17" versus 14" tires

str12-340 said

sorry, but I just have to say it - big wheels with short sidewalls is not a look that I can stomach. In my view, aesthetically, it is just all kinds of wrong on an A-body. In the world of visual transgressions, however, it has one advantage over other sins... it only takes about 20 minutes to get them off the car and there's no permanent damage. 15s would be SOOOO much better.

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Depends on what you want to do with your car. I for one have multiple looks I like for an A-Body, but they are influenced by how it is used.

I love the look of a set of big and littles, which includes a tire with some sidewall in the back. Much more focused on straight line usage, but drives fine if you don’t try and keep up in the twisties.

I also like a shorter sidewall. In my opinion, makes the car look much more useful. And when you compare available tires between a 15” and a 17” or 18”, you quickly see that while a 15” tire is available, the performance potential is significantly reduced.

Now, I do think defining “short sidewall” is important. I for one can’t stand it when someone runs a narrow tire with a low aspect ratio. Something like a 3” or less sidewall. Combining a narrow tire with a short profile results in the stereotypical rubber band tire. I shoot for more like a 4” sidewall as a general minimum. There needs to be a balance.

And I know that a 275/35R18 can survive on a bad road just fine.

Also, don’t forget that if you want to run a modern sized brake rotor (13” or so) you will have to run a 17” tire to fit over it. But that’s a separate discussion in itself.