If you’ve been into this aftermarket segment for at least the past couple years, the name JTuned.com should be pretty familiar to you. You might have also noticed the rise of the original JTuned.com and then it’s slow down (haha sorta like this blog). Due to the the efforts of a group of new fresh talent, they have grabbed the reins and recently relaunched version 2.0 (dropped earlier this morning).

I like the theme of the Corolla shot (by Steve Demmitt), giving that throwback vibe like you found the pic in your Dad’s photoalbum.

Good luck to the new JTuned 2.0 crew.

Check it out here.

The homie Sky Smith @ Falken Tire is doin it real big with his videos right now. Here he documented Falken Tire’s sweep @ FD New Jersey.

Good to see someone I know personally making his mark and amazing how far he’s come in a short time with his video work.

Blake from Fighters Garage sent me some updated pics from a recent photoshoot by Ray Priest.  Fitment isn’t for the weak of heart, especially with his AME Circular Spec R’s.  Sizing is a 19×10+6 F and 19×10-13 R, lowered on Tanabe DF210 springs.

I would prefer the rear to be lower to tuck the tire a smidge, but according to Blake he’ll be lowering it more shortly. Oh snaps, JDM EGO license plate sighting!

In order to follow up with the video I posted below, John @ CTO sent me over his photostream of his pictures from 24 Hrs of Nurburgring.

It must have been really awesome to see this race in person, especially being right there in the action.

There are tons of the pics in the set, including pics of some of the good food and beer they ate while in Germany.  Must be nice! Peep the entire photostream by clicking here.

The homie John @ CTO sent me over this video of Carl Rydquist driving one of his sessions in the #32 Hankook Tire / Levin Racing 996 GT3 @ 24H of Nürburgring Nordschleife. On a side note, this is the same Carl Rydquist who is piloting the City Tire Online drift car in Formula D.  So jealous, I wish I could’ve gone to Germany with them.

New Ken Block Gymkhana video dropped today. So sick, I really like the way they used the Long Beach port in this…and yet again, someone needs to figure out how to hold sanctioned events at places like these…I would kill to drift in urban environments!

Was reading the Attic blog and came across these pics of a Z that’s got double duty action: Endless + AME treatment. For those not in the know, Attic is one of the top streetwear boutiques in Socal. I’ve been there a bunch of times (the Buena Park location), and that store is HUGE…literally a candy shop for streetwear and sneakerheads alike.

But to stay on topic….AME TM-02’s over Endless 6-Pot Race Alumite Finish?  They summed it up pretty well on their image caption…”Can’t F*&k with That.”  For those into streetwear and kicks, go and support the guys over at Attic, all good peoples!

One of my friend’s friends Jason Chen is looking for a bone marrow donor. There’s a marrow drive tomorrow being held in Alhambra @ 3PM. If anyone is interested in being a donor, please stop by. Here is what Jason says:

“Hi Everyone,

I really need ALL OF YOUR HELP to save my life.

In January 2007, I was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), which is a cancer of the blood. I was able to take medicine the past two years to slowly cure the cancer, but recently, the medicine stopped working. The doctor switched me to another drug, but that failed as well. Now the only option for me is to find a match for a bone marrow transplant. There are two things working against me on this. At present, there’s no direct match for me in the National Bone Marrow registry. Secondly, the highest likelihood of a match is from an Asian donor.and unfortunately, Asians represent less than 10% of registrants across the world.

I am working with Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches in organizing a bone marrow drive on May 17th, between 3pm - 6pm. Their website is www.asianmarrow.org/drives/index.php.

Thank you for your overwhelming support for the marrow drive. I feel truly blessed to know that I have so many supportive people in the time of need. There is a change in the time and location for the drive because the church won’t be able to handle that many people. The new location will be:

Sunday, May 17th

Time: 3:00pm - 6:00pm

Almansor Park (under the tents where the tables are)

800 S. Almansor Ave.

Alhambra, CA 91801

Thanks again for all your support and I will see you guys soon, God Bless.”

So today at work, a friend of the office from Connell Nissan brought by one of the first Nissan Cubes in the USA. I’m pretty biased when it comes to Nissan (I’ve owned/drove only Nissan cars my entire life), but I really like this car. It’s pure Japanese style, and I think it’s over the top but in a good way. I’m pretty certain this is a 50 Cent aka “Hate It Or Love It” vehicle for most though.

I’m pretty excited to see what people do with this car stateside. This car has a ton of potential, and the rear fender lip (that is flat, no L shape to roll out of the way) screams for some fat lipped wheels. Let’s hope people avoid running low quality cheapo wheels on this thing.

I didn’t drive it, but the car is pretty functional as it is unique looking. The headliner is cool too, it has a ripple effect around the dome light (sorry no pic) built into the lining. I might just be a nerd, but oh well, if I wanted to take on a car payment, this might be a car I’d consider (for commuting / daily driving). I’m also excited to see Nissan release the March in the US. Hooray for small cars!

So I covered a Speedhunters post by Linhbergh Nguyen the other week, but I recently just came across his personal blog. I saw this photo of the guys at City Tire Online stretching a 205 on a 10″ with a Cheetah…and for some reason I really liked the shot. It’s pretty amazing how a camera can take an otherwise normal situation and make it that much more dramatic.

View the larger res shot and more pictures at Linhbergh’s blog here.

Kent and D.O.M went out to ALMS @ Long Beach Grand Prix this past weekend. Since Risi Competizione partnered with Endless for their braking equipment for 2009, D.O.M got to help assist on the car.

Peep game on the side vent decal.  Now that’s a roll call.

Endless pads being put to their intended use.

Congrats to the Risi team, who took 2nd place in GT2 class.  You can view more info about them here at their site, or follow them on Twitter.

(Photos courtesy of Kent Stat & D.O.M)

The homies over at Hellaflush are showing that (So)California Love. Peep the link below and show your support!

Per Hellaflush’s site: “All of Socal comes together with Norcal for the ‘HellaFlush Official event’ in the south beach area of Santa Monica, CA closest to Venice Beach at 9:00am (must arrive early because the spots get packed fast!).

More info about the parking lot here (lot 5 South) it costs $7 to park all day (not 6 like the flyer).

2600 Barnard Way
Santa Monica, CA 90405

Look on Google Maps Satellite view to see the layout. We will park somewhere close to the south end of the parking lot. We are within walking distance of the famous Venice Beach boardwalk and other things!

Festivities will continue throughout the day.”