Here's a stupid idea: 18" diameter wheels with black lip to simulate 15"!

[MRGTX]

Some of you guys have managed to pull off the modern wheel look...some of us just can't do it.

While brainstorming on the limited 15" performance tire dilemma, a thought popped into my mind-

Has anyone ever attempted running a modern size wheel with the outer edges painted in a flat black that would (at least at a glance), maintain the classic 15" diameter look?

This would require particular wheel styles to accommodate a 1.5" paintable section...but it could work....maybe?

It could also be very tacky.

 

[diymirage]

I would strongly suggest you try this idea out on a chebby first ;)

 

[vitamindart]

its been done, at least on some older cars where the section of wheel was painted white for a white wall look. pretty sure Kindigit has done it a couple times. it was on one of the episodes of bitchin rides.

 

[dano]

Why hide the rim to make a faux look? Just buy some good looking 17's and be done. They don't look too out of place and tire selection is good and affordable. 18's and up are when things start to look wrong and that's mainly because they all seem to be overly modern and very tacky.

Rims can make or break the look of a car.

 

[rumblefish360]

Limited 15 inch tires? What are you looking for and to do?

 

[tohnloke]

17" steelies maybe? I couldn't find 18" steelies but those might look pretty tough as well. Are you just wanting a better compound or are you looking to widen things up in the front? 18s should clear your tie rod end, and there are some guys running 275s on the front with those (I was too nervous for that, 245s for me).

http://www.deluxewheels.com/the-wheels/ makes essentially what you're talking about in a whitewall, but those only come in 20" which imo is too big for a dart (and I have 18s, which everybody already says is too big). The prices are also insane.

I don't know how you use your car, but if you're looking for just some extra performance for auto-x track days (or similar), you might be almost as well off getting a decent quality set of track wheels (Enkei RPF-1 is kind of a go to for a cheap, light wheel) that you don't leave on all of the time.

 

[MRGTX]

I would strongly suggest you try this idea out on a chebby first ;)

Ha! Good plan. Fortunately, I don't own a Chebby which makes this tricky.

its been done, at least on some older cars where the section of wheel was painted white for a white wall look. pretty sure Kindigit has done it a couple times. it was on one of the episodes of bitchin rides.

Ok...so there is a precedent. I will look around for this.

Why hide the rim to make a faux look? Just buy some good looking 17's and be done. They don't look too out of place and tire selection is good and affordable. 18's and up are when things start to look wrong and that's mainly because they all seem to be overly modern and very tacky.

Rims can make or break the look of a car.

Limited 15 inch tires? What are you looking for and to do?

I'd like to keep my car looking period-correct, if not stock...but I also appreciate the value of a sticky tire on anything that I might be driving.

I know I'm not the only one.

 

[younggun2.0]

its all about proportions.

my car has 17" wheels and tires. the fronts are 26" tall and the rears are 28" i hate the rubber band tire look. if you put a decent size tire on the rim they look good. that is my opinion.

 

[diymirage]

its all about proportions.

my car has 17" wheels and tires. the fronts are 26" tall and the rears are 28" i hate the rubber band tire look. if you put a decent size tire on the rim they look good. that is my opinion.

I think a big part of it is personal preference, just like anything else
personally, I will take 15 inch aluminum slots over what your running any day

 

[67autocross]

I'd like to keep my car looking period-correct, if not stock...but I also appreciate the value of a sticky tire on anything that I might be driving.

I know I'm not the only one.[/QUOTE]


Put some Cooper Ultra Touring on it, they work good.

 

[72BBSwinger]

I would put some 15x8 Rallyes on as a bare minimum.

 

[AJ/FormS]

I think a big part of it is personal preference, just like anything else
personally, I will take 15 inch aluminum slots over what your running any day

A/A except, almost any day. I love slot-mags.
but The Dart doesn't look bad. I also think tho, that the sideview with the filter-house sticking up through the plane of the missing hood,and the color, and the stripe-kit,plays strongly on my emotions. If I had seen only a profile shot, with a standard hood, and in brown; I'm pretty sure I would not have liked it. And if the rear backspace hadda been any less, IDK...........

 

[72bluNblu]

I'm with Dano and youggun. Just buy some good looking 17" rims and put some decent sized tires on them. 17" rims with an overall tire height of around 26" will keep you away from the "rubber band look" that most people don't like. You should still be able to run a 17x8 up front as long as you keep your backspacing at no more than 5.6" or so. Put your backspacing between 5.25 and 5.6" on a 17x8 and you can run 255/45/17's up front, 26" tall with a pretty decent selection of tires too. Since it looks like you're rocking a Dart Sport you could run the same tires out back (you'd need a different backspace on the rear rims with an A-body rear though).

I'm one of the knuckleheads running 275's on the front of my car. That takes 18" rims though because you need at least 6" of backspacing, and that means you have to clear the outer tie rod. The Enkei RPF1's I run have a wide outer lip, and because of the rim design they tend to look like they're a smaller diameter than what they are (mine are 18's). But there's no mistaking them for an classic rim, regardless of diameter.

