De Tomaso Pantera Campagnolo 17" Forged Racing Wheel

Good looking wheel but at over $6,000 for a set its hard to justify.

...also, street tires in sizes suitable for these wheels are no longer available. I guess that's why they call them "racing wheels", because only racing tires are available to fit them. That being said, if you were going racing, wouldn't you use 15's?

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.

315/35/17 tires are available from a multitude of manufacturers. And ,IMHO most 19" and 20" wheels look ridiculous on a car as small as a Pantera. Park your car next to one of these " modern " cars with the 19"-20" wheels and look how huge the new car is in comparison.

Ron

Ron, I'm only aware of race tires (Hoosier, Toyo R888, Kumho, etc.) being available in a 315/35-17, not street tires with a suitable, matching size being available for the front as well.

I really like that these wheels are a much, much closer match to the originals than anything previously offered in 17". I would have bought them had they been available when I bought the low quality 17" replikas that the US vendors has to offer (mine are Pantera Easts singleslots).

quote:

IMHO most 19" and 20" wheels look ridiculous on a car as small as a Pantera.

Couldn't agree more. Even the 17s look too big on a Pantera IMO and yes, as mentioned, I have 17" on my car, and can't say I really like them. Especially the fronts look wrong on the skinny fenders!! That will be changing soon though.

The 335/35-17 and 235s by Michelin and Pirelli are BTW widely available here in europe.

quote:

The 335/35-17 and 235s by Michelin and Pirelli are BTW widely available here in europe.

Michelin still manufacturers the PS2 in a 335/35-17 but the 235/40-17 is discontinued. Pirelli has discontinued both sizes. They may be in stock but they are no longer being manufactured. This applies to both Europe and North America.

quote:

Originally posted by David_Nunn:
Ron, I'm only aware of race tires (Hoosier, Toyo R888, Kumho, etc.) being available in a 315/35-17, not street tires with a suitable, matching size being available for the front as well.

I just bought a set of Nitto NT05s for a customer's car. Awesome tires! 315/35-17 rears and 235/40-17s for the front.

Ron

I think not building the rims you want is caving.

Push the tire manufacturers to build tires desired by the people who build the cars.

Ron, I stand corrected. Nitto does indeed have the NT05 in the sizes you mention. Yes, it is a great tire.

I'm not sure if you know this or not but Nitto is owned by Toyo.