Which rims to go with. 15 or 17

[bil1024]

Getting ready to place my order, and wondering about the wheels. I want a decent ride. Happy with roadster 15 wheels but the 17 fill the wheel well, and if I go with the 17, 17 x 9 or 17 x 10 for the rear ?

[rj35pj]

Well, it is certainly what ever you prefer. I went with the 17 x10 inch wheels for the rear. I think the 17s fill the wheel well opening a little better if you are going with a more modern lower profile tire look. I also like the 15s with the taller more traditional tires as well, so........it just comes back to what ever you want. :)

[RonSchofield]

Bill,

I went with 17 x 9 and 265 tires. I have the 1994 rear axle width. I had to put a 1 inch spacer to get the tires to fill out the wheel well. But by doing that the tire is very exposed at the rear.

http://www.mycoupe.ca/modules/wordpress/images/WheelSpacer1.jpg

I found a picture of an original being painted and it had a different fender than does on the Type 65's.

http://www.mycoupe.ca/images/DaytonaCoupe_Fender.jpg

As other know, I made new rear fenders for my coupe. The fenders now look like the original in the picture.

http://www.mycoupe.ca/modules/wordpress/images/RearFenderComparison.jpg

They also cover the wheel much better now.

http://www.mycoupe.ca/modules/wordpress/images/20091217_4.jpg

Ron

[Garry Bopp]

I agonized over this decision for months. I finally went with 17" wheels because of the availability of high-performance tires. I've got 15" wheels on my Unique roadster and the look is more "period correct" but you lose so much in handling. Both cars have IRS and I think the coupe rides as good if not better than the roadster. My coupe definitely feels much more solid with better handling ... and no trade-off in ride quality. 275x17 front, 315X17 rear. Kumho Ecsta XS tires, a great street and track tire.

Garry

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r102/theboppshop/GRR15.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r102/theboppshop/GRR13.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r102/theboppshop/GRR8.jpg

[xlr8or]

Another consideration is whether you will want to go to bigger brakes. If so the 17's will be necessary.

[Fluge]

I went from 15s to 17s on the cobra. I liked the look of the 15s but the ride is much nicer with 17s. So, I have 17s on the cobra and I sacrificed bigger brakes on the coupe so that i can swap wheels betwen the two cars.

If I had to chose one, I would pick 17s and put bigger brakes on the car.

[Russ Thompson]

I have the 17' also, The only reason to go 15's is if you want the original look, the taller tires on the 15's do fill the wheel wells better but you have little choise on tires.

[Stengun]

Howdy,


Another consideration is whether you will want to go to bigger brakes. If so the 17's will be necessary.


+1. With the 15" rims you are limited on the diameter of your brakes.

Paul

[AZCOUPE]

Personal choice, as others have said. I had 17's on my Roadster, and no regrets. The Coupe has 15's, and I love them too. Period correct look gets more important to me as I age. I look old now, therefore my car should too?? :)

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x118/FFR5332/TucsonClassics015.jpg

[CJBergquist]

AZCOUPE, what size tires front and rear?

[AZCOUPE]

235/60/15 front, 295/50/15 rear. In the near future, I'll be switching to either Avon tires, or Goodyear Billboards.