Wheel advice for my AUII Fairmont

[TUF-640]

Hi guys, looking at changing my wheels (since having the car in my family from new ive started to get a bit sick of these tickford 17s :P)

Now the cars got tickford lowering up front and king spring super lows in the back (in an attempt to have a level looking car) my driveway is horrible so going lower would be death lol
Ive read that vic laws state having smaller rims than what came on it from factory renders it as illegal yet my tyre card sticker thing in the door has 215/60/16 on it as well as the 235/45/17 and as i spoke to the boss at a tyre shop he said you are allowed to run what size is on the card (in other words i can run 16s)
with all that said i was thinking about running chasers on it (dads ba ute has them so i did a swap over this afternoon but it looks like a taxi, not a fairmont lol) which has opted me to change to something a little more classy, then i thought of getting some series II fairmont 16s or even the fairmont ghias (as ive seen them on lowered au's and i think they look pretty good)
my final option was to run au fairlane ghia rims but im really not sure how they'll look on my car (as its not a boat)

just wanted some opinions on what you guys think i should do as im not really intersted in massive 19 or 20' rims because i cant afford them let alone replace the tyres (plus being on red ps, it'll be a cop magnet and i dont have the time for that)

so as ive rambled on a bit now, basically i just want a second opinion or two on running some sort of factory looking 16s (and let me know if you do have a set of AUII fairmonts coz i cant find any anywhere) or should i just keep it on what its got?

Thanks in advance

[xrford]

something with a machined face similar to what the tickford rims look like theres heaps of BA/BF copy factory designs floating around.
otherwise i reckon aftermarket rims like 2 piece spoked rims in 17's or 18's sometimes just dont look right and definately need to be bigger

[TUF-640]

Alright then, thanks for your advice. I was looking into getting some BA GT-Ps in 19s but they're really hard to find these days but i think they would really set off the car as (like you say) they are highly polished on the face and have a similar design to my tickford 17s
i think www.thewheeldeal.com.au still stock them but then again im looking at big bucks for tyres :(
hopefully ill work something out soon, thanks for the help

[tickfrd6]

hey mate I'm the same I'm sick of the 17" tickfords. I went into wheels mags in Preston today and had a look at their rims there. Apparently they are the cheapest in Melbourne too. They have replica fpv wheels there as well as the BA xr8 18". They let me put a set of dark agent matt black wheels against my car too. I got quoted $2000 for 19" with nexen tyres and that's without haggling. If you want I can give you their number to give you prices on wheels that they have.

Cheers
Matt

[TUF-640]

Thanks Matt, im from Geelong so ive popped into the tyre factory that we have down here, the bloke that runs the place there seems like he knows what hes talking about (they put my springs in the back and did the new shocks, everything works as it should so i trust their work) he quoted me matt blacks for $1850 fitted balanced the works. I do remember finding something on ebay a few weeks back from another melbourne tyre shop, i think it was $1500 or $1550 with tyres (for the matt blacks) but im not sure if they stopped running that deal. If you want i can find their number for you and you can give them a call to see if they can still do it at that price but it's all up to you.
I was thinking about going for the whole black on black look but i have a feeling it'll go out of fashion (even though it does look insane haha)

xrford, just saw your car on aufalcon.com i must say your car is the neatest, cleanest example of an au ive seen in my life . I was thinking about getting the same kaliburs as yours but i think theres an issue with ordering in a 19'' option as a mate tried getting some for his commodore but they kept getting cut back (cant remember exactly what the bloke said at the tyre factory)

[tickfrd6]

Wow that's an even better deal. If you could give me their number that would be great. I reckon go the matt black only because I haven't seen them on any fords yet. Or even the black cobra wheels. Either way your car would the awsome with black on black. I don't think black wheels will date quick. Black is the new chrome ahah.
Actually I might go into the tyre factory in Thomas town or sunshine tomorow and see what price they give me and compare it to the price you got.

Matt

[TUF-640]

Hmmm thats what i was thinking, 'black is the new chrome' i like that haha
i just found the link i had saved in my ebay account

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....=STRK:MEWAX:IT

their phone numbers on the listing, although it does say special this week only blah blah blah i remember it being relisted a good 3 times over

as for seeing other aus with the black on black combo, i found this a while back and it tempted me so much to buy some lol
http://www.aufalcon.com.au/cgi-bin/i...act=item&i=863

while were at it, got these put up to my car (last saturday i think it was) Equus Genevas, i think they look insane but he quoted me $2200 for 20s or $1900 for 19s i think the 20' price is a bit out of my budget but we'll see how that goes. Only thing im worried about is the roads around here, i think the potholes and cracked asphalt will damage them. Ill go back down to ttf and have a chat with them i guess

[tickfrd6]

Those rims look nuts!!! And that's not a bad price for the 20" either. What the biggest size you will go? I think I'll only go up to 19" as I'm still on my red P's and don't want a defect for going 3" over standard size unlike my neighbour he went and put 22" on his vx gts they are massive LOL. Oh yeh the roads here are just shocking. Pot holes everywhere and you feel the bumps even more on lowered suspension especialy on ultra lows. Those typhoons for 1450 have been there for a while I saw them when I looked but triangle tyres I'm not to sure of. I've already had bad expirience with crappy tyres.
Yep agreed black on black it is. Just go for it you won't regret it.. It looks tuff.

