Big wheels on Bbodies
- Thread starter Glew
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69Runner
Well-Known Member
14's or 18's can look good OR bad, it's all about stance. Here's a good article I read a couple of years ago featuring a 67 Charger.
http://www.hotrod.com/features/1204phr-the-secrets-of-stance/
The 67 Charger and 68-up seem to have level wheel well arches front-to-back and the rules apply. My 67 Coronet and the Roadrunner / Super Bee's have slightly shrouded rear wheels so the distance from the top of the rim to the arch can be greater in the front and still look "right", as Dreadlock's Roadrunner clearly proves!
They would fall under fake rake. I never realized it at the time but thinking about it now this explains why I always wanted to lower the front end of my 69 Roadrunner but wasn't sure why.
I also like the narrow track since it reminds me a bit of those old bias ply's. But I have also stuffed 10" wide rims in a 68 Coronet rear wheel housing, just to see if it could be done. The wheel well lip needed to be rolled up slightly...
http://www.hotrod.com/features/1204phr-the-secrets-of-stance/
The 67 Charger and 68-up seem to have level wheel well arches front-to-back and the rules apply. My 67 Coronet and the Roadrunner / Super Bee's have slightly shrouded rear wheels so the distance from the top of the rim to the arch can be greater in the front and still look "right", as Dreadlock's Roadrunner clearly proves!
They would fall under fake rake. I never realized it at the time but thinking about it now this explains why I always wanted to lower the front end of my 69 Roadrunner but wasn't sure why.
I also like the narrow track since it reminds me a bit of those old bias ply's. But I have also stuffed 10" wide rims in a 68 Coronet rear wheel housing, just to see if it could be done. The wheel well lip needed to be rolled up slightly...
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To me it is all about the OVERALL car as a whole. While I tend to lean towards the 15" rims, that is more so because I like the raised white letter tires, and you can't get those in larger sizes. Dumb? Maybe.
Either way, I have seen cars with larger rims that look flat out awesome. I have also seen cars with larger rims that look stupid. By the way, the same goes for 15" rims. How many of us have seen (especially Camaro's for some reason) with 15 x 10 rims with the wrong offset and 2" of the rim hangs out beyond the quarter panel? I think that looks dumb.
So the bottom line is that a car looks good (or not) as a package. Build one that is well thought out and put together, and I am all for it - big OR small wheels.
Either way, I have seen cars with larger rims that look flat out awesome. I have also seen cars with larger rims that look stupid. By the way, the same goes for 15" rims. How many of us have seen (especially Camaro's for some reason) with 15 x 10 rims with the wrong offset and 2" of the rim hangs out beyond the quarter panel? I think that looks dumb.
So the bottom line is that a car looks good (or not) as a package. Build one that is well thought out and put together, and I am all for it - big OR small wheels.
747mopar
Well-Known Member
I cruise like this but am currently looking for some track wheels to clear my SSBC conversions (11.2" discs)
20x9.5 in the rear, 18x8 in the front - Coys C5
That is one sweet ride, I think you nailed it!
Rocketman
Well-Known Member
After seeing Hydrgoon's wheel/tire set up I knew I wanted the same. He was very helpful and I have already been out pricing them. My bonus will be here and a week and the first week we have no salt on the road I will have the same set up. That also means I will be selling 5 Magnum 500's 15X8's with BF Goodrich TA's with about 4500 miles on them
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Calling someones car "Retarded" is a prick move. Feel free to say you don't like it, but being an jerkoff isn't the way to make any friends.
One inch of sidewall? Surely this is an exaggeration on your part. If I ran tires like yours, my car would handle like ****. I know because those black wheels and tires you saw in the picture were only on the car while I had it at a body shop to fix a fender. Driving on 70 series tires with 6 inch wheels was like steering in mud. Steering response sucked, the tires squealed at turns over 25 mph and the car understeered terribly.
Ron, you like drag racing? GREAT ! Your classic setup works great for that. Your attitude though really fits what I wrote. Older guys often don't care about cornering and braking like the younger guys do. Usually though, older guys are courteous and respectful. Your post made you look like a bitter old geezer. I've read your posts for years on Moparts and before now always found you to be helpful to people.
I didn't go with big wheels to be trendy. I don't wear the newest fashions or sport the newest hairstyle. Technology isn't really my thing either. I went with big wheels because there are better choices for performance tires in the bigger sizes. I like to do more than blast in a straight line. You don't hear me insulting you for how your car looks. I could spout equally offensive comments if I wanted to.
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" I guess I have just got tired of guys telling me........................hey you have to change with the times. Well I believe if you have something you like then..."
Do you still use pay phones? Rabbit ears instead of Satellite TV? Mow your yard with a gear driven push mower? Save your S & H stamps to buy that set of encyclopedias?
