Stens: basics, formation, ideas
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Stens: basics, formation, ideas

A tuned car is always eye-catching. Especially if the car is painted in some kind of bright color and airbrushed on it. To draw even more attention to their car, lovers of modified cars install splices (what is it, their pros and cons are considered here) or use the stens technology.

We will deal with the terminology, fundamental ideas, as well as the practical side of such modernization.

What is Stens?

The car, made in the style of stens, is basically a critically lowered transport, and the wheels in it have a non-standard position. In many cases, as seen in the photo, this tuning looks pretty attractive.

Stens: basics, formation, ideas

However, there are also overly original specimens.

Stens: basics, formation, ideas

The very first thing the stenser pays attention to is the clearance of his iron horse. Depending on the roads on which the motorist will ride, this parameter will be as far as possible from the standard indicators.

However, in stance tuning, there are several directions that differ from each other:

  • Low - in the most hardcore variants, the ground clearance is completely absent. It seems as if the car is just crawling along the road. Not every stenser goes to such drastic changes, although there are car owners who install air suspension. In this case, the car can move freely on different surfaces, but if necessary, lie down on the asphalt;Stens: basics, formation, ideas
  • Gay is the exact opposite of the previous type. In such cars, the wheels are extremely large, which increases the ground clearance itself (by the way, what are the advantages of high ground clearance, read in a separate article);Stens: basics, formation, ideas
  • Reverse rake - "crouched" car. Rear clearance in it can be minimal, and the front, on the contrary, maximum;Stens: basics, formation, ideas
  • Straight rake is the complete opposite of the previous modification. In it, the front end is lowered as much as possible, and the stern is lifted up;Stens: basics, formation, ideas
  • Fitment - in this case, welds are often used, and the angle of inclination of the axle changes depending on the creativity of the car owner. You can often see a model with wheels, most of which are under the fenders.Stens: basics, formation, ideas

How and when was it born?

Stens style is a relatively young direction of visual tuning. On the territory of the CIS countries, the movement began to develop in the first decade of the 2000s. The style has no ancestor. Rather, it is an image that gradually took shape thanks to variations in various types of tuning.

Stens: basics, formation, ideas

So, in the stans you can see the outlines of low-ride, drift and racing supercars. This culture is firmly rooted in America and Japan. In the vastness of the post-Soviet space, this, although young, is quite popular.

How did it spread around the world?

As we have already noted, the stens movement borrowed many different ideas from other styles of car tuning. There are no clear boundaries for such tuning either. Every day this culture expands its borders, drawing inspiration from modern developments and futuristic ideas.

Gradually, the Low culture with outrageous tuned cars, popular in America, migrated to the Drift culture of Asian countries. The Stens movement is firmly rooted in America and the Lands of the Rising Sun. Not so long ago, the "tentacles" of extraordinary visual tuning have grown to the countries of the post-Soviet space. There are no clear boundaries in the styles of such tuning, but the key factor is the extreme clearance and non-standard position of the car's wheels.

Reasons for popularity

For a long time, the car was not considered a necessary means of transportation. For this, people quite calmly used horse-drawn vehicles, steam locomotives, ships and bicycles. But with the acceleration of the pace of life, self-propelled mechanical means received more and more recognition due to the fact that they greatly saved time.

Gradually, cars moved from the category of luxury to the category of necessity. Today you will not surprise anyone by having your own car. For this reason, many car owners are trying to make their iron horse unique. And since technical modernization is difficult to demonstrate in a calm urban rhythm, everyone tries to somehow distinguish their transport.

Stens: basics, formation, ideas

If earlier various types of tuning were focused on specific brands, then the modern stencil movement is applicable to absolutely any car. The main thing in this is the imagination of the motorist. And of course, a fat wallet to make a truly spectacular car, and not just "add" it.

Stensers are frequent guests of various auto shows. It is easier for them to become a member of any car club without frantic waste on a tuning studio. Another reason for its popularity is the ability to "refine" the car, giving it individual originality.

What is the meaning of the stans?

The main meaning of the wall is the ability to stand out from the background of other car owners. Moreover, the more radical the understatement or other modification of an ordinary car, the more attention it will attract.

