Wheel Controversy

I've been considering new wheels for my 69 Charger and have been looking on this site and many others to see what others have put on their Mopars. One thing that is consistent is that generally people get very upset when someone puts the new shiny style wheels on their classic Mopar. I'm curious as to why that is? I agree that some of these new wheels look very tacky on a classic car but to me an 18 inch chrome wheel can give a classic mopar a nice stance and good luck but thats just me.

Let me know your thoughts or post pics of your wheels.

You should put on what ever wheels your happy about, Its your ride and you wont enjoy it unless you like how it looks. I agree with you, I think they look good on some, then again i like the original ones depending on the car. I have the old Crager center lines on mine, my wife wants me to get a new set of the classic Keystones which im considering. I think its up to each individuals taste.

X2...I just bought a 73 with 18s front and 20s back and hate them...I don't like anything over 15s...but it is just a matter of taste..
AL

I like 15" too, but we will have to put 17" on the front to get around the big brakes. My biggest deciding factor is 5 spoke for sure.

ram250098 said:

X2...I just bought a 73 with 18s front and 20s back and hate them...I don't like anything over 15s...but it is just a matter of taste..
AL

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I would be inclined to agree about the 20s, but I'd sure like to see a picture of your 73 with em on.
18s are about as large as I personally think look good on an older car and even then some can't pull it off. A lot depends on the style, width and offset of the wheel and also on tire selection (aspect ratio).
I drew the line at 16" wheels on my personal car (15s up front) because I didn't want a big-wheel look, just proportion. Most people don't even notice that the sizes are staggered back to front. They just notice that something looks "right". Unfortunately, cool tires are almost impossible to find in 16". I got the last set of 265/60 16 BFG T/As in the world. Sorry.

Typically this is a change in thinking with the age of the person.

1. The majority of the older guys want to see the cars maintain the look of the car as delivered from the factory or day two with period correct looking aftermarket wheels. However most of us like to see the wheel wells filled out better than they were back in the day with the standard size tires available then. This can be accomplished with 15" wheels with bigger tires generally with a 70-60-50 series tire. 14" wheels which are the standard size wheels of these cars from the factory. However the availability of tires sizes in 14" diameter is very limited these days. 15" are not detectable by the eye without getting down close enough to actually read the tire size and there are many factory original looking wheels, tires and the day two wheels now available to choose from.



2. The younger guys have grown up with the larger diameter wheels in their life and see nothing wrong with the look of them on our old cars. The big difference in the look is primarily the fact that in order to fit the wheel wells with 18" is that it requires a much shorter side wall tire. This look is more popular with the Pro Touring guys. The old guys find this look odd compared to the old school look. We think that if you want an old classic muscle car it should maintain it's original appearance.

These are just what I think are the basic differences and what the majority of the two different camps think.

I am far from a purist but I do like the original look with "hidden" upgrades with more power and modern conveniences such as better sound systems, hidden power window switches, A/C, etc. I like some of the resto mod things as well which after all are basically just the next generation of street rods. What many of use forget is that muscle cars were born out of a recognized demand by the auto industry of what the hot rodders wanted, which was large car engines in the smaller, lighter bodies. So, the factory gave it to the new generation of new car buyers by creating what we now call muscle cars.

I am not too old to recognize the fact that we can not discount what the younger guys want today as the hobby is now and always has been evolving. All of this reminds me of when I was young in the 60s and our parents looked at us with discust for our long hair and the crazy clothes we wore. There were some parents that recognized it as the evolving youth just forming their own personalities and did not condem them for it. Some actually got on board with these styling changes with the younger people. Those were the ones we thought were the "cool" parents.

The bottom line is that everyone has their own opinion as to what we like. I choose to not condem anyone for what "they" want with there cars or anything else in their lives. I may not personally like what they like but it is their money to spend and not up to me to express my opinion on their choices.

I agree that it is your car and you should do what makes you happy. That being said, my opinion is that big wheels just don't look good. Its not just the modern style either. I have seen retro styled 17" wheels on a classic mopar and it just looked off to me. I think its the missing sidewall that throws it off. I agree that the wheel well needs to be filled but with rubber not metal. If the sidewall to rim ratio looks right then the whole thing looks to big (like a monster truck) when its under the car if that makes any sense. Another issue is these cars were made for straight line acceleration, for that you need traction and for traction you need sidewall. That being said I think a rubber band tires shows that you are missing the point of your car. I have said before the first thing that will make me skip a car at a show or cruise is big rims with low profile tires. After all that, I will never drive your car so do what you like.

I'm ok with anything that looks good, and has been said, it's your car, it has to make YOU happy. But please.... don't go with the Hot Wheels look, eeewwwwwww. Ive' seen a few of those and it's just WRONG!

i'm all for the big wheel look and the weight savings of the aluminum rim - i just wish there were more vintage wheels in bigger sizes with better offsets - i've been looking over a year for some bigger wheels with negative offsets but everyone is selling a zero offset or positive offset, unless you pay certain companies almost 800 bux a rim then you can get what you want but i don't have the money - wish they would make the old vectors, turbines and d-windows into 17" aluminum wheels

It's your car! put whatever you like on it! If someone tells you they don't like your wheels most likely they are jealous, let the hater's hate! Good luck in your choice and let's see some pics of that Charger!

i find that the car was not built for that size tire and rim and it simply does not look good on it.
the wheel wells on the new cars are designed to match the larger tires and wheels of today, that 69 has fender wells that in my opinion that do not flow well with that size rim.

steve

I work at a tire shop and help my clients choose the wheels for their cars.
Wheels and tires are such a personal statement and choice.
The car is a personal extension of one's personality and both should match.
I respect that no matter how good--or bad--it looks.
The wheels should also compliment the car---not overtake the car's looks.
Ask three different people--get three different opinions.
People can do whatever they want to their car.
Wheels can dramatically change the look of the car.
Here's a few examples of my work..
Some are not old or Mopars,but still good exmaples,IMHO.

From a few car shows..

Vintage Carroll Shelby wheels on a Fairlane wagon..very fitting.

Timeless slots.

My personal favorite...my car
16X8 wheels with 2356016 tires.Some bling and still have some sidewall.
A good balance of modern rubber,vintage looks,and smoooootth ride.

Everyone has their own taste in wheels on a Mopar. Personally, I like a Mopar to look stock or period correct and perform better. I like the look of steelies and dog dishes, or magnums. Stock colors look best to me, but that's just my taste. I think chameleon paints look terrible on classic cars but look nice on modern stuff. I don't see people putting ET slots on Mazdas or Subarus...it's your ride do what makes you happy!