Going back to old school (smaller) wheels.

[ascottaudio]

Hi.

After many years of following the "trend" of getting bigger and bigger wheels.....I am on the verge of reverting back to "old school" smaller wheels.

I have come to the conclusion that big wheels are only good for one thing ..They look good..


What I would like is to get some info of "smaller wheel sizes that look good"

15's or 16's is what I am looking at to get a decent ride (on a lowered VU ss)

Its actually not that easy as most manufactures don't cater for much under 17inch nowdays..

I would really like "chromies" (steel) but can only see them in even smaller sizes.(EH-HQ era )

I am on the look out for 16inch intercepror rims but they are pretty light on the ground...

Any other suggestions ???

Cheers

[feistl]

You'll struggle to get smaller wheel that clear your brakes...

17"s seem to be give the best ride comfort and handling. Any smaller tends to have a bit much side wall flex under cornering.

If your solely after better ride comfort, put on higher suspension.

[csv rulz]

I agree, you wouldnt want to go any smaller than 17's. The standard VX SS wheels were 17,
Going from my old VT with 16's to my VY SS with 18's - you do notice the trade off in ride

[ascottaudio]

We also have a standard VX sedan that has 15 inch wheels.

I assumed (perhaps wrongly) that my VU SS would be able to run 16's ok.


Pretty sure I have seen other VU ss utes with interceptors.

Yes your not wrong about going back to standard suspention...but IMO if you dont go too low and dont go too big (wheels) you get the best combination of handling and ride...so 17's may be a good compromise....

Still like to find a set of "chromies" to fit though...

[feistl]

Yes your not wrong about going back to standard suspention...but IMO if you dont go too low and dont go too big (wheels) you get the best combination of handling and ride...so 17's may be a good compromise....


From my experience (which i guess isnt that much compared to the mechanics) ride hight doesn't necessarily improve handling. Yes, the lower center of gravity does help but putting "low" or "Stiff" suspension makes the ride harsh.

If i was setting a car up for comfort/handling i would install some quality sway bars/strut brace along with proper new bushes. Add in some high quality springs and shocks and you'll find the car rides the bumps nicely and "feels" good in the corners. Obviously if you want to go racing/sporty, then you will need to lower it as much as possible and increase the spring pressure so you dont get body roll in the corners.

Will be interesting to see other peoples opinions, but i would personally go sway bars/strut/bushes along with some 17" wheels with high quality rubber (maybe some potenza RE001s). I think that would give the best ride for a daily...

Cheers

[VX2VESS]

low profile tyres handle better, but do transmit more bump

[Mikey]

We also have a standard VX sedan that has 15 inch wheels.

I assumed (perhaps wrongly) that my VU SS would be able to run 16's ok.


Pretty sure I have seen other VU ss utes with interceptors.

Yes your not wrong about going back to standard suspention...but IMO if you dont go too low and dont go too big (wheels) you get the best combination of handling and ride...so 17's may be a good compromise....

Still like to find a set of "chromies" to fit though...The problem may not lay with the wheel size. I put 18" wheels on the Mrs VXII Berliner but I never had it lowered. This had a great effect on road holding but never compromised the ride. I had to change the wheels back last week because I just sold it and I could not believe the difference. With the stock 15" and the standard ride height it just becomes a rolly polly bus. The 18" just gave you far more confidence when cornering even on the standard ride height.

On a side note, on newer modern cars it looks a so much better with larger wheels on cars say post VN or EA etc, but I would never put 15" wheels on my HQ as it looks so wrong. I would never put anything bigger than 13" on an EH or HR either. There was a time when people actually took off 15" rims and replaced them with 13" wheels. Remember the FJ!

Cheers Mikey

[feistl]

low profile tyres handle better, but do transmit more bump

To a point. 17" seems to be about the best size (for VT-VZ) as it has enough "give" in the sidewall but its not too soft.

If you go 15"s, there is heaps of sidewall flex and the car doesnt feel good.

But if you go 19/20"s, the ride is so hard that the tyre cant distort under cornering which actually means less grip. The general rule of thumb is run the smallest wheel that clears your brakes (providing you have half decent brakes).

The car will also be slower to accelerate and wont brake as well with big tyres due to the extra unsprung weight.


The 18" just gave you far more confidence when cornering even on the standard ride height.

Again yes it would have been an improvement over the standard 15s, but 17s would have been better again.

[dogsballs]

just swapped alloy 17's with 235's, to interceptor 16's with 225's. lighter steering, less vibration, nicer ride, no more gutter rash.

there are heaps of 16 ceptors around! just need to look.


http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p194/d0gsballs/VZ%20MY06/Image322.jpg

[ebbett21]

I felt a power loss when i jumped from 18'' to 19 '' wheels, so i went back to 18's. I see numerous VX/VT/VY with 20'' rims on and sometimes the car looks all wheels, like a size 16 shoes on a 5 ft 10 person

[Bingo BIlly]

Are you trying to get the effect of diff gears by making wheels smaller? It does help but i would advise leaving the stock wheels and change diff gears to meet your needs.