When an automaker presents a new model at an auto show, it looks more presentable if it has large wheels with low profile tires. Often, in prototypes or in already serial exhibits, the clearance is also minimal. All these visual effects make the car appear as balanced as possible.

Stens: basics, formation, ideas

However, these are all presentation copies. As for road models, the practical buyer will choose a car with a clearance that will allow him to drive not only on ideal roads, but also to the country.

Stenser is ready to make functional sacrifices for the sake of visual effect. There is no practical side to this style. The reason for this is the idea of ​​the stenz. It consists in the fact that a passer-by, looking at the car, thought: “How does it drive in general? It would be interesting to see how the car runs over speed bumps and to film it on camera to increase the traffic of your YouTube channel. "

Stens: basics, formation, ideas

Sometimes tuning enthusiasts apply especially extreme changes. An example of this is the option shown in the photo. This car seems to have every wheel just fell off. And the first impression - the car had an accident and now a tow truck will arrive, but suddenly the driver quite calmly gets into it and leaves the parking lot pretentiously.

However, such a motorist makes more sacrifices than enjoys the trip. For example, to prevent the wheels from rubbing against the wheel arch liners, it is necessary to use rigid sports suspensions. Driving over unevenness in this case will be accompanied by excessive loads on the supporting parts of the car and various units.

The next problem, or rather, a whole set of them, is the failure of various parts due to the fact that they are too close to the ground. They just cling to the road and come off. Also, there are frequent cases of breakdown of the bottom and oil pan.

Stens: basics, formation, ideas

What types of stans are there?

The basic principle of stens tuning is clear. Now - briefly about some species. Their main difference is in the position of the wheel relative to the car body. This takes into account the following factors:

  • The disc edge should be at a certain distance from the wing edge;
  • The disc must have a certain offset;
  • The camber angle of the discs should allow it to rotate freely, and if the wheels are swivel, then they should not prevent the machine from maneuvering (although in most cases this cannot be achieved).

When deciding on the type of tuning for a particular car, all of the above factors should be taken into account. Here are the modifications that can be applied to machines:

  • Stokc - Factory suspension and standard wheel position. In this version, the driver can experiment with different types of suspensions;Stens: basics, formation, ideas
  • Dropped is the cheapest option. The sawn-off spring automatically lowers the clearance;Stens: basics, formation, ideas
  • Dropped - the use of adjustable springs by changing their back pressure (in slang - coilovers);Stens: basics, formation, ideas
  • Slammed - in such a car, the wheel will hide under the wheel arch to varying degrees;Stens: basics, formation, ideas
  • Flush - in this design, the wheel will be visually installed flush with the wing (the tire is hidden under the arch, and the disc has a minimum distance to the wing);Stens: basics, formation, ideas
  • HellaFlush - in this case, the camber and axle overhang change. Such machines have practically no clearance between the wing and the rim. Most often, to achieve this effect, welds are installed, and wheel camber allows you to hide the rubber under the wing. In this version, the stenser compromises with the road clutch of the car;Stens: basics, formation, ideas
  • HellaFail - examples created in this style are characterized by extremes: wheel width and camber;Stens: basics, formation, ideas
  • PaddiFlush - a car tuned with this style will have an unnatural wheel offset. Sometimes this style is mixed with others like flush.Stens: basics, formation, ideas

How does it affect handling and safety?

Anyone who enters the ranks of stensers for the first time will immediately feel the reverse side of the medal of this type of tuning. When a car is built, engineers at one or another automaker spend years calculating what forces affect the chassis and how changes in some parts will affect its performance.

In view of this, alteration without considering safety and the ability of parts to withstand non-standard loads will inevitably lead to breakdowns. Moreover, if a part breaks at speed, this always affects other elements of the car, for example, parts of the body come off.

Stens: basics, formation, ideas

Tires on non-standard rims wear out faster, which can lead to breakdown at speed. In many cases, the steering angle becomes smaller, which affects the maneuverability of the vehicle.

If you collect these and other disadvantages of such tuning, then this is always a sacrifice for comfort, handling and safety (even if only slightly). For this reason, the owner of a stencil car will have difficulty registering it or frequent road conversations with representatives of the authorities monitoring the safety and order on the road.

What is the value?

