ESM Wheels New ESM-016 17inch Wheels

ESM has just released this new style cast wheel for the 2016 new year.  The ESM-016 is a 17×8.5 wheel that comes in silver and pays homage to rally racing.  The wheels are available in 4×100, 5×100, 5×114.3, and 5×120 vehicles.  At a super affordable price of under $200 per wheel, these are a definitely great grab for a track wheel.  Fitments for Honda, Acura, Nissan, Toyota, Subaru, and BMW.  Interested in ordering a set, contact us today!

You can shop all ESM Wheels Here.

ESM-016	17×8.5	4×100	30	73.1
ESM-016	17×8.5	5×100	30	73.1
ESM-016	17×8.5	5×114.3	30	73.1
ESM-016	17×8.5	5×120	30	72.6

ESM Wheels New ESM-016 17inch Wheels

Mini Countryman S JCW in the Wild Photoshoot

Our new Mini Countryman S JCW is a super fun project car.  When you see these in stock form, you usually think and say, “ehhhhhh”.  But with a little bit of mods in the looks and power department, these become little rockets that can haul the family around.  Equipped with our VR Tuned ECU flash, Quicksilver Exhaust, and ESM Wheels, the Project Car is just starting out!  We have so much more coming down the pipe for this guy.  Dyno tests, more handling parts, more power parts, and style that will make you go blink and scream WANT!  So check out this photoshoot we recently did in the wild with our Mini and let us know what you think!  Comment away

View all Mini Performance Parts Here

Bud Light!

 

 

Mini Countryman S JCW in the Wild Photoshoot

Mini Countryman S JCW Modification Build Begins

Much like the Mini family always expanding, so is the Vivid Racing Project Car family.  Since 2001 we have made a name for ourselves with Project Cars and set a trend for others to follow with documentation, exploration,and validation of these vehicles.  A project car for us at Vivid Racing is a way to collaborate with our favorite brands and new brands to showcase their parts, as well develop new products with our sister company, Agency Power.  Each project car that we do allows us to gain first hand knowledge of that vehicle, its community of drivers, and what it takes to make modifications safe, reliable, and enjoyable.  Not speaking for everyone, but I have always said, “any idiot can list parts on a website, its the overall experience you give the client that matters.”  So to further our teams knowledge and provide a better experience to our potential customers, I/we introduce an all new type of project car to the Vivid Racing world…  Welcome Project Mini JCW!

Some people might ask why Mini.  To that I simply respond with, “ever been to a track day?”  The original Mini Cooper was bread from racing and the release of the first new generation Cooper had the same following.  But what Mini has done since its reintroduction is give the world a NikeID of cars with the ability to be unique, custom, and perform. With our concurrent Project 991 Turbo, a daily driver is a must.  Having built our awesome Ford Focus ST, we wanted to stick with a similar size vehicle, have it be turbocharged, but something all wheel drive.  The Mini Cooper Countryman fits these wants and when the search began, the S and JCW were a must.  The S is obviously the turbocharged version.  Its 1.8L turbo 4 cylinder produces 208 horsepower to the awd sportier platform.  Stock 0-60mph is 6.8 seconds which is nearly 4 seconds slower than our 991 Turbo.  But the improvement even past the enhanced JCW version is what we do best.

So besides some basic aesthetic enhancements, we plan to improve performance and handling to make this interesting 5 door body scream more that grocery getter.  Starting with the power of the car, we are utilizing our VRTuned ECU Tuning Software to squeak out another 40+ horsepower.  Like all turbocharged cars, the exhaust system is a big restriction.  To maximize the exhaust flow while throwing some style at it, we have gotten a Quicksilver catback with carbon fiber exhaust tips.  With Agency Power, we will work on producing some parts such as the downpipe, intercooler, intercooler pipe, intake, and pulley to further the cars performance and throttle response.  The JCW already comes with a 0.4 inch lowered ride height than the standard Countryman.  However we were lucky enough to have a set of NM Engineering springs to install from the previous owner.  Similar to H&R Springs, the NM springs lower the car about 1 inch giving the Countryman S a much more aggressive stance and stiffening up the ride for better handling.  To further the handling needs, we plan on making some control arms and bushings with Agency Power.

With some additional accutrements on the interior and exterior, we expect this Mini to fulfill all Vivid Racing Project Car qualities in performance, handling, and style.  Make sure to stay tuned to our official Mini JCW Gallery here and shop all your Mini Cooper Performance Parts here.

Official Sponsors:

• Quicksilver Exhausts
• VR Tuned ECU Flash
• Agency Power
• Status Racing
• ESM Wheels (18inch track setup)
• 3SDM Wheels (19inch fashion setup)

New ESM Wheels and NM Engineering Wheels

Mini Countryman S JCW Modification Build Begins

Iconic Rabbit becomes apart of the Vivid Racing Family

The way our online sales manager, Adam, came upon his iconic 84 GTI Rabbit; is why we love this industry after 12 years. Every car has a story, here’s Adam’s.

He found this build online. It was a guy who owns a shop with his dad in Washington. The GTI was a family heirloom of sorts. It was his parents car that they decided to turn into a father-son project car. Adam started following the build, and it wasn’t long after that he decided he needed this GTI in his life. He contacted the father-and-son duo, they agreed to sell it to Adam and finish the rest of the build the way Adam wanted.

