Now, i know alot of the people on this board are into the classic, convention 14/15" wheels and tires. Being younger, ive been into bigger wheels especially on trucks and bigger cars. I had 22's on my old tahoe and it looked really good, so I went with Boyd Coddington 22's in the back (timeless 2's) and 20's in the front. Before you guys rip on it, check out my webpage and see for yourself. It is low in the back, but I want to bag it so I can go to the track and clear my 325/50/15's on weld pro stars and raise it up. Im making this post in hopes that people will see a chevelle with some tasteful 22" wheels, maybe i'll open up some minds
http://hometown.aol.com/h0troddin/

You will never ever hook with those rubber bands.

Ive seen a 63 biscayne around here with 22's in the rear and 18's up front, also a 65 ragtop chevelle with 20's in the back and 18's up front. Ultimately its your car and do whatever you wanna do to it! I would really like to see a side profile of it from a few feet back if you have the space.(kinda looks like in the shop you were as far back as possible) The 22's in the rear don't look all that bad IMHO, but I'd like to see the whole side profile with both tires and the profile of the car and what not. smile.gif
Thanks!

Sorry dude, not gonna change my opinion graemlins/sad.gif

17" is the biggest I'd go on anything, but that's just me. No Offense

with that much rotating mass might want to get some bigger brakes :D
http://hometown.aol.com/h0troddin/images/chevelle%20018.jpg

I would be interested in seeing a full side shot also. How do the 20's fit in the front? I'm thinking of 18's in the front and 20's in the rear on my '66. I have 24's on my tahoe. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I plan on going to discs in the back, but i cant get too radical as i'm going to run 15's for the track. 66 ss408, what style 24's do you have on the tahoe? I'd like to see that. I really enjoy the opinions, both yay and nay. I couldnt help but notice that people on this page do not like anything more then 17's on the cars. I read CHP and Hot Rod and see the cars in there slammed on 18's all day long. While I agree that 22's are over the top, bigger wheels are slowly becoming more fashionable. Check out this picture of the new corvette, see what I mean?
http://www.cfive-corvette.com/c6427.jpg

Miles, the 22's are OK, I prefer 19". It would look alot better IMO if they were like 22X12 with some serious width back there. Looks like it's gonna be a nice car http://www.pro-touring.com/~anon/elco.JPG

I couldnt
help but notice that people on this page do not like anything more then 17's on the cars. I read CHP and Hot Rod
and see the cars in there slammed on 18's all day long. While I agree that 22's are over the top, bigger wheels are
slowly becoming more fashionable. Check out this picture of the new corvette, see what I mean?First, that "picture" of the new Corvette is a rendering, and its someone's personal "design" to add the larger aftermarket wheels, and not a stock GM/Corvette design... I realize that GM does put bigger wheels on the Corvette (18's on the C5?), but they don't do it to be "fashionable" They do it to be "functional"...

The problem I see with MOST (not all) large diameter-wheel applications, is that the tire width looks out of proportion compared to the overall diameter... I also think there is an aesthetic limit to the overall diameter of the tire, and if the wheel/tire or wheel exceeds this, it looks out-of-proportion...

I think one of the key things you mentioned was "fashionable"... The majority of the cars I see with these huge wheels seem to have the wheels as an afterthought (tiny brakes, stance too high, 4X4s with low-profile tires) just like the Hondas with rear wings, extreme body kits and stickers-galore... They might be "fashionable", but they're not "functional", and ANYBODY that knows anything about performance knows that these are solely cosmetic...

I think thats the issue. Most of the older generation does/did things to not only look good, but for functionality. It seems that most (not all) of the newer generations are after the fashionability as well... There all just posers...


As you noticed, most people on this site are limited to 17-inch wheels. IMO, I think thats about the limit for the stock wheelwells (both the opening size and the width)... Now, maybe with some custom mods to the wheel openings and a slight mini-tub job and WIDE wheels and tires, then maybe those 22's or 20 would look okay... Like what Dennis said above...


