WHEELSTO visits STUDIE AG/Base! in Yokohama, Japan

This was it...

The final stop before Johan@WSTO jumped on the plane back to the states.

We saved the best for last, and it was worth it. We finally ended our trip at the head quarter of Studie AG in Yokohama, Japan. The home of it all. Studie AG has 5 shops all over Japan including Tokyo, Sendai, Kobe and Kidnie. The owner of Studie AG, Bob Suzuki waited to meet up with Johan. It was a short meeting but very memorable. He gave him a few gifts including a Studie AG +Das Foto- photo book, and some cool goodies as well, anyways let's tour the shop!

As we arrived to the Studie/Base!

The outside of the shop, relocated below the Yokohama train rails. The architecture of the shop is very simple, and clean. But inside it holds some of the most phenomenal BMW motor cars in Japan and all over the world. There is shop in the world like it. Some people will never understand why Studie paints their cars in wacky colors, and has anime inspired vinyl schemes but you have to understand that no one would ever think about doing those things to a full competition Super GT race car. Not only are they a tuning shop, but what sets them apart from the rest is that they know how to combine culture with motor sports in a wild, artistic and a well executed manner. Nothing like it!

E89 Z4 by kudac63 from ZPost

This is couple of months old but I had to share this fine specimen of an E89 Z4 by kudac63 of ZPost.

This E89 Z4 35i has the 3D Design front lip, rear diffuser and the Eisenmann Quad exhaust system.

Interpretation of the new F10 by 3D Design

The new 5 series (F10) is already the sensation as the newest and baddest "sporty" sedan.
Many tuners like Hamann has already released their interpretation of the new F10 and I am sure that there are many more to come.

I believe that 3D Design has really taken styling to a whole new level with the F10. Keeping the lines clean and not diverting too much from the original lines of the F10.  This is also the first time that they have released a roof spoiler and boy, have they done a great job.

Styling parts available:
- Front Lip Spoiler (Polyurethane)
- Rear Diffuser (Carbon Fiber)
- Trunk lip Spoiler (Polyurethane)
- Roof Spoiler (Polyurethane)

The F10 program does not end here...

3D Design Type III Forged Wheels - NEW PRODUCT

Type III Forged is a new wheel that is hot off the press by 3D Design.

The Type III Forged is an 8000ton Die Forged wheel made by the powerhouse of Forged wheels; Taneisya.
The Type III starts is life as a sold disc of high-grade aluminum alloy. This single billet alloy is pressed under 8000 tons of pressure to increase material density and tensile strength as the billet is shaped into a wheels. This very highly technical process makes the metal much stronger and therefore, allows the wheels to be made thineer and lighter without sacrificing strength.

The Type III in 20 - 10.0J weighs a mere 22lbs.

WSTO visits Studie Tokyo!

I had never been as excited as I was about visiting tuner shops as I was when visiting Studie. The excitement of visiting Tokyo Auto Salon had left me in daze that I had still not awaken from when I went to visit Studie. Studie has five locations; Yokohama, Tokyo, Kobe, Sendai and Kidnie. I had the honor of visiting 2 of those fine establishments, Tokyo (their latest which opened last year) and the main hub, Studie Yokohama.

Studie Tokyo did not look at all like a tuning shop. In fact, it really had the aura and the feel of an automobile museum. Upon entering, the display of miniature versions of BMW Motorsport’s finest from the past and present enables guests to submerge in the history of BMW at a single glance.

3D Design Featured on Bimmerpost!

Japanese tuning house 3D Design has released new aero enhancements for the E89 Z4, including the polyurethane front lip spoiler and trunk spoiler. Also released is a carbon fiber reinforced plastic rear diffuser. ZPOST member kudac63 has already had the front lip spoiler installed (photos).

PalmerSport + 3D Design

At PalmerSport, you get to drive some of the worlds greatest high performance cars. With outstanding professional instructors, this amazing track will have you achieve what you never believed could happen. One of PalmerSport's cars weapon of choice is a BMW m3, a car that is already outstanding from the factory but with modification from Jonathan Palmer made the car an even bigger sensation to drive. The 4 litre V8 engine is the most powerful engine that PalmerSport offers, with 420 bhp revving to 8500 rpm makes you wanna get the rear to break loose. Even at the PalmerSport track they allow the guests to drive the very same m3 GTP car and push it to the limits. On the BMW m3 GTP car, PalmerSport has used a lot of front lips on the car. But the only one to hold up to achieve what needs to be done is the 3d Designs Front lip. The front lip is three parts, one long main piece is full carbon fiber well the splitters are dry carbon. One of the best quality carbon fiber product, produced for BMW's.

