November Editorial>> In The Weeds

"Offset is everything": This is a mantra which many of you guys have been preaching for some time now… But I want to question if wheel offset is indeed the be-all-end-all of modified cars aesthetics around the world. For me cars with offset wheels are usually great, but it's a rule that doesn't always apply to all cars across multiple styles and genres. So let me put this alternative idea forward: Stance is Everything.

How the car sits on its wheels -the stance, is the one element which separates the cool from the cheesy. It doesn't matter if it's a hot
rod, custom, VIP, drift or race car and has tall, narrow, flush, tucked
or poking wheels.

You with me on this one? A car can have amazing offset wheels, but if the stance is wrong then the whole effect is no good. But a car can have an amazing stance and average wheels can still have a strong visual impact. So by my books, stance overrules offset.

So we've decided to devote all of November to exploring the most radical of stanced cars: the lowest of the low… welcome to Slammed Month!

Now there seem to be several schools of thought as to how one should go about getting a car onto the ground.

For some, the stance of a car has to be hardcoded… it has to be a permanent setup and means the owner has to deal with next-to-no suspension movement, regularly scraping the underbelly of the car and the potential of getting stuck on speedbumps and ramps. It's all part of the experience.

For these types of car owners, it's the extremity of the car which has the appeal. It's a bit like someone who wears fashion forward designer clothes like Vivian Westwood or Alexander McQueen; they're not functional like hiking outerwear, but the look makes a huge, impossible to ignore, visual statement. And that's the point of these cars.

Other car owners don't want to sacrifice the experience of luxury for the sake of visual impact. They prefer being able to cruise low, and lay frame when parked.

For them, air ride is the way to go as these cars are more expressions of refinement than hardness. Coilover people sometimes look down on those who've gone the bags route, but Speedhunters will showcase both sides of the argument this month.

Air Ride installations are certainly very popular in the Belgian modified car scenes where builders stick the suspension systems into just about anything.

Our Belgian correspondent Kevin Raekelboom has a new group of slammed Euro machines to showcase for you this month.

Like this dropped Alfa.

So which scene does the best, aggressive wheel fitment? The Europeans have been doing this style for the past decade already.

We know this style is really coming on song now in the States. If you don't have tight fitment you might as well leave your car at home!

And  the Japanese have also been at their aggressive wheels for a while too.

Like in the European scene, tuck style wheel fitment is also a strong movement in Japan. We'll be featuring all sides of the equation this month.

Dino has been busy shooting all sorts of Japanese metal to feature this month. He recently visited the Rauh-Welt shop and did a photoshoot with their Natty Dread 993. I can't wait for this feature! This car is a perfect balance between uncompromised performance tuning and aggressive visual style -a magic and often elusive combination of elements.

Meanwhile Stateside, Mike Garrett is going to be pretty busy with SEMA in Las Vegas this week, but upon his return to LA, he'll be looking to showcase different aspects of slammed cars in the So-Cal area…

… This includes showcasing custom and lowrider machines. These are the first groups to get into serious slammage, so it's only right that we look back into the roots of dropped cars.

 

I'm also pleased to announce Speedhunters will be collaborating with Hellaflush this month. Watch out for some guest articles from the Hellaflush crew in the next few weeks.

Speedhunters is also an official media partner of the upcoming Hella Flush III show. We'll be awarding one car owner from the show a full Linhbergh Nguyen photoshoot. Both Mike and Linhbergh will be on hand at the show so you see them do say hello, perhaps they'll give you a Speedhunters sticker!

There are now close to half a million Speedhunters readers around the world who frequent this blog site, but only a small percentage of you have the option to make the trek to Las Vegas each year to attend SEMA. So for the rest, we'll do our best to bring you along to the SEMA experience through our cameras lenses.

Make sure to tell us which cars you want us to shoot and we'll do our  best to get you the type of event coverage that you want to see.

One person I was planning to hang out with at SEMA this year was Tanner Foust, but it turns out he'll be in China for most of the week at the Race of Champions.

Here's a shot of the ROC track under construction in the Olympic Stadium. Although we won't be physically at the track this year, we'll keep our eye on the event proceedings. Go Tanner!

 What else is going on this month? We have the Superlap Battle coming up in a few weeks at Button Willow in California.

Meanwhile in Japan, Dino will be at the Toyota Motorsports Festival.