PS, sorry I couldn't view yours... all I see are the pictures of you and your girlfriend and you playing golf...

Originally posted by 1968Rat:
I plan on going to discs in the back, but i cant get too radical as i'm going to run 15's for the track. Hoep them are BIG discs you can fit in those 15's./ I wouldnt go bigger than 20's on my 04 Yukon without swapping out the factory 4 wheel discs for larger BAERS. I would not feel comfortable with a 1LE swap, for instance, with them big wheels.


But heres why I wont do it on my Chevelle. The first time I hit a pot hole and dinged and bent a wheel, then had to fork out the dough for rubber and a new wheel....well, dude, thats damn near the cost of a rebuild on a BB mill. All show and no go just aint my personal bag. You're losing ground due to rotating weight, hooking up is gonna suck, risk of costly bends just driving around town due to the short sidewall, braking will be compromised, etc.....but you'll look flashy when you lose a race, wreck due to brakes not keeping up or frag a wheel on a pot hole.

To each his own but I say unless your name is Nelly and you fancy grabbing your crotch for no reason whilst rapping about pure garbage, leave the 22's on the SUV's

1968RAT- name???

I don't have a closed mind about what others do to their cars,BUT there's a reason you don't see 22's on the track.Too much weight,not enough brake.....Nuff said.I would get another smaller set to run when I go to the track if it was me.

They look good on your car though graemlins/thumbsup.gif and I'd like to see the full side pic also.I'ts cool to see different ideas applied to older cars so keep at it and keep us posted w/pics.

BTW- Cute girlfriend and nice Prelude graemlins/thumbsup.gif I like your style!

Thanks for all the replies guys, i appreciate the interest in the thread. As for not hooking up with the low pro's, i do not plan to race on the street. I have track wheels and tires set up for that (weld pro stars 15/10 5.5" bs on 325/50/15 bfg dr's). I doubt many cars will be able to leave me like im standing still on the street ever. I'm shooting for low 11's, and just previously owning a low 13 sec. camaro (94 lt1) i know that a 13 street car is a bruiser. It's not often I pull up next to a car that runs 12's around town. I would never run the 22's at the track. Another reason I went with the rims was becuase I got them at a great price and If I decide to later, I can run them on a truck. As for 17's being the biggest that fit stock, no way. We pulled the springs out at the airbag shop and laid it out on 22's. Drove it up and down and no rubbing. It did however bounce alot with no springs. It's all in the backspacing. I'll get a full side pic once the car gets out of the interior shop. From there it might go to the paint/body shop to get ready for the good guys show in pleasanton.

To each is own...Me personally I don't like'em (No Offense). With that low profile tire and a 1968 suspension you should feel every dang bump in the road.But than again I live in Jersey and the roads here Sux..

I've seen new rice burners with those tires and the bounce going down the road on a new suspension.

Have you driven the car yet? How's the ride?
Anyway enjoy our sport and stick to your plan...

My 24's are BAZO B26's. I also have a 3"/4" drop, cold air intake, hypertech tuner, grannetelli(sp?) mass air flow sensor, throttle body spacer, eradispeed+1 brake upgrade and flowmaster exhaust. I like performance in all of my vehicles as well as good looks and my tahoe stops better than stock. Are 24's too much? Maybe, but they were a present from my wife.

Looks are all relative, and what looks good to one person might not look good to another.
Chevelle's have huge wheelwells and you would be surprised at the size of wheel that will fit. When you put so much money into your car anyway why skimp on the wheels.

A paint job is for looks, a custom interior is for looks, a smoothed firewall and clean engine compartment is for looks, wheels just round out the whole package. Looks are what set our cars apart from the crowd.

Just my opinion! smile.gif

Nice looking wheel.

Hey its your car, and yours is the only 68 I've ever seen with wheels like that.

Not my cup of tea, but I live in PA, and we invented potholes.

