To find out more about Calibre wheels, and how to WIN A SET OF WHEELS from the 2011 range, visit the Facebook Page!

With a black gloss finish and stunning red trim to the spokes, you can see how well this sits on the new WRX motor.

For more pics, head over to our Facebook page at “Calibre (Alloy Wheels) UK” and “Dotz UK”

Plus, the big news: we have a new website coming soon! Watch this space!

Pippa’s USC Diary

Dotz Mods Live at USC!

By Pippa

When I knew that the team were all going to be working at USC – I was pretty excited. It’s always a great atmosphere, and after a hard day on the stand, there’s always plenty to do in the evenings with decent acts and DJs – and plenty of room to dance!

Thankfully, regular readers will be glad to learn that I turned up on time and with no wardrobe malfunctions this time. Which, to be fair, is more than could be said for our mechanical ace Paul Cooper, who had decided to take the (very) scenic route from Cornwall and managed to miss the entire first day of the build! Oops!

Joining me as my partner in crime for the entire three days was my good friend Abbey. We kind of figured, one blonde, one brunette. Something for everyone!

The first day was busy, with the lads setting up a superb VIP area, complete with DOTZ beanbags, and Cristal chilling in the fridge.. or it may have been Cava. We keep it real.. MD Kev was using the whole thing as one big excuse just to break out his decks and blow the dust off some very choice vinyl. I can think of worse ways to spend a working day! What with a few bubbles in the fridge, and even the occasional blast from the smoke machine – at least they assured us that’s what it was – the lads kept us all entertained us for hours, while we got on with the serious business of handing out the DOTZ mags and freebie bags. Somebody had to do some proper work – and you can’t leave it up to the fellas..

This point was well proven later in the weekend when Kev decided to demonstrate his ‘hands-on’ management style by joining in the product throw out into the crowd. A good idea you might think, with the T-shirts and hats going down an absolute storm. Unfortunately, Kev decided to throw a few DOTZ bottle openers out there too … and in a Ninja-esque moment actually managed to draw blood from some unlucky guest! Luckily he was an understanding sort and the doctors say it won’t scar…

As well as the usual DOTZ goodness on site, we also had the added attraction of our 3 day live Fiesta ST build which was keeping us all entertained. Not only did techy Paul put in an epic performance once he finally did grace us with his presence, but we also had to be on best behaviour all day, thanks to the semi-permanent residency of the Motors/Eurosport crew on hand at all times. If you haven’t seen the show already, watch out for it on both of those channels. Who knows?. you might even see me!

So after a long few days of talking wheels, rides and endless photos, it was good to kick back for a meal out with the team. After building a superb boot install in our build Fiesta, we thought it rude not to take the boys from Huets Car Audio out as well, so as you can imagine, many tall tales were told over a cold one or five.

We even managed to catch a bit of the USC nightlife in there somewhere! DJ Luck and MC Neat and Chart-toppers ‘Roll Deep’, no less. Providing a perfect soundtrack to round out a busy old weekend. If you came up to the stand, thanks for stopping by! I hope to catch you all at our next gig!

See you soon

Pippa x

USC? Unbelievably Sorted Car..

USC. Three little letters that spell out big things to any European petrolhead. As the acronym for Ultimate Street Car, USC has built itself something of an enviable reputation over the years – and rightly so. With almost 35,000 enthusiasts turning up to party, race, dance, pull, swap, buy, fettle and talk cods in equal measure.. it’s a very pleasant way to spend three days of your life.

This year’s event between the 6^th and 8^th of August didn’t fail to hit the spot and needless to say, your favourite wheel brand was there, wading in with our size 11s – and taking the whole place over.

Blame it on too many beers, but MD Kev had come up with the bright idea that we should mod a car live over the three days. ‘Take a standard scene classic… like a Fiesta ST,’ he slurred one evening at the bar.. ‘and hit it with everything live at the show!’ Seconds later he disappeared in a haze of tequila. We assumed that he was joking of course, and come the morning’s sober dawn, it would all be forgotten. He wasn’t… Arse!

