New Wheels!

I bought some new wheels. Enkei RPF1 17x9.5 and they weigh in at around 16.5lbs each. Since the best offset I can get for these while still being able to rotate them is +38, I had to use Project Kics 20mm spacers with built in studs on my front hubs. This of course widens the front track by +40mm, which actually helps with turn-in. Since I have had all-season Kumho Ecsta ASX tires on my stock wheels and had my old Falken Azenis RT-615 255/40/17s lying around, I put the Falkens on the new wheels.
The Project Kics spacers bolt on to your existing wheel studs, and have new studs built into them. This seems like a bit of a risky setup at first but is pretty commonly used and if you stay up on checking the torque on all the nuts regularly they should be safe. One of the only real drawbacks is that they stick out far enough that you the hub center no longer protrudes and therefore the wheel is no longer supported by the hub center, but by the studs themselves. at first the thought of this is frightening, but the fact is even the stock Evo wheels aren't perfectly hub centric either.
While setting the car up at an event, I found that even at around 115-128 nM (my torque wrench has indicators for 115 and 128 or something, so i had it somewhere in between, and IIRC the Kics instructions specifified around 116 or 118nM) the nuts were considerably loose. not surprising considering I had put almost 1000 hard miles (including racing) on the car since I installed them, but I am glad I checked. While I was torquing them, the wrench would click to indicate that the toque had been met, but the nut would continue to move for as much as another 45 degrees! So I just continued to ratchet them down, and raised the tq. to somewhere around 130nM. I know I should have checked them sooner and kept track of exact tq. specs, but you know how it is when you are in the pits, and are missing the driver's walk/meeting, and are in a hurry.

Bottom line, check the tq. on the spacer nuts within less than 100 miles or significant driving after installation, and continue to check them regularly!

Pics to follow shortly