Hashiba and Aoyama of KYH just arrived from Japan for SEMA. Kyoho is Enkei’s sister company and probably Japan’s largest wholesaler and supplier of aftermarket goods. They also house the AME brand. Their catalog is the holy grail of catalogs. Every year during the Tokyo Auto Salon, they host a separate private party for all of their major accounts. Here they are snappin’ shots of a…do you feel me creepin’? Can you see me in my shadow…Do you wanna jump in my Lamborghini Gallardo? One day you will.

You can clearly see how nice the natural pinkish lighting was from the sunset through my oh so crisp camera phone pix.

Glorious Huntington Beach, otherwise known as the Surf City, California. Main street is one of the nicest places to chill when it’s sunny because it’s lined with tons of shops, restaurants and girls in bikinis.

The reason I bring this up is because strolling around Main street this past weekend I found this very clean Mitsubishi 3000GT.

It’s not all that often you see one of these cars and even more rare that you see one done up. Rarer still is one that’s clean. Yet here one is, sitting less than half a block off Main street in Huntington.

I know some of you are wondering and the answer is yes, they are real. Centercap says it all.

So I got to walking and thought to myself how weird it’d be to roll through Main street in a really done up J-car like a Silvia, an EVO or a Fairlady. I know I felt a little out of place when I drove through in my DC2.
Eventually I ended up at the pier and started watching a surf competition. I think it was the Southwest regionals or something.

The competition was pretty low key but still a lot of fun to watch. I don’t know if any of you have stood around on the pier watching surf competitions, but it’s one of my favorite things to do. This guy rode one right up to the pier and busted a nice floater right below me. In any case, I got to thinking some more and had an epiphany. J-cars shouldn’t feel out of place in Huntington Beach amongst all of the surf and skate places. Surf and skate are action sports and lately cars are starting to get thrown into the mix too.

Take DC Shoes for example. They made this and two other STi’s for the gumball races they have across the country. DC Shoes also participated in the Rally portion of X-Games. Better yet, what about the fact itself that Rally is in X-Games now?
One word: Pastrana. What amazes me about him is that he’s so good at so much of what he does. Pastrana has mad skills. I was in tears after he pulled off the double backflip and almost had a relapse when he won another gold in Rally.

My point is that things are changing. We, as car enthusiasts, are no longer being seen as delinquents or outcasts of society. Before, people would see or talk about import cars with a negative connotation. Now we’re ranting and raving about what Travis Pastrana can do with a STi? And did you know that we might see dorifto in X-Games next year? The fuzion across sports and cultures has begun.
All of these thoughts brought a surmounting sense of joy to me as I stood there watching the surfers. It’s just one of life’s nuances, but think about how multi-faceted things are now. 10 years ago who would have thought we could put Rally racing into the same category as Surf and Skate? Just think about the momentum and direction everything is going in. Soon we’ll roll up to Main street in Huntington Beach with our Silvias, EVO’s or what have you donning a roofrack for our surfboards. And the only reason people will point or stare is out of admiration. Life is good.

Contrary to the title this wasn’t an industry karting day, although there were so many of us there it might as well have been. Fred hit us up a while back to tell us that JTuned and K1 Speed in Irvine were partnering up. To celebrate they invited us out for an evening of fine food (pizza) and karting.

I believe that’s Mike Sabounchi of Yokohama on the right and Fred right behind him. The karts at K1 are electric so there’s no need for a full race suit, but helmets and balaclavas are still required gear. Because the karts are electric there’s nearly no powerband, just instant power. Some people like it better, some people don’t and like the powerband on gas motors better. Also, other karts tend to slide a little more than these in my opinion. The brakes on these were wimpy in my opinion. All in all, fun nonetheless.

The Housh! was Mike Sabounchi. Wild Dog Buja was this one guy named Mike I met that was pretty damn fast. Fred was Dok Man. This was one of their faster heats. Notice 21.20 as the fastest time. The fastest I’ve ever gotten on Track 1 was 21.21. Then again, people bump into the barriers so much on Track 1 that it’s never the same track twice.

I thought this was kinda cool. Formula D drivers Stephen Papadakis and Tanner Foust in this heat. I gotta say, Foust has talent. I saw his times drop every time he went out there. In his last heat he hit 20.99. I’m envious cuz that’s where I wanna be. In the 20’s.

Some more times but from Track 2 this time. Track 2 is more technical and the lap times are a little slower.

There he is, Mr. Mike Sabounchi. He’s growin out the ’stache to be Borat for Halloween. Haha, so dope.