I think most guys run the smaller rim with more side wall because it just works better.

I dunno if I like them or not. they definately are very classy but i think 18s are the max for my personal car. :rolleyes: it does look like a sharp car...I say :cool:

call me crazy but i like 'em. i like 'em a lot. and i'm not really a big wheel kinda guy. keep up the good work!

I was looking at doing something similiar could you let me know the backspacing of the wheels and anything you had to do to make them fit.

Thanks

Well it's different. I think it's cool you went with exactly what you wanted. Not much rubber though smile.gif But right on! I just ordered new tires, 4-6 weeks. Shew.... Later
:D

I think it's a good look. I think you make a good point about your age having a lot to do with it. I fall into the younger guys crowd here (26) too so I know exactly what you're talking about. I would love to put 20s in the back of my 65 but unlike your 68 it really isn't possible with out a lot of hammer massaging. I do agree with the folks here that the super thin rubber on $3000 rims isn't the most practical of situations but it looks damn good.

You can see that the performance world is starting to accept a few compromises especially in the pro touring world. Take a look a the year-one pro touring 67 chevelle.

http://www.yearone.com/enthusiast/articles/chevelle/PageFive.html

I think they set up a good balance between style and performance.

Hey Rob, is that your 67'?

No man...I wish! That's year one's yearly buildup to show off their parts. The thing is what I aspire my 65 to be someday. You can see my ride in my sig.

--rO

I was striving for that drag-touring look. See mine at homepage above.

You can see that the performance world is starting to accept a few compromises especially in the pro touring world.
Take a look a the year-one pro touring 67 chevelle.Robando,

I really don't see that Year One Chevelle as being much of a 'compromise'.

Look at the tires on that car: fairly tall sidewall on the rears, and they are pretty wide...

I see they are 18 inch wheels out back (with 305/40 tires), 17s up front with 245s...

305-width is about the max you can fit in the rear of most Chevelles without some mods to the body or frame.

They fill up the wheels wells nicely, without being "too big" (for the wheel well opening)... They are about 27.6 inches in overall height...

Even if you could get a 305/40/22 tire (I really don't know), the overall diameter will be around 31.6 inches... IMO thats way too big around to look good in the Chevelle wheel opening... And likely, most people would choose to go with a much shorter tire anyway, so you would have the "rubber band" look...

And from what I have mostly seen (okay, so maybe not all the cars, but most), most of the people running these size wheels don't seem to even try to fill the wheel well, width-wise (maybe its a lack of tire selection?)...

Yes, it is only MY personal opinion, so I wouldn't bash anyone that wanted this style...

I do like the larger wheels on the big SUVs, but these vehicles have a wheel well that was designed for larger tires in the first place... Just as 15s or 17s with low profiles would look out-of-proportion on a large SUV, so does the 22s and 20 look out-of-proportion on the older Chevelles...


especially in the pro touring world.I really doubt you will find anybody that is really seriously into the "pro-touring" world that will be using 20 or 22 inch wheels, unless they are very wide... The basic "pro-touring" concept was to create a good "all-around" performing car that is at home both on the racetrack and on the road... With 20+ inch wheels and ultra-thin rubber, the handling is definitely NOT optimised for either situation, and the potential rim damage from normal street usage also get away from that concept... Again, look at that Year-One car... 18s, and pretty tall sidewalls to help handling AND protect the rim...

I just meant that by putting 17/18 combos on the car they got away from the usual 15/16 inch combo a lot of the other cars on here run. They got form and function as opposed to just function.

--rO

You guys should back off everytime he has something to say you attack him. You know what he meant. He means people are starting to go with lower profile tires so the car handles better. Who really cares bout sticky tires.. I mean honestly you can't hook on the street regardless. He said the 22's were bought b/c he got a deal on them and can put em on a truck. He didn't say hey 18's are small the car needs 22's. If I got a deal on something id buy even if i didn't need it. LOL do that all the time... :D

Its not as bad as I expected it to look but I think the same heights with 20/18 would look better. It just needs a little more profile IMO.

