Modern alloys on classic cars: your take?
Discussion
exitwound said:
Got it..
Ok I suppose as long as the improvements are hidden, i.e. stock ride height, stock looking or solid wheels, and tyres with a large/deep sidewall.
Just my old skool tuppence!! My Corvette's sidewall is 6" deep! If its good enough for stock musclecars/drag cars (..and F1 too, not that I care/watch about that crap!) then its good enough for me.
To each their own, I can't stand 'solid' looking wheels.Ok I suppose as long as the improvements are hidden, i.e. stock ride height, stock looking or solid wheels, and tyres with a large/deep sidewall.
Just my old skool tuppence!! My Corvette's sidewall is 6" deep! If its good enough for stock musclecars/drag cars (..and F1 too, not that I care/watch about that crap!) then its good enough for me.
Yertis said:
theadman said:
I think my car looks just right on its factory original steel wheels. Even the chrome rim embellishers some people fit I personally think look pants.
I agree your car looks just right with its original steel wheels. However I also think my car doesn't look pants with its stainless steel wheel trims. 
Those trims are original fitment for some export markets, pretty common on UK cars too although not from the factory.
PositronicRay said:
Yertis said:
theadman said:
I think my car looks just right on its factory original steel wheels. Even the chrome rim embellishers some people fit I personally think look pants.
I agree your car looks just right with its original steel wheels. However I also think my car doesn't look pants with its stainless steel wheel trims. Those trims are original fitment for some export markets, pretty common on UK cars too although not from the factory.
IMO the risk with playing around with wheels is that the wheels then become the object of attention, not the car. That may be to some peoples' taste but I love the original TR6 appearance and the steel wheels are in keeping, aesthetically, with the overall look. I always felt the TR6 had a very masculine look about it to start with and could cope quite well without a chest wig.
samj2014 said:
exitwound said:
Got it..
Ok I suppose as long as the improvements are hidden, i.e. stock ride height, stock looking or solid wheels, and tyres with a large/deep sidewall.
Just my old skool tuppence!! My Corvette's sidewall is 6" deep! If its good enough for stock musclecars/drag cars (..and F1 too, not that I care/watch about that crap!) then its good enough for me.
To each their own, I can't stand 'solid' looking wheels.Ok I suppose as long as the improvements are hidden, i.e. stock ride height, stock looking or solid wheels, and tyres with a large/deep sidewall.
Just my old skool tuppence!! My Corvette's sidewall is 6" deep! If its good enough for stock musclecars/drag cars (..and F1 too, not that I care/watch about that crap!) then its good enough for me.
exitwound said:
samj2014 said:
exitwound said:
Got it..
Ok I suppose as long as the improvements are hidden, i.e. stock ride height, stock looking or solid wheels, and tyres with a large/deep sidewall.
Just my old skool tuppence!! My Corvette's sidewall is 6" deep! If its good enough for stock musclecars/drag cars (..and F1 too, not that I care/watch about that crap!) then its good enough for me.
To each their own, I can't stand 'solid' looking wheels.Ok I suppose as long as the improvements are hidden, i.e. stock ride height, stock looking or solid wheels, and tyres with a large/deep sidewall.
Just my old skool tuppence!! My Corvette's sidewall is 6" deep! If its good enough for stock musclecars/drag cars (..and F1 too, not that I care/watch about that crap!) then its good enough for me.
300bhp/ton said:
Proportion wise and styling wise, they are fine. Whether you like them or not is something else
Erm... isn't the bolded bit your opinion? And it's your opinion that the styling and proportion is "fine".So you're saying that in your opinion they are "fine", but whether he likes them or not "is something else".
I'm not sure I follow the logic.
PS - They look OTT, IMHO. They don't follow the lines of the car or complement the shape at all. But then, I rarely like oversized alloys on anything buy Japanese cars.
C70R said:
300bhp/ton said:
Proportion wise and styling wise, they are fine. Whether you like them or not is something else
Erm... isn't the bolded bit your opinion? And it's your opinion that the styling and proportion is "fine".So you're saying that in your opinion they are "fine", but whether he likes them or not "is something else".
I'm not sure I follow the logic.
PS - They look OTT, IMHO. They don't follow the lines of the car or complement the shape at all. But then, I rarely like oversized alloys on anything buy Japanese cars.
For everything there is normally a range, too big, too small or somewhere between. As a rule the things in-between usually work. You don't have to like them, but they are normally fine.
For example, 10" rims on those cars would look stupid, but work for a Mini, because a Mini is small and proportionally they fit.
Likewise, 20-22"+ will likely look stupid. But anything 14-18" will probably work, as it simply won't look OTT or out of place.
It may not be what you like or even what you expect due to pre-conceptions. But that is subtlety different.
And even if something looks stupid, it's still perfectly fine to like it, if it appeals personally too you.
As for the lines... don't get where you are coming from. Wheels are round, slightly larger ones are round too. The lines haven't changed.
I admit, I probably shouldn't have used the word styling. I wasn't really meaning the actual spoke design of the rims. Just the fact that the wheel & tyre combo fit the size of car and wheel arch.
As an example, you may love or hate this:
But there is no denying the wheels are not in proportion with the rest of the car. They dominate the visual impact.
Yertis said:
theadman said:
I think my car looks just right on its factory original steel wheels. Even the chrome rim embellishers some people fit I personally think look pants.
