Gin@Juice Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 (edited) I'm just saying that a car that has bigger wheels looks nicer.... People buy cars because of the appearance.... If your car looks great that makes your neighbors want one to! Like I said just a thought:) Edited May 17, 2008 by Gin@Juice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Sorry to nitpick, but a "rim" is the outside portion of the wheel that contacts the tire bead, not the whole wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sixt9coug Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 (edited) The last reason i would buy a car is because of the wheels on them. Sure they can accent a car's looks, but i never looked at a car's wheels and thought that was the deciding factor. In fact, I dont like any of the wheels offered on the 05+ Mustang GT's. Even the updated Bullitt wheels are uglier than the 01-04 versions. (spokes are different slightly, they arent the same). Yet i was shopping around for Mustangs recently anyway. Im against 20s being offered on their passenger cars. they do it on their trucks and thats fine i guess, but not on the cars. 20s are heavy, they will kill economy and performance and no matter what people say, 20 inch tires are expensive when it comes time to replace them. Give them bigger standard tires without them having to pay for them! Sorry man, thats stupid. Why dont they just give leather seating as well without having the customer pay for it? Or a V6 or V8? Or an auto trans, or Navigation. Edited May 17, 2008 by Sixt9coug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford Jellymoulds Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 bigger wheels and tires increases unsprung weight, thereby giving negative ride quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford4v429 Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 (edited) bigger wheels and tires increases unsprung weight, thereby giving negative ride quality. I tend to think more unsprung weight would IMPROVE ride(up to a point) as it results in more tire deformation/less suspension jolt on a bump...however lower profile tires will always ride rougher- but moreso from the stiff/short sidewalls than the heavier wheels...another 'minus' for the low profile tire is that the moment of inertia of the tire/wheel rotationwise increases a bunch as the 'rim' section of the wheel moves farther outwards. Ive heard of cars losing nearly 1/2 second at the strip by running larger rims with same tire heights...same guys probably went and bought underdrive pulleys to save 1%, than add 20% in the bigger wheels... I do feel that wheel options make the single biggest difference in a cars curb appeal- but more options dont need to mean ride/performance detrimental 'bling'...although theres obviously still a market for 20's on everything. To me the biggest detractor of factory wheels is the severe offset required to keep the scrub radius down so the ABS brakes wont cause steering pull- however, there are still some pretty decent looking wheels out there that still have a little 'depth' to them. our 06/07 mustangs both have the 17" bullit factory wheels, but man I'd love to go to the deepdished versions- would make the car look 100% better- and its a shame the factory cant get in on that slice of the pie- perhaps just adda waiver/note that less wheel offset can result in slight steering pull during abs operation, that performance/mpg might be slightly affected by your choices...but more options the better. I wish the factory offered forged cold forged Alcoa wheels as at least an (albiet expensive) option on every vehicle- at work we machine these wheels and years ago ran cast for another company- Ive seen the big lathes wreck twisting the forgings like a freaking pretzel, but the cast wheels just disintegrate...I know I hope to never bump a curb at speed in one of the mustangs(my 69 has cast AR torq-thrusts also) as would almost expect it to break. the new 20" shelby wheels are light as a feather, but I doubt anyone will ever bend one to the point of breaking even in a bad accident- the typical cast wheels are not ductile at all- but they look ok for a cheep chinese wheel, guess thats alll most folks care about. I put Centerline 'telstars' on my Mark VII, they look great, are spun(but 2 piece with a welded forged center) but they are still ductile- weight about the same as the factory wheels, but dropped to 15" and that car rides ten times better just due to the extra sidewall height. I just wish a cold forged set of the torq-thrust wheel were available(even spun/welded forged center- much much, much cheaper to produce)- sign me up for three sets PS- I hear the ford 'Duallie' cold forged wheel contract is moving to China in a month or two...thanks Ford, one more American plant going away- but I'm sure the Chinese version will be just 'perfection'. Wonder how many new fords the Chinese workers will buy compared to the guys that used to make them here? Edited May 17, 2008 by ford4v429 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Wow....now thats more like it...gin&juice is right!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 Good wheel design is more important I think, compare how good the fanblades on the Mustangs look compared to the nasty looking warts on the new focus.. You really can't get much better than a nice 5 spoke wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxman100 Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 I want to see plain black steelies with chrome or stainless trim rings and centercaps. But I'm not the typical buyer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 (edited) Good wheel design is more important I think, compare how good the fanblades on the Mustangs look compared to the nasty looking warts on the new focus.. You really can't get much better than a nice 5 spoke wheel. The Bullitt style wheels were a deciding factor for buying my Pony. I wanted that classic look and I really didn't want to settle for the "deluxe" look of the standard 16" wheels. The Bullitt wheels and the rocker stripes make the car for me. This is the very first car I ever owned where