PimpStar rims for the opinionated driver

When it comes to communicating with pedestrians and other drivers while behind the wheel, some methods are clearly more effective than others -- for example, a vehicle based P.A. system will get you noticed far quicker than a handwritten note slapped against the window. Even better still, in our humble opinion, is expressing yourself in full-color with a set of Dub's new "PimpStar" rims (other Dub models: Big Homie, Dirty Dog, Ganja Floater, and C.R.E.A.M. -- Cash Rules Everything Around Me), which sport a strip of LEDs down each spoke that display the message of your choice while you're rollin'. Far doper than either the TireTagz or taxi-mounted ad floaters that we've seen before, the PimpStar wheels incorporate a microprocessor and wireless modem so you can configure your picture, logo, or message from your laptop while you're driving (although the rest of us would prefer that you utilitize the slideshow option instead). We'll agree that $19,500 is a lot for a set of wheels and tires, but we'd also argue that nothing impresses both the homies and the hunnies quite like twenty-six-inch rims blazing the bright blue "e" logo as you creep down the mean streets of Silicon Valley or Silicon Alley pumping the latest podcast. Make sure to follow the Read link for a pretty crunk vid of these crazy rims wildin' out.

[Via Leftlane News, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[Yrian @ Mar 28th 2006 6:36AM]

Sorry, you're late.

[DreamPC @ Mar 28th 2006 7:23AM]

...and which rap star is racing to include these in their next website?

I'm aching with anticipation!

[Snider @ Mar 28th 2006 7:25AM]

Lovely, all we need are more morons changing their cars into Ghetto Machines.

Lovely

[citykids @ Mar 28th 2006 9:03AM]

The next big thing for those suburban gangsta's keepin' it real down at the Dairy Queen!

[mike @ Mar 28th 2006 9:15AM]

Wow. You're all like a bunch of robots with your responses. I see great advertising opportunities with these. Now every business with a hummer can have wheels sporting the company logo, name, number, etc.

[Tom @ Mar 28th 2006 9:20AM]

If what you want is advertising, I think you can do it way cheaper with a little plastic: http://www.adsoncars.com/hubads.asp

These dub wheels are just ridiculous.

[mike @ Mar 28th 2006 9:25AM]

OK TOM.

[rok @ Mar 28th 2006 9:29AM]

#5, spoken by someone who has never lived in an information-overload area like new york or chicago, where it feels like every single solitary square inch of open space is blaring with some candy-colored, neon "BUY ME" ad. it almost gets to the point of invasive, because you simply CAN'T look elsewhere and be spared the onslaught. they started doing this sort of thing in toronto five years ago on cabs (which are now just glorified moving billboards what with car-wrap ads, roof ads, and now hubcap ads, that you get to pay an exorbitant fee to ride around in when other options won't work. trust me, the only thing that these types of ads screams is "we're DESPERATE for your attention!"

[mike @ Mar 28th 2006 9:44AM]

Doesn't every ad scream we're desperate for your attention? I mean I get sick of it too. No I'm not in NY or CHI. Are these the only places with information overload? We ALL suffer from it regardless of where you live. It's insane! However I just wanted point out a USE for something like this versus joining the herd and claiming every rapper in America will have them next week. It's not about whether I'd personally put these on my vehicle. I wouldn't.

[Enzo @ Mar 28th 2006 10:18AM]

I wonder how hard this would be as a do-it-yourself job.

[yuppicide @ Mar 28th 2006 10:26AM]

Do you think one of them website that pays you to advertise on your wheels will be fer behind?! Will there be an Engadget set of wheels?! How come Engadget doesn't sponsor a Nascar yet?!

[Sammy @ Mar 28th 2006 10:34AM]

I'd really like to see a picture of the brakes showing on the wheels. Would it look like the wheels are not there?

[E71 @ Mar 28th 2006 10:50AM]

Great, 1:1 size toy car look.

[Pete @ Mar 28th 2006 10:52AM]

I was talking to one of the designers of the PimpStars and these are actually controlled using some industrial strength 900 MHz wireless modems from MaxStream (www.maxstream.net). These modems would be pretty cool for a bunch of different projects.

[Mike @ Mar 28th 2006 1:15PM]

The $10 spinners and underbody lighting I had on my 92' Dodge Caravan (with 198,000 miles & extensive front end dammage) was better.

[rcme @ Mar 28th 2006 1:23PM]

Yee-Haw, just the latest version of the auto mud-flap that was so popular in the 80's.

[Dave @ Mar 28th 2006 1:29PM]

Hey Kids! Why don't you roll your own? Imagine how many hookers you can get with the unspent $19,400.

http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=5

[Pancake @ Mar 28th 2006 1:40PM]

Great, More adversitments for Cabs, and more people putting porn on the wheels.

