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Always loved Volk TE37’s and I love them even more now that they are on my car.

These are the second generation of the Ray’s Engineering Volk TE37, now known as the VR.G2. They come in 2 types and 2 colors. Type I does not have a lip, so I purchased Type II since I wanted the lip. The other color they are available in is black, but I’m not a huge fan of black wheels unless they have a chrome or lighter colored lip. These match the color of my M3 almost perfectly.

I had them shipped from Japan and while many will say they don’t look like they belong on a German car, I couldn’t disagree more. I think they give my M3 a much more aggressive look, plus, they are going to be tons easier to clean than the OEM 18’s I previously had on.

These are upsized to 19" and despite the larger size on both the wheels and tires, the full weight gain is minimal. I was going to keep my stock 18’s for track days, but since the difference in weight isn’t that much, I may just end up selling them.

Stock 18" with Michelin PS2 Tires:

  • Front: 46.8 lbs. (245/40/19)
  • Rear: 50.2 lbs. (265/40/18)

Volk 19" VR.G2 with Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta Tires:

  • Front: 47.4 lbs. (265/30/19)
  • Rear: 52.4 lbs. (295/30/19)

Here are the specs of the wheels themselves:

  • Color: Formula Silver
  • Front: 19x9.5 +22 / 20.8 lbs.
  • Rear: 19x10.5 +25 / 21.6 lbs.

I’ll probably need a drop eventually since the wheel gap in front is a bit large, but overall I’m real happy with the results.

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Goodbye stock yellowish Angel Eyes. Say hello to AngeliBrights! #bmw #m3

I’ve been waiting for these to get back in stock for a long time and they finally did. I like these since they are more pure “white” but not so obnoxiously-bright. They’re bright enough to be seen in pretty harsh daylight though as you can see from the photos below, but they might actually be dimmer than the stock ones. Hard to tell. I have noticed though, that they can appear to be brighter (or less bright) depending on the viewing angle.

I purchased and had these installed by EAS. They did a great job getting it done fast while I waited. Anyone who’s familiar with EAS will probably recognize the location in the photos below.

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Photos and video of Team Risi Competizione demonstrating pit stops and donuts with their Ferrari F430 at Oakley HQ.

Another fine day at the office. Check out the images and video of Oakley-sponsored Team Risi Competizione at our headquarters today. The built-in hydraulic jacks were pretty cool to see. Drivers Jaime Melo and Gianmaria Bruni were on hand to do the demonstrations and sign autographs at the end.

Here’s a quick compilation of some quick and dirty iPhone video:

I have the best job in the world.

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Video of Munny King Concept being sketched on iPad.

This is my first attempt at drawing with the Brushes app on an iPad. I love how you can export a video of the progress. You can see a couple of the different backgrounds I tried. Ultimately ended up using one of Stu Machwitz’s free iPad Wallpapers.

I've been wanting to paint a custom Munny based on the Chinese Opera version of the Monkey King for a long time. Guess getting the concept down is better than nothing. I still need to work on the details of the costume.

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Just watched the worlds’ best driving roads on Top Gear. Getting ideas for another Euro Delivery route.

Who knows when I’ll be doing another Euro delivery, but when I do, there are two major stretch of roads I want to make sure I hit. For awhile, I had planned to hit Stelvio Pass on my next trip, but watching Top Gear has also made me really want to drive from Stelvio, through Bornio to Davos. The footage was amazing. Great scenery with miles of open twisty roads. On the map below, it's the area from B to D.

Zurich is another drop-off point for BMW, so I figure since I may be in Switzerland, might as well drop off there. I think there are some unique driving rules in Switzerland, so I’m sure I’ll need to do some research beforehand.

Here’s the route in Google Maps. I’m sure I will be adding to it over time.

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Vorsteiner unveils M3 GTRS3 body kit. Wow.


Some of the elements here go a little too far in my opinion – killing some of the nice lines of the OEM design, but I love the wide body aspect of this kit.

Limited to 100 total units worldwide, here’s the standard components:

  • GTRS3 Carbon Fiber Front Bumper with replacement splitter
  • GTRS3 Carbon Fiber Wide Arch Front Fenders
  • GTRS3 Carbon Fiber Extended Side Skirts
  • GTRS3 Carbon Fiber Wide Arch Rear Quarter Panels
  • GTRS3 Carbon Fiber Wide Arch Rear Bumper
  • Vorsteiner Embroidered Floor Mats
  • Vorsteiner Chrome Trunk Badge Emblem
  • V-308 3-Piece Concave Forged Wheels
  • Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 Performance Tires

Optional items include:

  • GTS3 Performance Sport Exhaust System (Stainless Steel)
  • GTS3 Carbon Fiber Vented Race Hood
  • VRS Carbon FIber Boot Lid

More info and images can be found on the website.​

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Taking a new route to get Ramen today. #BMW #M3 #joy

Usually, driving to get Ramen is about a 10-minute trip. Here’s my normal route:
(enlarge for better view)

Today, however, the boy and I are planning to take a slightly different route. Sure, it’s going to take longer, but getting there is half the fun.

Live Oak Canyon Road is a favorite of mine to take every so often when I have extra time to get to and from work – again, much longer than necessary, but the scenery and twisties make the drive much more enjoyable. I haven’t really had a chance to drive Santiago Canyon Road yet so this will be a first in the M3.

Ramen and road trip. It’s going to be a good day.

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