I got the wheels I really wanted without wanting to change them or just settle living with what the car came with. In 2006 Ford had the nerve to install five spoke wheel covers on the Mustang. They looked just like something from Auto Zone and they were quickly dropped from the standard equipment list. Edited May 19, 2008 by Watchdevil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furious1Auto Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 bigger wheels and tires increases unsprung weight, thereby giving negative ride quality. Well I guess the manufacturers better figure out a way to soften the suspension to accommodate the lack of sidewalls. He's right almost everyone in the younger generation prefers oversized wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bored of Pisteon Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Well I guess the manufacturers better figure out a way to soften the suspension to accommodate the lack of sidewalls. He's right almost everyone in the younger generation prefers oversized wheels. And you can thank the ghetto hip hop for that because people who but this garbage on cars designed for 14 and 15 inch rims are losing fuel mileage on top of ruining the looks of a good car. What a joke these rims are and they are way too overpriced anyway. But I guess the crackheads in the ghettos can afford it though! And I'm not impressed by any of these car companies gravitation toward oversized rims as standard size anyway. The more rubber around the wheel lessens your chance of having a bent rim if you hit a big ass pothole! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2005Explorer Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 I don't know... The Toyota Prius has ugly tiny little wheels and people buy the hell out of them. Same goes for the Camry which has always looked "small" in the wheel department. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickCarbon Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 I wasnt going to bring it up, but some of what this thread is right on and part of it is not. Rims do make a difference in the appearance of the truck or car. Would I put 20's or larger on my truck or car, no I wouldnt but that is neither here nor there. My issue with ford wheels is the fact that fords chrome 20's arent really chrome at all but the call them. The are cheap plastic chrome over a steel wheel, how cheap can Ford get? None of Fords competition is trying to pull this over on there customers, not chevy, gmc, toyota, nissan, etc. The expedition, navigator, ford edge and probably alot more than I am aware of come with these cheap ass 20's that ford charges more for in the price of the vehicle. How would you feel if you bought a 50-60K dollar navigator and it comes to be told that your wheels are basically plastic hub caps. Between ford cutting corners and fords poor customer service ( i can back this up), my expedition was in for warranty repair for the 6 speed transmission 7 times before ford could fix it, 3 of the times they claimed they could not replicate eventhough it was shifting poorly. A week after I got it back and they could not replicate the problem the transmission wouldnt shift when pulling a trailer on the freeway fortunately i was only about 5 miles from my house. Took the truck in had a lawyer send ford a letter for lemon law, and now they claim they have fixed it again. We will see, hopefully it doesnt strand me. It really pisses me off they after 7 fixes the 800 technical support line and mechanic could not fix what was actually wrong with the truck. I told them exactly what it was doing continuously and they did not listen. I have always owned ford vehicles and probably would have continued owning fords if they would have fixed my truck properly without all the hastle. I probably was without a truck for 30 days total, paying a monthly note and having to rent a fucking rentacar while my new truck was in the shop getting fixed. I have told every single one of my friends about all the issues and problems with the truck and with fords customer service, of which a few told me I shouldnt have bought a ford in the first place. This expedition is the last ford I will own, I dont like getting screwed, especially when I am buying a 40K dollar vehicle. I may stay american, but my wife and I will never be another ford owner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pintoboy Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I wasnt going to bring it up, but some of what this thread is right on and part of it is not. Rims do make a difference in the appearance of the truck or car. Would I put 20's or larger on my truck or car, no I wouldnt but that is neither here nor there. My issue with ford wheels is the fact that fords chrome 20's arent really chrome at all but the call them. The are cheap plastic chrome over a steel wheel, how cheap can Ford get? None of Fords competition is trying to pull this over on there customers, not chevy, gmc, toyota, nissan, etc. The expedition, navigator, ford edge and probably alot more than I am aware of come with these cheap ass 20's that ford charges more for in the price of the vehicle. How would you feel if you bought a 50-60K dollar navigator and it comes to be told that your wheels are basically plastic hub caps. Between ford cutting corners and fords poor customer service ( i can back this up), my expedition was in for warranty repair for the 6 speed transmission 7 times before ford could fix it, 3 of the times they claimed they could not replicate eventhough it was shifting poorly. A week after I got it back and they could not replicate the problem the transmission wouldnt shift when pulling a trailer on the freeway fortunately i was only about 5 miles from my house. Took the truck in had a lawyer send ford a letter for lemon law, and now they claim they have fixed it again. We will see, hopefully it doesnt strand me. It really pisses me off they after 7 fixes the 800 technical support line and mechanic could not fix what was actually wrong with the truck. I told them exactly what it was doing continuously and they did not listen. I have always owned ford