Flashback +12 TE37s
Flipping thru some photos brought me back a few years… It was January 2006. My S14 is on its 2nd paintjob after doing horribly at Formula Drift and crashing into the wall at around 80mph. I had 8 18×9.5 +12 TE37s Stacked in my garage alongside 12 brand new 225/45/18 Toyo T1S (T1R’s didnt come out yet). 4 of the tires with shredded tires from the day before at the Just Drift event down in Socal.
Sitting in the garage was my daily driver 350whp EVO 8 which was slammed on stock wheels. I went on some forum just to see what the offset was stock and noticed it was a terrible +38. I sat there thinking about it and a light turned on. Oh.. hey, let me try putting these TE’s on since they’re just sitting there. I lowered the car a bit more until the tires met the fender and started flattening out the fender to make sure rubbing wouldn’t be an issue. Drove around a couple miles in SF with no problems and posted these photos on the internet. I guess you can say the rest is history..
Back in 2006, Drifting was still the shit. People dismissed it as a fad sport and should have already been gone. (Some forums have been saying the same thing about HF, but I highly doubt it since HF has been around for 6 years. The haters are just late to the game… lol.) Anyways, I had been drifting for about 4 years now (started in 2002 with and S2000 for some odd reason) and our crew/group Driftunit was making some noise. We’d give stickers away to everyone who wanted one and started selling tee’s. It was fun. PG, ZT, JD and all the other crews around did their thing. There were haters but still we did our thing..
Here’s those stickers I was talking about. Looking at all those Nikes reminds me I need to post up all my shoes for sale…
Anyways, here’s more photos of the EVO that started all the HYPE/HATE over the internet around January 2006. If I didn’t get the $1400 state ref ticket, I probably would still have this car.
REMEMBER THIS PEOPLE.. Being HF isn’t a NEW thing. It’s been around for YEARS. Japan did it with the drift teams. Europe did it with the VW’s. Here was THEE car that did it for me and what made me want to make my S14 fresh. I contacted the guy from Signal Auto that owned this car cause I heard he was selling the wheels but I believe one of the PG guys (BH) picked em up. I believe also these were 18×9.5+12 and 18×10.5+22.
that black s14… such a classic. it was owned by the guy from signal before BH got it and rocked a KA foreverrrrr.
wish his weds didn’t get stolen
I had some pics of your evo saved on my comp for years and could never figure out who’s it was. Great example of a clean evo DD and it actually inspired me on my GR STi.
Haters will hate.
Nothing wrong with nicely fitted wheels on a sexy EVO. LOVE TE37’s
This post reminds me that I need a vinyl cutter.
TE37’s makes the world look better lol
Let the haters hate, or, take the “JDMEgo approach” — I <3 haters.
(I've used that as a forum signature before, and it seems to shut some people up. They hate to hate on people who don't care, it seems.)
Personally, I love the Evo. And the wheels. But it would have been pretty hard for me to be into the car scene six years ago. Sure, I was kinda old enough at 15, but it's frustrating as it is now at 21 and still not feeling like I make enough to support it. Which I hardly do, but that’s another story.
damnnn i love that evo so much
“REMEMBER THIS PEOPLE.. Being HF isn’t a NEW thing.”
quoted just in case someone missed it. a lot of people are acting like this is a new thing and they’re on the forefront of a new movement. if you’re talkin’ brand new in ‘09 you’re a few years behind. recognize that you’re following a trend, not setting one. just keep it 100.
Very true BLKon. When I bought my WRX 2 years ago, barely anybody was running aggressive fitting wheels. People kept saying that wide wheels, low offsets, slammed, and negative camber defeated the point of owning a Subaru. I really wonder how the Subaru community would be now if HF caught on to us sooner? It was actually Mark’s Evo that made me wanna see how wide of a wheel I could stuff under my fenders.
That was a good write up. And thank you for giving the vw cats props. I have pics from 91 of flush vws. No matter what you do that’s diffrent there will always be haters. Let them hate. In due time they will be jockin your style. Just like all the wanna be sneaker heads and wanna be bboys. They are all followers and the OGs are the leaders.
dang, baller.
but i agree with most peoples comments. A lot of people just now hopping on the whole flush/drift/vip/sneakerhead/streetwear cultures, and it makes everything seem like a fad to the outsiders. They need to recognize their roots.
Whether the HF style is new or not, it is an acquired taste that some regular people or haters have not accepted because it still hasn’t fully assimilated into society. I am all for being hellaflush and get crap about why my car is so low and why the wheels on my car are too big for it everyday but just like alot of other cases, you have to step out of the norm and step up for what you like. Good write-up!
