Rubber band wheels started as a ricer phenomena. Hence, rice, as rubber band wheels serve no usefull purpose other than bling.

Alex.

Well, shorter sidewalls cut down on tire flex so I'm sure there are some handling advantages but at the same time I think 95% of the wheels out there are ass ugly and overpriced for what they are. IMO
That and everyone and their uncle has a fancy aluminum wheel now, walk around a new car lot, they're on nearly everything. And the ones that don't have them usually have some kind of wheel cover trying to imitate having them that's why I like my steelies with centercaps and rings, it sets the car apart from everyone else's(ok maybe not so much on CVN but on the road they do). Besides, if I was going to put that much $ in my car I'd get a blower or maybe an MP3 head unit... something I can USE.

of course if you like big fancy rims then go for it, that's just my $.02

Theres a point of diminishing returns on thinner sidewalls. You need some flex/bounce in a tire if you want maximum adhesion with the road. Theres got to be some give for the tire to be able to react.

Alex.

There are a couple of P71's running around here (both '95-97 body style and current ones) on 20's. They look stupid. One even has a pushbar in front! Give the man a acorn!

In an ideal world, (say you are dealing with small things like remote control cars or gocarts) with a properly tuned suspension setup, the lowest possible sidewall is best. This allows the suspension to absorb the energy more efficiently.

In the real world, with cars however, Like he said- The gains are lost. 35 is as LOW as i would go. 40 or 45 is pretty good for a rim, 19 inch size. Chrome 20 inch rims do nothing but slow your car down and make it a target for theft. If you want performance wheels look somewhere for SSR Competitions- pretty good rims.

But- 20 inch rims on a lowered car can look "bling blingin" if thats the look you are going for.

One person i know of has acheived a great balance between bling and style. He lives in LA his CVN name is something like losangelesp71.

check for him on Cardomain.com under the ford ----> crown victoria section.

The 20's I was looking into was a set of 20" Cobra R's with the proper offset....they look awesome and not too flashy. And for tires, I'd go with 255/35-20. I would like 245/40-20 and 275/35-20 but they are more pricey and the height may be too tall for the front. My stock SAP 17" tires are very close to the inner fender well when the wheel is turned. If you do the math, a 255/35-20 and a 235/55-17 are roughly the same height. Any taller and it may rub.

The 275/40-18's did give my car a definite gain in cornering and still have a decent amount of sidewall to protect the rim and not give a harsh ride.

Oh- that will look perfect!

Huh, didn't know that SVT made 20 inch wheels. Have the SVT cobras on my 95 T Bird. Just got an '03 Sport and like the wheels. But if I could get 20 inch SVT's that may just be an option. I am having my spoiler painted as we speak (oem).
Oh, looks like I'm out my husband said only look alikes in the 20", we do only oem wheels.

Repro wheels These days are no worse than OEM wheels, in fact, they are sometimes better! I wouldnt shun them.

Crown Vic...

I have the cash and would like to talk about your wheels, but that price is too much for me, whats the best we can work out? Email me.

Well I did it! I ordered 4 new wheels this morning.

So my 17" x 9" +23mm offset Cobra R replicas are for sale, along with the tires.

My new wheels should be here next week! Gotta shop for tires now.

C.

I'm in the market, email me your price, I could take them off your hands as early is Monday.

Do it . If you have the money why not? The wheel wells on he Vic are larger than you think. I could have gone as far as 21 inches or more beef on the tires but would have had to compromise the accuracy of the speedometer. Just make sure you get the style of wheel you think looks best on the car, saving a few dollars makes no sense if you don't get the results you want.

If low profile tires are rice then what's the deal with all these really nice Escalades and Tahoes on 24 inch rims ?? They are big American vehicles and as Vicsters we can all agree on one thing, we all love our big cars.

MTL:

In reply to:

---

Well I did it! I ordered 4 new wheels this morning.

---

What did ya buy? Or is it a surprise...hehe.