If the car was tubbed and you could run steamroller 22's I would like that better.

The bottom line is if you like it dont worry about what everyone else thinks. I have older guys I know say my Av has too big of wheels. I have other mostly younger guys say I should have went 22" or bigger. I like it like it is and thats what really counts. :cool:

im luvin the look . thats what its all about. the reason all those other guys are hating is probably because they are just old school. i live in cali. the bay are to be exact and you will be surprised with what you see out here, just about everyone is rollin on 20s and multi amp and tv systems. its not the 70's anymore so lighten up guys. my only question is how much did you lower it.

Yikes........... Them there is da hoopdies. You aint got no thang if you aint got no bling. Your car your call. 21 years old rolling on 22's in a 68 to the golf course. SOUNDS GOOD TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!! :cool:

Hrhr :D , Miles, i didn't know that there were Cross-Country-Preludes out there!

Just kidding, but the stance of the Chevelle makes the Honda look really high.

Personally I love the look. I would do it too if it wouldn't cost a fortune to get those wheels over here to Germany. German Rims have different Bolt patterns/sizes.
Next thing is, if you want to run your age 30+ cars with an historic license plate over here, which can save you up to 2000$ taxes a year depending on the displacement (so it's a MUST), the car has to be original or only have contemporary mods. Weeell, I don't know how I could convince the DOT that these things are contemporary. :D But that's just my personal fate.
I say keep it up, and keep that rat car look, it's wicked! Those wheels and a shiny paintjob might just be too much of that blingelingeling! ;)

Have fun graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Olli

Olli--BMW 5 and 7 series rims should fit. They are 5X120mm I beleive which bolt on no problem. Alot of the 5 series stuff has 18" and even 19"

its not the 70's anymore so lighten up guys.:rolleyes:

its not the 70's anymore so lighten up guys.Really? Hippies everywhere, war protests, chicks in low cut pants showing their ass cracks like its classy, platform shoes, Yoko sunglasses all over, bell bottoms, hell.....could of fooled me. Sure seems like the 70's.

;)

I must admit I am really not a fan of BIG wheels on old muscle cars, for looks or not, leave that to the ricers. But like others have said, and even my dad says, to each his own. So if you like them run'em and while your at it maybe you will teach some ricers how to really use 20 and 22 inch wheels.
ryan

Late model Vettes and Vipers run 18" and larger wheels. Surely you're not calling them ricers,too? :D

I'm an old fart. tongue.gif Was a senior in high school in '67 and am stuck in time with 15" wheels being tall. 20 and 22 inch wheels belong on Peterbilts! :D
If it works for you go for it. The best thing about the Chevelles is the fact that they appeal to all ages. They are cool however they are built. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I'm no spring chicken,either.(50 last b'day). :D

WOW! I was debating my 18s for my car, but those 22's don't look too bad. I'm going for a road race car so those wouldn't work as well for that, but for cruizin' those are bad A$$. I would take the advice on bigger brakes though. Very cool cars, what kind of rims are those on your prelude? Can't wait to see a side view of your velle. Good luck and keep it unique.

Wicked what kinda rims are those on there now..I love em

Those are iForged Aeros black powdercoated. Its only a rendering, but I hope to be getting them soon so I can install my Baer brakes. http://images.cardomain.com/member_images/9/web/285000-285999/285723_98_full.jpg

I think Motorcycle wheels look good on a Motorcycle but not on a Chevelle :(

Although when I was much younger I put 21" model A wheels on my old Ford

did you have to modify anything to fit the 22's?

project wicked ss looks cool...Im trying to find wheels for my 71 in 18 or 19"...But I dont know all the specs I need to look for...All the rims I see have bolt patterns like 5x114.3 and 5x120..What will fit on my car?

Although the factory bolt pattern is 5X4.75 and that is what you SHOULD run, 5X120mm will fit.