What followed was a series of calls and mails to our chums in the trade. In-keeping within our ethos for the finer things in life, we only wanted to partner up with the most respected brands in the business, and I’m delighted to report and much pleading – and occasionally, mild threats to publish compromising pictures on the net – a plethora of utterly choice components were soon winging their way to Dotz HQ. It was like Christmas most mornings here, with first a choice set of Corbeau seats turning up, followed by Eibach springs, Powerflex bushes.. you name it!

The day before the show and a rented van saw this eclectic wish-list of mods whisked up the motorway to Santa Pod to be readied for the build. Never one to hide our light under a bushel, not only were we going to work in a fully branded build area, but the whole thing was going to be filmed for Eurosport and Motors TV, as a kind of ‘Pimp My Ride’ live.. with much better looking staff, obviously…

Believe it or not, our artisan for this build was the incredibly talented Paul Cooper; a man that makes the Williams pit crew look lethargic and a veritable mine of useless automotive information. He was confident that he could finish the build in the three days.. or he was until he missed the entire first day after getting held up in Cornwall. Double Arse!

Although we eventually got him started, time was always going to be an issue, and despite Kev’s best efforts to raise morale with some club-quality tunes, the stress levels were high from the outset! Luckily, our technical partner’s components fitted like an absolute dream, meaning that what we had lost on day one, Paul could claw back over the two days.

As well as the superb componentry going onto the Fezzer, Audio legends Huets were on hand to endow the Fiesta with an OEM+ bootbuild that gave it some decent bass to match its stance and new found pace. Building everything from scratch on site, their work was simply sublime. It didn’t half sound good too!

So what did we fit? Well, grab a cuppa.. and we’ll talk you through it!

Chassis duties were ably dispatched thanks to the superb fitment of the Eibach Pro-Kit. Lowering the car by around 30mm, but keeping the ride, this was a great touch and greatly assisted with a full set of Powerflex bushes.

Braking was tweaked with a set of Goodridge braided lines from our friends at the Performance Company, and then topped off with a full set of uprated disks and pads from Tarox. No guesses where the wheels came from. A set of our own Shuriken, wrapped in Cooper rubber.

Under the bonnet a Pipercross induction kit, Spec R tank and full Samco kit made a real difference, as did the Richbrook official Ford caps. Not to be outdone, A Scorpion half system extracted the gasses in a most tuneful manner, adding a few horses along the way.

Inside, Yet more Richbrook goodies lifted the interior.. and made it smell nice! A set of stunning Corbeau perches and Luke harnesses made the whole job much more comfortable – and safe, and with the Huets tunes ringing in our ears.. It was all looking and sounding the absolute business.

And when the whole job was done, we even washed up with Fast Orange hand cleaner.. Phew..!

The result, we hope you agree, is a car that looks better, goes better and showcases some of the best brands on the scene today. Although none of them pretend to be the cheapest, our advice after having to fit them all under great duress, is that they are all easily worth the extra. You get what you pay for, and the quality of these mods will stand the test of time. Our mantra all the way!!!

A massive thanks to everyone that helped, everybody that shouted encouragement along the way and of course, a ridiculously huge thank you to our build partners. We really couldn’t have done it without you!

Catch the build and the whole show in the TV show ‘Santa Pod Extravaganza’ on Motors TV.

Bertone. Giugiaro. Pininfarina… Some of the greatest automotive design names of all time. Their masterful strokes have left an indelible imprint on automotive culture, adding style and passion to the humble motor car. But now there’s a new name to add to that list.. Yours!

Yes indeed, the next big thing in cutting-edge automotive design could be you. Although we’re not offering you your own studio in Turin or anything like that, we are offering you the chance to see your vision made in a production reality by joining in our wheel design comp.

Friday the 23^rd is the closing date, so there are literally just hours left to put the finishing touches to your masterpiece. The lucky winner will not only have their wheel lovingly crafted to their exact specification, before a full set is delivered to their door…but you’ll also get to join us as VIP guests at the World-famous Ultimate Street Car show at Santa Pod between the 6^th and 8^th of August. And that’s worth entering for on its own!

So what are you waiting for? Fame and legendary status awaits you – along with the enviable chance to roll around on a totally unique set of custom rims. The clock is ticking.. so get clicking (link)

Now then, We don’t often get dictatorial here on the Dotz blog.. but for once, we’re going to.. so listen up! Whatever you did have planned for the three days between the 6^th and 8^th of August, cancel it!.. because you’re all hanging out with us, instead! Why? Because dear reader, it’s only the bloomin’ weekend of USC, that’s why!

