17-18" Old School Looking Wheels?

[darguy]

Hi Folks, I am trying to source vintage looking 17-18" wheels on my '68 Beaumont Wagon. I'd really like something like the Center Line Auto Drags, or US Indy but I can't find any that large in 5 x 4.75. Another option would be a GM Rally style wheel, which is what the Beaumont was optioned with - but in grey instead of silver like the Chevy variants. I've found these, but I'm not convinced. Any suggestions?

Auto Drag:



US Indy:





Original Beaumont Rallys:



Modern Take on the Rallys:

[KiwiStarChief]

I really like the classic look of the Rallye style wheel for suitable cars, which is why I replaced the blingy chrome ones the Star Chief came with. I put on US Mags Big Slots in 18", and the number of compliments on the look I have had since then still amazes me.

[darguy]

Cool car Russell! What tires are you running on your 18s? I'm having a hard time finding anything above 245 in a 50 series. I'm looking for something that will provide a bit of give, tire-wise, for gravel & particularly bumpy roads.

[KiwiStarChief]

The rears are 255/45 on 9.5" wide, with the front 245/45 on 8" wide rims. The brand are Nankang (Chinese I assume) which are using an old Yokohama mould pattern I was told. I too was looking for some sidewall height, but 45 was the only one the tyre shop could find in these sizes.

[cdrod]

Pirelli, Bridgestone & Continental all make good tires in a 275|45|18 which has a sidewall height of 4.9 inches; nearly the same as a 245|50|18 which has a sidewall height of 4.8 inches. Both tire sizes are around 27.7/27.8" tall.

[Alwhite00]

I know you mentioned centerlines but just wanted to show you another old school option that's available in a 18". Rocket Booster Grey. I like them on my 67.

[ryeguy2006a]

US Wheel and US Mags both have a good selection of old school wheels in 17" and 18".

[darguy]

Thanks for all the input, Folks! If I go with 17", US Wheel has some good options. For 18" it gets thinner, for sure. I found these on the US Mags site, but there's no detail on bolt patterns, offset or back spacing. I've sent them an email asking what options they have for 18x8 with 5x4.75 bolt pattern.

[darguy]

With respect to the tires, I've also found the Kumho Ecsta PA51 in 245/50R18, and the PS71 in 245/50R18 and 255/55R18. The latter seems intriguing, being 29" diameter they would fill out the wheel wells nicely (compared to the stock 27.7"), which by my math should give them a 5.72" sidewall.

[Alwhite00]

There are a lot more tire size choices in 18 compared to 17" so check for tires before you order wheels.

[darguy]

There are a lot more tire size choices in 18 compared to 17" so check for tires before you order wheels.

This is why I'm inclined to go with 18s. I was originally hoping to use vintage 15" mags but the tire choices are extremely minimal and not very good, all things considered. Plus you can't correct bump-steer and clear a 15, from what I gather.

The other thing I need to consider is the tire width. A million years ago I had 255/60R15s on stock Pontiac Rallys on a '70 Tempest, and then 245/50R16s on GTA rims on the same car. I didn't have any issues with tires rubbing, but it was not exaclty a precision build way back then, suspension wise. From what I gleen, a 245 or maybe a 255 is about all I'll get inside a '68 GM A-Body with all the sweet upgraded suspension goodies.

I'd like to go with 255s in a square setup if I can.

P.S. Nice Chevelle, my first car was a white '66 Malibu 2dr hard top.

[Vimes]

Thanks for all the input, Folks! If I go with 17", US Wheel has some good options. For 18" it gets thinner, for sure. I found these on the US Mags site, but there's no detail on bolt patterns, offset or back spacing. I've sent them an email asking what options they have for 18x8 with 5x4.75 bolt pattern.

I wouldn't hold my breath on getting a response from them. I was interested in that very wheel for my own project, and finally had to go to a local Discount Tire to get information on them. Discount Tire is a vendor for US Wheels, and it took the guy almost 30 minutes on the phone to get information out of them. The price was going to be around 4 grand for a set a year ago, but the killer for me was the wheel by itself weighs 50lbs. I don't even want my wheels WITH tires weighing 50lbs.

[darguy]

I wouldn't hold my breath on getting a response from them. I was interested in that very wheel for my own project, and finally had to go to a local Discount Tire to get information on them. Discount Tire is a vendor for US Wheels, and it took the guy almost 30 minutes on the phone to get information out of them. The price was going to be around 4 grand for a set a year ago, but the killer for me was the wheel by itself weighs 50lbs. I don't even want my wheels WITH tires weighing 50lbs.

Wow, at 4k and 50lbs, I’ll take the zero.

The Big Slots are starting to look pretty good at this point.