Arnt you also looking at smaller wheels for looks? I think its a safety issue if you put skinney tyres on (smaller than stock)

[Steve-LS2]

I felt a power loss when i jumped from 18'' to 19 '' wheels, so i went back to 18's. I see numerous VX/VT/VY with 20'' rims on and sometimes the car looks all wheels, like a size 16 shoes on a 5 ft 10 person

or a hobbitt!! :lmao:

[feistl]

Are you trying to get the effect of diff gears by making wheels smaller? It does help but i would advise leaving the stock wheels and change diff gears to meet your needs.

Arnt you also looking at smaller wheels for looks? I think its a safety issue if you put skinney tyres on (smaller than stock)

Ahahah oh billy.

He is talking about changing the rim size, which in turn changes the tyre profile but the rolling diameter stays the same. There is no difference in terms of gearing etc.

Changing the rim size doesn't have to change the tyre width. You can run a 235 on a 18"/17"/16" or 15". So there is no difference in "safety".

[ebbett21]

or a hobbitt!! :lmao:

Lost i reakon 10-15 rwkw on 19's from 18's

[OMR346]

15"s will fit over the standard brakes. They are the same brakes that are on every other standard VT-VZ Commodore. I have seen a few VU-VZ utes with 15" Weld Prostar and Weld Draglite rims, and i must say, they look shit hot. When i get my next use, providing it has standard brakes, that is what i will be running.

[TUFFIE]

Are you trying to get the effect of diff gears by making wheels smaller? It does help but i would advise leaving the stock wheels and change diff gears to meet your needs.

Arnt you also looking at smaller wheels for looks? I think its a safety issue if you put skinney tyres on (smaller than stock)

:rofl::rofl::rofl: Oh dear....:goodjob: Billy......:confused:

[255-LS1]

throw some convo pros on it if you want small rims. would look good

BB you are an idiot

[fishla]

Are you trying to get the effect of diff gears by making wheels smaller? It does help but i would advise leaving the stock wheels and change diff gears to meet your needs.

Do you have a yard full of diffs BB? :D


Arnt you also looking at smaller wheels for looks? I think its a safety issue if you put skinney tyres on (smaller than stock)

This point is actually valid!!!! :goodjob:

[OzJavelin]

+1 for 17"s. My SV8 still has it's OEM 17" mags and it's a great all-round drive for the junk roads where I live .. Plus it's actually cheaper and easier to buy good quality 17"s for the SV8 than 15"s for my Javelins! :)

My dad has a stock VX with 15"s and while it's comfortable to ride in, you are very aware of the lack of cornering capability ..

[Bingo BIlly]

For the full old school look get some 12 slotters and lower the front end and lift the back up real high?

Anyone for a photoshop?

[oranpark_addict]

+1 for 16's. Got my Pirellis yesterday for 139$ each lol. Nothing looks better than a nice car with OEM rims and lowered a fair chunk.

[ascottaudio]

Hey ..thanks for all the info and comments.

I am only new to this site. It seems very active and informative.

Yes.. the Pro star's would look good. And I niotice there are some "old school" new wheels about...like the speedy Malabu.

I can get steel rims chrome plated but at $260 per rim it is pricey..

Will probably opt to get my VE steel rims (that have chrome surrounds) machined..or pick up some other 16 inch intercdeptor rims.

I will upload a pic of the VE I had with them on..when I am able to..looked a bit like a US cop car (minus the white doors)..

I think they would look better on the ute...

[Munro3]

17" Welds I"ve been looking at....

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss124/Dutch001/71LB18x12RT-S_300_white.jpg

[Munro3]

15" Holeshot Hole Pros.

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss124/Dutch001/holeshotholepros.jpg

[REDHOTLS3]

Hey there're a good lookin wheel, good lookin monaro , too.

[OMR346]

It needs some dish on the rears though. Other then that, it looks great.

I found a set of 15x10" Prostarts the other day. It was so tempting to buy them lol

[BTS666.0]

+1 for the 15's. im getting weld draglites for my vz ss as soon as i can. 15x5 for front and 15x8 for the back:)

[S2VYSS]

I like those 17 inch welds

[Girvo]

That's a monster dish :O

[v8mumbo]

[QUOTE=Munro3;1851853]15" Holeshot Hole Pros.

Those wheels sure look good.
What size tyres have you got fitted to them?

I've got a VE V8 with 245/45 x 18 tyres. Ride comfort is terrible.
I'm thinking of dropping to 17" wheels (smallest the front brakes will fit into) to improve ride comfort a bit.

[Ruiner]

I'm running WL Caprice 17" rims with RE001's on the VY and I cant fault them for grip or ride comfort. Car still handles like a boat but i think its because of the suspension and the fact the Calais weighs neigh on 1900kg with me in it.
The only reason i would go bigger was if i was going bigger brakes, but then again I have a C4 330mm brake upgrade on the VS that im thinking of swapping over since the standard set up is woeful for something this heavy.

Example how the Calais looks with the rims, needs to lowered just a little I reckon
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff171/Chuken/Skid%20pan%20at%20Eastern%20Creek%2030%20Jan%20201 1/022.jpg