quote:Originally posted by ShotgunGrooms:
Marcus, which did you go with? East coast or West coast style?
Well, physically here in Victoria I'm somewhat west of Los Angeles, but due to my northness I guess I am more philosophically aligned with the East Coast; I went with the East Coast style.
The backspacing values for my wheels, old (original Campys) and new:
Front: 4-1/2" old, 5" new
Rear : 5-1/2" old, 6-1/2" new
So the new wheels stick out 1/2" more than stock at the front, and 2" more at the rear. I have only one clearance issue, but it is specific to my Pantera: the Aeroquip brake lines on the front rub at full lock, and need to be re-routed a bit. (I already did what minor re-routing I could without taking stuff apart.) There is absolutely no interference with the chassis or fenders anywhere on my narrow-body car.
For tires, I am running Michelin Pilot Sport PS2, 235-40-17, 335-35-17. I am really happy with the setup, with one minor quibble: I didn't realize that the sizes I ordered would give a whiff of funny-car flavor to the appearance of the car from some angles, mainly the rear-quarter view. However, the straight-on view from behind more than makes up for it.
I really, really wanted a set of 17" Campy clones in the sizes I ordered, but I was just too uncomfortable with the availability issues. If I smash one of these, I know I can just order a new one, or even get it fixed if only one of the three parts is damaged.
Happily, I think these wheels look fantastic on the car. The color is great, and they aren't all air like the more modern-looking wheels; they have massing quite similar to the Campys.
I'll just have to wash the car tomorrow and take some pix for you all. For now, I think I'll grab a beer, go sit in the garage, and look at it...