***Official Car and Gearhead Thread***

[BigRedChief]

Seems like we need one on here to talk cars, mods and the coolness of your or their car.

Interested? Chime in

[DJ's left nut]

And yeah, if you wanna send me that diagram, I'm in.

It's a fairly basic 10inch disc conversion in the front that measures a hair under 12 inches across the disc to the caliper. I'm almost positive a 15 will fit over that easily so then my only worry is the tie rod end and the drop spindles - i.e. do I need to be worried about backspacing or can I just throw a 7 inch wide wheel on there and call it good? That should be an interior diameter on most wheels of around 13 inches - should be clear there IF the tie rod end doesn't have issues with travel that mess it up. I'm a ****ing lawyer, mechanic guy, I don't have the answers to you there. That's YOUR job.

So dammit man, just get out a measuring tape and tell me what to buy. This should not be at all difficult. I put in some Global West uppers so so that should be able to buy me a little more space here and there. None of this should be remotely complicated to figure out. I'm just dumbfounded.

This guys been in CoMo for 20 years. Like...WTF has he been doing all this time?

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by ModSocks

I can take a look. Quick note though:

Stay far, far away from 16's. That's a big nope. Tire manufacturers just aren't making them. They make tires for mainstream, modern cars. Most of which are 17" plus. Most of your options for a decent tire is going to start in the 17" range. Most of the 16" options out there are truck tires.

I know Classic's like the 15's, but even with 15's your tire options are pretty limited. You'll have several decent tire options in 15". You're gonna create yourself a NIGHTMARE if you put 16's on it. Once you move up to a 17", everyone and their mama makes a tire for that.

Thankya.

Looking at plain ol' BF Goodrich Radial TA white-letter tires.

This ain't a track car. I mean I guess it could be if I put a quadralink or some other floating rear in it, but I'm not doing that. I don't take it out in the rain. It's a 'drive 2k miles a year when the weather is really nice' car.

So the small wheels with the beefy sidewall was what I was looking for. If I'm stuck at 17s it opens my options up a lot, but that's not the classic look I was hoping for.

I'll stay away from the 16s though.

[ToxSocks]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

And yeah, if you wanna send me that diagram, I'm in.

It's a fairly basic 10inch disc conversion in the front that measures a hair under 12 inches across the disc to the caliper. I'm almost positive a 15 will fit over that easily so then my only worry is the tie rod end and the drop spindles - i.e. do I need to be worried about backspacing or can I just throw a 7 inch wide wheel on there and call it good? That should be an interior diameter on most wheels of around 13 inches - should be clear there IF the tie rod end doesn't have issues with travel that mess it up. I'm a ****ing lawyer, mechanic guy, I don't have the answers to you there. That's YOUR job.

So dammit man, just get out a measuring tape and tell me what to buy. This should not be at all difficult. I put in some Global West uppers so so that should be able to buy me a little more space here and there. None of this should be remotely complicated to figure out. I'm just dumbfounded.

This guys been in CoMo for 20 years. Like...WTF has he been doing all this time?

Backspacing absolutely matters, not just for clearances but also for an appropriate look. You dont want wheels that are too sucked in or stick too far out. And yes, most 15" wheels should clear a 10" disc brake.

[ToxSocks]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Thankya.

Looking at plain ol' BF Goodrich Radial TA white-letter tires.

Yeah that's pretty much the "go-to" when it comes to 15". Probably your top option.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Essentially this. 15" or 16" and in aluminum if possible. If I have to go steel, I will - they're just not as good.

I'd almost rather nut up and spend the money on the damn 2-pieces than go steel, but we're talking another $2K to do so for wheels that don't really require a 2-piece setup to look how I want them to.

Ugh...So irritating.

I went down this road back in the day with my car. There aren't a ton of options. You aren't likely going to find many 15" aluminum rally wheels.

