Does anybody make a wheel kinda like... (take 2)

[ProspectorTim]

New thread, same title. Different wheels..

It is time to upgrade everything on my 74 Camaro, and new wheels are a MUST.


they don't make 265-50-14 tires anymore!
I want to upgrade my brakesMy wife doesn't like any of the "new" wheels we've looked at, so I figure the best & easiest thing to do is find new 16' or bigger wheels (I'm a little bit flexible on the size, since I haven't bought upgraded brakes yet) that look a lot like the old Enkies.

Here is an old one:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/08/Enkie20WheelJPG-1.jpg

We plan to repaint the car the original color, and like this style & color wheels. Does anyone still make wheels like these?

To see more pics of my Camaro (and other stuff), visit my Webshots photo albums (http://rides.webshots.com/album/68433536XwjFkZ).

[Nine Ball]

Ummm.... are you on the right website? Seriously, gold anodized boat trailer wheels?

[ProspectorTim]

I'm looking for wheels, not INSULTS!
Gee, my first post on this website, and I get slammed. :(

Anyhow, here is a pic of the whole car on Webshots:
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1530849699028367690pOECgh?vhost=rides

The photo in my first post is on my website, which is DOWN at the moment. Hopefully it will be back up and online shortly.


Boat Trailer Wheels? grrrrr!
:enguard:

[jy211]

I take it you want to stay with a mesh style wheel? If so what's your budget?

[ProspectorTim]

Budget?
As little as possible, but as much as I need to spend.


I C that my website is UP again now. :)

[jknight16]

I don't think Tony meant to insult you, it's just that, well...there are some similarities....
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

If that's the style you like then hey, more power to ya, but you may not like a lot of the recommendations that get thrown your way, that's all.

You might try vintage wheel works, they tend to have a bit more of an old-school flare to them.

[ProspectorTim]

Cropped & resized ... the whole car.
Oh yeah, that is the fiberglass hood laying on top.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/08/CIMG1085websizeJPG-1.jpg

[jknight16]

sigh......well, try here...

http://www.newstalgiawheel.com/american_racing_wheel.asp

[Benoit23]

I think it's safe to say most people here are going to think those wheels are very dated & that your car needs some modern style wheels. That is pretty much the trend in Pro-touring. Not trying to slam you, just trying to explain Nine Ball's response. You should spend some time looking at the 2nd gen projects on this site, you may be surprised at how good the modern wheels look on those cars.

All in all, it's your car, buy the wheels you like.

As jknight16 posted above, American Racing is probably your best bet getting something close to what you are looking for.


Good Luck,

[buickfunnycar.com]

You might try vintage wheel works, they tend to have a bit more of an old-school flare to them.

Vintage Wheel Works V-40's,17x8's & 17x9.5's,245/45's and 285/40's:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2007/07/DSC03948-1.jpg

Contact Jon Henson @ www.driverzinc.com if interested,he's got some excellent pricing on these.

[TonyL]

That style old school 16 hole enkie did come in a 16" wheel. You just have to search and search to find them.

They really are marketed as trailer wheels. It's not a slam. That's what they are. Just ask any major manufacturer of trailers. the search term for google is "aluminum modular wheels" Put that in google and see what comes up. and you'll see what I mean.

The problem you'll find is that the particular ones you want are long since out of stock, as they hit their zenith in popularity in the late 80s.

Good luck though. Someone has to have a set. Used www.crazedlist.org to search all of the craigslists near you to find a used set.

[TonyL]

Here's a good site with lots of similar wheels. None with a gold center though. you could have the centers powdercoated though.

Click here. There's 4 pages (http://www.trailerandtruckparts.com/Trailer-Wheels_c_41-1-3.html)

[Benoit23]

www.crazedlist.org (http://www.crazedlist.org) to search all of the craigslists near you to find a used set.
Thanks for the link Tony I haven’t heard of that one yet, it will come in handy for me.

[TonyL]

crazedlist is a HUGE resource. Follow the directions if you cannot get it to work. It's easy.

[Hammered]

I originally wanted to go with 15" Centerlines until I started studying the project cars on this site and at car shows. I suggest you take your time, make a list of what you like and don't like about the cars here and if you still want 16" Enkeis six months from now then they are the wheel for you.

[Nine Ball]

Sorry for the unintentional slam, but I really do have the same style wheels on my trailer. They do come in 16s too, but you will have to paint the centers gold.