I resist most forms of progress until something comes along that is really an improvement. I understand being resistant to change. When I hear of people camping out to get a new "smart" phone, I laugh. I don't drive by these people and shout my opinions at them.
One inch of sidewall? Surely this is an exaggeration on your part. If I ran tires like yours, my car would handle like ****. I know because those black wheels and tires you saw in the picture were only on the car while I had it at a body shop to fix a fender. Driving on 70 series tires with 6 inch wheels was like steering in mud. Steering response sucked, the tires squealed at turns over 25 mph and the car understeered terribly.
Ron, you like drag racing? GREAT ! Your classic setup works great for that. Your attitude though really fits what I wrote. Older guys often don't care about cornering and braking like the younger guys do. Usually though, older guys are courteous and respectful. Your post made you look like a bitter old geezer. I've read your posts for years on Moparts and before now always found you to be helpful to people.
I didn't go with big wheels to be trendy. I don't wear the newest fashions or sport the newest hairstyle. Technology isn't really my thing either. I went with big wheels because there are better choices for performance tires in the bigger sizes. I like to do more than blast in a straight line. You don't hear me insulting you for how your car looks. I could spout equally offensive comments if I wanted to.
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" I guess I have just got tired of guys telling me........................hey you have to change with the times. Well I believe if you have something you like then..."
Do you still use pay phones? Rabbit ears instead of Satellite TV? Mow your yard with a gear driven push mower? Save your S & H stamps to buy that set of encyclopedias?
I resist most forms of progress until something comes along that is really an improvement. I understand being resistant to change. When I hear of people camping out to get a new "smart" phone, I laugh. I don't drive by these people and shout my opinions at them.
Hawg_man
Well-Known Member
17x8 Front w/ 255/45/17...........Rear17x8 w/ 255/50/17
TekHousE
Well-Known Member
One of my biggest clients is one of the world's largest manufacturer of....tyres (and the most profitable by far globally). Their head of R&D spoke at great length, many times, about the physical limitations of large wheels with low profile rubber.
Low profile rubber will perform of course, but at a sacrifice to ride quality, and also transfer a huge amount of stress to the suspension. Yep, NEW cars are using lower and lower profile, whilst also using larger wheel diameters and widths, but their suspension is also designed with this in mind.
Unfortunately, putting those same wheels and tyre combinations on 40 plus year old style suspensions is not a good idea.
Benno's car for instance, has had uprated suspension mods, isn't that right mate? I believe he is using Magnum Force..(correct me if I am wrong).
This is a good thing if you want to run lower profile rubber. But if you are not? Well you are running a lot of unsprung mass plus you just sacrificed performance. Although you might think that initially your car corners better, you need to think about where those forces are ending up, and, what they are doing once they get there.
It is like upgrading your engine to higher horsepower, but leaving everything else in the drive train stock.
69Runner
Well-Known Member
Great point. Consider the affect on wheel bearings and steering geometry when straying far from original equipment specs. Here is a pretty simple explanation from Summit. Knowledge is power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld3WhpdCEGg
benno440
Well-Known Member
thats correct mate, if i didnt perform the suspension upgrades i would still have 15" centrelines on it, reason being the 15" wheels didnt fit over my new discs. and i figured all my suspension and brakes were old and worn and i had to replcae them why not spend the bit extra and get modern style upgrades so i know that i will stop and handle safely
TekHousE
Well-Known Member
Benno,
I have experienced this basically first hand, when one of my brothers had a VF 2 door in South Oz, wide 5 slots all round, delivering pizzas in the Gawler hills one night. He hears, a a few pinging sounds and next thing his left front wheel is up in the guard.
Had to take the assembly off of a '66 VC that I had, drive out and replace it..
Wide wheels put a great deal of force on OLD parts that were not designed to take it, geometry changes and bad things happen.
I have experienced this basically first hand, when one of my brothers had a VF 2 door in South Oz, wide 5 slots all round, delivering pizzas in the Gawler hills one night. He hears, a a few pinging sounds and next thing his left front wheel is up in the guard.
Had to take the assembly off of a '66 VC that I had, drive out and replace it..
Wide wheels put a great deal of force on OLD parts that were not designed to take it, geometry changes and bad things happen.
747mopar
Well-Known Member
What a load of chit, I will disagree until the cows come home on this one. When adding the aftermarket kits you are taking a load that WAS spread out over a much larger area (K member all the way back to the torsion bar cross member) and focusing it 100% on the front frame rails without adding any extra stiffening (please observe a B Body that is stripped down because there ain't much up there).
