Big rims on old cars

[XCwillo]

Each to their own and everyone has different views on how cars should look, and ultimately it's up to the owner, it's their car and they'll do with what they please (god forbid someone makes another spaceship Taurus)

But what's the general consensus on large rims on Old school cars? I'm talking 18 inch +
Personally, some rims can pull it off and others, not so much so.
Question comes from me just about to buy some nice 20" rims for the XC after I swore i'd only ever go as big as 18"

[madwag]

depends

[Marquis]

For me 14 and 15's on old cars look good. The sills sit to far from the ground with big wheels.

[TheZHLANE]

Certain cars can pull of bigger rims, but imo 19's,20's or bigger just look stupid.

[fordlova8]

Yeah mate i was thinking 18's for my XC to. Each to there own and it depends how drivable you expect it to be.

[perthfggsute]

yeah on those cars xc etc 18" is about perfect as a maximum,if yr not doing the old school 14 to 15" thing.any bigger just looks not quite right to me,however im 50 yrs old (in 2 days !) and it would be interesting to see what 18 to 30 yr olds think of those same cars with 20" etc compared to us older buggers,as we saw those cars for many yrs with smaller wheel tyre combos.

[last fairlane]

Ive got 18s on my 1972 Mustang
where it once wore 14s
the new wheels are factory mags from a Chrysler 300
John

[Shonky.]

18's unless it's done to be period looking in which case 14 or 15

[ZDI-970]

i hate anything smaller than 18's and bigger than 20's, my car looked terrible on old 14's and i tried a few different styles

but on more modern wheels (18's) i think it looks perfect

[Nikked]

Depends what the Impetus is...


Some cars that have had a nice restoration, take on a much fresher look with bigger wheels.


It think tire size is more important...

[Falcman0o7]

Anything bigger than 17's on a 70's car or older look stupid IMO.

[Falcman0o7]

To big IMO!

[H.G]

its kinda like wanting a girl.. but settling for a tranny...

[dexi_]

Legality is an issue I have just been informed my engineers won't cover my 20s :(

[atec77]

Originally Posted by dexi_

Legality is an issue I have just been informed my engineers won't cover my 20s :(

My 66 pickup runs 20" front 22" rear but only becuase the engineer agreed and they match the origonal height

[dexi_]

In the nitty gritty you can have 1.3 times the orig width and may vary rolling diameter by 24 mm I believe you can reduce them by 16mm and the front may have 20% less width of rear minimum. You may want to check with your insurance company if your policy is still valid.

[SSD-85]

The largest Id ever put on an older car is 15". Simple as that.

[Polyal]

Yeah Nikked sorry all of those are horrid...sorry

99% of big rims on old cars is wrong. Dont even start me on cheap chromies. About the only modern rim that looks good in a bigger size are "minilite" style..and even then some cars cant pull it off.

Period rims are the best.

[Nikked]

Don't forget, big rims equal big brakes...and better handleing...

[Shonky.]

pic 3 (red Mustang) would look great if rims were an inch or 2 smaller.

[lilmattie]

15" - 16" max IMO.

Classic cars need rubber!

[Marquis]

The mustang has the ride height(sill) of a range rover

[Nikked]

Astills 'Stang.

Nailed it, still has a good amount of sidewall, good offset and classic design. Works with the build of the car, Classic ol'skool cool with modern, sharp road holding.




Comapre it to Mark Sullivan's Mustang...

No sidewall, bland design, works against the build. Big for bigs sake...much like the black '72 previous.

[69ISH]

I personally am not a big fan of big wheels.
I ran 14" wheels on the front and 15" wheels on the back of my Eliminator and I think it looks perfect.
On my Torino I am running 14" wheels and I think they look like Sh#t but on my Mustang I plan on running 16" or 17" as I do not plan on tyres having a long life span on this car.
But here are a few things to take into consideration.
1. Big wheels look like sh#t with small disc/drum brakes (18" and bigger)
2. It is getting harder and harder to find tyres to suit 14" and 15" wheels
3. Period correct looking wheels in a larger diameter wheel regularly have the same size centre as 14" wheels with a stepped rim that look out of proportion.
My 2c worth
And I forgot to add you gotta have dish, the more the better.

[Bossxr8]

Depends on the model and how old it is, and what style of rim.

You can bigger if you have a nice classic style rim like Simmons FR's or whatever, but those ridiculously oversized chromies for the homies style wheels suck.

17-18's would be my pick on cars built before 1990.

[Polyal]

Bigger brakes is a good reason, I still dont think that red mustang looks any good.

But is the point of buying a 70's car to experience the 70's feeling? Dont get me wrong some retromods are unreal..but in general the majority miss the mark by trying to hard.

Whats odd is those rims on the orange example im sure cost good money, but they look like ebay specials.

[XR6T0Y]

Depends on the design. I love older cars (bear in mind i'm 19) with 14-16'. However, if the design is right, I could go bigger. 20's are to big, hands down.
Thought about something along the design lines of 'Torque Thrust' Wheels? The different sizing and, honestly tough looks, could work in anyones case I reckon. Would love to put them on my XR, but they are an ' old skool' sort of wheel

[MAFIA]

Anything 15 and smaller only good for one thing! And that putting slick on for drag racing!!!

[2011G6E]

Love that green Fairlane...looks tough as hell!

I've still got traditional 14" mags on our WB ute...looks tough and retro.

However, I'd agree with the comment that some cars can indeed pull it off...but go too big and it starts looking cartoonish and oddball. Not to mention making a car useless on the road. Even new cars can suffer for the sake of appearance over functionality...I don't know what the roads are like where you are, but the 19's on our G6E are a pain in the backside...you have to be paranoid about every pothole, bitumen edge, and lump in the road.
We've got a nice set of 18's sitting in the shed for when the current tyres wear out to replace them.

I'll admit that next to our G6E, it looks like it's on roller skate wheels...

[BPXR6T]

Originally Posted by Polyal

But is the point of buying a 70's car to experience the 70's feeling?

You're onto something there. When I first starting playing with old cars I was going with modern interiors, paint, big wheels, stereos, etc... Nowadays my old cars stay period so I can appreciate what they were. Skinny tyres, sidewall, crap radio, big steering wheels, etc. Its all part of the fun. If I was the OP I'd be looking at a set of welds instead of bling bling 20s.