 

[Abodybomber]

its all about proportions.

my car has 17" wheels and tires. the fronts are 26" tall and the rears are 28" i hate the rubber band tire look. if you put a decent size tire on the rim they look good. that is my opinion.

This..He's got a clue: it's all about profile..( reference to wheel/ tire profile, in reference to fender lips/ clearance/ what you want "and can afford ".
What do you want it to look like,what performance parameters you want,& what's your time line and budget??

 

[MRGTX]

...
Put some Cooper Ultra Touring on it, they work good.

Ok. This has my attention. Could it actually be a vaguely performance oriented alternative for the 15" crowd?

How do you like them?

I didn't know about these because Tire Rack doesn't carry them. #-o

 

[cosgig]

its all about proportions.

my car has 17" wheels and tires. the fronts are 26" tall and the rears are 28" i hate the rubber band tire look. if you put a decent size tire on the rim they look good. that is my opinion.

Now that's a good looking combo!!! And me, an old school tall tire man!! I love the looks of that Dart!!

 

[pauly v.100]

Will I Am's corvette.
The whitewalls are part of the wheel, you'd think they were 15s

 

[diymirage]

Will I Am's corvette.
The whitewalls are part of the wheel, you'd think they were 15s

that looks horrid
actually, that looks like lightning McQueen

 

[dano]

The single largest issue with 15" and "period correct" is they only fit what the car came with stock in reguards to suspension and brakes, especially if you have a 67-69 Dart. Start Adding 73-up LBP front disc and a LBP rear and you find that these wheels do not have enough offset to properly clear unless you jack the car up like a straight axle dragster which is not an option for the street or aesthetics. Then look at what selection there is for 15" rubber for the street. Sure there is tons of race compounds and sizes but for the street guy these don't fly and what is available are 80's designs and compounds or sizes for the neighbor kids slammed and cambered Civic. Then there is the cost. Is was cheaper for me to get 17" tires in better compounds and modern tread designs then old 15" BFG's or Cooper Cobras.

I would have preferred 15" and a more period look but that was not an option on my car. LBP pushed the track out. Again, this is far less an issues with Dusters, Demons, Dart Sports, 67-up Barracudas and even the 70-Dart has larger fender wells. But then again who likes their Classic A-body with tires that stick 3" past the fender wells like an 80's Firebird....

 

[Killer6]

Not a stupid idea at all,on the right rim of course, I'm guessing a retro-rim
like wheel vintiques modded? Whatever, done well you'll have the right "across the
street" vibe, under scrutiny you can't hide it so just do a nice job of it.
There are very few sticky 15" rollers, and most are too small to look right on
your car. The cooper,it's mastercraft sibling ,& BFG T/A,are decent tires, but super
sticky they're not. The Ultra touring and Touring LSR a least come in "H" ratings
if you plan on that kind of speed, I believe the T/A's are pretty much "S" jobs.
Oh, you CAN buy repro Michelin MB's in 15" for competition action, if you
don't mind dropping 2+G's at coker tire !!

:coffee2:

 

[GRANCUDA]

The single largest issue with 15" and "period correct" is they only fit what the car came with stock in reguards to suspension and brakes, especially if you have a 67-69 Dart. Start Adding 73-up LBP front disc and a LBP rear and you find that these wheels do not have enough offset to properly clear unless you jack the car up like a straight axle dragster which is not an option for the street or aesthetics. Then look at what selection there is for 15" rubber for the street. Sure there is tons of race compounds and sizes but for the street guy these don't fly and what is available are 80's designs and compounds or sizes for the neighbor kids slammed and cambered Civic. Then there is the cost. Is was cheaper for me to get 17" tires in better compounds and modern tread designs then old 15" BFG's or Cooper Cobras.

I would have preferred 15" and a more period look but that was not an option on my car. LBP pushed the track out. Again, this is far less an issues with Dusters, Demons, Dart Sports, 67-up Barracudas and even the 70-Dart has larger fender wells. But then again who likes their Classic A-body with tires that stick 3" past the fender wells like an 80's Firebird....

The 14" & 15" tires are getting higher & higher priced & fewer size selections as fewer cars are being redone with the proper sizes plus more & more cars aren't being driven daily & wearing out these sizes.

I am redoing my '67 exactly as you described as what no one wants. It going to sit high & stick out the rear wheel wells. That's what I like about the old cars, I want the look of the way these cars were in the 60's.

Here is a company doing the stuff with 15" liking wheels that accept hubcaps even. http://www.deluxewheels.com

 

[67autocross]

Ok. This has my attention. Could it actually be a vaguely performance oriented alternative for the 15" crowd?

How do you like them?

I didn't know about these because Tire Rack doesn't carry them. #-o

I honestly really like them, they are a great street tire as long as you are not looking for really big tires, I don't think you can get them larger than 225/60/15.
The biggest surprise to me is how well they hook for what they are, I had some Mickey Thompson Sportsmans 26 x 10 on some Weld Drag Stars on the car and switched to the Ultra Touring, from the stop sign by my house where do my test launches the smaller coopers are way better...most likely because the are one of the true modern 15" tires available.