Guys-really struggling thinking through my '78 monte build. I understand bigger brakes with the larger rims, but those rally wheels are so damn cool looking with raised letters. I can buy larger rally rims, but they are big $$ from wheel vintques, and no letters of course. I also already have large rims on my chevelle, which on Chicago area roads is a challenge. For a nearly daily cruiser 3 months per year when finished, what would you guys do, especially those of you that have had both before or currently... Thanks!!!
15" rally's vs. 18" rim of your choice
- Thread starter Geo's66
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Don't get the 18's unless you've got money for the Blazer brake upgrade. You may also come to notice that your turning radius comes up short if your alignment is mildly imperfect requiring you to buy some 3/4'' spacers for additional backspacing, although that's more common an issue on Cutlass than MC. If your rear springs are old you will also be surprised how close the tire comes to rubbing - which it will do on those Chicago roads you are talking about at moments you least want it to do something like that of course. I've got 17'' billet on my Cutlass and up front rubs. Until I get the spacers thats just how it is a 'scraper' they call it in Cali - lol. The brakes were nearly new when I put them on and are now basically what I would describe as 'terminal' even though I only drove the car about a year and a quarter w/ them on. That's pretty bad IMO. Not too many newer cars go through pads and warp rotors in under 2 years of driving... One time while making a turn on ice I encountered severe body roll and nearly drove off a turn into a parked escalade because the brakes took sooooo long to engage they were not very helpful. The disc brake upgrade is worth looking into. Even though it wouldn't help the 'body roll' it takes away that delay in braking and when you're trying to avoid a crash even a split second counts!
You can always try these for raised white letters:
http://www.tredwearletters.com/tire-kits/
I might give them a try on some old tires and see how they turn out.
http://www.tredwearletters.com/tire-kits/
I might give them a try on some old tires and see how they turn out.
I hear you, I have 17x8 on my 66, it's embarrassing how bad the radius turning is... I think I'm going to try getting a set of used 15's, paint center black with chrome trim rings, get the bfg's on it and look old school-being 50, I still love that retro look. Any suggestions on a disk/front drum/rear brake upgrade? Plus, I'm hoping the cushion of 15's will be better on these shitty roads without too much concern bending aluminum rims... Thanks man
If you stay 15'' you don't really need to upgrade the brakes but the rear disc conversion is easy to find w/ search function its not very expensive and it's what I plan on doing next to my car. In the incident where I slid over the ice, I suspect the rear discs would have kept the rear end from sliding out, although not necessarily prevented me from sliding. Have heard good things about Wilwood disc but cant say personally since havent tried it yet. The Wilwood I got for my Caddy was an improvement over stock; that much I could say however
Why do you believe you need larger brakes with the 18" wheels? I ran stock brakes after switching from the 14" to 17" wheels and had no issues. In fact it likely stopped better because of the better tire compound and wider contact patch on the road with the larger wheels.
That's not to say that larger brakes aren't a good idea, I just don't think they are a "do it right of way" kind of thing.
That's not to say that larger brakes aren't a good idea, I just don't think they are a "do it right of way" kind of thing.
I think if you had a better exp than me it was probably b/c your rims didn't weigh as much? Also it could just be b/c my car had higher mileage too idk. The Billet 17's feel really heavy on the car. They definitely make the 307 feel like nearly as weak as a steam engine going uphill.
Tire height is what affects brake performance, the tire diameter is a lever acting against the brakes. 26" was the height of the stock 215/65-15 tire used on some G Bodies. And I've ran 28" tires without brake issues.
Geo's66 said:
I've seen some '78 Monte Carlos with larger aftermarket rims that really look good. I wont change the 15" rims on my Olds 442 though. It would ruin the looks of the car in my opinion. Nothing that I have seen looks better on a 442. It's really unfortunate from a performance standpoint. Larger, low profile tires have their advantages.
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