Question: So do you like the 15" rims or the 17" rims?

[Evolution1980]

The 15" wheels are now for sale. Here's the thread I started for anyone interested. --> CLICK!

The first picture is the car with the 15" rims.
The second picture is the car with the 17" rims.
Which do you like? Feel free to say whatever! And no one's gonna hurt my feelings if they think either of them are fugly. To each their own.

 

[Yoda]

....
Which do you like? And no one's gonna hurt my feelings if they think either of them are fugly. To each their own.

Well

I like the Old wheels better, the second set remind me of S10 Blazer Wheels hnoes

Back in my day :ugh I would opt for either Crager SS or a really nice set of Wire's :dance

..

Bud

 

[Evolution1980]

I'll be the second to chime in. I still really like the 15"s. I think a lot of that is due to the white letter radials ("WLR") which I just always associate with performance. There are no 17" performance tires that have WLR's. But I'm thinking the 17" rims will grow on me. Especially since they'll have true performance tires now whereas the 15" rims didn't. BFG Radial T/A's are not performance tires. They are mostly show tires nowadays.
The 17" rims also fit well into the current trend of resto-mods. It's not an exaggeration as some see with 18"+ size rims. But just enough to give me an updated look while retaining the classic curves & overall look of the Sharks.

And if anyone's wondering, the OEM rims looked 100% terrible on my car. If anyone's curious, I can post a pic.

 

[Evolution1980]

I like the Old wheels better

Then put a vote for the 15's! ...or for "Don't like either!" :L

 

[Bob Chadwick]

They both look good, though I'm with Bud. I like the look of Cragers.

 

[BigJimZ16]

Cragers have always looked righteous on a C3... or any other 60s or 70s muscle car.

 

[mike82]

I like the 15s.

 

[AGVI]

I like the 15s.

Me too If you're going to go to 17" wheels you should consider another style other than the ones in your photochop.

 

[Copdogcorvettes]

I prefer the 15s myself; a nice set of Centerline Drags or the Wires shown above. I've had both over the years and like them both. Just me but the 17's or 18's just don't look like a C3.

To each thier own and if you like it then that's all that really matters.

Gary

SAVE the WAVE

 

[navy2kcoupe]

I like the 15's ! Cars with 17's and 18's (except those that were designed to have them) look like matchbox toys, and those that are wearing 20's look absolutely ridiculous. I like the look of stock sized rims better than after market larger ones.
Andy

 

[JohnGrawcock]

I,m with Bud.

I'm with Bud. I didn't really like that particular 17'' wheel. His suggestions were good too, but I'd also say a set of polished or even chromed factory alloys would look great.

 

[panzerman]

I kinda like em both but gotta echo others here and say that Cragars would look fantastic. Lets see the car with stock rims please?

 

[Evolution1980]

Lets see the car with stock rims please?

This is a "quick & dirty" photoshop I snuck in here at work. Trust me when I say that the actual pic I have at home of the car with the OEM rims doesn't look this good.

 

[Yoda]

:cool

Bud

 

[Red Vette]

Andre, it was an easy vote for me, the 15" rims look like they belong on the car while the 17" do not. The corvette is looking great and I am anxious to see her at CF in BG this year after the work you have done. Keep the 15s.
Barrett

 

[Evolution1980]

It's interesting thus far...I sent out an email to some folks with the same pictures. Between the replies I've gotten from email and the replies here, the 'voting' is almost evenly split. It seems that the more of the C3 aficionados prefer the 15" while those not quite as familiar (or in a younger age bracket) seem to like the 17".

In looking at both pics (or all three now), I have a single observation about both photochopped pics (the 17" and the OEM). Neither look 100% like they really will (or do). The 17's I think are slightly exaggerated to looking like an 18" wheel. I think when I have actual pics of the tires on the car, it's not going to seem so different. Also, getting a sense of the dish on the rims is a bit harder in pics.
As to the OEM rims, like I said (or possibly deleted) above, I have real pics of the OEM's on the car and they looked . I'll dig them up this weekend and post them in here. Keep in mind that when I bought my car (4th owner), it had 1979 rims on it, not the high polished '80 rims. So the less-lusterous '79 rim didn't help in terms of the shiny "ooh ahh" factor. The OEM rims I used for the photochop above came from pic that was not my car.

I had considered the Cragars / TT-II's, but those are too common right now, regardless of the size. AVGI, are those the TT-II's on your car? The Torqlites that I 'chopped on to my car, I've only seen on one other car and that would be DarkShark's.

As for the spoked rims, those are definitely old school in my opinion. I was never too fond of the spokes in any auto application. Not to mention the nightmare they are the really clean.

Lastly (for this individual post), the main reason for me going up to 17" rims is so I can get performance tires. There are no longer any "true" performance tires made in a large enough width for a 15" rim. For burbling around town, 15" tires are fine. But if I want to improve the overall handling characteristics of my car, I was left with little choice. All the suspension/chassis upgrades in the world aren't worth a penny if you don't have tires to keep you stuck to the pavement!

Please, keep the votes and comments coming! I love watching the poles and drawing conclusions. Signs o' the times!

 

[Yoda]

Andre' the savings by staying with 15" rims and tires will more than offset the expense of 17" tires and rims.. and you can use the saving for the Speeding Fines across Ohio or/and (Nebraska ) increased insurance premiums..


Bud

 

[navy2kcoupe]

This is a "quick & dirty" photoshop I snuck in here at work. Trust me when I say that the actual pic I have at home of the car with the OEM rims doesn't look this good.

My vote for the best stock rims on any year Corvette made!
Andy

 

[Evolution1980]

Andre' the savings by staying with 15" rims and tires will more than offset the expense of 17" tires and rims..

Ya know what? Believe it or not, the the difference between the 15" tires that I have and the 17" that I'm getting is less than $20/tire! AND...and and and...since I'm getting the same size all around (255's), I'll be able to rotate the tires front to back which is a luxury I don't currently have with my 15" setup. (245 up front, 255 in back). So I'm potentially breaking even or even saving money since I can rotate my tires now!

Unfortunately, the tire size ain't gonna impact the distance between the "GO" pedal and the floor beneath it. :L

 

[73shark]

Ansen Sprints and American Racing Vectors look good on Sharks.