Modern alloys on classic cars: your take?
Discussion
ZX10R NIN said:
PositronicRay said:
fel71 said:
My 635CSI came on 'M' parallels when i bought it, definitely not to my taste, but i left them on until after the body restoration before sourcing period BBS's.
Much better. 
As said earlier it's not the age of alloys, its the style that detracts. Low profiles spoil the look of many cars, particularly if the're narrow and don't fill the arches. 4X4s on low profiles
fel71 said:
ZX10R NIN said:
PositronicRay said:
fel71 said:
My 635CSI came on 'M' parallels when i bought it, definitely not to my taste, but i left them on until after the body restoration before sourcing period BBS's.
Much better. As said earlier it's not the age of alloys, its the style that detracts. Low profiles spoil the look of many cars, particularly if the're narrow and don't fill the arches. 4X4s on low profiles
![](http://thumbsnap.com/sc/CMXs6c6U.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/CMXs6c6U" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/CMXs6c6U.jpg)
I'm afraid that anything bigger looks like Nike Air Mags rather than a pair of nicely broken in Cheaney brogues.........
steely dan said:
I tried 17 inch wheels on mine but much prefer 16's both aesthetically and for comfort too.
I'm afraid that anything bigger looks like Nike Air Mags rather than a pair of nicely broken in Cheaney brogues.........
I don't like to criticise because everyone's tastes are different but your cars wheels seem to have the wrong offset hence them sticking out of the arches more & they looked over tyred to but that could be just the photo.I'm afraid that anything bigger looks like Nike Air Mags rather than a pair of nicely broken in Cheaney brogues.........
Edited by ZX10R NIN on Sunday 24th April 02:02
but strong, comfortable and practical.
Obviously depends on the car and whether the tyres are available or not. I struggle to find decent 13 inch tyres for my Sunbeam without going to track day style ones so may have to go for 15's which somehow never look right quite right to me. If your in the unfortunate position to have a car with TRX wheels you will know how spitefully expensive those metric tyres can be, so a change can be a good thing but finding the right look maybe not so easy.
A quick scan on ebay will reveal just how expensive period wheels and tyres can be so maybe its the only option to some owners on a tight budget. There is also the opposite situation where some car scenes like to fit classic wheels to modern cars for something different (think Porsche 928 wheels on Golfs etc)
A quick scan on ebay will reveal just how expensive period wheels and tyres can be so maybe its the only option to some owners on a tight budget. There is also the opposite situation where some car scenes like to fit classic wheels to modern cars for something different (think Porsche 928 wheels on Golfs etc)
Edited by 2172cc on Sunday 24th April 08:18
PositronicRay said:
My Sunbeam sat on 13" minilites, looked good too. I don't remember ever having problems with tyre sizes, from memory I think it ran 155's
Sorry I should have made it more clear, my Sunbeam is not the same as yours but a Talbot Lotus and runs 185/70 HR 13's as standard.Will need at least HR rated tyres in 185/60 or 205/60 size .I will only consider decent branded tyres so no Chinese Wing Wangs etc......Nice car by the way....
Edited by 2172cc on Sunday 24th April 08:33
A subject I give a lot of thought to. I have a 1981 Mercedes 500 SEL which came on 14 inch Mexican Hats.
I thought they were a bit small on such a large car, as a result of that I have fitted some 8x16 inch Zender 5 spoke split rims (not really a split rim) but look the part.
I have thought about going up to 17's but think I have found the ideal balance.
The wheels came off a slightly newer SEC so are period(ish) and don't look overly modern.
I take things on a case by case basis personally, but my loosely held belief is that wheels should look period correct, even if they aren't.
I thought they were a bit small on such a large car, as a result of that I have fitted some 8x16 inch Zender 5 spoke split rims (not really a split rim) but look the part.
I have thought about going up to 17's but think I have found the ideal balance.
The wheels came off a slightly newer SEC so are period(ish) and don't look overly modern.
I take things on a case by case basis personally, but my loosely held belief is that wheels should look period correct, even if they aren't.
ZX10R NIN said:
Is your one this shape?
15" minilites don't look out of place
Same result on the Tiger
It's all about proportion. To me those 15s look more in proportion on both cars then the 13s (which to my eyes almost look too small on Ray's car - a 1-inch drop in ride height all round would sort that though).15" minilites don't look out of place
Same result on the Tiger
What makes the difference is that even though the rim size has been increased by 2-inches there is still plenty of tyre wrapped round it. Moving up to 16s would look wrong due to the decrease in sidewall.
LotusOmega375D said:
Have to say they make me want to gag! Stupid oversize shiny rims with super wide rubber band tyres on a car built in the 1960s or 70s.
That's one fad I wished had stayed across the pond. What next low-rider Morris Oxfords?
Each to their own. Some look horrid, but that's usually the ones past the extreme. But many can look great. That's one fad I wished had stayed across the pond. What next low-rider Morris Oxfords?
Standard Talbot Sunbeam arch repair panels were for a long time difficult to get. One of the most common mods was to fit Golf Mk1 arches. This would give a slight flare to allow wider wheels but would look relatively stock. To those in the know you can spot them by the way the stripe fits but for the casual observer you would need two cars side by side to see the difference. Tyre profile has a lot to do with whether the bigger rim looks good or not. In my humble opinion a lot of classics don't suit really low profile tyres although as with all these things it's a personal taste. Just look at base model Mk4 Golf's to see that balloon tyres look wrong for that era of car but not for a Mk1.
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