Welcome to the Corvette Forums at the Corvette Action Center!

Help me choose a wheel!

Originally posted by 69MyWay
Thank God there is not rim counsel on wheels like the Diamond counsel that recommends two months salary (on just one ring), could you imagine two months salary for each wheel????????????

Honestly Chris, I'd spend two months pay on a set of wheels before an engagement ring. And now that I think about, that's probably a big reason why I'm single :) and loving it!

I like the wheels though, they will fit your shark perfectly. And I have to agree with Ken, the wheels on that mid-year just dont go with the car.:(

Jason
 
Chris I forgot to mention the rims are 8" front, 10" rear. I would say our rear wheelwells are real close & though offsets vary from rim to rim, mine give it that wide stance that is clearly filling the well.
And could only be achieved by using the BIG flares. With 2' of rubber back there extending out beyond the normal lines of the shark you present quite a picture to those following you.
And at $275 a set I don't feel real guilty tearing them up. Traction will always be an issue Chris & until you find what works best, trips to the tire store are your future.
 
Billett Specialties made these for my C-4 . Very similar but cost me 1900 with Goodrich tires .
 
DkBG said:
Billett Specialties made these for my C-4 . Very similar but cost me 1900 with Goodrich tires .


Those are very retro looking. Are they 16x9?

I will have to look these guys up.



John, no doubt. I can imagine being afraid to spin the tires for fear of how much each spin is costing me!
 
Hey Chris

Hi everyone. Good to see that your project is coming along, Chris. I attended the big Corvette show in Houston on Sunday, and the one thing that struck me were the aftermarket wheels on certain cars. Some people got it all wrong. Either the sidewalls were to big, giving one Vette the 4x4 look, or they were to spindly. By spindly, I mean that the wheel design showed off too much of the rotor that made it look dimunitive. If you got big wheels, you need big rotors. Some of the small sidewalls did not fill up the wheelwells, properly, as there was too much black space surrounding the tire. Just because it's bigger doesn't mean it's better looking.

Also, an on-going discussion has been going on among many hot rodders. Many feel that there are not enough original designs out there and the ones that are, are not getting any spotlight. It seems that practically every wheel is a 5-spoke nowadays. The Edelbrocks that I have seen were of the 10-spoke design (influenced by the GT-40) on a '68 Mustang. They looked really Boss. :cool This wheel also appeared on the "Gone in 60 Seconds" Mustang. If I decide to change wheels, these would be high on my list. Another good looking wheel are the ones made by HRE. It's either the 545 or the 540. I'll see if I can find some pics to share.

--Bullitt
 
Hi 69 Those wheels were 17x9 all four corners . They make them in whatever offset you need for your car . I seldom went anywhere without someone commenting on them . I always thought they looked better than the best picture I took of them . It took about four weeks to get them .
 
Bullitt,

Is the wheel you were thinking about from Edelbrock? I hear what you are saying about the giant rims and the rotors looking tiny. Had that problem on my V8 Fiero eventhough I went up to 11" rotors, they looked dinky inside the very open spoked 17" wheels.

catalog_fitment_454.jpg



Don't think they are going to make it big enough for me.

I will have to check.


John, I have to go back and do some serious measurments. The 12" wide rim sounds right (especially considering the offset trailing arms), but your 10" rims look good in there. This is a work in progress.
 
Yeah Chris, that's it. I've seen people already take to those wheels and polish them or do a sandcasting on them with different aluminum finishes. I'm going to see if I can get a pick of another FB Mustang that has them. When you see them in person, they really look cool. Another alternative I was thinking about was to look at the designs of other race cars from the '60s and '70s. Bart and Sterling are two that come to mind. I even remember Parnelli Jones having his own wheels. You've heard of black chrome, right? I wonder what wheels done up like that would look like. Hmmm...

--Bullitt
 
Looking at other rims now.

Found a set of the twisted vistas made by intro and available through www.hvydeez.com as noted before in the trucking magazine

feature1_07.jpg
 
What to you think of these?

fang_r10_c15.jpg


Or

twistedfatal_r5_c5.jpg


I found these at

http://209.126.166.86/wheels.htm


Trouble is, I think they only go up to 10" wide on an 18" rim. John has me thinking now if his rear rims are 10", and they fit and look good. Maybe I don't need 12".
 
Chris the wheels are off the car in a stack due to paint prep. I would be easily able to measure offset now if you think it would be of any value to you.
You have seen a few pics & know those wheelwells look plenty stuffed so the 10" will work. Offset has a bearing in this equasion, naturally.
Are you looking for more than a 12" footprint?
 
John, I was looking at a new Viper and admiring the wide 13" foot print in the rear. It seems to me that they would fit, and that would be the Ultimate icing on the cake.

So, I am still exploring that path. Got grounded on installing the engine this weekend as the flywheel and clutch are not here yet. I have to take some precision measurments before setting the hydraulic release bearing.

I will get back with you on the off set measurment.
 
Ah, I remembered there was something about those 19" rims. Steve Kamis of project insane asylum ran 19" on the rear of his project car. At that, it barely cleared the spring shackle mount on the inside lip to take advantage of the offset trailing arms.

I may have to go 19" tall to get the 12" and keep the rim under the fender lip.

Otherwise, I can certainly run a 10" rim and keep the offset stock with no worries.

Anson, thanks for those other links. I remember you shooting that to me one time before.
 
Nikki has got to be the most awesome wife in the world.

We were talking this morning about this 1969 project and how close Sharkfest is getting everyday, and my engine is sitting on the floor! I can't do much else until the flywheel and clutch assembly come in.

So, back to the wheels. Nikki says "You really need to order those wheels ASAP!", I am like "you know they are like $5,000 right?", she is like "Yes, I know how much, and you won't be happy unless you get the right ones, and I like those wheels you are looking at"



The only real problem is that I want to sit the block in, bounce the suspension, and get an idea where it is all going to sit before I order any rims. So, I guess it will be soon. At least I don't have to worry about her FREAKING out on me when the bill comes in!

(no, she does not have a sister, but her Mom is single and looking :s )
 
You got one of the rare ones my friend. Treasure her!:love
John
 
Hey Chris, my engine builder's wife is like that too; she seems to share his enthusiasm for high-performance automobiles. :love

_ken :w
 
SCHWIINNGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!

hockenh3_g.JPG
 

Corvette Forums

Not a member of the Corvette Action Center?  Join now!  It's free!

Help support the Corvette Action Center!

Supporting Vendors

Dealers:

MacMulkin Chevrolet - The Second Largest Corvette Dealer in the Country!

Advertise with the Corvette Action Center!

Double Your Chances!

Our Partners

Back
Top Bottom