Reply to "De Tomaso Pantera Campagnolo 17" Forged Racing Wheel"

Great input David N.

I have advised several wheel manufacturers that their wheel offerings need to be updated to support tire availability.

There is a need for 10x17 Campy Clone rear wheels (zero off-set) for the guys who want to use the 8x15 factory wheels for the front. That would use Pirelli P-Zero tires at all 4 corners; 225/50R15 front tires, 285/40R17 rear tires. Its hard to predict how long that tire set will remain available, but its the best choice for the guys who want to remain as close as possible to original condition.

To meet the needs of most owners, wheel merchants (Ronin, Mr. Fiat, Wilkinson, PIM, Pantera East, Pantera Pro-Formance, PPC) should be offering 8x18 (12mm off-set) or 9x18 (16mm off-set) front wheels paired with 10x19 (zero off-set) rear wheels. These would support 225/40R18 or 245/35R18 front tires and 285/35R19 rear tires. Front and rear tires in those pairings are available in many choices, and should remain available for years to come. Those tire sets are quite comparable in size to tires found on modern sports cars. Don't take my word, investigate yourself. In fact I'm finding many new cars are equipped with 20" wheels, usually having tires with 3.5" to 4" sidewalls ... including SUVs!

It is easier to justify a large investment in wheels IF the tires aren't already obsolete when the wheels are purchased.