If you’ve never been before, let me enlighten you with the elevator pitch. The finest drag strip in Europe.  35,000 modifying disciples. (many of which are pert and female) The UK’s most superbly executed show cars.  The best bands, DJs and tuners. Are you in yet? USC has justifiably achieved the status of ‘legend’ on the show calendar, and a single visit will soon tell you why. No other show packs as much into three days, with real heads-up quarter mile action playing out against a backdrop of high-octane antics that make Ferris Bueller’s Day Off look like the Teddy Bear’s Picnic.

 

In addition to a head spinning line up of acts like Slinky, DJ Luck and MC Neat and the Artful Dodger, you can bank on a (literally) record breaking line-up of stunt performers, Monster Trucks, Jet cars and show cars.

Ever ones for a challenge we’ve even added ourselves to that list by creating the Dotz Mod Pod live build area where our carefully assembled team of spanner wielding artistes will be standing by to rip apart and rebuild a stock hot hatch into a modified thing of beauty over the show weekend. Yep, as we spin some of the choicest vinyl in the background, our long-suffering team will be gutting a tuner-scene favourite back to a shell before commencing with a full-bore rebuild including chassis, interior, induction, exhaust, tints, wrap, lighting and audio.. and of course, a simply stunning set of Dotz rims. We have only 3 days to do what takes most tuning houses at least a full week, plus of course, the added pressure of 35,000 petrolheads… and a TV crew. Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention, the entire show is being shot for Eurosport and Motors, so if you, your car, your missus are camera friendly, who knows, you might end up on the telly! Actually, seeing as we are on drinking terms with the producers, rock up with a set of our rims on your motor, and we’ll even put in a good word for you!

We’ll be dropping tunes (and ride heights) all weekend from the early hours until, well.. the early hours really, so come and join us. Feel free to shout encouragement, throw money or bring us food whilst we’re spannering away. Only time will tell if we can get it all done before the end of the show on Sunday night, but all being well, we should be the last car up the strip, closing the show and cruising into the sunset to the enviable sound of a full stainless RAAAAARP and 3000 watts of bass..

Of course, elsewhere on site, there are simply acres of space for club camping, hardcore BBQ action and chance to kick back with a cold beer and recant your tales of quarter mile heroics. Stock up before you arrive, and you’re free to park up the motor and seriously over-indulge for the entire weekend as everything you need is on site, with several bars and even a lap-dancing club!

 

Sprinkle on a side order of Max Power live stage, Lowriders display, Burnout and Flameout comps and the Autoglym showcar paddock and pretty soon, it becomes the ultimate road trip weekend away. You’ll kick yourselves if you miss it, so don’t!

We’ll see you there guys! Check it all out at www.ultimatestreetcar.co.uk

After her superb reportage on our team Autosport outing, we felt it was about time to hand over to the better looking section of our roadshow team, Pippa. As usual, she’s been up to all sorts on our recent team visit to the ever popular Modified Nationals.. and as ever.. there were gratuitous bouts of shopping and partying.. It’s tough at the top eh?

Dotz Does Mod Nats

By Pippa

Modified Nationals.. What a way to spend the weekend! Over the years this show has become one of the favourites on the show calendar, and not without good reason. It’s still one of the biggest and best selections of the latest and greatest show cars from the UK scene. Naturally, as wheel purveyors to many of the great and the good of the tuning scene, The Dotz team had a mahoosive stand from which to ply our wares. And, rather than subject our beloved customers to Dave and Tony’s easy-going sales style.. I thought I’d come along and shake things up a bit!

It all started manically when I realised that I had managed to arrive with no underwear or shorts (easy!!!!) that is no spare underwear or shorts.. What’s a girl to do? Obviously the answer is an impromptu shopping trip with oneself to ensure the appropriate level of sartorial elegance for the weekend…

After battling with the traffic on the way in, and queuing for what seemed like several lifetimes to get into the show, I finally made it to the Dotz stand. As usual, our MD and ex-professional spinner Kev was laying down some quality tunes, and with a nice retro 80s vibe kicking off, I got into my working day. As you can imagine, there was a LOT of brochure, photo and chat related action to be had!

