Nick G's ZRE152 JDM Auris!

[KPaz]

Hey guys!

I'm relatively new to TOCAU, just had some time so I took a few photos of my rolla to put on my build thread :)

Model: Corolla Ascent, 2008 - Light Mica Blue Metallica (same colour as Cuong's car!)

Both my parents drive automatics, and at the time of purchase when I needed this car, I could only drive auto, so unfortunately it is an automatic car.

I recently learnt how to drive manual, but I won't be changing cars anytime soon, as it's perfect for my needs as a uni student! :P It still goes pretty well and I'm quite happy with it to be honest :) I love my rolla for what it is :)

Been getting alot of advice and help from a few people - (Cuong, Charlie, Pete, John, Ben etc. ) - just wanted to say thanks guys for all your advice and help along the way!

I haven't finished all my mods yet, being in uni and all.. it takes time!

So my current mods...

MODS COMPLETED

Exterior

- TRD Front Spoiler/lip

- Levin Style Rear Spoiler

- Levin Side Skirts

- TTE Rear Skirt with grille

- 35% 'Octane' Window Tint (from tint-a-car)

- Stubby Antennae

- Philips Crystal Vision 4300k for parkers, Low (H11) + High (HB3) beams

- JDM Netz Badge

- Debadged "SECA" and "ASCENT", removed black strips on doors

Interior

- TRD Leather Gear Knob

- JDM Black Hazard Switch (with red triangle)

Engine and Exhaust

- Injen CAI

- WeaponR 4-2-1 Headers

- 2" Catback Exhaust with Xforce Twinloop Muffler (S10) and couple of hotdogs (so it's not too loud)

Brakes, Suspension and Handling

- DBA Slotted Rotors (front + rears)

- Bendix 4WD Brake Pads (fronts)

- RDA Extreme Brake Pads (rears)

- Lovells Lows Springs (30-40mm drop) [i considered coilovers, but I don't go to track and I like my ride comfort!]

- Cusco Front Strut + Rear Swaybar

Wheels + Tyres

- 15" Bob Jane alloys (5 x 114.3) with Michelin Energy XM2 tyres (195/65/15) (I got these rims at the beginning as they were all I could afford at the time)

More photos...

Before..

After..

FUTURE MODS

- JDM Slim Weathershields/Visors (currently waiting, ordered from Japan)

- Rear Auris Badge (currently waiting, ordered from Japan)

- JDM Smoked LED Tail Lights (currently waiting, ordered from Japan)

- Fog Lights

- Black Headlights

- Levin Rear Spoiler with brake light

- TRD Rear Spoiler

- Modellista Slim Garnish

- Modellista Front Lip

- Modellista Rear Skirt with Exhaust Garnish

- 17x8 Enkei RPF1, +45 offset (matte black) with Kumho KU31s, 215/45/17 or 225/45/17 (not sure which size to go for :S )

- 5 or 10mm spacers to make +40 or +35 offset (although not sure to do with safety etc.)

Anyway guys, that's all for now! Comments and feedback welcome! I'm pretty new to this modding thing, but I think I've got the modding bug! :P Look forward to getting some feedback, you're all a great bunch of people! :D

Cheers!

Nick

Edited April 30, 2012 by KPaz

[jeffy]

mmm that sidewall ;) ! haha dw man i know how you feel :D

great work so far though !

[123R-Prozak]

I'll run ya lol

[juvenile]

Nice work on the car, very nice

[Noodlez]

very clean :D i think u shld get some nicer wheels next but ;)

[jeffy]

^yeah, buy mine lol, :D

[KPaz]

Thanks for the support guys!

@juvenile: Thanks man! It's taken a while though, but more to come in the future! :D

@prozak: Lol no way man! Can't beat a sportivo.. but I'll give you a run for ya money! :P

@jeffy: Cheers for the feedback, yeah, that sidewall ;) Not too keen on gold wheels tbh, I prefer black/silver rims :P

@noodlez: Thanks for the gesture man! :) I plan on getting Gunmental Advanti Talons 17" in the future once I saved up! :D

[Noodlez]

how about some xxrs? thats what im thinking about getting atm :P

[KPaz]

Hmm the xxr's don't seem to have the kind of colour/design I'm looking for ^_^ But at least the advanti talons are relatively more affordable than some of the other brands I was considering ie. buddyclub, enkei, work rims etc. I saw another member has one, I think it's Huey, the black facelift rolla, but his one looks pretty sweet with advanti talons... although I'm not too sure about whether they are as light as Advanti says they are...

[Seby123]

looks like a nice choice in wheels, will definitely be a great improvement over your Bob Jane set now haha

[123R-Prozak]

I won't hit lift, I promise lol

[ben yip]

the wheels just ruin everything, as others point out !!

and you have put this post in the wrong section, it should be Members Ride, please ask the admin to move it

Your car should be much more powerful than the stock !!

Although the wheel is ugly, but it will be light weight. Please spend some time on finding some light weight 17.. or otherwise your car will be slower after changing to 17. and the difference is very noticable

Edited March 26, 2012 by ben yip

[Noodlez]

Btw how much was ure tint ?

[KPaz]

@seby123: Hey man! Great seeing you at the euromeet the other day! :) Yeah I'm looking for better rims, just need to find funds...