I haven't seen coverage of this festival previously so I'm pretty interested to see Toyota's take on a track based festival.

Dino will also be shooting the MSC Mobara event and will be back at Ebisu for the Fall Drift Matsuri. This guy lives the dream doesn't he?

Meanwhile back in Europe, Jeroen will be visiting the Essen Motor Show at the end of the month.

It will be interesting to cross-compare this European aftermarket show with the best of what will be on offer in Las Vegas next week.

All this and more! Stay tuned to Speedhunters to see what's happening in car cultures across the planet.

Best,

:Rod

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1

Well, see you in December. October was a cool month. This = lame.

2

Speedhunters + Hella Flush = WIN!

Nice, I have a strange feeling I'm going to enjoy thing month :)

3

Nice!!! Can't wait

4

I smell STANCEWORKS!! I sure mike will have something to do with this month's theme.

5

That slammed Passat CC looks dang Sexy...

6

i LOVE this site, STANCE FTMFW!!!!

7

I do agree, I can dig stanced cars that might not be flush fitting. Can't wait for this month. For SEMA coverage, I'd like to see some posts on the cars outside the show. I prefer street driven aggressiveness vs show only. Thanks!

8

Wallpaper of Super GT cars lineup PLEASE!!

9

Cant wait! Going to be a good month :)

10

WOW! seems to be a cool month :D



what amazing pics the first and last are. if in anyway possible, please meake some wallpapers for me. that infinity and datsun or two of my favorite cars and are just lik i would make them. damn pretty :)

11

OMG THAT BLACK SOARER IS SOOOOO GOD DAMMM SEXY

12

Slammed. Just awesome

13

Hot! This sounds like an awesome month already!

14

Wallpaper the first one, please. Great Pics

15

who's excited? I AM!!

16

great article rod, cant wait for more pics!

17

Wow! That white Z is one sexy looking car! I love it. I cant wait to see more of these cars.

18

air ride isnt the only form of adjustability.. there is also hydraulics.. and i dont mean the type of hydraulic setup that would go in a 64 impala.

19

I wonder if Dino is looking for someone to assist him ... ?

20

WOW..this is going to be an epic month!!

21

Yeah!!!.. cant wait to see what you have coming..

22

omg you just made my day/month

23

Should be a good month. Wallpaper of that first picture?



Oh and that white Z33 is the only one I have ever seen done correctly.

24

"huge, impossible to ignore, visual statement." ... in other words "SHOW". Let the hate rain down on me. I don't care, I prefer performance, function and driveability over weaving around lane reflectors and 3 block detours to avoid speed bumps. Bring on the RAUH-WELT please!!

25

Wooaah!



Sick month coming up! All of it looks great!

26

Lowriding started in Mexico in the 30s I believe. Guys would slam out the rear by filling the trunk with sandbags.

27

WTF is Tanner Foust doing at the Race of Champions? He didn't win anything. Can we get some real racing drivers to represent the U.S.?



Offset is part the stance equation.

28

this is going to be a awesome month! definatly down for the fitment articles. thats just me.

29

Great theme for this month! Also cant wait for the Toyota Motorsports Festival

30

I just got a text message about this, LOL



Stance overrules offset?!



I dunno about THAT Rod.



OFFSET and stretch is what MAKES the stance.



Think about it. We should discuss this when we see each other at SEMA! hahahaha

31

The argument Stance > Offset is kinda silly. First off, a good offset combined with a good suspension setup can equate to an awesome stance. And you can have an aggressive stance without good offset, but that doesn't mean it looks good. Since when was tucking anything under, a "cool" thing to do.



And if you ask most people which cars above are the most desirable, you'll probably get the Z at the very top and the Rauh Welt Porsche, or any of the cars with aggresive stance/good offest, proving that good offset + good stance = awesomeness but 1 without the other can be just plain bad.

32

Oops... show v. go!

Gonna' be EPIC this month 4 sure...



Cool pic and quite a stance on that Infinity G35.



Let Tanner Foust do his THANG @ RoC 2009!

For sure his drifting skills will help him eliminate 'real' racing drivers.



Batter up!



33

"Stance is Everything" huh? That's a pretty strong statement, and I can't agree more. I love what you guys are going, keep it coming!

34

I think I need to do some extra laundry with this month :D Speed Hunters, show us the way!

35

Dam that Z up top i sexy! and so is that rauh welt ! haha but so is the passat CC , the green volks and the white A4.