Check out more on Palmer Sport M3 GTP Here

Quad Tip Look On The 1er

We have always been a fan of the quad tip look on the 1er. Lucky for us, 3D Design has just finished developing a full bolt-on quad system that untilizes the valve technology like the stock exhaust to regulate back pressure.

Most Quad systems were built around the Euro spec cars without the huge chunky vapor canisters that we have in the US. Therefore, modifications were necessary. WSTO co-developed an exhaust with 3D design to suit the US market. The exhaust that we received is the first US prototype.

3 Days to Bimmerfest

Hi guys,

I am back to give you guys more updates on what we did on our Project 1. For this episode, I really have the honor of introducing another new product and offering from 3D Design.

3D Design Full Caron Fiber Hood with Vents and Aerocatch Hood Pin
When we visited Tokyo for earlier this year, 3D Design had built a prototype Carbon fiber hood for the BMW E82 135i. We fell in love with the product immediately. The quality of the carbon fiber construction was top notch as always and the hood was so light that we could hold the entire hood with one hand. Not a single strand of Carbon fiber was out of place and the dense 1x1 weave was a sight to behold. It was actually like looking at the roof on the E92 M3 or the E63 M6. Simply perfect!

4 Days to Bimmerfest

It is only 4 days to Bimmerfest and I can't wait to be there.

Nate@IND; thanks for all your help. You guys have really helped us a lot, not only on this project but throughout the years. I only hope that we had been an instrumental part your business as well.

Now, back to Project 1....

Today, I am going to share with you, some of the smaller parts that went into the car (literally smaller). The wheels, exhaust and aero drastically change the way the car looks to the naked eye. Some of the products I will share with you may lack similar effects but it really adds to the total bad-assness (made this word up) of the car!

Pivot 3-drive Flat Throttle Controller

5 Days to Bimmerfest

I think that the 1st post has been enough to get your attention.

If not, here is a little something for the first update/unveiling.

As WheelSTO, we put high priority and interest in our "shoes". You have all seen the 3pc Klassen, the blacked out Stock wheels as well as the Dark Gun metal Advan RZ that we had on our car. Each and everyone of these wheels are unique and carry a distintive look and feel, that cannot be replicated by any other wheels.

The klassen had a nice deep dish on a car that everyone was saying deep was impossible with the high offset. the curvy spokes of the Klassen took care of that. We loved those smoked lips that we had on our Klassen wheels. The next set was the OEM wheels with a dark twist with custom powdercoat (20% gloss / 80% flat Black). This set showed that even with stock wheels, a nice set of spacers (Macht Schnell 18+10 combo) can give a whole new dimension to the car.



We really thought that the 1er could not look any better than it did, when it was wearing one of the first sets of Advan RZ Dark gun metal. It looked menacing and you could really tell that this wheel was serious performance. It was light and it had curvy spokes that screamed "speed".



So, how can we improve and change the look and feel of our Project 1, yet again?

Project 1 | The Journey To Bimmerfest

Many of you may already be familiar with the work that we have done in the past to our demo car, (very fittingly called) Project 1. We started out with a simple wheel swap, front lip, rear trunk lip spoiler. Since then, we have gone through 3 sets of wheels, 3 different exhaust configurations, and tried many of the products that we offer for the 1 series, such as intakes, springs and even tunes and little accessories.



We had been debating for a long time, if we should make the trip out west to Bimmerfest. For many of you, it is a simple drive and a weekend event. However, for us it was big commitment. We really wanted to show our 1er and make our virgin trip/showing at Bimmerfest. Kind of get a stamp of approval as a BMW shop/haven.




However, there were many hurdles to jump over. Distance was one of them. Google showed an exact distance of 2,126 miles with approximately 1 day and 10hours of pure driving (as if that was possible). Then there is the fact that we have to close shop for a week to drive there and back. Where are we going to stay/logde and what did we need to do to set up a booth? What products shall we bring to show and can we show side by side with the veterans of Bimmerfest? All too many questions and no clear answers.