I think 17's will look fine as long as you get the backspace right and don't go too low profile on your sidewall it will look more like a 16". If you run a super short sidewall it will ride worse and look a little off.

https://thewheelsmith.net/wheel-catalog/rallye-wheels

https://www.visionwheel.com/wheel/47.../?finishID=101

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by ModSocks

Backspacing absolutely matters, not just for clearances but also for an appropriate look. You dont want wheels that are too sucked in or stick too far out. And yes, most 15" wheels should clear a 10" disc brake.

That's kinda why I want to get the suspension work done first.

I don't THINK I need 550 lb springs up there; small block (383) so it should ride nicer at 450 lbs and I shouldn't have to worry about too much dip.

That's when I get the fender rub - nose drops and the sidewalls rub inside the fender wells. If THAT all gets resolved and I can take the bounce out of the car, I can fill those wheel wells up a little more and not be worried about the fender rub anymore.

But right now I need to keep spring buffers in the damn things just to keep it from rubbing. Which is probably because the thing has NINE inch wheels up front. Which just floored me when I finally got to measuring them.

But ultimately that shouldn't be the biggest problem IF the springs are in fine shape. I can make the wheels 'proud' up front and shouldn't have to worry about that rub. ESPECIALLY with the dual adjustable coilovers. But I just don't trust this guy to get the right length/weight springs at this point. And the idea of getting the right wrenches and actually adjusting those things is going to be completely foreign to him.

Yeah - I gotta get my car back, don't I?

Ugh.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

That's kinda why I want to get the suspension work done first.

I don't THINK I need 550 lb springs up there; small block (383) so it should ride nicer at 450 lbs and I shouldn't have to worry about too much dip.

That's when I get the fender rub - nose drops and the sidewalls rub inside the fender wells. If THAT all gets resolved and I can take the bounce out of the car, I can fill those wheel wells up a little more and not be worried about the fender rub anymore.

But right now I need to keep spring buffers in the damn things just to keep it from rubbing. Which is probably because the thing has NINE inch wheels up front. Which just floored me when I finally got to measuring them.

But ultimately that shouldn't be the biggest problem IF the springs are in fine shape. I can make the wheels 'proud' up front and shouldn't have to worry about that rub. ESPECIALLY with the dual adjustable coilovers. But I just don't trust this guy to get the right length/weight springs at this point. And the idea of getting the right wrenches and actually adjusting those things is going to be completely foreign to him.

Yeah - I gotta get my car back, don't I?

Ugh.

Wait what? On a basically stock front end? I assume the front of your car sits pretty high then?

Edit: Also you probably only need single adjustable coil overs, double adjustable up front seems a waste for what you are trying to do. You just want to be able to adjust how fast they compress., not the rebound I doubt. I have a Pro Touring font clip and a 4-link and only have single adjustable on all 4 corners.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

I went down this road back in the day with my car. There aren't a ton of options. You aren't likely going to find many 15" aluminum rally wheels.

I think 17's will look fine as long as you get the backspace right and don't go too low profile on your sidewall it will look more like a 16". If you run a super short sidewall it will ride worse and look a little off.

https://thewheelsmith.net/wheel-catalog/rallye-wheels

https://www.visionwheel.com/wheel/47.../?finishID=101

Thankya sir - slowly getting to this conclusion as well.

Looking at the US Wheels Rallye 57 series (the pictures have that domed cap but you don't need those on it).

Plenty of size options and gives the look I want. Just aren't aluminum. If they'll stay true with ordinary driving, that's probably fine. I just hear horror stories about those thing being poorly manufactured, etc... and steel wheels never being truly 'round'.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/U...MaAjC1EALw_wcB

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Wait what? On a basically stock front end? I assume the front of your car sits pretty high then?

Well it ****ing does NOW.

Like I said, had to put spring boosters in it. Which is what I'm trying to get away from to get the stance of the car corrected.

It's also possible I didn't measure right - I set it on the ground and stuck a tape through it after I took the wheel off. I measured to an eyeballed outer lip and I think I did that wrong - looks like I am supposed to measure right inside the lip. So maybe 8s?