[TIMMAH! @ Mar 28th 2006 1:42PM]

At some point the pimps are gonna say, "Hey enough is enough, stop dissin' us with this crap!"

[Jamal @ Mar 28th 2006 1:55PM]

The Jordan JUMPMAN wheels are tight! i would love to get some of those....i wonder if they would make them fit on a vespa. hmmmm

[mitch @ Mar 28th 2006 4:40PM]

These wheels are an accident waiting to happen, people outside the car will be distracted, and since you can program them within the car while driving the driver could also get distracted.

[Afroloop @ Mar 28th 2006 4:42PM]

I�m not sure about people from other parts of the country but in the SF Bay Area you actually see idiots with huge Air Jordan stickers and Nike logos on their cars; it is hilarious and also very very sad at the same time�

[Aj @ Mar 29th 2006 2:27PM]

THIS + THIS + light car rim mod = DIY LED car rims???

But what about the software?

[aj @ Mar 29th 2006 2:31PM]

http://www.maxstream.net wireless modem
+
bike led mod
+light rim mod
=
diy car rim led mod?

[nick @ Mar 29th 2006 4:59PM]

Being as this is a gadget site, I ouwld bet that 99% of the posters are white guys.

Why you gotta dis on the black mans culture? Sure, you honkeys think they are stupid, but SOMEBODY is paying for these.

FYI #6- those hubcap are just plain stupid!!! O.k., it gets you ad out there cheap, but how many fly mommas are gonna get all creamy over those? 0. how many are gonna freak cause you got 13 grand to waste on wheels? like every one out there!!!! If you can spend that on wheels, imagine what you can spend on hoes!

O.k, O.k., i'm white too. But, think about this.... 10 grand for a dell gaming comp, or 13 grand for some dubs? WHICH ONE WILL GET YOU MORE WOMEN????

Not the dell, for sure!!!

[shrinkydinx @ Mar 29th 2006 11:15PM]

the read question is... to they support animated GIFs?

could i play D4L's "Laffy Taffy" on my rimzzz?

could i create the effect of spinners?

[shrinkydinx @ Mar 29th 2006 11:17PM]

*real

[umais @ Mar 30th 2006 7:23AM]

can you play doom on them?

[Joe @ Mar 31st 2006 7:26AM]

12 000$ and up, is just not worth this. I would only put these on my car if I won them.

[jim @ Apr 1st 2006 12:04AM]

wow what a bunch of short sighted pessimists. if you look a little deeper there are some compelling reasons to pay attention to this tech.
the 20k price tag for this brand contact opportunity is cheap respectively when 1/2 page yellow pages ad is 75 thousand dollars

everyone who sees these will pay attention to what is on them. they will follow it around to see whats comin on next(promo opportunity for companies like red bull and such that use free sampling to open markets)

when was the last time you said "holy sh*t look at that is that real?" at a billboard or a cab tag?

and think about the evolution to come of the tech. full motion video? seems plausible

i have one caveat i see to these that you have to speeding along to see the pic...seems like it wouldnt be to hard to put em in a motorized spinner so they could park the bacardi tour bus outside the club they are 'promo'ing in and still see the pics

-flame away fools

[Sin @ Apr 7th 2006 1:09AM]

Wow,
See what happens when something outside of the white culture is allowed to evolve and progress. This is a cool new product, but I gotta feeling that either Whitey or the price will be its undoing. What a wonderful world this would be. End Racism!But on the up-side this product is so great that it's a gold-mine in terms of the advertising potential. Thank God for variety!

[Benson @ Oct 22nd 2007 5:42PM]

>I gotta feeling that either Whitey or the price will be its undoing.

I suspect it will be the price. White grad student with a touch of red-neck, but I'd still like something like this. I just wouldn't like it $10000 much, not even $1000. If it's a couple or three hundred, I'd buy.

[Scott @ Apr 24th 2006 8:57PM]

You think they will make them for a motorcycle?

[4lex @ Aug 28th 2006 5:30PM]

Hopefully these modems receive broadcasts on all channels, I'll put my message on them as I drive past!

[Crystal DiGregorio @ Nov 8th 2006 1:02PM]

I love these rims. My Escalade is the only vehicle in the world that has these rims on it. They are really cool. They look great at night. my fiance Jon invented these and I am the official spokes model for the rims. Check out www.myspace.com/pimpstargirl. We will be at the LA Auto show in the super buy booth. Come see me and check out the rims.
Thanks,
Crystal

[Eddie @ Nov 9th 2007 3:50PM]

Crystal,

You and your fiance Jon just made the world a whole lot better. Thanks for helping make the world a better place!

Signed,
All the starving kids living in poverty all over the world