The creative genius, Mr. Troy Sumitomo of 5Axis.

We finished our heats way early in the night so we ended up chillin while everyone else battled it out on the track. Here’s Mr. Jerry Tsai checking out Track 1 action with us. Jerry is the creator of Pacific Rim, THE originator of apparel in our industry. Even I bought stuff from his website when I was in high school. What a trip. Jerry’s got the illest ‘61 Lincoln Continental ever. Black paint, thick white walls.. Man, I’m jealous.

The one and only RJ De Vera. RJ was gracious enough to invite me into his home when I was a wee little boy struggling to find my place in the industry. Over the years I’ve grown pretty close to this guy. He’s responsible for way too many things in this industry to list. But I think my favorite read with RJ in it lately had to be the one where they said he was an Asian gangster who fixed up cars. Hilarious.

Haha, I can’t believe we both used to think we didn’t like each other. The things you find out on drunken nights.. This is of course Mr. Fred Chang, Mr. JTuned.

This picture is so bad that I’ll be impressed if you can pick anyone out of this one.. In any case, after all the awards were passed out we huddled up for a group pic. Fun night overall. I haven’t been out to many of the industry parties lately so it was good to see people I don’t see on a daily basis. Thanks to Fred, JTuned and K1 for the night.

Strollin’ around in South Coast Plaza I stumbled upon the new Pioneer shop. I had read something about it opening up but completely forgot about it. Must say that it’s not in the best location. As you can see in the photo it’s by Saks Fifth and the men’s Macy’s. The staff was just standing around talking about what kind of coffee to get. Sure today’s Wednesday at 11:30am so there’s no one there anyway, but if it were around the carrousel you can bet it’d make a difference.

Since Pioneer was a major part of the 5Axis tC it found a lovely home smack dab in the middle of the store. If I was more a fan of Pioneer I’d probably have looked around the rest of the store. But since I’m not, I didn’t.

5Axis is pretty darn famous for their work with Scion. Troy definitely has creativity. Just don’t call him up asking for this bodykit for your own tC, they cost a whole lot more than you think. Or you could call them up and ask anyway for shits and giggles, it annoys Troy. Tell him Dom said to ask, j/k.

If you’re ever in the Orange County Cypress area, come check out Cafe Hiro. It’s a cozy restaurant that blends Japanese, French and Italian nicely. Nice decor. It’s a definite gem amongst a bunch of mediocre restaurants.

Here’s a fuzzy pic of the inside. Very French looking. Not buzzed. My camera phone just isn’t that great.

Heirloom tomatoes which were good, but I recommend the tofu salad, any of the pastas, and pretty much all of the entrees. IMO, the fusion makes it not too heavy, just right.

We got our first Modelart GRACER wheel in! It’s going to be displayed in Yokohama’s booth at SEMA. Mike Sabounchi dropped by and chatted for a bit. Nicest guy. We hope to have a stronger relationship with Yokes for the coming year. Anyway, this wheel comes in 19, 20, and 22! It’s a 3-piece and should look nice on Range Rovers, Bimmers, and…the new LS???
The one you see here, I think, is a Diamond Cut with black accents. Very elegant looking wheel. We got some other heat coming out soon, for both the Luxury guys and the Sports peeps.

The classic Split-Spoke design is considered to be one of the strongest and lightest possible wheel design. Don’t ask me why, but it’s known to be true due to its architecture and has become synonymous with Enkei. It has something to do with minimal material used while maintaining optimal strength. It also has one of the highest levels of heat dispersion from brake calipers. I think we’ll begin to see more of this design style in the future. Mark my words. The Tracer Spec-M is considered to be one of the lightest performance wheels around. Our new 1-piece lightweight racing wheel is currently in the works as well. It should be more “fashion-forward” while maintaining its strength and lightweight attributes.

SBC is a new and unique finishing technique that has recently been adopted by Enkei. While other colored wheels tend to fade from both the sun as well as prolonged periods of time, an SBC finish will withstand time and has an interesting look. Usually, SBC colors are darker such as the SBC Black shown here. The process begins with an undercoat. Then a base coat (usually a deep, darker color such as black, red, or blue). Finally a chrome/aluminum blend top coat. Notice this wheel has a dual flanged lip for added protection.

Side Note: Make sure you have enough air in your tires. As a rule of thumb, whatever your standard PSI is for your OE tire (check the label on your door well), as the wheel size increases by an inch, the PSI should increase by 10%. So if you’re running an 18″ w/ a recommended PSI of 35, your new 19″ should have a PSI of…you do the math.

