$10,000 worth of wheels on a $300 car.....

[electra225]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24lDjxiyqjI

[TC Chris]

Well, we all have our aesthetic preferences, and for my money most of those wheels fall into the same category as "Mediterranean" consoles. But what amazes me is the ultra-low profile tires. Here in the land of freeze-thaw cycles and gigantic potholes, you'd get about half a block before you busted the rim. Up here we've gotta have some cushion.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

There seems to be a VERY fine line between "asthetic preferences" and poor taste.

[MEZLAW]

There seems to be a VERY fine line between "asthetic preferences" and poor taste.

I couldn't agree more!

[electra225]

Out here, there are no bumper height laws and you can run reversed wheels, "training wheels" where the tires are outside of the fenders. In Missouri they were outlawed because it would throw mud. Our here, in broken windshield heaven, getting passed by tall trucks with training wheels equals a busted windshield. They don't believe in mud flaps and those stinking diesel exhaust pipes exit exactly the same height as the driver's door window of a Mini Cooper......

[hermitcrab]

bicycle tires on cars was never a thing that enthused me ...and those pickups that run the tires half way out of the fenders... I would not trust those hubs to stand the abuse... the strain on the lugs nuts must be crazy....

[19&41]

Every time i see a rig like that, all I can think is... The circus is coming! the circus is coming! And then a load of little clowns fall out.

[MEZLAW]

I never liked those wheels! It looks too much like a 1950's baby carriage!

It is getting hard to find 14 and 15 inch tires anymore! I have a 1996 Ford Ranger e/w 4cyl. engine.....it came with 14 inch tires. I recently installed 16 inch Explorer wheels just to make it easy to get tires. In order not to have wheels which are too big, I had to get low profile tires which are starting to look a little like these "baby buggies" we see on the road today!

[TC Chris]

My current Ranger is a 2005, 4 cyl., 2 dr., manual transmission, bought used in 2006. What a sweet vehicle. It's the color vehicles are supposed to be, red. As usual in Michigan, the life-limiting factor is rust. But this one will have to last as long as possible because Rangers now are all multi-doored, tiny-bedded, auto transmission SUV wannabes. If I wanted an SUV I'd buy one. I want a nice little truck. And a manual transmission to keep the thieves away:

stick-shift-jeep.jpg (163.43 KiB) Viewed 10461 times

Chris Campbell

[MEZLAW]

My 1996 Ranger as also a manual transmission. I believe Ford discontinued most or all manual transmissions around 2011. I do have the extended cab but only 2 doors. It does have the 6.5 foot bed. The weather here is very mild when compared to Michigan so I hope to keep my Ranger running for years to come.

[electra225]

When I take the Buick to a car show, I leave the ignition unlocked. The keyring drags on the instrument panel and messes up the paint, so I just leave the ignition to the "off" position, but not locked. I had a guy ask me one time if I was concerned about theft. "Nope" says I. First, they have to know how to set the choke. You can crank that old 401 until you burn up the starter and it won't fire a lick until the choke is set, completely. Then, if they get it started, they won't be able to find reverse. If somebody is man enough to push a 4800-pound Buick to steal it, he is a bigger man than I am.....

I run Hankook radials now. Still 15", not all that hard to get at Discount Tire. They ride nice, steer nice, probably the best money I ever spent on that car. The only downside is I can't get the tires clean. The whitewalls aren't white. The next set, mounted on a set of Mark 4 road wheels, will be Michelins.

Those big goofy-looking wheels ruin the wheel well arches. Car designers went to great lengths back in the day to make the car flow visually. Makes car look like a hay rake.....

[William]

I too have a Ford Ranger, it's a 1994, 4-cylinder long box stick and it's very rusty. This maybe it's last year on the road. It's getting so when I shut the door rusty sheet metal falls off. I hate to lose this vehicle. It runs great, drives great, and just keeps going mechanically. It will be a sad day when I have to let it go. I need to travel to rust free lands and find a new, previously owned one to replace this on.

Bill

[electra225]

Rust may be the bane back there, but, out here, rust doesn't get the junk. Lots of vehicles running around here that aren't safe to be on the road.