As ever, the lads had done a good job on the stand, with all of the latest designs on show and some superb motors on hand to show them off in their best light. Naturally, it wasn’t too long, before we started cranking up the sound system in the Dotz van and belting out the 80s classic ‘I Ran’, by A Flock Of Seagulls. This classic floor filler soon had the lot of us grooving around the place in a real party atmosphere.

Our very own Dotzmag is always a big hit at the shows – especially as it’s free! Spent a good few hours bagging these up into goodie bags before handing them out to the sprawling masses coming through the doors. It was pretty manic, to say the least!

When you’re on your feet all day, Lunch is a very serious business.. And Team Dotz like to do it right! Sandwiches and a G&T for me! Certainly gives you a little lift for the afternoon, that’s for sure!

Then, of course, it was down to the extremely serious business of judging the Miss Max Power competition. I have to say, the standard was extremely good this year and it was hard to pick an overall winner.. Funnily enough, Kev and Dave seemed to really enjoy this part of the weekend, too.. Hmm.. can’t imagine why..

Evening entertainment is always a welcome relief after a hard day’s graft and a full slap-up feed at one of Peterborough’s finest Thai establishments soon had the whole gang kicking back with a beverage or three and discussing our plans for disco-related antics. It seems to be coming something of a tradition ‘on tour’ these days.

Despite everybody being in a real party mood, being the consummate professionals we are (honest!) we all decided to call it a day (or should that be a night?) at a relatively rock ‘n’ roll 2 am. Hey, come on.. we had to be sparky and fresh the next day didn’t we?

And there you have it! Another day in the life of a Dotz girl. Keep an eye on the site and on the blog to find out when we’re next on the razzle.. and make sure that you come up and say ‘Hi!’ next time we’re on it! Who knows? We might even take you out with us!

See you soon

Pippa x

When it comes to gambling, the Lottery doesn’t usually come to the front of your mind in terms of the most glamorous of activities. Sure, scooping several million squids is pretty cool. Yeah, we all love the end results, but compared to say betting the house at Monte Carlo – or risking it all on ‘black’ at the Bellagio, watching a permatanned Dale Winton poncing around in front of a giant bubble gum machine doesn’t really do it for us.

We felt that the whole lottery formula needed a bit of a shake-up, so in true Dotz style, we’ve not only slapped it around the face, but we’ve also ruffled its hair and given it a wedgie. The Dotz Lottery is better on loads of levels. Firstly, it’s free. So we’ve won that one. Secondly, the prizes are way cooler than the usual tenner for getting some of the numbers right. Who knows? If your luck is in, you could be sitting alongside the legendary 2009 King of Europe Drift Champion, Adan Kerenyi as he skilfully steers and slides his way through one of the 2011 Drift events. In fact, we’ll raise you. You can take a mate as well. Wait…wait, we’re all in!. we’ll even chuck in a full weekend away with all VIP perks and stately accommodation! Believe me, Eamonn Holmes ain’t ever going to do that for you.. He doesn’t even have Adan’s phone number! Us?.. we have it on speed dial!… on ‘1’..

Simply by registering for the Dotz Lottery at www.dotzmag.com/lottery, you’ll immediately become eligible for all of the superb prizes – and you don’t even have to sit through an hour’s worth of crap Saturday night telly to see whether you’ve won or not! Up for grabs is a full set of Dotz Custom Finish rims, complete with TOYO Tires – and for the runners up, another three sets of totally unique Dotz Custom Rims.. it’s all too much I tell thee! Our partners at Foliatec will lovingly graphic your wheels to your own exact design meaning that you will never commit the fashion faux pas of rocking up at a show with the same rims as everybody else. It’s not a good look.. unless they’re ours of course.. in which case, that’s just great minds thinking alike! Lol!

Our partners at Armor-All have also chucked a few car kits into the pot, and to keep things ticking along until the big draw in the autumn, we’re even giving away Gift certificates each month. Five for the Dotz shop. Three for Foliatec and One for Armor All. That’s every month, mind!

So now you can go out and spend Saturday nights doing far more important things like drinking, dancing and trying out your best chat up lines.. Switch off the telly and leave the bonus ball action up to us, instead!

