Hey fellas,
Well after a very long time saving up I finally got the wheel/tire combo I've craved for so long. Tires are 275/35/18 (front) and 335/30/18 (rear) KDW 2 (aka KDW NT). Wheels are very familiar I'm sure AFS 18" cobra replicas. I've got some before and after shots for comparisons for anyone interested in this setup or anyone basically wanting to see the visual difference between 17's and 18's.
My first impressions:
HOLY HELL THOSE ARE BEEFY TIRES. Even the guys at the shop that installed them were amazed how big they were. Personally the KDW 2's have the best looking tread pattern. For some reason they look like snake scales to me (my friends laugh everytime i say that lol).
On to the wheels...well what can be said about the AFS 18's? They are still the best looking rims for our cars (perhaps only 2nd to the CCW's which are the baddest rims on the planet but i am on a tight budget so AFS it is lol). I am totally IN LOVE with this combo and I couldnt be any happier. Now on to the good stuff.
Performance:
YES YES YES I know they aren't DR's but for street tires (which is what i was looking to get) they are F-ing SWEET! For my power level I have very good traction in first with some spin...2nd gear is virtually no spin (depends on weather and road conditions of course). When i tested the tires the weather was gorgeous, sunny, and 25+ celcius. Finally i can put the power down to the ground. I have experienced ZERO road noise from these tires. A lot of ppl complained about this issue but I (thank God) have not. The ride quality is very nice. Actually they are much smoother than the Fuzions which shouldn't be hard to imagine considering the Fuzions are much harder compound tires. So to sum it all up...performance is GREAT with these tires.
Look:
OUTSTANDING! There's nothing more I can say about that.
Suspension:
Like it says in my sig...I cut the stock springs 1 full coil. Before when i had the stockers on the rear was sitting a bit too low so I knew i had to raise the rear a little. The solution? MM isolators. Best $$$ ever spent. They did exactly what they are supposed to do...raised the rear by about .5" which is more than enough clearance for me. Plus i finally have that raked look i wanted.
What you need to do for these tires to fit:
Definately roll the fenders. I know some get away without it but unless u are riding on stock 4x4 height I highly recommend rolling the fenders. I had a shop roll them for me. Cost me $160 for both and took him about 2 hrs to complete. I also installed the MM low profile IRS bolt (this is a given). U could simply shave off the IRS like some have, i opted for the MM's instead. Both remedies will clear any possible inner tire rub. If ur running really low to the ground then I suggest u do what i did and get urself a set of MM isolators JUST IN CASE. I installed both upper and lower isos and achieved about half an inch height increase. u can simply add lower or upper only and receive about a quarter of an inch. Really all depends on ur suspension and what ur looking to achieve.
Finally the pics. Sorry for the crappy pic quality i dont have a badass SLR or anything like that...a simple Canon point and shoot.
Any feedback, comments or criticism is more than welcome. Thanks for reading.
Vae Victus
And the 17's for comparison
Well after a very long time saving up I finally got the wheel/tire combo I've craved for so long. Tires are 275/35/18 (front) and 335/30/18 (rear) KDW 2 (aka KDW NT). Wheels are very familiar I'm sure AFS 18" cobra replicas. I've got some before and after shots for comparisons for anyone interested in this setup or anyone basically wanting to see the visual difference between 17's and 18's.
My first impressions:
HOLY HELL THOSE ARE BEEFY TIRES. Even the guys at the shop that installed them were amazed how big they were. Personally the KDW 2's have the best looking tread pattern. For some reason they look like snake scales to me (my friends laugh everytime i say that lol).
On to the wheels...well what can be said about the AFS 18's? They are still the best looking rims for our cars (perhaps only 2nd to the CCW's which are the baddest rims on the planet but i am on a tight budget so AFS it is lol). I am totally IN LOVE with this combo and I couldnt be any happier. Now on to the good stuff.
Performance:
YES YES YES I know they aren't DR's but for street tires (which is what i was looking to get) they are F-ing SWEET! For my power level I have very good traction in first with some spin...2nd gear is virtually no spin (depends on weather and road conditions of course). When i tested the tires the weather was gorgeous, sunny, and 25+ celcius. Finally i can put the power down to the ground. I have experienced ZERO road noise from these tires. A lot of ppl complained about this issue but I (thank God) have not. The ride quality is very nice. Actually they are much smoother than the Fuzions which shouldn't be hard to imagine considering the Fuzions are much harder compound tires. So to sum it all up...performance is GREAT with these tires.
Look:
OUTSTANDING! There's nothing more I can say about that.
Suspension:
Like it says in my sig...I cut the stock springs 1 full coil. Before when i had the stockers on the rear was sitting a bit too low so I knew i had to raise the rear a little. The solution? MM isolators. Best $$$ ever spent. They did exactly what they are supposed to do...raised the rear by about .5" which is more than enough clearance for me. Plus i finally have that raked look i wanted.
What you need to do for these tires to fit:
Definately roll the fenders. I know some get away without it but unless u are riding on stock 4x4 height I highly recommend rolling the fenders. I had a shop roll them for me. Cost me $160 for both and took him about 2 hrs to complete. I also installed the MM low profile IRS bolt (this is a given). U could simply shave off the IRS like some have, i opted for the MM's instead. Both remedies will clear any possible inner tire rub. If ur running really low to the ground then I suggest u do what i did and get urself a set of MM isolators JUST IN CASE. I installed both upper and lower isos and achieved about half an inch height increase. u can simply add lower or upper only and receive about a quarter of an inch. Really all depends on ur suspension and what ur looking to achieve.
Finally the pics. Sorry for the crappy pic quality i dont have a badass SLR or anything like that...a simple Canon point and shoot.
Any feedback, comments or criticism is more than welcome. Thanks for reading.
Vae Victus
And the 17's for comparison