Still too dang wide.

But Detox is right - where it's sitting in the wells isn't actually that big a problem - it's a standard look. If I went narrower but with an offset that still put the wheels out there near 'flush' it's going to rub still (just have less wheel inside the well). But then it's just a matter of working on sidewall height until I get it right - or again, adjusting the coilovers as needed.

And this is still way better than it was before I put the new Uppers in and was able to rake it al forward a bit to create a little more clearance. The front end of that car has always been a bit of a mess.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Thankya sir - slowly getting to this conclusion as well.

Looking at the US Wheels Rallye 57 series (the pictures have that domed cap but you don't need those on it).

Plenty of size options and gives the look I want. Just aren't aluminum. If they'll stay true with ordinary driving, that's probably fine. I just hear horror stories about those thing being poorly manufactured, etc... and steel wheels never being truly 'round'.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/U...MaAjC1EALw_wcB

Those will work but you will be limited on backspacing options so you might have to stay pretty generic on tire size, which likely wont be an issue for what you want to do.

I ran cheap steel rallye wheels on my car for years and years with no issues.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Wait what? On a basically stock front end? I assume the front of your car sits pretty high then?

Edit: Also you probably only need single adjustable coil overs, double adjustable up front seems a waste for what you are trying to do. You just want to be able to adjust how fast they compress., not the rebound I doubt. I have a Pro Touring font clip and a 4-link and only have single adjustable on all 4 corners.

Agreed that I don't need doubles. Vikings are cheap enough (and I wasn't finding singles for them) that I figured 'why the hell not?'

But yeah, that kinda gets back to the conversation I wanted to have with the mechanic. Tell me what you can get, my guy. And what you're familiar with or have had good experiences with. Then we'll walk through it...

[ToxSocks]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Agreed that I don't need doubles. Vikings are cheap enough (and I wasn't finding singles for them) that I figured 'why the hell not?'

But yeah, that kinda gets back to the conversation I wanted to have with the mechanic. Tell me what you can get, my guy. And what you're familiar with or have had good experiences with. Then we'll walk through it...

Vikings are a great coil over btw. Kind of the industries little secret. They're popular and cheap. I know two suspension manufacturers who use them. One of them switched off QA1's for them as standard equipment for their kits.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by ModSocks

Vikings are a great coil over btw. Kind of the industries little secret. They're popular and cheap. I know two suspension manufacturers who use them. One of them switched off QA1's for them as standard equipment for their kits.

Yeah - a couple executives from QA1 left and formed their own company.

They look REALLY good. As soon as I saw them I started doing a little digging on them and was like "Yeah, I think this is the route to go..."

I'm >< close to just buying them online from UMI and just calling it good. If this guy doesn't know shit from shinola, what do I care about what his distributor says? He's probably not going to understand what he's being told anyway...

[ToxSocks]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Those will work but you will be limited on backspacing options so you might have to stay pretty generic on tire size, which likely wont be an issue for what you want to do.

I ran cheap steel rallye wheels on my car for years and years with no issues.

If i were DJLN i'd run 17's. They fill up the wheel well almost perfectly while finding that happy median between sidewall and rim.

Again, not a camaro guy so not totally sure, but they're the preferred rim size here at our shop for the Mustangs. A little more on the "pro-touring" side than classic muscle car, but goddamn it's so much easier to find tires for them and they do a good job of eliminating excess wheel well space, giving the car that lowered look without actually being lowered.

[K9Texan]

Can you recommend a hybrid SUV?

I'm down to the following three:

Toyota Rav-4

Honda CR-V

Hyundai Tucson

The 24' CR-V is my least favorite but Honda's reliability make it a contender, but it sure is ugly! I understand the 25' CR-V is getting a better body and so that could change my perspective.

The Hyumdai Tucson is intriguing to me but will it be as mechanically reliable as the Toyota Rav-4?

If I HAD to pick TODAY I'd probably play it safe and pick the Rav-4.

Any advice?