Go Big with Custom Tires for Custom Ride

Since the birth of the automobile and the days of Henry Ford, automotive technology that was developed on the racetrack has trickled down to the street in one form or another. Fuel injection, overhead valves, multiple camshafts, and disc brakes were all developed to make race cars faster and safer before finding their way onto John Q. Public’s street brawler, and the same can be said for the current explosion in large-diameter wheel/tire technology sweeping through the rod and custom world.

Big-inch rolling stock has been prevalent in dealer showrooms for the better part of a decade, and for good reason. Larger wheels allow for the use of tires with less sidewall and a bigger footprint, which can improve handling. They also leave more clearance inside the wheel for larger disc brakes, and above all else, they can look flat-out bitchin’. For all these reasons and more, a “bigger is better” mantra has swept through the classic-car ranks, inspiring trends like the current Pro Touring craze, which preaches the gospel of big wheels, bigger brakes, and suspension designed for going through the twisties rather than simply blasting down the straights.

The street rod crowd seemed initially hesitant to embrace this trend, possibly due to the significantly increased expense and lack of traditionally styled wheels to suit their cars. However, that has been changing over the last couple years, as more and more wheel manufacturers now offer large-diameter rims modeled after past designs. Tire prices have come down as well, and there are now sizes available to fit large-diameter wheels that have more sidewall than the original rubber-band low-profile treads. When properly fitted, it’s tough to beat the look of a fender full of styled aluminum shod in high-performance rubber. Whether you’re cruising the boulevard in a slammed Merc or flying around the fairgrounds in a topless highboy, a tastefully chosen and well-fitted set of big-inch wheels can achieve a classic look with modern flair and performance.

The Experts Speak

Once you’ve made the choice to fit your ride with new rolling stock, two key decisions need to be made: what to buy and what size you’ll need. We would no sooner attempt to tell you which wheel to buy then we would pick out lingerie for another man’s wife, but we decided to ask a few experts for help in the second category.

Wheel/tire/suspension guru Phil Schmidt, owner of PS Engineering, says his company is cranking out more big-inch renditions of vintage wheel styles then ever before. According to him, the key to obtaining the perfect fit is through precise measurements and proper communication between the car owner and the wheel manufacturer. “You can’t just pull specs out of thin air,” Schmidt explains. “I listen as best as I can to what the customer is building, then ask a few questions to figure out what I need to know. With street rods, the variation of parts married together can be unbelievable, so I like to have owners use their current wheel to get a baseline measurement. We can use that to figure out if they want to go wider, taller, farther out in the wheelwell, and so on.”

Wheel Vintiques owner Mike Stahl agrees, claiming that while fitting a street rod with standard size 14- and 15-inch-diameter wheels becomes relatively simple with experience, wedging 17-inch and bigger wheels under street rod fenders that are often designed with compound curves and sweeping lines can be tricky. “We send customers measurement charts and ask them to take 15-20 measurements,” Stahl says. “You should always start with the wheel that’s on there now, because that’s what works. If you want your new wheels to be closer to the outside of the fender, then that can be adjusted with backspacing and rim width. If you want something taller, then modify the wheel diameter and tire size.”

While moving up from one wheel size to the next sounds pretty basic, we wanted some more facts on fitting maximum wheel into minimum space. To get the nitty gritty details, we turned to American Racing’s Vintage Brand Manager Hoppy Hopkins, who hauled out his trick ’55 Chevy pickup (which was chosen as one of R&C’s 100 Best last year) to give us some step-by-step instruction. As you’ve followed along, Hoppy fills the gaping fenders of his pickup with American Racing’s newest addition to its vintage line (and tribute to its veteran brand manager), the 17-inch Hopster.