Reply to "Help me choose my new wheels"

George, times change and you're just ahead of most of us. When I put 17"/18" HRE's on my Pantera, some people who saw it didn't like the short sidewalls. That was in 2006 and I can still buy a matched set of 245/335 section width tires. The reality is, you need to buy wheel sizes where you stand some chance of buying a matched set of tires three years from now. That means 18", 19" or 20"'s. You can make the sidewalls appear taller by using a rim that's on the narrower side of recommended widths. Also, using stepped outer rim sections makes the sidewall visually taller. Using tires that are OEM on current models will help to ensure future availability but that's not always the case, as evidenced by 17"/18" Viper sizes. As far as your wheel decision is concerned, I'd ask non-Pantera owners and six year olds for their opinions. I think you'd find a strong bias towards the 5 spokes. Ask yourself, if Hot Wheels came out with a George Pence Pantera, which wheels would it have? Mind you, a Hot Wheels Pantera would have 335's on the back! Hey, you know I couldn't resist that last comment!!!