Japanese Wheel Standards and Regulations for the Aftermarket

The following information is a basic explanation of wheel testing and marking requirements for the Japanese after market. The JWL and VIA marks are required for all wheels being manufactured for the Japanese market. It is possible to sell wheels with only the JWL, but JAWA has been pressuring retail chains and shops to only carry products that have both marks/testing.

JAWA Japan Light Alloy Wheel Association
JAWA (Japan Light Alloy Wheel Association), is an organization made up of various wheel companies, and carries out research and technical studies concerning the manufacture, marketing and distribution of automotive light alloy wheels. These activities also include market and technical research aimed at developing new demand for industry products plus many other related activities. To achieve these objectives, JAWA aims to improve the quality of the Automobile Light Alloy Wheel and promotes liability of our product in the Automotive Aftermarket.

JWL Mark
Japan Light Alloy Wheel (JWL) Standard for Passenger Cars. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport requires that aluminum wheels for passenger cars (with 3, 5, and 7-number plates) sold in Japan bear the JWL mark. The JWL mark can be displayed on wheels that have passed the standard through a self-certification system.

JWL-T Mark
Similarly, the ministry requires aluminum wheels for trucks and buses (with 1 and 4-number plates) to bear the JWL-T mark. Even if a vehicle is classified as a passenger car (with 3, 5, or 7-number plates), if it comes with LT tires as standard equipment due to its GVW (gross vehicle weight), it must use aluminum wheels bearing the JWL-T mark.

VIA Mark
A third-party entity called the Vehicle Inspection Association verifies whether a product meets the requirements prescribed by the JWL or JWL-T standard. This association permits a product to bear a VIA mark if it passes rigorous quality and strength verification tests conducted in accordance with the JWL or JWL-T standard.

JAWA Certificate Sticker
The JAWA Quality Certificates: Since 1995, JAWA has introduced the “JAWA Quality Certificate” system to protect and develop consumer confidence in wheel safety and quality. The certificate guarantees that all products qualify to the JWL and JWL-T light alloy disc wheel standards approved by Japanese Ministry of Transport and the products are registered under VIA regulations after strict quality testing by three types of testing methods.

JAWA
In order to maintain high safety standards, JAWA supports the JWL and JWL-T technical standard and promotes JAWA VIA Registration System.

JWL (JAPAN LIGHT ALLOY WHEEL): The technical standard for Light Alloy Disc Wheels for Passenger Car approved by Ministry of Transport (MOT)

JWL-T (JAPAN LIGHT ALLOY WHEEL TRUCK & BUS): The technical standard for Light Alloy Disc Wheels for Truck and Bus approved by Ministry of Transport (MOT)

VIA (VEHICLE INSPECTION ASSOCIATION) Registration System: VIA marking can only be engraved on the wheel is registered by Japan Light Alloy Automotive Wheel Testing Council after strict quality tests by the authorized testing facility on the adaptability of JWL or JWL technical standard.

To establish the chronological order of wheel design in the aftermarket wheel industry, JAWA promotes the Voluntary Wheel Design Protection Registration System.

JAWA is also lending its support to the efforts to find solutions to material recycling for wheels and packing materials that are difficult to dispose of after use.

Product Liability Related Measures
The JAWA Quality Certification includes PL insurance. In accordance with the PL law effective in Japan since 1995, JAWA has introduced the Group PL (Product Liability) insurance program. All our aluminum wheels bearing the JAWA Quality Certificate stickers have been covered by this PL insurance policy in Japan since 1998.

Protecting original designs: The Design Protection Registration System
Since 1989, JAWA has introduced its Design Protection Registration system. The JAWA Wheel Design Committee, consisting of wheel design professionals, examines the originality of wheel designs submitted by JAWA’s member companies and the design, judged to be inherently creative or original, shall be registered by the committee. The registered design will be officially announced to the public to protect the originality of such wheel design or prevent dead-copying of the design.

Public Relations and Promotions
Public Relations and marketing support activities, including the automotive after market shows

1) JAWA promotes its activities to the public and executes a market research to study consumers’ demand and trends.
2) As a part of its public relations activities. JAWA supported the first “Auto Asia” show held in September ‘96 at Tokyo International Exhibition Center. This show was held by the Japan Auto Parts After Market Promotion Association, an organization consisted by JAWA, JASMA (Japan Automobile Sports Muffler Association) and ASEA (Auto Sports and Special Equipment Association) and will be held every two years to promote development of the Automotive After Market. (In the year 2000, the show was held jointly with Tokyo Auto Salon under the name of “Tokyo Auto Salon with Auto Asia 2000″.
3) JAWA publicizes in automobile magazines to announce its activities.
4) An annual report (”Aluminum Wheel Year Book”) of the Japanese aftermarket is published which is composed of responses from questionnaires to member companies which provides an overview of the Japanese market and manufacturing trends.
5) “JAWA News” is published twice a year.