By the way, I truly feel that specifically White Volk TE-37’s make ANY car look good and will be the timeless wheels that never go out of style
Personally, I’m crazy for that Evo. I’ve always loved them (all but the X, that is), but it’s seemed like a sort of unicorn car for me. I’m not sure I’ll ever find one that fits what I’m looking for, price, color, care, etc. Who knows, maybe someday. Otherwise I’m open to doing an STi someday too.
I’ve adopted a phrase that I first saw on JDMEgo’s license plate frame, “I <3 haters." I get a lot of flak for modding a Miata from people who don't really know what I've done or what the car's capable of, but uneducated opinions mean nothing to me. Besides, by not caring what the haters thing, they tend to move on to different targets.
I'm also a sucker for white Volks, and the TE37's are my absolute most favorite wheel of all time; no kidding. They're the wheels I want for the end result of my Sil-Eighty project, putting a black car on white wheels. (Is it a coincidence that 37 happens to be my favorite and lucky number?!)
<3 the Evo. <3 white Volks. <3 haters. They're the ones who let you know you're doing something cool before it's cool to everyone.
White TE37's are my wheel-to-get in life. I'd love to have a set for my project after she's done, having a black Sil-Eighty on those would be awesome. (And 37 is my lucky number, and the number I race with.
)
2009: drifting is still the shit.
Strong writeup. I even remember when the DriftUnit shoes came out.
Flush fitment is miles off in the Uk. But is catching on because of peoples awareness of this awesome site. im only 20, so i have a long life of HF to come.
i like to think ive nailed my golf fitment and height but theres something about jap cars that do what vw’s cant, and that is to look hard as nails.
the evo looks so awesome, i now want one.
great write up, keep it up, i love it!!!
Mark, I think it was around 04/05 my shop (Evolution Motorsports) along with SCCA did a little drift event out at the Stockton Fair Grounds…you guys (Drift Unit) rolled in and the moment I saw your car with the Jlines….that’s what gave me the inspiration to build an HF S14…
Nice post, this definitely brings me back! TE’s are some of my all time favorite rims. I miss that Evo, it felt light even when it was packed with people and luggage on the way back from D1.
Awesome writw uprk..the haters will always hate.
Hey Mark.
We’re still rockin the DU tee’s and hoods you sent over here to NZ. You hooked us up like a BOSS.
funny how te37’s came up because I’ve found a flat black set of TE37s for my A3 and am desperately trying to find the money to get them lol
Nice. Henry is rockin that EVO now. Pretty sick car. And did u have a FD license?
Euro tuners were rockin flush stance for ages now. So it is NOT a new thing.
Yessir! The hype has risen so much in certain forums its not even funny. I still remember when I first visited this blog in 07 when it was less visually appealing and updates were rare!
I ain’t gonna lie though, T3hclap and this site helped push me to buy those wheels in late 07 when +35 was considered aggressive in the Subaru world.
HellaFlush has always been around youre right about that. I noticed it back in 04 from Japan. It never made sense but looked clean. This flush style fitment came about because people wanted their cars to look like they do in concept car illustrations. So props to car designers!
Ahh, so that was you’re Evo Mark? I freaking love the stance plus TE37’s on it…
You’re S14 still a classic though.
great write up! and man i remember the first time seeing that pic of your evo with the te37s, soo much hate
I’m happy to say I was there with Mark for the stuff he wrote about in this thread. I was a mod on the DriftUnit forums in the early days. It was awesome seeing how things evolved to the point it is now. I remember Mark linking me to the EVO forums where he posted his pics up. The haters rolled in and layed their 2cents down.
I remember the first time I ever saw that Evo, sooo dope. It was/still is my favorite Evo of all time. haha I can’t wait until mine’s done!!
sup yall,
a number of use from the uk go on the drift unit train when the forum started and also when grip unit was running (good old days). the UK seen is getting there lots of my cutomer are getting into the look as i push it hard at my shop.
1st time i saw the evo i loved it fresh look that no one did it takes ball to do it and brake off from the norm.
BRING BACK DRIFT UNIT!!!!!
as kat williams says, theres always gonna be someone who hate good shit because they couldnt get good shit.
vw’s where poking, flushing, tucking, stretching way before every one else jumped on. but i love that every one jumped on cause well it just looks dope.
Great write up. Thumbs up! I have some drift unit decals and stickers too. Always will love drift unit