Guest 305240 Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 Maybe someone can explain this big wheel thing to me. For the life of me, I just can't figure out why someone would want to put those huge wheels on any car. They remind me of some of the hay wagons we had on the old farm. All wheel, hardly no rubber...cost a gazillion bux to buy, and ride rougher than a cob. And, pray you don't hit a pot hole! Not to mention the fact ,that in my opinion, they look like some kid would put on his honda to try to look cool. Just my opinion. Then again, I'm old and like a little more softer ride and cheaper good looking wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhadman Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 Maybe someone can explain this big wheel thing to me. For the life of me' date=' I just can't figure out why someone would want to put those huge wheels on any car. [/quote'] I think some people honestly like the look of larger diameter wheels. Others I think are just following a trend as of late... It seems like every damn SUV here in SoCal is sporting 22+'s.... Yuck. ATLEAST I haven't seen 22's on an S30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruxGNZ Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 Well there is that picture of the red S30 with 20's (not photoshopped) on it that SleekZ has. I would post a picture of it, but I don't want to get in trouble for doing so without his permission. It's somwhere on Zparts.com !M! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RCNSC Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 Maybe someone can explain this big wheel thing to me. A lower profile tire equals better handling and much more width options with larger wheels. Bigger wheels also fill out the wheel wells much better and they look DAMN GOOD! 20s look stupid on any car and have no real advantages cept for the "BLING" factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 A bigger wheel is good to a point. When you exceed the "good" size, then you start raising the car with the wheel diameter and running out of suspension trying to get the body of the car low enough for the wheels to look right. Unless major $$$ is spent on ultra light wheels you'll also get slower acceleration and deceleration, and potentially worse handling due to increased unsprung and rotating weight. You also lose some of the ability to use the tire as a spring, because it becomes necessary to run really high pressures to keep the rim from getting damaged when running a 35 series tire. 20s would look fine on a car designed for 20s. A newer car with a high waistline might be tall enough in the body so that you could fit a 20 on there and not have the ground clearance of a 4x4. Unfortunately despite the looks you still have to turn that big heavy 20. The two pics you've got there are perfect examples RCNSC. They show new cars with big wheels that aren't jacked up due to the wheel diameter. Compare those to some pics of Zs on big wheels and you'll see what I'm talking about. My feeling is that some designer came around about 10 years ago and decided that there needed to be very little gap between the tire and the fender, and that has now turned into a nearly universal design feature of all new cars. The wheels got larger, the waistlines got higher, and the style got more and more popular. Tire and wheel manufacturers pushed the trend no doubt, and just like the fart can exhaust manufacturers, they're getting rich off of the fad. My $.02, Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 I think another aspect to the trend is the bling factor of showing off those expensive cross-drill/slotted rotors and/or Wilwood/Brembo calipers. Most of the cars I've seen the larger rims on are ricers that have done nothing to increase HP but have huge brakes because they look "cool" along with the trendy rims. None of them have any requirement for the brakes installed. It's all "BLING"! I totally agree with 305240, but I'm an old guy and prefer the older style and also refuse to pay for over-priced trendy dodads. To me a set of Cragars look awesome on a Z, but beauty is all in the eyes of the beholder. I'll spend my money on making it faster and stealthy, then spring it on those kids with more show than go. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 305240 Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 I'll make a challange here. Anyone running 18" or larger, I'll run you with my 81 turbo on the road I pick. (Trust me, it will have lots of potholes and washboard gravel) When I get to the end of the road, I'll call for a tow truck or flatbed to have you hauled in because of busted wheels. BTW, I'll already have talked to all the wheel places around to get a kickback on any wheel sold. Let the games begin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 I'll make a challange here. Anyone running 18" or larger, I'll run you with my 81 turbo on the road I pick. (Trust me, it will have lots of potholes and washboard gravel) When I get to the end of the road, I'll call for a tow truck or flatbed to have you hauled in because of busted wheels. BTW, I'll already have talked to all the wheel places around to get a kickback on any wheel sold. Let the games begin! That reminds me of a challenge I made back in the early 90's. I had an funny open challenge to people in my school to race anyone with a slammed mini truck. We would race on Pearblossom Hwy outside of Palmdale to Victorville. Anyone who knows the road will get the humor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 305240 Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 If anyone has ever driven the roads in michigan's upper penninsula, they would see the humor also. We pray for snow because that's when we have our best roads! All the pot holes are filled with ice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RCNSC Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 I'll make a challange here. Anyone running 18" or larger, I'll run you with my 81 turbo on the road I pick. (Trust me, it will have lots of potholes and washboard gravel) When I get to the end of the road, I'll call for a tow truck or flatbed to have you hauled in because of busted wheels. BTW, I'll already have talked to all the wheel places around to get a kickback on any wheel sold. Let the games begin! I know what you mean. My friend M3 has the stock 18s and everytime I ride with him hes swervin all over some roads avoiding them. I do it too in my dads car with 15s... so I can't say anything, but, now who would race on a road full of potholes. Honestly. Larger wheels are much nicer to look at because they fill out the wheel wells. Thats my stance on most wheels. 17s and 18s look perfect for a Z, but a 16" isn't bad either. Wheras a car with big wheel wells would look outright gay with 16s.... Thats why people put 22s, 24s, etc on SUVs. HUGE wheel wells = HUGE tires. I had some 17s on my last car, a Fiero, and they looked great. If I had the money, the first visual mod would def. be rims. I like the design of the stock 14s... but... SOOOOOO much tire. It's impossible to argue a case against old people on this topic. I've tried with my grandpa. It doesn't work. To each their own I guess, and as for me, long live 17s/18 and 19s! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 305240 Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 ROFLMAO here. I was born and raised on dirt roads. I did the dirt track thing too. Heck, we farm boys would race anything, even tractors! It didn't matter. Blew up the old man's 53 ford 6 cyl one night racing a 68 buick. Me friend (the guy I was racing) towed it home and we put another engine in it that night so Dad could get to work. I guess growing up in the 60's sort of makes me a little partial to the big tires in the back and the front in the weeds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaleMX Posted July 31, 2004 Share Posted July 31, 2004 Forget the 20's and get a bunch of those little spare tires to put on your car. You'll be the talk of the town. Maybe spray paint swirls on the tires to make it look like it's going fast, then add a huge wing on the back and a fart can to boot. Big wheels are not a performance increase on a car designed for 14" wheels so if bling is important to you then go for the gusto and get out your check book cuz they are really expensive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhadman Posted July 31, 2004 Share Posted July 31, 2004 We would race on Pearblossom Hwy outside of Palmdale to Victorville. Anyone who knows the road will get the humor. ROFLMA... I attended HS in VV . This, however, is a topic that will generate very, VERY different opinions. I, myself, have 18's for my Z.... for show. Even though my 18's were custom ordered and fairly lightweigh I also have a set of 16's for Auto-x'ing and track events. So I can view both sides with a head nod and a smile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DatsunBoy77 Posted July 31, 2004 Share Posted July 31, 2004 ok, lets not get too biased here about old people not understanding big rims. I have been to quite a few car shows lately where the old timers gave 18"+ on their hot rods now. It is not jusy a "ricer" thing anymore. On another note, i saw a VW Corrado the other night with 18s, and you literally couldnt see the tires. It was probably the worst thing i had ever seen. It looked like he was riding on the rims, might as well have been. I would hate to take a corner in that at a high speed, It probably scrapes the rims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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