Wheel Directory: Prodrive GC-012L 18x8.0 +45

[typericey]

Photos taken right after the install. Pardon the mobile phone quality, dirty car and dirty wheels/tires.

Stock suspension (insert "needs moar low" and "now drop it" comments below)

[OnionTou]

Did you use any spacers on your car? the wheels look spot on.

I'm looking at a set of 18x8 +48 rims.

[coyote]

Beautiful strong lightweight forged wheels made in the Taneisya factory.

Good choice.

[typericey]

No spacers at all. And yes, I'm really happy with how the fitment turned out.

Let me take this chance to share my "intentions":

Aesthetically, I didn't want it to look like I made a "mistake" with the offset, aspect ratio and tire width. So yeah, no flushness, no stretched nor compressed tires, etc. I even made sure that the measured rim width of a 225/40 tire is 8" for that "spot on" look.

Functionally, I avoided more unsprung weight and as much as possible didn't want to mess with scrub radius and ultimately, Tada-san's intention. A flusher setup would also splatter mud on the sides of the car whenever it rains.

I must be getting old...

I also found the Prius tires too loose in the dry and have unconfident braking in the wet. Switching to 10mm wider Potenzas will give me reassuring grip, much like ditching leather soled dress shoes for sticky sneakers.

Review on performance, handling, ride comfort and noise to follow.

[YW-Slayer]

Given the background, I'm going to hazard a guess and say "Apa Khabar"?

That aside, thanks for the pics. I love the idea of putting Prodrive rims on the car.

Obviously your rims are 1" bigger than mine, but given that you probably(?) live in my homeland and hence have a chance to drive in the wet, do you find the wet-weather grip of the Potenzas to be much better, and/or the wet weather breakaway to be more gradual, than with the Primacy HPs?

[andrewFT86]

Good choice, great set of wheels and tires. Did you get the tires from the Alabang dealer?

[ZetaVI]

HQ photos show how beautifully perfected wheels should be done.

[typericey]

Thanks for the compliments. Modesty aside, the crappy photos don't do justice to these matte beauties.

Originally Posted by YW-Slayer

do you find the wet-weather grip of the Potenzas to be much better, and/or the wet weather breakaway to be more gradual, than with the Primacy HPs?

First of all, I should specify that my tires are the Potenza RE002. I havent driven them in the wet yet so I can't really say. However, I can say this early that I'm happy with dry performance which is definitely an upgrade from the Primacy HPs in all aspects:

- grip in acceleration: the car actually feels quicker and more powerful! I didn't gain a single hp from the wheel/tire change, but maybe I'm getting better acceleration because my tires aren't slipping.
- response: the car now reacts better to steering input (can't say much about handling/cornering coz since I got the new shoes, I only had boring drives to and from the office)
- noise: these tires are A LOT quieter than my Primacys. I guess those Michelins are just too damn noisy that any tire you replace them with will be quieter lol. (Ride is just a tad bumpier but that's expected)

Overall, the improvement is very noticeable, considering this is just a very mild +1 upgrade. I don't see the point in going wider, unless you have FI power levels or you're doing it for aesthetics. Disclaimer: not an expert driver nor a tuning expert at all so please take this with a grain of salt.

Bonus pic of the Prodrive Splinedrive lug nuts with wheel protector. Again pardon the grime, car hasn't bathed since the install.

[Turbowned]

Where'd you find the Prodrive lug nuts? I'm going to be putting my GC012-L's on today! What country are you from? I think I'll be the only one in the U.S. with a set of these...

[typericey]

@Turbowned I'm from the other side of the globe so I guess you'd still be enjoying the exclusivity over there. I got the nuts from the Prodrive distributor in Manila. Not sure if you know but the nuts are just branded McGards so unless you're a brand b*tch like *ahem* me, you can just get McGards and save some money.

Congrats on the Prodrives! Will wait for your photos. I'm pretty sure you'll love 'em.

[YW-Slayer]

Ah, still South East Asia! Still, similar conditions.

Thanks for the info on grip etc. I"m really interested in wet weather grip, but it's good to know that the car will feel more powerful with grippy tyres.

[charged86]

They look like 19s!

[switchlanez]

Looking good and pretty exclusive wheels, no doubt.

I was looking at HRE P40S yesterday which is found on the Baruta BRZ and they reminded me of the GC-012L but 11-spoke:



Requested info on 18x8.5 +45/18x9.5 +45 in Gloss Gold. HRE quoted $1600/wheel with 6 weeks lead time, each weighing 19-20lbs.

[Turbowned]

Got mine installed! 18x8.5 +45 front, 18x9.5 +45 rear, in British Silver with Bridgestone RE-11 rubber, 225/40R18 front, 255/35R18 rear.

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