"Cheap" Weld Wheels: Ventura S104 - Opinions?

Norm.P said

That is great information about 18's! I was not aware. Aesthetics are purely subjective and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I am not opposed to 18's. I just like the look of the 17 inch wheel on my Dart. My inspiration came from a car just like mine I saw on the freeway and when we finally stopped at the off-ramp, I asked the tire size and wheel size. I thought the amount of tire to wheel looked great. I think with 18's, I would be limited to low profile tires. My knowledge is limited as you can tell. I also would like a slight rake to my car without wrenching down on the torsion bars. Maybe a taller tire in the rear?

I'm thankful you're so helpful to me.

Norm

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No problem, Norm. I'm just passing on the info that folks on the forum have generously shared with me.

You're right about the low profile tires that go along with 18" wheels. For the fronts, you'll likely want something under 26" tall to avoid contacting the bottom front corner of the wheel arch when putting in a lot of steering input for parking, etc. At a stock ride height, you may be able to get away with something slightly taller but still, that leaves you with 4" or less of sidewall. On the rear, you can pretty easily find something taller but nothing like the sidewall you would have with a 15" wheel. This absolutely results in a harsher ride and a non-period correct look but it does significantly improve steering response and in most conditions, handling/lateral grip too.

Keep in mind that a 1" taller wheel would only lose 1/2" sidewall for the same OD tire.