I agree your car looks just right with its original steel wheels. However I also think my car doesn't look pants with its stainless steel wheel trims. Those trims are original fitment for some export markets, pretty common on UK cars too although not from the factory.
My comment referred only to the trims which I personally feel detract from the simplicity of the steel wheels. I know the trims were standard in some markets but I suspect more cars in the UK now have them than were fitted with them from the factory.
300bhp/ton said:
C70R said:
300bhp/ton said:
Proportion wise and styling wise, they are fine. Whether you like them or not is something else
Erm... isn't the bolded bit your opinion? And it's your opinion that the styling and proportion is "fine".So you're saying that in your opinion they are "fine", but whether he likes them or not "is something else".
I'm not sure I follow the logic.
PS - They look OTT, IMHO. They don't follow the lines of the car or complement the shape at all. But then, I rarely like oversized alloys on anything buy Japanese cars.
C70R said:
Sorry to clip your reply, but it reads like you don't really fully grasp the idea that someone might have a completely different opinion to yours. Everything you wrote in that long reply was entirely subjective - which in itself is absolutely fine, everyone is entitled to an opinion. However, I don't understand why you're trying to pass off your opinion as being some sort of yardstick. That's not what an opinion is.
I'm not really trying to pass my opinion off as that. I've not even said if I like or dislike any of the vehicles.But I think it is possible to define things -- that is my opinion. And something that is balanced or quality is just that. Even if it isn't your tastes (or mine).
It's a bit like music and food. It's perfectly fine to love crap food and hate good food. But that doesn't alter what they are. Only most people are unable to separate these things from their own personal likes.
For example, I love some truly dreadful music. Me liking it, doesn't stop it being pretty awful in the grand scheme of things. On the flip side, there is some superb music, that I'm really not keen on at all. But I'm happy to accept these things.
Likewise, with alloys. I accept people may like horrendous looking things. But that doesn't alter that they are horrendous. On the flip side, there are cars which actually look perfectly fine, even if you don't like them yourself.
Edited by 300bhp/ton on Thursday 28th April 16:12
theadman said:
Sorry, Yertis, your car doesn't look pants at all - it looks great! And presumably it's a 150 bhp too which makes it even better!
My comment referred only to the trims which I personally feel detract from the simplicity of the steel wheels. I know the trims were standard in some markets but I suspect more cars in the UK now have them than were fitted with them from the factory.
Two more observations about the trims. First, they're good at covering up incipient rust where the stove enameling has crazed (not doing that again). Second, they make taking the dust caps off a bit of a fiddle. I'm sure you're right about more having them now than originally. Also the Rostyle trims fitted to the very early cars look horrible, and IMO wires (chrome or otherwise) and all forms of alloy simply don't suit the car (Revolution five spokes maybe look OK-ish).My comment referred only to the trims which I personally feel detract from the simplicity of the steel wheels. I know the trims were standard in some markets but I suspect more cars in the UK now have them than were fitted with them from the factory.
roscobbc said:
As had been said EU/UK legal 'performance' tyres in 15" diameter are almost impossible to get in UK now so other than using van tyres (which I'm sure my insurers wouldn't be too happy about) the only option is to go to larger diameter wheels with lower profile tyres. I have been careful with selection of 18" wheels and tyres so the overall diameter of the 'new' wheel and tyre combo is the same as the OEM fitment (in my case 27.2" to 27.5" and 'track' of both front and rear is exactly the same as OEM.
I understand your reasons fully for having to change wheel and tyre combo and the five spokes are very nice but I think I would change back to stock wheels when off the track. Edited by roscobbc on Tuesday 26th April 17:32
Your C3 is none the less beautiful........
MoggieMinor said:
I don't think a car exists that Minilite style alloys don't suit.
I like The Minilite style in general, but really dislike them on the MGF. I've had several and to me they look wrong. 
Not a great picture but to me the style just looks silly. The spokes too chunky and curved yet the wheels look small. Oddly I had them in a BRGreen F and they looked OK. . I replaced them in my first gold F with TF 16 inch wheels which were never fitted to the F.
They looked OK. Nothing amazing but retained a sort of OEM look.
Again apologies for the not great picture but it's all I have on my device right now.
My next F again came with Minilite style wheels but this time I pushed the boat out and held out for a set of Trophy 16 inch wheels which were fitted to the MGF Trophy and which I guess could have been put on the car by an owner back when it was new. To me, they look just right. The opposite of the Minilites.
I suppose the good thing about changing wheel designs, modern on an old car or in the case of VWs, as mentioned above, the other way round, s that it is a mod that can be reversed in minutes. I've kept my Minilite style wheels for if I come to sell the car and just in case if by some fantasy miracle MGFs become rare and sought after in original condition.
Just to add, I've often wondered what it would look like with TR6 style steel wheels. The F has an unusual wheel bolt pattern shared with things like the Metro and even the Minor, so would TR6 wheels fit I wonder?
Edited by wildcat45 on Sunday 1st May 18:36
There is a company that midernises Jaguars. Putting modern refinements into Series III XJs. A very tempting proposition to me anyway.
It includes brake upgrades and they have to put bigger wheels onto the cars. They're modern Jaguar wheels from memory but they just look wrong. An XJ needs Kents, Pepperpots or steel wheels not something off a later generation car.
It includes brake upgrades and they have to put bigger wheels onto the cars. They're modern Jaguar wheels from memory but they just look wrong. An XJ needs Kents, Pepperpots or steel wheels not something off a later generation car.
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