@Ben: The car definitely does go quite nicely! & yeah you do make a good point about 17" being heavier, though I'm just trying to find the money to afford the new rims! Light weight ones will be expensive, so it'd take some time and patience till I come across any decent used ones :) Although I have tried to look for advanti talon 17" wheel weight specs... haven't come across any yet.. do you know if they are heavy for a 17" alloy? :S

@Noodlez: Got the tint for $300 discount/special from TintACar (it was one off at the time) but they normally retail for around $450 I believe? I was pretty lucky. Although you can get some decent tinting done elsewhere like Ground Zero Tint for around $200 I think? I went to TintACar in West Ryde and they do all of the West Ryde Toyota tinting, so I knew their service and quality would be worth what I pay for, and so far I haven't had any troubles! Initially the manager/owner there said $350 but after talking to him for a few min he said he could take it down a bit for me! :)

[jeffy]

orr you can buy my light 17's (6.9kg) and plasti dip it black ;)

unless you want my black phat xxr 527s lol

yeah hueys got them rims,

[Seby123]

bet my 17s weigh as much as those bob janes...your car wont be noticeably slower if you upgrade to 17s lol. unless theyre chromies :L

[KPaz]

Hmm, I read somewhere I while back, that the advanti talons are 200g heavier than the Enkei GTCO1's... dunno how reliable that is... but yeah still searching around... do you think the black or gunmental would suit better?

Cheers!

[Seby123]

hmm tough choice...but for racing wheels id say gunmetal :P

[juvenile]

Hmm, I read somewhere I while back, that the advanti talons are 200g heavier than the Enkei GTCO1's... dunno how reliable that is... but yeah still searching around... do you think the black or gunmental would suit better?

Cheers!

Yep I've seen the Talon and yes they are light, gun metal for sure ;)

[KPaz]

Thanks for the support guys!

So far I'm considering the Enkei RPF1's, also they're more JDM :P However I am considering the Advanti Talon (gunmental) as a fall-back.

Dimensions being considered are 17x7 (6.8kg per rim, roughly 27kg per set) or 17x8 (7.25kg per rim, roughly 30kg per set) and not to mention gotta add tyres on top of that... but pretty light hey guys! :P

Not sure whether to go for matte black or the silver rpf1s to suit my light blue coloured rolla? :S

My current offset on 15x6 is +38.

The 17x7 come with offset +45.

The 17x8 come with offset +35 or +45.

I'm thinking the 17x8 should offer good gains in handling, although slightly heavier than the 17x7, but also the +35 offset should be good.

Unless is it possible to get a +45 to near a +35 offset? :S Dunno the entire technicalities of this.

Also wanted people's opnions on tyres. I've been told the Kumho KU31's are a good intermediate brand to get, cheaper pricing, but you get what you pay for - I've been told it's a bang for you buck. However I went into Jax Tyres and they said Kumhos are not good and that I should go for Michelins etc... Any good brands people know out there? (Nice ride comfort, handling/grip, fuel efficiency, wear etc. )

Cheers!

Nick

Edited March 31, 2012 by KPaz

[dyslexik]

Like most tyre shops, they will always tell you to buy the more exy one.

List of Tyres I had considered last year.

• Toyo Proxes R1R 

• Toyo Proxes T1R

• Dunlop Sport Maxx GT

• Dunlop Direzza Z1

• Michelin PS3 well above Potenza Adrenaline RE001 & RE002.

• Advan Neova AD08 (Track/Street). Better than PS3 and S001. Caution: Lower load rating for normal daiy driving. Designed for a stripped out race car.

• Bridgestone Potenza S001 - replaced RE050, used in LF-A, Audi RS5 & Ferrari 458. Sharper bite, initial turn in through the slalom. More progressive steering & higher levels of cornering grip against the closest rival - Michelin PS3 tyres.

I bought the S001 set of 4 for a very special price ($269) last year.

I had my new spare rim wrapped in the same tyre just this Saturday for the same price even though the price had increased back to their original pice of $3xx. In the wet, these are awesome. Couple of members witness the cornering on these tyres.

In the dry, they are even more awesome.

Your best tyre is what you can afford and available in your area. The only influence the tyre shop had on me in buying the S001 was... nothing. I did the research and just rang up and said these are the Tyres+profiles I want in the order of preference and get me the ones that are made in Japan and not in Malaysia, Thailand, etc.

Different profiles get made in different countries too for the same brand. Beware.

[KPaz]

Hey there Domo,

Thanks for the reply! I had looked at the Dunlop Sport Maxx, Michelin Pilot Sport 3 and the Bridgestone Potenza's however the per tyre cost is around $250 each I believe? However I guess it is true, you get what you pay for - you pay a premium price for a premium product in return!

I also looked at some Continental Sport tyres, but they are quite pricey too. However I guess if I'm getting good rims (RPF1) I might as well wait a little longer and get better tyres too! :)

And yes, I was warned about parallel imports, as some tyre profiles made for different climates/countries will affect the use..

Anyway, thanks for the feedback! I was keen to know if the premium brands (Micheln PS3 and Bridgestone Potenza) really live up to the value that they are priced at!

Cheers!

Nick

[ben yip]

I use KU31 and it is bad..

You are using for the street, not for track, so you don't need super expensive price.. I am using RE002 and quite good for the street and good pricing !!!

Sydney roads are full of police anyways, unless you live in the country, you cannot play with the tyres

[KPaz]

Thanks Ben! I've heard that KU31's are what you pay for -> cheaper price = cheaper quality (although some say it is worth the low $$ you put in)

But I am considering of saving up that bit extra to go for the PS3 or the Potenza's.

Still need to get the enkei rims in though, am thinking matte black would suit.. unless anyone reckons silver goes?

Cheers guys!

[dwee.]

17x8 +35. Perfect and no scrubbing. :D

Awesome mod list you got there; well done and keep it up! Got all these silent forum readers coming out of nowhere! Haha