I have nothing against the aftermarket front ends but I'd never install one without adding a minor cage with bars coming to the front frame rails to alleviate the added stress that you just put on it. I don't care what anybody says unless you do something to offset the added stress you just made your car perform better but put the front frame rails under a considerable amount of stress in doing so.
At the end of the day you aren't the one driving a 40+ year old car with 18" and 19" wheels on the factory style setup (all newly rebuilt with poly bushings and stiffer springs all the way around) and I am. Have any of you guys bashing the ride quality ever road in one of these cars with them? I can tell you the ride is in know way harsh and as a matter of fact it rides smoother than my wives 2012 Cruze.
Another important piece of information being left out when you talk about the 40+ year old suspension not being able to take it is ROAD CONDITIONS. What kind of roads do you think they had 40+ years ago? I can guarantee you there weren't nearly the amount of freeways, more gravel, dirt and brick roads plus the roads they had weren't as smooth as they are now days so that's bull as well. The old suspension is way more robust than anything on the road today other than maybe a truck so I'll stick to what is proven.
ga66mopar
Well-Known Member
After reading this thread and looking at the pictures I don't like a wheel over the size of 15 inch on classic cars. I think it's more the low profile tires I don't like than the wheels. To make the larger wheels look right the cars have to be lowered. I don't really like lowered cars. My BMW has 18 inch wheels and low profile tires and I have replaced three rims that got bent from hitting a pot hole. I'm more interested in a good ride than road racing around curves. Drum brakes don't good on the rear of cars with big rims so four wheel disc brakes is a must. But everybody has different tastes and styles. I found this pic on the web. Looks great.
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Nice color
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I prefer 15's on my 66
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I cruise like this but am currently looking for some track wheels to clear my SSBC conversions (11.2" discs)
20x9.5 in the rear, 18x8 in the front - Coys C5
Nice color
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I prefer 15's on my 66
747mopar
Well-Known Member
Don't take my reply as anything against you or your car because you know what I think of yours, BADASS. I don't doubt for a second that yours probably handles better than mine but I also know your front end is on it's own when it comes to bearing the weight too. You might drive it to it's grave without a single problem I just worry that there could be an eventual issue down the road (hope I'm wrong).
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Nice ride ga66mopar!
383man
Well-Known Member
First I did not mean to call your car retarded as I meant my comment in general and if you thought it was about your car I apoligize to you as thats not what I wanted to say.
Second if you noticed I did apoligize more then once in my post if I had ofended anyone as I did not want to do that. You are right I am a little older 58 and I love drag racing and as long as my car handles normal with the drag tires I use I am more then happy as I feel my 63 handles great as it drives around very nice for a normal cruiser but no way is it a road racer.
You are correct as I just dont like the looks of the big wheels on the old muscle and you have to understand that when I grew up with the look that I came to love it just dont look right to me when its drasticly changed but you are correct as I have no right to knock anyone who does like their car with the big wheels as I do respect it is their car and its their decision to do as they please with their car. I mean its what I do as I build my car only to please me and dont worry about what anyone else thinks about it. I generally keep my mouth shut and just dont make any comment if I dont like something but I guess I said more then I should have this time that was not in a nice way because I try to say I dont like something in a nice way as we all have the right to say we dont care for something but it should be done in a nice manner.
I am the same way about cowl hoods on Mopars as I hate them and honestly think they are ugly and thats because I feel they destroy the original type of look that Mopar muscle cars had but I understand its the owners right to use what ever hood they like. And if you notice I normally dont even post at all on post about them.
So let me leave it as saying I agree everyone has the right to do what they like to their cars and we will all not agree and if I do say anything I will say it in a nice way the way I like to as I dont want to offend anyone as we all like these cars which is great.
And I did apoligize and I will apoligize again as thats not what I want to do is offend anyone for doing what they like. I cant change my opinion that of course I dont care for the bigger wheels on old muscle and I know many dont care for things I do to my cars or others do to their cars but thats all part of it and we all including me need to make sure we understand and respect that which I try to do and I think I got a little out of hand in exspressing my opinion a little to strong on this.
So I hope you all understand all I can do is apoligize for ofending anyone or their car and move on. I hope thats good enough for everyone because thats all I can do. Thanks , Ron
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I don't like the chevy cowl hoods on Mopars either. The sad fact is though, few styles offer the mix of aerodynamics and clearance that this design does.
383man
Well-Known Member
My opinion is the black 66 Plymouth looks perfect ! Awesome looking ! Ron
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Thats true and I understand why a diehard drag racer uses the cowl on real fast cars. I just dont care for the looks of them but thats just an old farts opinion like me. Myself I would rather run a flat hood but I also understand many race cars cant run a flat hood do to the intake height and the cowls do work on fast cars and dont try to lift the hood off. Ron
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