Wilwood Brakes, Wheel Size, decisions, decisions

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brkooduh66

brkooduh66

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My 66 Barracuda performance-reso I have the money lined up for the brakes, wheels and, suspension. In my Magnum Force Racing shopping cart I have the 2" drop spindles and the Wilwood 12.19 brakes ( 140-11547-DR ). Wilwood says "some" 15inch wheels will fit. I have an email form Ron Jenkins at Magnum Force, he says go with the 17inch. I have a decision to make because I am not sure how the 17's will look on a '66. I really like Torq-Thrust D's. and I am worried about them looking weird with too much wheel (don't want the wagon wheel look). In that case I wonder about 16inch. Defiantly don't want to do 15's and cut it too close. So it's down to 16" and 17". Just thought I'd post this to see if some guys can help me mull it over. Maybe someone will have dealt with this and took pictures. Thanks
 
Just my take, but 16" tires are going to be very limited. I'd go with 17" wheels, or move to a smaller brake. You probably don't need that big of a brake anyway. If you do 17's then I'd get one in a matte silver finish...less flashy and doesn't look as big as 17" polished or chrome.
 
18s may not be what you like. But gives you an idea of how it may look.

20160409_141602_resized.jpg


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wagon wheel look.... hahahaha I have never heard that, but I like it. I am putting 17inch wheels on my dart. it may help give you a idea what it may look like. not the best picture because it is not on all 4 but I hope you get the idea

image.jpeg
 
The drop spindles will negate any tie rod end clearance you might gain from going to larger rims. Can't run any more backspace because of the relationship of the wheel to the outer tie rod end. For tie rod clearance a 2" drop spindle basically makes a 17" a 15" and an 18" a 16".

If you weren't planning on running more than 4.5" of backspace it doesn't matter I suppose, you would get more clearance for the caliper to the rim. I would avoid 16's like the plague. No tire options at all.

Why the drop spindles? If you add larger torsion bars you can lower the car without them. You get better suspension geometry without them.
 
Are you absolutely sure you want Wilwoods? Dr Diff has kits to mount Viper calipers on 11.75" Cordoba rotors that should fit a 15 inch wheel. I put those on the 66 Barracuda that I used to own. 15" cop car wheels cleared them just fine. Might want to research your options before pulling the trigger.
 
this is all very good stuff. thanks for the pics too. i am wanting the bigger brakes for the extra stopping power. i've seen comparisons with the 11" disc to 10 drums and the gain isn't all that impressive. i'm tired of standing on the brakes to stop so i'm going with the 12 inchers. after the responses to this post i am starting to lean back toward 17" wheels, although the wheel i like are only in 16" (after shopping around, 16" tires don't seem to be that big a deal if you order them before you need them). guess i'm still on the fence. i will have time since i'm still in the body-work stage, by time its in paint i will be nailing this down. as far as the drop spindles go, they are not so much for the actual drop as they are for the geometry of being able to tighten the torsion bars more and keep the height where i like it. i am already driving with a 2" drop with hardly any tension on the bars. i like the height, but a little spring would be nice so i'm not bouncing the oil pan off the speed bumps.
 
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