36

Awesome! Looking forward to a great month!

37

wallpaper of the zombie 240 plz =) gonna be an awsome month!

38

damn nice post, the lexus with m6wheels, the 350z, the rauw welt porsche, and the rieger audi look suuupernice

39

This is going to be a wicked month. Just can't wait to see those slammed cars.



Raugh Welt 993's and some hefty dose of Rx-7's will do the trick. Lets get LOWWWW!!!

40

There will be live audi AND VIDEO coverage of the Race of Champions on www.RadioLeMans.com on Tuesday (Nations Cup) and Wednesday. - why do it mid-week?



I believe Eurosport are showing it in Europe

41

I do not mind lowered cars within reason...i.e: so you can drive them, but otherwise they are as useful as a fart in a spacesuit. Good design should be Form follows Function instead of all this air bag crap.



I'll come back in December probably...



42

so veeery exited about lowered cars features looking forward to see some great content from u guys

43

"half a million Speedhunters readers around the world"

= A NZer living in China checking in here... and YEP I'l be checking out the Race of Champions finals tomorrow night in the Bird's Nest. It's a shame Speedhunters didn't make the trek over!

44

AWESOME!!! Can't wait for this month!:D I have to agree with what some have said in the comments; stance goes hand in hand with offset. The key to success is a matter of balance between the two, related to the base, the color, the rims themselves and so on.

Anyway... this would be the "Slammed and Badass" month!:))) Can't wait!:D

45

Best. Month. Ever!

46

About the coilover slaming style.... I dunno really.... I love to drive the car, so if the wheel setup kills the driving experience and gives me flashbacks and nightmares when I see speed bumps, rails or stuff like that, then I wouldn't wanna have such a car... Maybe such cars should be nothing else but empty shells. It feels kinda sad to see a good performance base car having its driving ability killed. Don't get me wrong though, these type of cars are some of the best looking out there, the badass ones, but not a good idea for a daily driver...

47

Think about the statement further... Does the rule of offset apply to a Rat Rod or a Kustom? No it doesn't... But Stance does. Same goes for race cars.



Is offset needed on a race car? No... but Stance is....



There you go. Offset is great, but Stance is more universal.

48

oh, kind of off topic, can Belgians do engine swaps? I remember reading something that said it was illegal, it could be the contributing factor that their cars have uber dumpage

49

I luv this month already!

50

Wow, this month is gonna be sweet!! The Soarer and 159 already has my jaw on the desk!

51

Can't wait for a feature of this years Nismo Festival!

52

Hey Rod, whats your email address mate? I want to ask if you could do a car spotlight....i have plenty of photos/info :)

53

amazing pics! well done guys...

Especially love the last one

54

I dig a good stance but IMO many of the cars featured are TOO low. Give me performance and drivability over some silly dumped car with no suspension travel.

55

WHAT! No Honda Month Again!!!??? Well I guess I'll have to wait reading awsomeness at speedhunters for another month ;)......again.

56

I'm in the static drop camp, and i think your Vivienne Westwood reference is a very accurate description of what we're trying to achieve :) can't wait to see what's in store

57

That last pic is too epic for words, plus its my car too :D



Speeeeeedhunting at sunrise!! Yeahh!

58

Great Pics!



I would love to see the Green Volkswagen Golf 5th Genaration on my Desktop every morning.

If its not possible to put in in the Desktop area kann u mail it to me?



I realy NEED this shot :D



its fresh_sven(at)web.de (reading this blog from germany every day... )

59

"The Europeans have been doing this style for the past decade already."



but it's pretty much history now, since around 2000.

At least in the german speaking area of europe.

Too many people were too low and caused accidents, damaged their oilpans on the shitty roads here and stuff like that, so they are really serious about the 11cm (4.33inch) ground clearance law now.

That's too high for proper stance. The law is actually nothing new but no one really cared before around ~2000, but lately the police checks ground clearance on cars ALOT more and if you get caught you're in trouble, even insurrance problems etc. : (

So you'll see almost no cars that are really driven on the streets with really good stance here.



IMO the japanese are the stance kings!

but america catches up really really fast.



I'm looking forward to the speedhunters stance special !!

60

WALLPAPER OF THE FIRST ONE!! PLEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASE PLEEEAAAASE PLEAAAAAASE!!