Good luck!

 As an evergreen topic of debate – and disagreement – in pubs, lounges and workplaces everywhere, we all like to think that if you put us in Capello’s shoes – we could pick a better side. With the imminent beginning of the World Cup, the armchair experts have gone into overdrive, quoting goal stats, point differences, transfer values, even right down to bonus payments. If you’re a bit of a closet Mourinho on the quiet, you’ll be delighted to learn about our latest bit of fun and games here at Dotz HQ. Our Dotz Fantasy Football League.

 You see, we love a bit of managerial speculation and debate as much as the next man.. Difference is, like all good managers we like to reward true talent where we see it – so we’ve only gone and chucked a prize in!  Sadly, there’s no five-figure weekly salaries, no signing on fees and alas, your Bentley’s not on order either – but, better than that, our most talented manager will win themselves £100 worth of exclusive Dotz clothing. And no worries if you’re more of a Karren Brady than a Gianfranco Zola – we do a full ladies collection too!

 So, what do you need to do? Well, like the beautiful game itself, it’s all blissfully simple really.. Click to

http://worldfantasyfootball.skysports.com/Register.aspx  to create your team..

 Then enter the Dotz UK League. Our PIN is 1813

 And then amaze us with your insight and acumen. In the usual manner of fantasy league management, we’ll be monitoring the results of our would-be Sir Alex’s and picking a clear winner at the end.

 So ,peeep!!.. there’s the whistle.. Play on!!

Modified Nationals.. It’s What Bank Holidays Were Made For…

Aaah, the fabled second May Bank Holiday weekend. Question is, what are you gonna do? There’s a trip out to Skeg.. A couple of pints in an anonymous boozer with some buddies – or, if you have even an ounce of petrol in your veins, you should get you, your mates and your motors down to the Modified Nationals over the weeeeeeeeeeekend of the 28^th to 30^th of May. Believe me, it’s this last option that ticks all the boxes. Stick it in your phone now. Peterborough Showground. Miss it.. Miss out..

Mod Nats is one of those truly epic ‘must do’ shows, like Fast Show, ISTS or USC. You can’t really count yourself as a true enthusiast until you’ve been there, sampled the atmosphere, done the shots and slept in the same t-shirt for the whole three days. It’s mental, mental, chicken oriental and the true believers will be there from early doors on the 28^th to pack in every precious party moment. Some of them will even get a couple of hours sleep!! The lightweights!

Naturally the Dotz massive will be there with bells on. Not only are we sponsoring Miss Max Power (hey, it’s a tough job.. but somebody has to do it!) but we’re also the official wheel sponsor of the whole shooting match, which means basically we’re there to party for the whole three days… and possibly longer, if boss Kev will let us all take the Tuesday off. So, what can you expect? Girls figure very highly I’m delighted to announce – but don’t think that’s all this show is about.. There are both indoor and outdoor show car areas, a live action arena, show and shine, Kiss live stage, Car Clinic, Max Power stage – and best bit of all, a full-on nightclub after dark which means you can be making shapes into the wee-smalls and practising your best chat-up lines with the many models getting down!

But, I digress.. the main reason to Mod Nats is the cars. Very few shows manage the eclectic mix that this show does with Old-Skool classics rubbing arches with the latest and greatest New-wave machinery and OEM+ masterpieces. I guarantee that no matter which church of modifying you pray to, there’s bound to be a near-religious experience in terms of quality and quantity of metal. If you can’t find at least one truly inspirational ride on site, I will personally refund your entrance fee.. so there!

Whether you make it just for the day, or better still, manage to blitz the entire three glorious days, just remember the essentials. Car. Cash. Mates. Cleaning Kit. Better still, park up for the whole three days and get seriously shipwrecked with us. With banging tuneage on the Dotz stand all weekend and some seriously eye-friendly staff (no, I don’t mean Dave and Kev) plus of course, some of the freshest rims on the planet, I guarantee that it’s a very pleasant place to while away an hour or two – and we promise not to try and sell you any wheels whilst your there. OK, that last bit was a lie, but the rest is gospel…..

So, fill up your tanks, empty your bank account and charge up your party power… We’ll see you there. Check it all out at www.modifiednationals.co.uk