If you’re not familiar with the GTI or its legacy, here’s the best description of this car I found. It’s from Car and Driver,

“If the GTI were a woman, she’d have an IQ of about 130, play scratch golf, break 25 at skeet with a .410, know how to carve a leg of lamb, never miss a Jay Ward cartoon festival, and have an inexhaustible and playful curiosity about sex. It’s tough to imagine anything that delivers more pure, uncomplicated fun than a Volkswagen Rabbit GTI.”

With an explanation like that, why wouldn’t you want one. They sent Adam some progress pictures throughout the build. When it arrived in AZ, after being shipped from Washington, it had all the original window stickers on it. Once he had it, he used his resources to find the parts he needed to finish the build.

Below is the mod list, as the car is now. Beyond the mod list are progress pictures and the photoshoot our own Cody Gephart took of his Rabbit!

• Euro Front end conversion with hella crosshair headlights
• Euro small bumpers
• Whole car was shaved and Long Boarded then finished with gloss jet black paint
• Shaved Engine Bay
• 2.0 16v engine swap
• Built bottom end with ARP hardware and Scat Rods
• Techtonics tuning 272 cams
• Custom intake manifold.
• Stand alone Engine Management with Mega Squirt 3
• Walbro HP fuel pump
• Header back Borla Exhaust
• Quaife LSD
• Sachs stage 1 clutch
• Driveshaft shop axles.
• H&R coilovers
• Energy Suspension bushings all around
• Mk4 VW Gti brakes
• Stoptech brake Lines & Pads 
• Brembo brake disks
• Momo Monte carlo Steering wheel
• Corbeau GTSII seats
• Status 6 point Harnesses
• Custom headliner
• Color matched painted interior
• ESM 002R wheels (shout out to ESM!)

Iconic Rabbit becomes apart of the Vivid Racing Family

"Le Yeti" Spotted in Canada with New ESM Wheels

When we built our Focus ST project car we got on the forums to get ideas and see what other people we doing to their ST. It was there we found this customer who’s motto is, “Just put rims on it and slam it!” We couldn’t agree more. When it was time for him to put his motto where his mouth was he chose a ST to put wheels on and slam.

He calls his ST “Le Yeti” because it dwells in the mountains of Canada and has the all-white look you would find on a majestic Yeti! He’s still in the beginning stages of his build, so he just got the essentials out of the way to start. As with most our project cars, wheels and suspension are the first mods we do.

He’s fitted with H&R Coilovers to ensure his Yeti’s slammed. Then he threw some ESM-004 wheels that he got from our guy Jacky (jacky@vividracing.com). These powder coated 18×9 5×108 +40mm look just aggressive, but still function well in the mountains and on rough terrain. To ensure he has good control, he upgraded his brake pads to keep up with his advanced setup. He’s runnin’ the hawk ceramic pads which will keep his Focus more responsive for longer, no matter where he’s driving.

Let us know what you think of “Le Yeti” or the awesome back drop behind him. You can tell us in the comment section below, or on Facebook or Instagram. Shop all Focus ST parts here. See our Project ST here.

"Le Yeti" Spotted in Canada with New ESM Wheels

New ESM 007 Wheels for Vintage Tuners

ESM, like most independent shops, started out small and tried to cover any and every aftermarket product. In fact when they started they were called EUROSTOP and sold everything from aftermarket body kits to lowering springs. It wasn’t until 2006 when they moved buildings that they really found their niche in the aftermarket industry. They saw a need for more vintage or as they say, “old skool” wheels for European model cars. These wheels are for those OG tuners out there that want to keep the classic look of their car from the wheels up. With that, we just added some new stock to our site. Check out all the gold, matte black and silver wheels you can handle. They have fitments from 15″- 18″. They started out trying to please everyone and learned what they did well, and that’s vintage wheels.

Check all their wheels out HERE!

 

 

 

 

New ESM 007 Wheels for Vintage Tuners

Slammed Scion xB Gets Redemption with ESM Wheels - Video Here

We showed off some pictures of this Scion xB rocking these 18 inch ESM throwback wheels a couple weeks ago.  The wheels are 18×8.5 and 18×9.5 for a nice stanced staggared look.  With the perfect stretch is a set of Yokohama S-Drive tires in 205/35/18 and 215/35/18.  Now check out the video that was just completed by the boys at Grinder.  Want to see more about ESM wheels and what fits your car?  Check out all ESM Wheels here.

Slammed Scion xB Gets Redemption with ESM Wheels - Video Here

Scion xB Gen 2 Stance with ESM Wheels and KSport Coilovers

This super sick Scion xB comes from one of our own around here.  When we go film all of our sweet Vivid Racing Videos, this xB is always near by with equipment.  So instead of looking like a box, it now has a super flush look to it.  The first addition to the generation 2 Scion xB was the KSport Kontrol Pro coilovers.  Providing adjustable ride height and dampening, the KSport coilover is a great intro system to get the improved look and handling.  The xB was lowered as far as it could be without compromising to much function.  The biggest change comes from the old school German tuning style wheels of ESM.  ESM specializes in these 1 piece cast wheels targeted to the rebirth of the old school crazy.  Whether its a E30 BMW or a new Scion, ESM brings in the style.  ESM has several different styles available ranging in sizes from 15-18 inch.  The style featured below is the ESM-002.  Its throwback 80′s mesh style has drastically changed the look of this Scion xB.  The wheels were done in a 18×8.5 and a 18×9.5 using a 5mm H&R rear spacer in the rear.  The wheels were then wrapped with Yokohama S Drive tires in a 205/40/18 and a 215/40/18.  Next up are some VIP aero mods!  Check out all the ESM Wheels to appear on our wheel catalog here.

Scion xB Gen 2 Stance with ESM Wheels and KSport Coilovers