Somebody got some new wheels.

Wheels are expensive. Luckily for me there's a brand called Rota that makes replica wheels. These wheels use popular designs and tweaks them to resist infringing on existing patents and copyrights. I finally got the funds to buy me some Volk TE37 replicas, known as the "ROTA Grids." A lot of people hate on Rotas saying they're structurally weak wheels, but for the price, you can't really complain! Plus, I got mine used for $900 and they came with tires. The Grids normally cost around $999 plus the cost of tires. I later found out that the tires I got retail for about $340... EACH! They were in perfect condition too. Apparently they're "run-flat" tires, meaning that if you get a flat, you can still drive up to 100 miles at 60mph. WOAH!

The only downside was that when I got them, they were white and a bit scratched up. I figured that since I got such a good deal, I'd get them professionally powder coated. Big mistake! You see, I wanted a dark gray gunmetal-ish color for the wheels. The guy at the paint place gave me a pamphlet with hundreds of different colors. I went with the color I thought most closely looked like a dark gray. Turns out the gray I chose had a very noticeable blue tint to it. In the sun these wheels looked like a pastel blue. I was not stoked. I drove around with them for a week hoping I would change my mind, but it only got worse. Finally I said enough was enough. I headed down to Autozone and picked up some flat black wheel paint. I spent the next weekend re-painting the wheels. It took all day, but I'm really happy with the finished product. Not a huge fan of the "murdered out" all black look, but it's better than it was before! Overall I'm excited to be driving in a aggressively stanced car. Not slammed, but riding "practical low." I can still make it over speed bumps just fine.