The only way to find out was to "Just Do It". So, we plunged and committed, of course, all too late and everything was and still is last minute. But, with the help and support from many other vendors, manufacturers and friends, we were able to set things up. We owe each and everyone of them a BIG "Thank You" and more for making this possible. I will list and showcase each and everyone of them, throughout this article.



We carefully selected new mods for the car. Many of you may be wondering what we have in store and many of you may think, we have seen'em all. Believe me, they are going to be new to most of you and some of these parts are going to be the first of its kind in the USA (I promise). Throughout this article/journal, we will showcase the different products as well as the different manufacturers/vendors that make them.



We will also showcase all the products daily, until the unveiling of the car at Bimmerfest (sort of a teaser! ) So, stay tuned and for those of you fortunate enough to make it out to Bimmerfest 2010; see you there!



For now, I will start with a very fitting teaser shot, and a promise of more to come!




- Julius -

E89 Z4 aerodynamics and wheels

WSTO 135i V1.2

Last June we revealed our very own Project 1 (v1.2). It was wearing an array of parts that suited the 135i well. We received many compliments on what we had done, however we were not finished.

Our attention first went to the rear of the car. Bastuck had released a prototype US-spec quad exhaust system for the 135i. We still call it prototype as we feel the fitment is a little off for the US Spec cars with the charcoal canister. We did a little customization on our end to make the fit flawless and look like it was built in Bavaria. We are working with Bastuck to remedy the situation. The quad system just like the dual is a full cat-back system (aft of secondary cats) and utilizes Bastuck‘s own non resonated y-pipe. We opted for the non-resonated version for 2 reasons; less restriction and so we could hear the engine sing. This exhaust really lets the turbo engine sound come through. Slightly more rumble, a bit louder, and a little more "open sound" made for music to our ears.



This time around, we wrapped the 4 huge double walled 85mm Bastuck tips with 3D Design's Carbon Fiber Diffuser. This is a 100% carbon fiber diffuser beautifully crafted in Japan. The 3D Design diffuser integrated seamlessly into the existing lines of the 1er while accentuating the aggressiveness of the car with its center mesh opening and slightly flared openings for the quad exhaust tips. Installation was simple, utilizing all the stock clips and attachment points as well as stock screws on the bottom. Fitment with the OEM bumper and larger Bastuck tips was next to perfect.



Of course, being WHEELSTO we could not overlook the wheels. We feel as though wheels will either make or break a car. Although the design of the wheel plays a major role, it is not just one factor but a combination of design, offset, color, drop in height and even the rubber that defines the overall feel and look of the car. For months we have been debating what wheels to go with after we decided to bid farewell to our 3pc Klassen wheels. The Klassen wheels were a thing of beauty with smoked lips and sophisticated liquid metal color and 3pc design, but we knew it was time to carry on the aggressive racy theme of the quad exhaust.

We had always been infatuated with Yokohama Advan's design styles, and build quality. We even thought about trying to fit the aggressive sizing Advan RS (fitment meant for the E90 3 series). I am sure that we could have pulled it off with some fender rolling and camber adjustment and Frank (our resident drifter would have loved it too). Too bad for Frank, Advan released news of the Advan RZ for BMW fitments and even better, an E82 specific fitment. We jumped on the opportunity by calling our Yokohama distributor to pre order a couple of sets.



The sizing that was released was 19x8 +45 and 19x9 +50 and we opted for the Gunmetal finish to complete the dark menacing look. We wrapped them in Yokohama Advan AD08, 225/35/19 and 255/30/19. These tires perform incredibly when carving through corners and look great when parked. They run slightly wider than most other major brands and therefore we did encounter some rubbing with our aggressive drop on H&R Sport Springs. With a slightly narrower tire design (perhaps Falken or Toyo), this setup should be a perfect no rubbing solution. Either way, the car felt great and the rubbing was minimal.



Our 1er (version 1.1) grabbed a lot of attention with the matte black vinyl work we had done on the door panels. Whereas this door panel with huge “WSTO” on the side worked very well for us “commercially”, we wanted a more subtle design that will be the envy of other BMW enthusiasts. The vinyl scheme was stripped but we decided to keep the matte black. Only this time, we added two stripes stretching from the headlights all the way back to the tail lights for a subtle street look. We think that this was an especially nice design by our resident designer/photographer, Johan.




Johan really outdid himself again (he never fails to surprise) and took some amazing pictures of our completed transformation.