Best wheel designs by vehicle manufacturer?
Discussion
I am a firm believer that the right (or wrong) wheel design can make or break a car. In the 80s, a lot of cars came on steel wheels with plastic wheel trims and it was only higher up the range that you got alloy wheels and when you did there was usually only one choice but they did mark the top of the range/performance version out as the special one, so aftermarket wheels was big business in the 80s/90s. However at some point in the 2000s, the OEMs realised that you could make a profit out of wheel upgrades and some wheel upgrades became the "must have" option. I'm thinking the 19 inch wheels on the E46 BMW M3, 18" Monza wheels on the mk5 Golf GTI for example. They also facilitated you being able to get the top spec wheel on a cheaper/more basic car ie you could get the M car/Audi S car/Mercedes AMG look on a MSport/S-line/AMG line 4-pot diesel. For me, the 17" straight-spoke wheels (and side skirts) were a "must have" option on my MG ZR, even though it was only the 1.4 (105) but it looked like the top spec 1.8 VVC model!
BMW are past masters at this with the standard wheel on the E90 3-Series/E60 5-Series looking so pathetic that you pretty much had to tick the MSport option but the full fat M car wheels designs were spot on in the 90s/2000s too. Volkswagen have traditionally been great at this as well. My mk7 Golf Estate would look pretty plain on normal wheels but the 18" Durban wheels that it came on when I bought it used made it stand out for me. Personally, I think alloy wheel design has gone off a little in the last few years with designs being too plain or too fussy and the trend towards black painted and diamond cut wheels, which I think look rubbish. Not sure who still has good alloy wheel designs, ,maybe Porsche or Land Rover? So by vehicle manufacturer, what in your opinion are the best wheel designs ever? Here are just a few of mine from the old days (and you probably don't even need to see the whole car to know what they're off)!
Peugeot
Volkswagen
BMW
Partly responsible for making me fall in love with BMWs in the 80s and featuring on everything from a 320i to an E30 M3/E28 M5/850i (had them on my E30 325i).
Lancia
BMW are past masters at this with the standard wheel on the E90 3-Series/E60 5-Series looking so pathetic that you pretty much had to tick the MSport option but the full fat M car wheels designs were spot on in the 90s/2000s too. Volkswagen have traditionally been great at this as well. My mk7 Golf Estate would look pretty plain on normal wheels but the 18" Durban wheels that it came on when I bought it used made it stand out for me. Personally, I think alloy wheel design has gone off a little in the last few years with designs being too plain or too fussy and the trend towards black painted and diamond cut wheels, which I think look rubbish. Not sure who still has good alloy wheel designs, ,maybe Porsche or Land Rover? So by vehicle manufacturer, what in your opinion are the best wheel designs ever? Here are just a few of mine from the old days (and you probably don't even need to see the whole car to know what they're off)!
Peugeot
Volkswagen
BMW
Partly responsible for making me fall in love with BMWs in the 80s and featuring on everything from a 320i to an E30 M3/E28 M5/850i (had them on my E30 325i).
Lancia
Edited by white_goodman on Friday 10th January 18:56
Edited by white_goodman on Friday 10th January 19:12
It may be a bit OCD but I have rules for good looking wheels.
If the wheelnuts/bolts are showing, there has to be the same number of spokes, or a multiple of. 4 bolts on a 5 spoke usually looks weird around the centre.
No slanted spokes, they look different on either side of the car, unless they are 'sided' wheels, but nobody does that.
I'm not a fan of diamond polished faces and black wheels. My car has the diamond finish and black paint, but I'm not really a fan. Same with all black wheels.
3 studs, 3 spokes, all silver. Nice.
Ford RS 4 spokes
If the wheelnuts/bolts are showing, there has to be the same number of spokes, or a multiple of. 4 bolts on a 5 spoke usually looks weird around the centre.
No slanted spokes, they look different on either side of the car, unless they are 'sided' wheels, but nobody does that.
I'm not a fan of diamond polished faces and black wheels. My car has the diamond finish and black paint, but I'm not really a fan. Same with all black wheels.
3 studs, 3 spokes, all silver. Nice.
Ford RS 4 spokes
Vauxhall have consistently been making on trend alloy wheels for the everyman for 40 years.
Such a brilliant way to lift a humdrum car & I can think of very few Vauxhall alloy wheels I don’t like.
So successful are they that most modded Vauxhalls sport their own or other Vauxhall alloys.
Such a brilliant way to lift a humdrum car & I can think of very few Vauxhall alloy wheels I don’t like.
So successful are they that most modded Vauxhalls sport their own or other Vauxhall alloys.
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