Hello John,
Unfortunately the reverse is true here in the Philippines. A single standard road tire goes for 5,000 to 8,000 PHP (100 to 180 USD) while more performance oriented tires like the Advan AD08 are around 10,000 to 12,000 PHP (220 to 270 USD). The quote I got from the shop to fabricate all three sets of R&Ps is 15,000 PHP for the billets and 10,000 PHP for labor (total of 550 USD).
It is cheaper for me to fabricate these parts than to experiment with different tires. Also the engineer who owns the shop owes me one for all the clients I’ve brought him so the deal I get is if the first sets don’t work out all I’ll have to pay for is the billets to do a second attempt.
I have to thank you John. If it weren’t for this thread http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/78123-subaru-wrx-sti-r180-side-axles I wouldn’t even be able to do this. Thank you for designing such quality parts.