I faced two challenges – imminent structural failure of ATS Streetrally alloy rims and premium tires made from PET bottles, old shoes and who knows what else they use…challenge was to find something optimal in price range for puny mortals.
As usually rims are compromise of durability and weight. Weight is rarely durable. There is many fancy technologies such as forging, low/high pressure casting, High Light Technology (HLT) and so on. Forged wheels are light, brittle…standard casting method is cheap, soft. Racing wheels aim somewhere between…heavy duty, durability and weight. Last thing you want your rims to break after long jump, right 😉
I considered Skoda rims because they are bomb-proof, heavy and already proven by HR Labs. The only thing that stopped me from buying Compomotive racing wheels was their size that didn’t fit my family car.
I always wanted OZ Racing because they have long rally heritage but I’m also not crazy enough to spend 2000€ on wheel set…because I wreck it anyway. My theory was confirmed by guys from Compomotive…they simply told me “from mail I did read I’m afraid you will wreck even racing wheels but they will last longer than anything else commercially available for tuners.”
Sure, I wish legendary OZ Racing Rally Racing wheels and that’s why I’ve bought ATS Streetrally because they look similar. Once again, I’m not crazy enough to waste resources on fancy stuff as most do.
I’ve found optimal solution OZ Racing/MSW 85. Company MSW manufactures under supervision of OZ Racing – TÜV certificate and OZ Racing quality assurance. Factory wheels have TÜV and it is feeling of some standards and quality. Only time will tell how long those rims will last !
Last challenge was tyres – I wanted to experiment with some pure sport tyres and how longer they last compared to premium tyres such as my favourite Yoko C.Drive 2. Manufacturers claim about four times longer life time over normal tires. If normal tyre lasts 8.000km in my case, this tyre suppose to last 32.000km…man can always dream, it is only FREE thing in modern world.
I wanted something that handles negative camber well and have decent compromise of wet and dry grip because I can’t be picky in Alps. I like Yokohama because Japanese philosophy and precision is like mine. Furthermore, they produce quality for good price = optimal solution…unlike most western greedy companies offering overpriced crap.
Yokohama Advan Neova AD08R caught my eye – steel sidewall insert was exactly what I needed. I don’t like much eExperts and their whining on internet but most people are great review tool because critics are only time when people don’t lie and exaggerate.
Just few kilometres on above by mentioned combo and I fell immediately in love. Yoko Advan is hard-walled candy with precise control and greater grip than Yoko C.Drive 2. It even improved oversteer I always wanted to achieve with chassis setup. Only time tells how long tyres and wheels will last.
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