Advice on 17" wheel-67 Firebird

[rickpaw]

Urgent question on 17" wheel set up for those who has them on F-body cars. I have a 67 Firebird with stock suspsension that needs a set of wheels. I have a chance to buy a set of 17" Torque Thrust at greatly reduced price. My question is how's the ride with the 17" vs. the stock 15"? Is this fairly rough, or decent ride? Mine will be built mostly for cruising.

Your comment is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[BAD68GTO]

The tires used will have more of an impact. The lower the aspect ration, the harsher the ride. if you go from a 15" with a 70 series to an 17" with a 45 series aspect ratio, the ride will be harsher. So tire size, not rime size is the factor, but the bigger rims generally have lower aspect ratios, so it goes hand in hand.

[brandonc707]

I just went from 15" to 18" on my 67 Camaro......
IMO the better looks, and handling outweighs the SLIGHTLY harsher ride. Most new cars come with 17" or larger wheels, they all seem to ride good. I can hardly tell the difference in ride quality from the 15" to 18", I haven't had the new wheels long but I am glad I did it.
I would say go for it!:)

[DriverzInc]

I just went from 15" to 18" on my 67 Camaro......
IMO the better looks, and handling outweighs the SLIGHTLY harsher ride. Most new cars come with 17" or larger wheels, they all seem to ride good. I can hardly tell the difference in ride quality from the 15" to 18", I haven't had the new wheels long but I am glad I did it.
I would say go for it!:)

I agree with this statement. Ride and handling will mainly be effected by the suspension set up you may be running. A lot of street rod guys will update their 32 Fords with mono-leaf front suspensions, and stick with it but go from a 15x4 with a 60 series tire to a 17x7 and a 40 series rubber band like a 205/40/17 and then complain about their ride comfort. But going to something taller like a 245/45/17 with an updated suspension package (read: springs and shocks, etc.) will only improve your handling and the ride quality of your muscle car. I would definitely, without a doubt, go for it!

[rickpaw]

Thanks guys. I should like the looks of 17" TT 2's on a Firebird.