering the car substantially, a full RPS13 Type-X aero kit, the same offered from Japanese OEM Nissan at the time, was the key to simple Japanese styling, and would be a perfect fit for the Type X tail lights I installed back in Chapter 1. I still wanted to spice things up just a little bit for that OEM-plus look, so I sourced a D-Max roof spoiler, a low profile Origin Labo trunk spoiler, Origin Labo +20-mm vented fenders, some Ganador mirrors, and N1-style front bumper vents originally made for R33 GT-Rs. These parts give an aggressive look while still remaining relatively subtle overall. With all due respect to the “big wang gang,” little changes that you only notice upon closer inspection are definitely my style.

Fitment

When we use the word fitment, the first thing that comes to mind for many people is wheel and tire fitment. While that was also addressed in previous chapters, fitment, in this case, also refers to the fitment of body panels, aero, and other aftermarket exterior modifications. Sure, I could just unbolt my old pig-nose front bumper and bolt the Type X front end in its place, but the gaps between panels would persist. This is where Kingsmen Kustoms’ expert eye came in handy. With careful measuring and some neat body shop tools I had never seen before, like a contour measuring gauge, Claudio La Gatta and his family team got to work ensuring my Type X aero would fit to the body with minimal gap between pieces, and cleaned up the rough body.

Because the fenders and spoiler are fiberglass, unlike the Type X kit, which is easily workable polyurethane, some trimming and fitting was required to achieve perfect fitment. Ultimately, that ended up being the easy part, as the front end of the car had been slightly warped after a long life. A bit of tough love and manhandling of the front end, and the S13 started to look straighter than I had ever seen it, with equally spaced gaps between hood and headlight on both sides, as well as proper fitment for the new fenders.

If you’re tackling panel or aero fitment at home in the garage, it’s good to keep in mind that polyurethane will become easier to shape with heat, whereas fiberglass requires trimming and fitting repeatedly until it fits right. Patience is key, so keep and eye on your body lines, gaps between panels, and symmetry on both sides of the car as you take your time fitting aero. The results are worth it!

Color Scheme

My favorite part. It was time for the BASF Refinish R-M line of paints to show off their near 50 years of paint science on my blank canvas. We spent some time experimenting with paint samples, spray-outs, and refer- ence paints before we created a one-off paint that blew all of us away. After hours of mixing and spraying, the last paint we sprayed hit the light, and the entire team stepped back. “That’s the one,” we all said, more or less in unison. We had finally found the look I was searching for when this whole projectbegan two years prior, and it would work really well with the new black chrome coating on my Nismo wheels.

Thanks to some help from an assortment of 3M prep products, my 50 shades of gray paint was stripped off, and the body was sanded, blocked, and primered. Once non-paintable areas were masked off, it was off to the spray booth for a multi-stage process. First the base coats, then the mid-coats with extra pearls, and finally a protective clear coat for the glossy effect.

The final product is a custom blend, derived from Porsche’s Jet Green Metallic paint (also a BASF product), with a special blend of blue-green pearl in the mid-coat in order to give the paint added depth. When the car was revealed to me after being away for a month behind closed doors where I couldn’t watch the process unfold, I was utterly speechless. The paint changes hues depending on the lighting and the angle you look at it, and the combination of the deep green and the flashes of blue pearls in the light blend the subtlety I was seeking with the wow-factor I secretly wanted the whole time.

The Final Product

When I first embarked on this project two years ago, I had no idea what I was in for. The process of taking someone’s old gutted track toy and bringing it back to perfect street comfort was a long journey, with lots of work and related stress along the way, but I learned so much from the whole experience that I would happily do it all again. The car was made reliable, comfortable, and finally, thanks to BASF and Kingsmen Kustoms, cleaned up to what I consider peak street style. None of this would have been possible without the friends and partners who helped me every step of the way, and that’s what this whole crazy scene we all know and love is really about, isn’t it?

All together, the stylistic transformation came together even better than I had ever imagined. The aero additions give the car a subtle yet aggressive look I was after, without going overboard, and the deep paint lends even more to that theme when coupled with the deep chrome powdercoat on the wheels. All in, the recipe equates to an OEM-plus look that I think will remain timeless as my time of ownership with this car extends beyond this project and into the future. It’s been more fun than I’d ever had imagined getting to this point, but it’s still a relief to be “finished” - at least as finished as I needed with respect to the project. For now, I’ll be enjoying the car on the road and at the track, instead of at the back of a shop. Finally, the perfect street car.