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It’s been a few weeks since we have been able to get back on to the finishing touches of the Z4, but this is a shop build so it takes the back seat on our day to day business, but perfection takes time, so we are happy to spare what we can when we can which is what is making it such an enjoyable build and with the weather changing it’s not like the car will be out and about any time soon as we have now locked it away for the Winter months.

 

Rear Wing fixings and quick release pins

 

These week has seen us find and locate a brand new front bumper grill which we are thrilled at so that is now on route to us, its also seen us mock up the rear wing which has been a challenge to get it mounted so the boot can still be used, as the race ring is chassis boot floor mounted which is what we didn’t want to do on our own build.

 

Rear wing Assembly Rear Bumper Grills

 

The rear wing as we have previously discussed is the rear deal Gen 2 Z4 GT3 which we can now produce for any further builds, its mounted using the BMW Z4 GT3 race hardware with the quick release pins so to put on and take off is pretty easy, which is why we wanted this set up so badly.


We get customers asking us why our conversion is more expensive than the other companies that also offer this conversion and our answer is very simple, attention to detail, we also offer parts that our competition doesn’t, we are the only company to offer finish bumper grills front and rear with stainless hardware, dual blade rear wing with quick release pins with our conversion for the track or the street, plus the fact we have actually built a street car, so we are not just advertising the parts on a webpage without a clue how to fit them.

 
 

Over the winter months we will be releasing more images of the progress along with some video footage so you get to finally hear this beauty on start up.


We have been selling our carbon outer rims for a few years now as an overlay as well as a light weight carbon fibre barrel in a 2-piece configuration with our forged magnesium centres, but what we want to discuss now is our carbon fibre overlay, because things have had a slight change and those changes are for the better. It has been an option on our wheels for a carbon fibre overlay for some time and it’s been a very popular option, but the carbon has always been a little hit and miss, be it where the carbon meets on the join or the fact the twill gets distorted in the manufacturing process, we have never been 100 % happy with the product we have had from the various manufacturers we have worked with, we are perfectionist and we expect the perfect product, it’s an expensive process, so the last thing you expect is the product we have been getting over the past few years, but we have now moved production to the UK and we must say it’s been a great call, the quality of the product is night a day to what we have been used to and exactly what we have been striving for, we now have the pinnacle carbon overlay finish for our 3 piece forged outer wheel rims.


 
 

We have been talking to our new composite team in the UK for a while now about making our carbon outer rims and how we can get the perfect finish, especially with the way the carbon is laid onto the barrel and we must say the way the carbon is applied and the overall finish is absolute perfection.

So what makes these carbon lips so different with any other manufacturer we have used, well after a few meetings and discussions they recommend that we use the pre-preg carbon material, which is a more expensive material, but you get what you pay for and what he have now is where the end result should be, the join is seamless and the twill is perfect with zero distortion and it’s a superlight weight product that can be clear coated in a matt or high gloss finish.

This is a process that has always been available for our forged wheel range as an option when purchasing a new wheel and as well as being available for our own wheel range it’s also been available from a select few wheel manufacturers we have dealt with, but after hundreds of requests over the last few years to carbon overlay customers own wheels, it’s never been possible until now, as we have decided this is will be available to anyone with a 3-piece wheel, all you need to do is send us your outer rims and we will turn your polished, painted lips in to carbon fibre beauties, that will be available in any width or size of wheel, so get in touch with us if you want the black gold applying to your outer rims in either step or reverse configuration, with a fast turnaround at affordable pricing for the real carbon fibre deal.


Wheels maketh the car right, so it’s important to choose not just the right design but the right wheel brand and with so many wheel brands on the market where do you start, which is a difficult choice for us, so I can only imagine what that’s like for you the customer, that is looking to make or break their build, and it really is a mine field of good and not so good product.


Over the last couple of years, we have become very disgruntled with the wheel brands we have been involved with that are manufactured stateside, as the loyalty, quality and customer service seems to have gone backwards, as the wheel market shrinks with new wheel brands that seem to open on a weekly basis, which is having an impact on the larger brands as they push for more sales, so its numbers over brand quality.


 



 

We have already covered our forged range of magnesium wheels, along with the brands we source from Japan which are some of our favourite wheel brands, and it helps that the Japanese are so easy to deal with and quality over quantity is what they are renown for, which is us to a tee, but we are happy to say we are adding a fresh high quality brand to the VAD line up and its home grown to, right here in the UK, 3SDM.


 

3SDM FORGED WHEELS


 

We have been chatting to Dylan the owner for a while, buying some of his cast wheels for our Mini R56 wide flare conversions and although they supply a few companies around the UK, we will not only be offering the 3SDM brand, but working with them on other exciting products, whilst they will also be making some of our own VAD wheel designs, and all on our door step, which is a huge bonus.

Lead time are the usual 4 to 6 weeks, which can grow depending on how busy the factory is, but we aim to half that by finishing our own wheels, that will be done exclusively by our wheel refinishing partners Speedwells who are based in Birmingham not too far from the VAD HQ.

A full option list of size, width and finish is available with every PCD and offset catered for, to include centre lock, new and old, as well as bespoke applications and limited exclusive production runs, we will also be working with the team on our own unique wheel designs, so keep an eye out for further details and if you require an information on the line up and what’s coming over the next few months, do not hesitate to get in touch with us.


 


 


It's all in the details... 3SDM Forged 3 piece wheels


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Unit 5
James Road
Tyseley
Birmingham
B11 2BA
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