Market Research and Special Studies
1) In order to study various regulations applying to wheels, JAWA’s delegation has visited TUV (Europe) and SEMA (USA) and provided technical data to SEMA who has been studying new technical standards of aftermarket Automotive Light Alloy Wheels.
2) In Taiwan and Korea where lots of important suppliers have production facilities, JAWA has promoted study sessions of the VIA system supported by Japan Light Alloy Automotive Wheel Testing Council.
3) In Japan, JAWA promotes the study session of VIA regulation whenever important revisions of the regulations are applied.
4) Every year, JAWA checks dimensions of all the new automobiles manufactured and sold in Japan and also supports revision activities for VIA testing conditions.

Sorry everyone, I know I haven’t posted in a while. Things have been piling up and I’ve just recently started to get that pile down to where I can see over it again. So, what’s with the photo? Well, we got in an excessively large shipment recently. Here you see lots of pads, brake kit boxes, coilovers, racing brake fluid, etc.

The shipment included the most pads we’ve gotten in on a single day. Endless pads, no pun intended.

I was standing on top of a ladder trying to get all the pads into one shot to no avail. Here’s more pads.

Rather than post yet another photo of more pads, here’s a sprinkling of coilovers. There was also about eight or ten boxes of brake lines and a couple cases of brake fluid and even some Endless Lady Dolls that were posted before by Kent.
In any case, this is just a smidge of what’s been taking up my time. Another big thing I’ve been preparing for is SEMA, and you can bet that I’ll have a detailed post about that one. SEMA starts Halloween night for us so until then, keep it original.

Today was all in all productive workwise. I was hoping to relax after work, but instead get a call around 10:00PM from Marc who demands I get to his pad by 10:40PM. I do so. We roll to Orchid in K-Town. His friend Alan owns Orchid and says we must come check it out tonight because it’s Alex Thomas’ B-day Bash. Sorry, I have no idea who that is, but I hear he’s a comedian from Def Jam Comedy.

That’s Marc getting his Grey Goose and Red Bull on. It was an interesting night just peeping.

The pics don’t do justice, but guess who we see? Tone Loc rolled in as soon as we got there as well as Mark Curry and Smush Parker from the Lakers. Nick Cannon and Affion Crockett from Wild ‘N Out were also there.

I was like 1 of 6 Asians amongst a sea of black heads. It was totally comfortable. Heard Eddie Murphy, Charlie Murphy, Ludacris, and Jamie Foxx were also there. I really wish we got a chance to peep them. There were alot of hot ladies though. Video vixens. My camera phone pix do not do justice whatsoever so you’ll have to imagine, but these people definitely know how to get it poppin.

VIP style is slowly creeping into the states…will the vans be next? Here’s some images sent to us from Hashiba.

Phillip let us use his Z for our booth. This is around 8:30am on the 605N on the way to Irwindale.

Close up of the wheel and brakes.

Our 10×20.

By the way, this is on Saturday, Oct. 14th, for the Final Round of Formula D and Daijiro Yoshihara takes 1st! Congrats to Dai, Jerry, and the PacRim Drift Team. Thanks to Jim, Fred, Bryan and crew for the support. Heard they hit record numbers. Slipstream is doing it big.

Here’s a random pic of Les Wong’s camoflauge Endless RX-7. His next project will top this in its own way.

Moving the FD back into the warehouse after FD.

While chrome wheels are the 2nd most popular finish for aftermarket wheels produced in Japan, Diamond Machine Cut (DMC), or polished wheels, are the most popular. Not only does the term “Diamond Machine Cut” sound more fashionable, Enkei actually employs a diamond to cut the wheel. A record player with a diamond needle tip at the end would be a good mental analogy. The DMC process begins with an undercoat. After the undercoat, a metallic silver paint is applied. Finally, the diamond machine cut process is executed with a final clear coating to finish off the process.

The DMC process is an almost impossible process to successfully achieve without using a high quality wheel. You will see very few wheel companies attempt to apply this method as it shows the imperfections of the wheel. Here’s a close-up. Notice the edges of the spokes are painted for aesthetic and subtle contrast.

A machined center can both accent the face nicely as well as show off the quality of the aluminum material used. Notice there are no imperfections.