As mentioned a little about this above, the popularity of sten tuning is in the fact that there are almost limitless possibilities for modifying a car of any brand. Even an amateur in his own garage can perform the usual understatement of the car. But in this case, there will be problems with frequent breakdowns and stops by the police.

Stens: basics, formation, ideas

Better rework is too expensive for anyone to afford. However, it is performed at a higher quality level and is less prone to breakdowns.

Stensers about stens

Experienced stenser Temur Sharipov learned about this direction in car tuning in 2009. In a car magazine, he read an article about the so-called wedge bow. It talked about stock cars, but put on wide non-standard wheels, narrow tires and lowered suspension.

Woven tuning gives the standard car a futuristic touch. The motorist became interested in such a modernization of the car and began to explore sites that specialize in this movement and reveal its subtleties. As a platform for creating a spectacular Stens car, he chose the Volkswagen Golf IV. Here's what he came up with.

The selection of some wheels from the stenser took about six months. He shared that the issue of choosing the style of his future masterpiece is one of the most problematic, because you need to take into account many different factors, including the ability to operate your car in the conditions of the region where he lives. Another no less problem of stens auto is the excessive attention of traffic officers, because they are not indifferent to self-improvement of vehicles.

Rustem Tagirov, another veteran stencer, became interested in the movement while watching feature films about Japanese and American racers being chased away by police from an unauthorized tuner rally. Their cars have unnatural camber and ground clearance so low that the car should not physically be able to move, but in the movies they elude the police unrealistically quickly.

Over time, Rustem became interested in non-standard solutions in the modernization of the car. He chose the Volkswagen Caddy as the basis for creating a stens car. The photo shows what his efforts led to, but the stenser does not stop there and continues to invest in his creation.

How to assemble a stens car?

There are two ways to do a stance-style upgrade:

  • Entrust the work to professionals;
  • Independently with a hammer and grinder.

In the first case, the car owner will have to spend serious funds, but the change of the car's chassis will be done at a professional level, taking into account the sad experience of unskilled "developers".

Stens: basics, formation, ideas

The second method is cheaper, however, for safety and competent execution, such a motorist will have to spend a lot of time studying the technology of changing the geometry of the car. Sometimes one selection and search for suitable wheels can take about a year.

In any case, a motorist who decides to draw attention to his iron horse must take into account that he takes risks. And the biggest disadvantage in this is that the car becomes more dangerous for those who drive it, as well as for other road users.

Here is a video from the exhibition of cars made in the style of stance:

Stance Nation Nor Cal 2019 | Illwiditfilmz

Static

This is a type of tuning with a static suspension. This is one of the most budget types of tuning. Often, with such an upgrade in a car, standard springs are replaced with shorter counterparts. Thanks to this, the car becomes noticeably lower. Some motorists, instead of buying new springs, cut the old ones. But this is not recommended, because because of this, the springs will collapse and work incorrectly.

screw suspension

Stens: basics, formation, ideas

As an alternative to lower springs, "coilovers" or coil springs can be purchased. Their advantage is that by changing the height of the support cup, the clearance of the machine can be manually adjusted.

Air suspension

This is the most expensive car upgrade, thanks to which the vehicle's ground clearance and suspension stiffness can be changed automatically. Details on how the air suspension of a car is arranged and work are described. in another review. In short, rubber or polyurethane cylinders are installed in such a suspension, into which air is pumped.

Depending on the type of system, it can underestimate the clearance to extreme values. It is installed so that the car looks stylish at the auto show, and in everyday trips the car retains practicality and comfort.

Related videos

At the end of the review, we offer a short video about why people upgrade their cars in stens style:

Stance - why do people do it? Car tuning and customization

Questions and answers:

What is Stens made for? The basis of the Stens styling lies in the extremely low ground clearance. But in addition to the almost zero ground clearance, such cars are characterized by unnatural wheel camber.

How did Stens come about? There is no clear line of origin of the Stens culture. It began to develop in the 70s. for practical reasons (the lower the clearance, the higher the downforce, and the large wheel overhang makes the car stable when cornering).

What cars are included in JDM? JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) legends are: Toyota Supra, Nissan Skyline, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Chaser, Nissan Silvia.

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