I recently bought a streetrod (32 coupe) and was considering going the high-tech look with 20" rims with low profile tires in the rear and 17" up front.

Does anyone have any experience the the low profile tires and wheels such as durability, damage suseptability etc?

I'd hate to spend 3K + on wheels and be bending them out of true and changing worn tires every 20K miles.

Thanks.

that sounds real cool! kinda get that "prowler" look - wait, didn't the prowler steal the "old school" look? http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif

anyways you just gotta watch those potholes with 20's. i'm sure you're not one to drive thru town and fly over dips and try to splash all the water out of every pothole - and this is not going to be a daily driver, am i right?

my girlfriend's got 17's on a '01 eclipse he daddy bought her, and she treats it like crap! it's already got severe front end damage from where she must've gotten 5 feet of air and come crashing down. when i ride with her she takes the dips and holes like we're in a Hummer - and this car has real low profile tires... no wheel damage yet

i'd say go for it. i plan to put 17's on the velle...

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-Chris

72 Chevelle SS

454 c.i.d. - Holley Commander 950 fuel injection - 1000 cfm throttle body - forged rods & TRW forged race pistons - steel crank - COMP hydraulic roller - mildly ported GM rectangular port heads (2.19 & 1.88 valves) - SFI race flywheel

MSD 6A - Accel Super stock coil - Moroso 8mm wires

Hooker longtubes - 2.5 inch exhaust - "H" pipe - 2 chamber flows

Turbo 400 - 2500 stall - 3.90 gears - BFGoodrich Radial TA's mounted on stock 15x7 wheels. (no traction) - rev limiter set on 6200

If it is just going to be a weekend type driver then i wouldnt reallt worry about it. 20" wheels will bend if you hit something wrong, especialy with a low profile tire. The less tire you have, the more shock gets transfered right to the wheel when you hit things like potholes. As long as you're careful about it though, it shouldnt pose to much of a problem. Most wheels that get bent are usually on the front anyhow, and you will have the 20's on the rear.
As for tire wear, it all depends on the tire you get. I will warn you though. 20" tires are NOT cheap. A friend of mine used to be into the whole "sport truck" thing. You know, airbags, 20's, huge sound systems. I used my employee discount at Discount Tire to get him 2 tires once, and for two Nitto 245-45-20's it cost over $400, maybe closer to $500.

Just for fun: He was driving down a stretch of I35 in Dallas one day where construction work was being done. Someone came into his lane, and he was forced onto the shoulder. He hit a piece of concrete that was laying there. Not only did he bend the wheel, it cracked on the inside in the barrel. He now has a worthless $800 piece of aluminum in his room as a sounvenir.

Not trying to scare you though. I think it would look badass.

-Matt

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TC Member #1434
1971 Malibu 350/TH350 (383/200-4R/12bolt in the works)
"It's not how much blood and sweat it took to get there, it's whether or not you have what it takes to finish it."
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