Matt

[TUF-640]

I know right, my mate kept telling me to get them but i thought they wouldnt look any good on my car but then i was shocked lol
since i got my ls i planned on all this stuff for the car (bought it from new coz it was my parents) so i pretty much had plans for it from day one :P i was gunna put 20s on it but i dont think it really needs it, ive seen other au's out on 19s and they seem to fill the gaurds quite nicely.
well apparently your max wheel size is measured off the top range model (in our case, TS50s had 18s) so technically speaking we are allowed 20s but i find it to be a load of crap and ill stick to the usual 2'' bigger and go for 19s
its already lowered with super lows in the back (got a set of 4 ultras in the garage) but im not sure if i really wanna go lower, as it is its bad enough on my driveway but everywhere else its fine lol but it was a crap ride from the day we bought it, never understood why so i was thinking of getting the front shocks redone at the same time then run super lows all round to stay legal and hopefully keep me away any decents lol

[tickfrd6]

I say go for those ones I'm with your mate and if not those then go the typhoons. Either way your cars gonna look tuff with black on black. Your driveway must be pretty steep man I've got ultra lows on mine and it's still got clearance on my steep driveway. If you want I'll post up a pic tomorow to show you how your car would sit on ultra lows?Does yours have IRS? I reckon the wheel size off the top range model is crap too just play it safe especially on your P's.

[Uncle_Ken]

Originally Posted by TUF-640

.... Only thing im worried about is the roads around here, i think the potholes and cracked asphalt will damage them.

This is a good point to remember. I had an RX7 and I had to sell it because were I worked I could not take any road without the tyres hitting the guards close to work (the car was very low, at one part the road dipped at an intersection so bad I had to slow down to 10 klms to stop bottoming out.) It drove me nuts.

UK

[TUF-640]

tickfrd6 - i'll be heading down to ttf this afternoon to have a chat with kev there about those wheels because he said i'd be looking at a 12 week wait on getting them in 19s (already has 20s in stock), i mean im prepared to wait but its coming up winter and my tyres are about 1mm away from the indicators :/ i was also looking into getting equus kaliburs (like xrford's there) but only if he has them or can order them in (ill have to get a set put up to the car though)
cars got live axle up back, ive got an idea of how it will sit with ultra lows in it, but wont it make my car illegal? if you wouldnt mind could you please measure the distance between the ground and the metal u shaped things under the car near the centre muffler with a hole through it (no idea what its called or what it does) and that will give me a rough idea of where it'll sit - or you can just take a picture for me :P both is good .
my driveway is hell lol got the exhaust done, on tickford springs it was fine, got the back dropped with supers then the tip started scraping like fingernails on a chalkboard so i took it back and got them to put the tip into the bumper more (chopped out the plastic where the tip sits) but now it still strapes if i dont come in on enough of an angle :(. Speed bumps no problem (have some of the worst at my school and it clears them no problem)
i have seen another au down here in geelong with 19s and super lows all round, looks pretty good but im not sure if ill need ultras in the back to have it sitting level :(

UK - Sounds like everything that i was trying to avoid lol but i dont think rubbing is really a problem on aus (will only be running super lows in the front and possibly ultras in the back) but we'll see what the wheel shop guy says about all this

Thanks guys

[tickfrd6]

Just got out to the car and measured from the centre muffler. Was hard to get under but I measured 11 cm from ground to centre muffler so you will be legal by 1cm ahaha. Ill find a pic and post it up later on of how it sits on the 17s.

Matt

[tickfrd6]

There you go. The car has dropped a little bit more just sitting above the tyres now. that was taken before the springs had settled.