Link: http://www.easternmarine.com/em_store/trailertires/

[ProspectorTim]

Oh well.
I guess I'm trying to "update" my car to 21st century technology, but mentally I'm still stuck in the seventies. :pat:

When we bought those Enkies back in the early 80's I thought about getting 15" wheels then (and should have!), but I was still doing an occasional autocross and wanted to keep it low to the ground. Those 265-50-14's were only about 23.5" tall and we loved the way those wheels complimented the color of the car. :)

---

I have been looking at wheels that had the old Z28 look, but in bigger diameters. When I had shown my wife photos of American Racing (http://www.americanracing.com/browse_all.asp) Torq-Thrust wheels, she said she didn't like them.

Now I find that she just didn't like the dark center on the one that I showed her; so maybe we have a little more latitude on what to shop for.

I've seen a lot Camaros with the huge (20' ?) wheels around here. they look nice, but they are not "me". I don't need for my Camaro to have more ground clearance than my 4wd truck, and, I don't mean to offend anyone, but I don't like what I call the "pimp-mobile" look. I'm a white guy from the redneck-riviera, temporarily living in Memphis.
And I'm still stuck in the seventies. :hammer:

Meanwhile - I've got the subframe out and powder coated and I'm about to order the Global West (http://www.globalwest.net/1970-81_Camaro,Firebird_suspension_components.htm) tubular a-arms, but haven't decided on the brakes yet. It may be a while before I get to the point that I need brakes & wheels on it. I'll be looking at everything available at the SEMA Show this year and studying all my options online until then. If I need to, I can just re-build and bolt on the original brakes and wheels and suffer with smaller tires for a while longer.

[TonyL]

There's nothing wrong with disliking "DonK" cars jacked up with huge rims on them. That's for sure. I have a suggestion for you. Find wheels YOU like, come back here to the multimedia section and ask us to photoshop your car with the wheels you like on it. We'll get it done, and you have something a whole lot easier for your wife to picture and sign off on.

[Randy67]

Real Racing Wheels has a wheel close to that:

http://www.realwheel.net/products.php?catid=17

Up close picture: http://www.realwheel.net/imageViewer.php?id=114

Check with them to see what sizes they come in, it looks like 13", 15 & 16". They are 3 piece wheels so backspacing shouldn't be a problem. Edit: They even show the width's up to 21".

[claytonisbob]

Whats funny is with larger wheel come skinnier tires. 17" wheels are not going to jack you car up. It may sit higher than with 24" diameter tires (26" is a typical diameter). But then lower it an inch or two and bam! Plus you arnt going to fit much of anything for brakes under those wheels, though with 17" and 18" come a whole new list of brakes. Your car will handle better too with more modern rubber.

I've got 14" Keystones on a chevelle I'm working one and while my dad liked them back in the day... There's not much I can do with the car on that small of diameter / small width. I'm a more traditional kind of kid though, and the VWW V45's (and anything of this style) are my cup of tea. Maybe its an aquired taste to go bigger diameter wheels, but there are more than just asthetic benifits. If you want to keep a bit more traditional, go with 15" wheels, there are a ton of tire options as far as sizing... but as far as getting good handling tires, your going to have to step up to at least 17" for good street tires. ... JMHO though..

[ProspectorTim]

claytonisbob -
I agree, 17" wheels and new low-profile tires won't jack up the car.
When I bought those wheels (made that choice), 50-series tires were the newest, lowest-profile tires available.

A lot has changed since 1980!

At this point, I'm inclined to sit on what I've got until I decide how much brake (how big) I can afford - then buy wheels big enough.

Even the 16" wheels that were on my 87 Vette are "small" by today's standards. I've just started reseaching brake conversions, and man there are a LOT of options out there! ... and a lot of them won't fit under a 16" wheel. But that is another topic for the Disc Brakes area.

[claytonisbob]

Just have an idea about what brakes you may want before getting wheels. Some options still dont fit under others (ex. VWW wheels and C5 calipers almost don't fit, may need spacers).

I'm working on a budget, and the Vintage Wheel Works and American Racing wheels and C5 breaks are a pretty affordible combination (vs many other options). Plus your working with production stuff you can easily replace if it breaks (no pun intended).

16" tires are kind of an odd size (not really, but more limited in compairison to 15 & 17). So you wont have as much freedom when it comes time to get/replace tires. The tire types are typically a lesser range of what you can get in the 15" sizes, and very few uni-directional performance tires.

[Boesch]

I'd suggest taking a look at 17" sizes. If you take a drive down to your local "new car dealership" row and examine what sizes new cars have on them, you'll find that it's pretty tough to find a new car that doesn't have at least a 17" wheel on them (some new cars going up to a 22" size). Tire manufacturers make tires for new cars and tend to start dropping off sizes that are no longer in wide spread use.

[EL T1]

16's how about some GTA wheels
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

[MrClean]

man i love gta rims on 2nd gen f bodys