Vinyl Wheel Stripes
 

So I'm still saving for a set of custom painted wheels. In an effort to make my steelies look not so "steelie" I decided to get a set of pre-curved vinyl wheel stripes from Dunstan Graffix. http://www.dunstangraffix.com/zencart/ They are designed for motorcycles but worked great on my xD. They are available in sizes from 13-22 inches and come in many different colors and widths.

It took me less than 5 minutes a wheel to install these stripes, and the only thing more impressive than the effect you get is the price. Each set (4 wheel sides) remember they are designed for motorcycles, cost only $4.99 ea. With shipping it was less than $10.00! That's for all 4 of my wheels!

These things are a bargain in my opinion. If you are still running steel wheels, these have an immediate effect, you decide..

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That dont look bad at all. Good idea.

looks good! I wonder if I could run some color on the rims too.... hmmm..........

Hay Mike, I think you started something.

Yeah, these stripes have to be the best bang for the buck I've ever seen to spiff up the outside of your ride. I mean for under $10.00 to stripe all 4 wheels, it's insane. If you haven't checked out their site, check it out. It's pretty basic, and tailored for motorcycles, but it's the striping kits your after.

They also have reflective and other colored styles like barbed wire patterns, and custom text for a little more. Totally worth it I think. My nieghbors and friends are blown away by the new look, and the price cant be beat! Check out the short installation video so you see what they are, and how easy they go on.

Just select the wheel size you want, the width of the stripes, and color and your set. The ones I installed are 4mm's. Mine came really quickly, like in 3 days I think.

def gonna look into these

The reflective would look sweet.

I noticed you can add lettering to the stripes too :)

Haha, it would be just like my reflective "SCION xD" body graphics - sort of!

That's right.^ I guess with the right color combo, some folks might consider adding them to their custom wheels, it's fairly inexpensive to try it and see if it works with your wheels or not.

Nice job Mike, I like it!

Thanks Ryan, it's amazing how much better the car looks now. The stripes give it a subtle accent, and sort of brings it all together. The wheels I'm saving for have a similar look, only BETTER! Can't wait to get them and get the glass tinted, then I will be sportin' like all you guys!

Here's the wheels I'm aiming for, they Raderwerks M TEN 80 BR's, but I will have them paint the red stripe Hot Lava orange.. :signs6:

They have a custom paint feature>http://www.raderwerks.com/

http://www.raderwerks.com/sites/defa...l_mten80br.png

Nice wheels! Anyone ever hear of Nexo wheels? I found some that were on a 06 TC not too far from me. Anyone know if they will fit? He said they come with Nexen tires and hub centric rings.

The bolt pattern should be the same, (5X100). If the offset is close to +35? they should work.

The offset is + 45
So what would that do to the handling and appearance? Is a hub centric ring some sort of spacer? Sorry to sound dumb, but is the higher offset going to make the wheel stick out further by 10cm?

The way I understand it, is that the higher the positive offset the further in the wheel and tire will be in relationship to the fender. In other words a +35 offset wheel will sit more flush to the fender than a +45 wheel. I believe you could even run a 10mm spacer with those wheels to get them to be more flush to the fender if that is what your after.

See the illustration below and you will understand the concept.

http://rcmoc.org.uk/bitsnbobs/images/wheel_offset.JPG

There are some really sharp people here that know this stuff really well, and one of them might pop in here and add more info.

Where are you Martin?

it depends on if you're lowered and what springs, if you are. The higher the offset, the less the wheel sticks out.
I run an 18x8" wheel with +45 offset and df210 springs. There's no way I could go with a lower offset or spacer without rubbing.

A hub ring is a small ring that sits on the inside of the wheel and just helps to center the wheel on the hub of the car. It's doesn't affect spacing or offset. Most wheels for Scions need them unless you're going custom made or just luck up on a brand that does them in our hub size.

for the most part, any wheels that were on a tC will fit the xD just fine. the bolt pattern is the same, 5x100.

Thanks guys! I get it now. I have an RS 1.0 so it is lowered a bit but only from the factory, nothing additional or extreme. I think I'll go check them out.

so you have TRD springs then, you could prolly do +35 offset with those. Generally the lower the offset the deeper or more lip the wheel has. That's why we're limited on deep dish wheels, we don't have alot of space under there for really low offsets.

The stock wheels are around +45 offset, so expect the Nexo wheels to sit the same as the steelies.

Thanks! That was my next question, what offset are the stock wheels.

No problem, you will be safe is you stay under 8.5 inch wide wheels, and an offset with a number between +30 and +45.

Ryan speaks the truth...I have experimented with several offsets by using Randode.com spacers...Here is what I found:

18" x 7.5" Enkei Super7's in a 45 offset/TRD Springs/No rubbing

18" x 7.5" Enkei Super7's in a 45 offset/TRD Springs/with 10mm Randode Spacers only rubbed in rear on BIG bumps

18" x 8" Axis Decades in a 35 offset/Tanabe DF210's/with 10mm Randode Spacers/Will not fit even after grinding inner fender

18" x 8" Axis Decades in a 35 offset/Tanabe DF210's/with 5mm Randode Spacers/Rubs too much to drive, need to run a stretched tire

18" x 8" Axis Decades in a 35 offset/Tanabe DF210's/Grinded Inner Fender Lip Down/ No Rubbing