vehicles and probably would have continued owning fords if they would have fixed my truck properly without all the hastle. I probably was without a truck for 30 days total, paying a monthly note and having to rent a fucking rentacar while my new truck was in the shop getting fixed. I have told every single one of my friends about all the issues and problems with the truck and with fords customer service, of which a few told me I shouldnt have bought a ford in the first place. This expedition is the last ford I will own, I dont like getting screwed, especially when I am buying a 40K dollar vehicle. I may stay american, but my wife and I will never be another ford owner. Are you taking it back to the same dealer? I'd use another Ford dealer's service department. Ask around. Went through this with my '74 Mustang II. I changed dealers. Still driving that car but..........to hell with the first shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I tend to think more unsprung weight would IMPROVE ride(up to a point) as it results in more tire deformation/less suspension jolt on a bump... Nope ! Higher unsprung weight simply can not be accelerated as fast (in the vertical direction) when you fit a bump (using the spindle as a reference point) so more of the impact is passed through the suspension to the vehicle. ...lower profile tires will always ride rougher- but more so from the stiff/short sidewalls than the heavier wheels... Very true. Sidewall flex is your first order spring and damper absorbing small deflections and turning them into heat. IMHO, anything much less than 70-60 aspect ratio, won't ride for cr@p on the street ! ...another 'minus' for the low profile tire is that the moment of inertia of the tire/wheel rotation wise increases a bunch as the 'rim' section of the wheel moves farther outwards. Ive heard of cars losing nearly 1/2 second at the strip by running larger rims with same tire heights... Very true ! More mass takes more power to accelerate and decelerate. (i.e. slower 0-60, longer braking). You want some light, strong wheels ? Look at the 2 piece spun formed aluminum wheel used on some race cars. A flat blank is mounted on a lathe and spun. A "tool" applies pressure working the flat piece into something that looks like a salad bowl. This requires a lot of pressure and CNC controls to properly form the wheel half. The 2 halves are bolted together with a liberal amount of RTV in between and an O ring is applied. They do leak, but boy are they light and strong. Not very pretty, but functional ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 IMHO, anything much less than 70-60 aspect ratio, won't ride for cr@p on the street ! 60-70??!?! Yeesh...my Mazda6 drives pretty darn smooth. I believe the aspect ratio on those tires is 50 or 55. While my Cobra rides pretty rough with its 30 and 35 aspect ratio tires, that's more a result of the tight suspension, not the tires. Of course, aspect ratio by itself really has nothing at all to do with the height of the sidewall. But I'm sure you know that.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sixt9coug Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 60-70??!?! Yeesh...my Mazda6 drives pretty darn smooth. I believe the aspect ratio on those tires is 50 or 55. While my Cobra rides pretty rough with its 30 and 35 aspect ratio tires, that's more a result of the tight suspension, not the tires. Of course, aspect ratio by itself really has nothing at all to do with the height of the sidewall. But I'm sure you know that.... I have 165/80s on the front of my Cougar right now :D VW tires! woot! 255/60s on the rear too. It does ride better than the Bullitt wheels with their 245/45s and 275/40s though. Pushes like a mother now with the skinnies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I have 165/80s on the front of my Cougar right now :D VW tires! woot! 255/60s on the rear too. It does ride better than the Bullitt wheels with their 245/45s and 275/40s though. Pushes like a mother now with the skinnies. Depends how you define "better" I guess. My mom's Avalon drives "better" to her than my Mazda would, but it's at the expense of being able to communicate ANYTHING through the wheels to the driver. It handles like a wet sponge. That's not "better" to me. :shrug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racin' Rick Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I'm just saying that a car that has bigger wheels looks nicer.... People buy cars because of the appearance.... If your car looks great that makes your neighbors want one to! Like I said just a thought:) No amount of good looking rims are going to help the front end of the 2008 Super Duty or Econoline vans. These changes are only helping one of Ford's best selling vehicles to fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suv_guy_19 Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 No amount of good looking rims are going to help the front end of the 2008 Super Duty or Econoline vans. These changes are only helping one of Ford's best selling vehicles to fail. And yet I know so many people that love the new look. Strange how people form the same planet can have different opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bored of Pisteon Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 (edited) No amount of good looking rims are going to help the front end of the 2008 Super Duty or Econoline vans. These changes are only helping one of Ford's best selling vehicles to fail. Dog ass ugly especially the cheap black grills they use on the cheaper models! I also don't understand why Ford had to use 1970's Dodge pick-up taillights on the Super Duty's either! Edited July 15, 2008 by Bored of Pisteon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racin' Rick Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 And yet I know so many people that love the new look. Strange how people form the same planet can have different opinions. ...probably has something to do with looking at them in Trim ten hours a day four days a week... :wacko: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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