Thread: Butt fugly wheels

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I think most wheels being produced by the after market are ugly as sin. They remind me of the hubcaps with the gaudy spinners of the old days. Cars/trucks look top heavy like a baby buggy, hang a corner and flip on the side.

I see some nice stuff ruined with a gaudy oversized wheel set. Do not even have to post a picture for anyone to get the idea.

What say you?

I figured you'd post a picture of red steelies with wide whites......

I draw the line on most everything bigger that 16" and I'm not real thrilled with 16's

Anything that runs a tire with an aspect ratio lower than around 60 isn't going to hit my "like" button. Too much wheel, not enough sidewall is a common problem, and when it's on a pre-'49 it's even worse. The "stance" means nothing if it's overshadowed by huge wheels, rubber band tires, IMO.

This might be one of the most subjective topics you could pick. The style of vehicle, which leads to the viewers expectations for what looks right, and the age of the viewer along with a bunch of other less prominent qualifiers all contribute. I'm in agreement on the comments about aspect ratio, spoke/face style on, let's say a '32 sedan, the more modern stuff just seems like a sour musical note at the symphony. But I have little problem with that sort of thing on say a current vintage performance car where that style and the resultant performance go hand in hand. I chuckle a bit at comments like Mike's about the red wheel, wide white combo. In the early '90s when some of us resurrected that look I can't tell you how many positive comments we got, "oh, I remember when I was in high school.............". Of course, that was the point. But in the intervening 20+ years it's become cliche to the point of boredom so has lost it's impact as a "styling statement" . Good topic though, lots to talk about............

Originally Posted by Bob Parmenter

.....This might be one of the most subjective topics you could pick. The style of vehicle, which leads to the viewers expectations for what looks right, and the age of the viewer along with a bunch of other less prominent qualifiers all contribute...........

You're on target again, Unc'a Bob. Case in point, we were out doing some preliminary shopping for a replacement SUV in the cold yesterday, and the kid who thought he was "selling" gave me the "....yeah, it's sittin' on 20's....", and I bit my tongue and didn't reply "It'd look a lot better on 17's or 18's....", but I was thinking that, and HE was thinking, "..but it'd look really sweet on 24's....."

And don't forget Roger, he'd probably want the wheels in all black (where's the barfing smilie when you need it?)

It's all in that "what we expect" thing. 18, 19, 20 on a contemporary truck/suv is common to our eye/memory. Some examples (since I'm a picture guy).
My truck has 20s, looks comparatively tame, while the Mustang also has 20s, but with the lower aspect ratio tire it makes the wheel more dominant than the same size on the truck. But both fulfill expectations for their genre. Then throw in the '30 roadster with 16s and then think of that rear tire/wheel being just about 50/50 steel vs rubber.......again, it looks right (to me anyway) because it's familiar (rubber band tires and major hoops would be just ALLLLLL wrong!!).

One of the great things about wheels/tires is that all is usually takes to change them to something more suited to your taste is money, a jack & a lug wrench!

I tend to like the bigger wheels but don't necessarily like the gawdy stylings of many of them. Many times an old school design in a contemporay size is the best of both worlds for me. I'm not into "rubber band" tires necessarily but have seen projects where they look kinda cool. I guess if I was loaded with cash & space I might be the Imelda Marcos of tires & wheels having a variety of looks & sizes to change out whenever I felt like going for a different look....

One look I've grown extremely weary of is the chrome reverse smoothie with some "off-brand" white letter tire saying something like "Hercules Grabber".......

"Clown Shoes": rubber band tires on big diameter wheels....

the only thing worse is "Ghetto Clown Shoes" (black big diameter wheels with rubber band tires).



But, as Randy points out, it's an easy change.

This topic can be extended to other components on a car.....the component must "fit" with the theme and the other components to make the "look". Like on Bob's Model A roadster picture, 20" wheels would look silly since they are contrary to the theme while the Model A wheels would look dumb on the Mustang. This is why some folks build cars that are "right" while others struggle with the look. For instance, putting a late model steering column in a "period" car destroys the entire theme. If you look at the magazine features, you'll see cars that have design continuity....these are usually the award winning builds. Then, you'll see a car with a mismatch of parts....still fun for the owner but probably not trend setting. This is why I try to not use a chromed chain steering wheel on a restored Deuce.
Mike

I'm not a fan of rubber band tires either. In my book, they ride rough, are more prone to road hazard damage and can't be repaired for anything more than a nail hole in the tread pattern. However, the 20's on my 2014 Ford Escape seem to be just right for the vehicle. Go figure.

1932 Ford Roadster - The Mirage - Street Rodder Magazine

I put almost identical size tires on my car. The front's one size wider 225/45/17. The rear's the same 295/45/20. Looks good to me and that's all that matters.

Originally Posted by daveS53

1932 Ford Roadster - The Mirage - Street Rodder Magazine

I put almost identical size tires on my car. The front's one size wider 225/45/17. The rear's the same 295/45/20. Looks good to me and that's all that matters.

I'm guessing your a younger'ish fella?

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Big wheels on street rod or muscle car look cartoonish. Way too far out of proportion for the style. Anything over a 16" is starting to look wrong. 17's MIGHT work depending on the car and wheel design. Just my opinion, BUT when you start looking for a true high performance tire, you're going to be forced to consider the larger sizes. Almost no one makes a truly modern performance tire in 15" and 16 inchers are getting slim. Most manufacturers are just not putting any R and D into anything under a 17" except for race tires. Most of the smaller "performance" street tires I've seen are copies of designs that have been around for years.

I don't think I will ever "get" the monster wheels that require the car to be raised to get them on. They look like some kind of goofy monster truck (car?). The tiny brake rotors look silly compared to the huge rims.

Mike

Mike