Wheels & Stance = Most Important

[Nine Ball]

Time for a little article for you wheel shoppers out there to consider. This isn't a sales pitch, you can buy wheels from whomever you want with this information in mind. I just want to give you something to think about when deciding on wheels.

Wheels and Stance.

Ask any custom car builder in the industry, and they will often tell you that "wheels and stance" are the two most critical visual aspects of any vehicle. Some of you may be shaking your heads right now, ready to argue that paint or color are far more important. I, and many others, can dispute that easily.

Yes, a car painted the wrong color, or with crappy paintwork can ruin a car's appearance easily. But, you can have a first-class $20,000 paint job on a car and ruin it instantly with the wrong wheel choice, or wrong suspension stance. How many times have you seen a beautifully painted car absolutely ruined by the wrong wheel choice or horrible 4x4 stance? Countless times. Even the best paint in the world cannot overcome crappy wheels.

How many of you have seen some primered, unrestored, or weathered classic cars that looked stunning with the right wheels/stance combo? That proves that wheels/stance can overcome paint.

So ask yourself this, would you paint your shiny new Camaro with a rattle-can or a brush? Most of you have already spent $35K on average for the Camaro already, so why cheap out on one of the most important visual aspects, wheels? Wheel selection alone can make or break the entire appearance of your Camaro, instantly. Cheap wheels can be compared to getting half a haircut. Instantly goofy looking, and people will notice it.

GM did an excellent job on the factory Camaro 20s, it is easily one of the best styles of any OEM wheel ever made. I'd prefer to rock the stockers over most of the cheap (sub $2K/set) wheels I've seen. Aftermarket wheels aren't always better than OEM, so don't spend money just to spend it.

That is just my insight on wheels. I have a passion for them, and pride myself on picking the right wheel to achieve the right visual goals for each vehicle. Each brand/model of vehicle (and vehicle color) looks "right" with certain wheel styles and finishes. Just because a wheel looks great on one car, that doesn't mean it will look good on another car.

I hope this stirs up some thoughts within your skull while shopping for that perfect wheel.

Tony

[Fishdadddy]

Couldn't agree more. Been telling people for years that the right set of wheels can make or break a car.

[ajp]

Nineball - can you define good/bad stance for us newbies?

[Nine Ball]

Stance is generally the ride height and the balance of height between the front to rear. Every brand/model looks "right" with a slightly different stance. Most of the time, a level sitting car without too much tire gap looks perfect. Going too low can sometimes look worse than a subtle lowering job. Hiding too much tire and distract the eye, resulting in an imbalance of the total visual of a vehicle. But, we can all agree that cars that ride too high always look worse than cars that ride too low

Stance also has to do with front and rear views of a vehicle. Wheels/tires that look too narrow, or have the wrong offsets, affect stance. Wheels tucked in too far make the cars elephant-like; big body with tiny legs underneath. Wheels that stick out beyond the fender edge look like a skateboard. Having the tire flush with the edge of the widest part of the fender lip is perfect, or even slightly inward. Never sticking out.

[themossman]

Nineball-


Funny that I read this after we've been having our exchange...good to know that I've got someone that 'sympathizes' with my goals.

[Nine Ball]

Just doing my part to emphasize the importance of wheel selection. Most wheel vendors do not care about the whole visual statement of a customer vehicle, they just check that the lug pattern is correct and hope the offset range fits. Wheels get shipped out the door for a quick buck.

I don't need the quick buck. I prefer putting my name on good looking cars, and knowing that I had a little to do with the final visual design of the entire project. Ask some of my customers, I've actually talked them out of buying the wrong (expensive) wheels. I'm more than happy to offer full customizing advice, not just on wheels, to my customers.

Tony

[RobertHarriSS]

How's this?

[RedJewel2SS]

nice read.

on the stance of the camaro. i followed the leader, and got the Pfadt sport suspension jsut like you!

love the stance now, and it will soon be time for those 3-piece wheels we've been talkin about!

to Nine Ball!

[ron10]

it just comes down to a little common sense.

[Nine Ball]

Originally Posted by ron10

it just comes down to a little common sense.

Not always. Some people are just new to the hobby of car customizing. They don't have the experience to know what looks right, or how to prioritize modifications and budgets for each aspect. But, there are those who are just born with bad taste too. Just like someone would hire a clothing designer or interior decorator to give them ideas, there are a few of us that offer these services for cars too! If in doubt, leave it to the pros

[Nine Ball]

Originally Posted by RobertHarriSS

How's this?

Rather not get into the critique stuff, not the purpose of this thread. It is more about awareness and looking at the big picture of your project.

Tony

[RedJewel2SS]

Originally Posted by Nine Ball

Not always. Some people are just new to the hobby of car customizing. They don't have the experience to know what looks right, or how to prioritize modifications and budgets for each aspect. But, there are those who are just born with bad taste too. Just like someone would hire a clothing designer or interior decorator to give them ideas, there are a few of us that offer these services for cars too! If in doubt, leave it to the pros

or lift their car just to fit 30" wheels underneath

[ron10]

[QUOTE=ajp;1743625]Nineball - can you define good/bad stance for us newbies?[/QUOT

how do you like your cold air inductions cai.i just ordered mine.don't have it yet.

[Nine Ball]

CAI is just fine. Off-topic!