61

the stance thing is a good way to put it and will put most people at ease i think Offset is part of the JDM style this is something most people seem to forget hence everyone is quick to yell bad offset at any car JDM or not

62

I agree that stance is everything. It can make or break the overall look of the car. That said, I always like to focus on performance first, then aesthetics. This is going to be a great month! SEMA and Essen are both at the top of my bucket list! Please show some of the cars OUTSIDE the SEMA buildings, they can be just as wild as the ones inside! Would definitely like to see what they do with the Taurus SHO; I want that car! America's coming back, watch out! Also, even though it's not normally Speedhunters fare, could we see some modified Ford Raptors if any are there? Surely a street-legal, factory Baja truck deserves a mention!

63

Oh man, so this will be HellaFlush month. Although I appreciate stance, offset and all of those things, I think it sucks to see cars that have only one purpose: to have a great stance! For me, performance should be top priority. This ain't Speedhunters anymore cause this has nothing to do with speed at all, it should be called Stancehunters! I remember reading an interview on NOB Taniguchi when he said that DEMON CAMBER was the IN thing in Japan before and he tried it out on his AE86. Next thing he knew, he CRASHED while drifting, so he promised not to do those kinds of crazy suspension modifications. That RAUH-Welt car is great though, I know it's really really fast with a great stance. Now that's what I'm talking about! I wish Mike Garrett would be back in Japan. He was just the KING OF ALL AUTOMOTIVE BLOGGERS before. Speedhunters was just like a dream when it first started, but now, it's always American muscle this and Hot Rod that.

64

How about....



Wheel fitment is everything.

65

oh man, wallpaper of picture one PLEASE!!!!!!

66

The cars in the second and seventh pics look utterly ridiculous to my eye, like the rear axle is bent. It's going to utterly fsck the rear tyres isn't it?



My taste is too practical/functional for those. Quite a fan of the Rauh-Welt 993 though :)

67

linhbergh, you ARE my idol.

68

WTF Speedhunters, WTF. Well, I guess we'll just wait till December for you guys to do a decent monthly editorial.

69

Stance Is indeed everything.



That is why my blog is titled as such,

70

jesus that MK5 is just too good.

71

If you're going to post a picture like the S30 in the first one... you're just going to have to offer up a desktop -- sorry, no negotiating!

72

Please post up some mr2's form the Toyota Motorsports Festival!! i've only seen one mr2 on this site and i would really love to see more.

73

You guys totally owe Dave a link for using his blog title there. ;) Stance certainly is everything.



I can dig the stance. I've got +40 offset wheels on my Miata, yet the car's got a very aggressive stance, nor is she slammed to the ground.... (Uh, a DD/track monster is impractical at best when slammed.) She definitely turns heads, but she's mild at best when it comes to wheels & tires.



Anyhow, I fully support the HF dudes. They've got great style, great cars and some great pics. I'm just not slamming the Miata anytime soon. Now, my 240SX..... She's fairly slammed, 0 offset wheels and slightly stretched tires. They just need to be tucked into the fenders and I think we're pretty close then! ;)

74

BOB IS A DOUSCHEBAG!!

75

WIN Speedhunters, EPIC WIN

76

(In best Mr. Selatcia voice)

We shall allow Speed Hunters to explore the dark under belly of the dropped culture....

77

@Kevin

haha yes! stancehunters is exactly what this site is turning into :P



any chance of a wallpaper of the toyota 2000s? that is SUPER awesome and ive wallpapered the small version, looks like it was taken straight from the 60s, but at the same time the photo's so clean! LOVE IT!

78

Keep up the amazing work!

79

I agree with everything Kevin said!



The stance/offset fad is totally out of hand. It became this way when actual performance took a back seat. Owners installing low offset wheels on their cars with cheap suspensions to give the APPEARANCE of an actual racecar is garbage! The difference between the Rauh Welt Porsche(s) and the other cars is that it's suspension and wheels are tuned for performance on a circuit! The stance/offset cars are nothing but looks. Call me a hater all you wan as I could care less.



More Speedhunting and less "Stancehunting".

80

Can we have a wallpaper of the first pic please.



Thanks

81

thank you speedhunters!

82

Re: why does Tanner Foust deserve to be there? -- He beat Schumacher. Anyone that beats Schumacher at anything relating to four-wheeled vehicles on asphalt deserves to be there. Good for him!

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