Evo X Build Part V

New Shoes: 18x9.5+15 RPF1's and 265/35/18 Hankook's

Ever since the Evo X's came out I have always loved the look of properly offset Enkei RPF1's on the car. They look very aggressive especially with a big meaty tire on there. I managed to pick up a used set of RPF1's from an autocross friend with some worn out slicks for a good deal. So I went up to Portland and loaded up the EK.

I then got them home and saw they needed some clean up so I went to town with degreaser and some magic erasers to get them looking good again.

Then came the daunting process of getting these much larger tires and wheels to fit properly. The Evo X in general has a lot of room to work with in the fender wells especially with a skinnier coilover system installed however in the rear there is a nice lip that will rub on most setups wider than stock. This created the challenge of rolling the fenders. I have never rolled fenders in my life so it was quite the learning experience. I first ordered a fender roller off of Amazon for $59.95 a week before I was supposed to get the tires mounted. It showed up Friday evening so I spent the day and Saturday working on getting the rear fenders just right.

I had done a ton of research on rolling fenders before I started this journey and one of the really helpful videos was PasswordJDM's.

So with the mentality of "lot's of heat" and "take your time" I started rolling.I got the lip to start moving but then I realized that the Evo X has a weird silicon strip on the rear fender lips. This silicon is very soft and started to crack so I decided to call it a night and do more research. Turns out the serious rollers remove this strip all together and then roll the lip in order to get maximum clearance. Now this information was actually hard to find and I found hardly any pictures of the actual silicon online so I decided to document it.

With that out of the way and plenty of heat the rear fenders rolled beautifully to the point where I could fit the old 275 Hoosiers no problem.

That Monday I then went to Hillyer's Tire and Wheel in Salem to get everything mounted up. These guys do an amazing job and always have something cool in the shop whether it be rare muscle, exotic euros, or tuners they work with all enthusiasts.

After I got them on I had to take some pictures and I still could not believe that this was my car. It looks and performs just like I always dreamed of and absolutely love every bit about it.

I'll throw in a comparison picture of when it still had the stock wheels on it.

As far as testing goes I have only been able to drive a few country roads with them on so I can't really report on the Hankook RS3 performance however this Sunday there is an autocross at Portland International Raceway where I will be able to test grip and collect some data on cornering forces and what not. Until next time #GetOutAndDrive.