Matt

[TUF-640]

Looks pretty good, mine measures about 125mm at the centre muffler thats why i thought i could still run SSL's in the back but apparently the legal measurement is 100mm with a full car load therefore making it illegal
you running super lows in the front? Coz i was looking at getting that done this arvo but then the front will be dropped more than the rear (and i dont want that look lol)
spoke to a few ppl at ttf too, kev (the owner) said i could run 20s as there was a 245/40/18 option on the fairmonts but then i said to him i dont want any cop trouble, then hes like 'we'll they'll try get you for anything they can, as you technically have done something wrong then they'll probz do you for it. Then because you're in the wrong you'll have to put it back on what you've got' so pretty much i could be wasting 2k
so now im back to square one with either getting new tyres or running 16s....great haha

[mik]

i had the usual series 2 xr6 wheels on mine , for my 49 th bithday my young brother borrowed my car for a couple of hours , anyway he came back about 6 hours later , i was about to have a piece of him because i wanted to go out, then i noticed he had fitted 18 inch wheels on my baby, these were wheels i had been admireing some years earlier on one of his mates supra`s, to make a long story short they look really good, xr`s already have harder spring rates, i added koni`s to make it a little better , now with 18`s and low profile tyres it rides pretty harshly, the rims are more suseptible to pot hole damage and their are some clearance issues on mine, all in all i would`nt go past 17`s, personally i think 17`s are the happy medium, they do look nice and it handles like a race car around corners, but aquaplanes like a monster in the wet, my brother paid a good dollar for the wheels and went to a lot of trouble to get them so i`ll stick with them , but good points aside i would much prefer the the old wheels and freedom to drive over our crappy roads without worrying about every pothole, pick your wheels wisely , i might also add, take into account if the wheels are damaged easily when fitting new tyres and also proximity to gutters.

[tickfrd6]

Nah I'm running ssl's all round front and back. It sits pretty level. Don't forget that when you put 19s on it will raise your cars height so you will still be within legal limit and they won't be able to get you or your height or your wheel size so you should be right. I still think those rims above look awsome on your car.

Mik so your 18s are rubbing? I was told I woulnt have any issues with clearance if I run 19x8. I could always roll the lip if I have any rubbing issues.

[mik]

here`s a pic of my wheels, it wouldn`t load first up too big.

[tickfrd6]

They are a nice set of rims mik they go with the silver.

[mik]

thank mate, i love the look of them and they are a good qaulity rim and very strong but the spokes protrude a little so you must be on gaurd all the time, they are also finished in shadow chrome,which is sorta like a chrome paint, while loading one into the boot about to put new tyres on i had one standing upright (silly me) while my brother was standing next to me, next thing i hear bang .... landed on its face(brother was really ****ed) .......cost me $200 to repair the finish (which is quite soft), after that i took the same 2 to put tyres on explained how easily damaged they were to the tyre guy, one wheel was brand new the other just refinished , both came back with damage, for a track car/weekender they`d be excellent but as daily i would never buy this style of wheel .

[TUF-640]

nice wheels mik, seen them on other silver au's and they suit them so well

well basically where im at at the moment is keeping the car on what its got, as ive found from everyones advice going bigger will make my ride even worse (bad enough as it is so that will just be death lol) and going smaller is somewhat a down grade to running genuine tickfords (plus i lose my 8'' wide 235 fatness :P)

but as i noticed last night they do actually look half decent in the dark, perfect amount of polished finish to look good from the street lights ;)

thanks for all the help guys, keep posting up your thoughts/cars if you wish as im always keen on peoples opinions

looks like im just going for new tyres all round (hence why i was looking at other rims rather than replacing these if i didnt say that already)

just a quick question tickfrd6 - if you dont mind me asking what was your bad experience with crappy tyres? (was looking at some in the newspaper ttf advertised for $105 each but doesnt say what brand and seeing its got dunlops on it at the moment, having cheap tyres could be a down grade in terms of tyre life and road noise etc)

[mik]

Originally Posted by tickfrd6

Nah I'm running ssl's all round front and back. It sits pretty level. Don't forget that when you put 19s on it will raise your cars height so you will still be within legal limit and they won't be able to get you or your height or your wheel size so you should be right. I still think those rims above look awsome on your car.

Mik so your 18s are rubbing? I was told I woulnt have any issues with clearance if I run 19x8. I could always roll the lip if I have any rubbing issues.

sorry tickfrd6 i must have been in a daze i missed your Question, yep on full lock it touches the rail, its very slight, and there are no apparent sign`s of tyre wear from this, but if the vic roads crew were to do an inspect they would`nt like it , the width of the wheel and offset comes into play here too i think, i have`nt had any issues with gaurd rubbing surprisingly, mine are 235/40 18 on the front and 255/35/18 ....9 inch rims on the rear (no problems on the rear).

[azza11]

I will have to post up pics of my 18" cheetahs, machined lip, black mesh centres, 18x8, nice dish, no fouling. My wags white looks good with these wheels. I run 235's and 245's, cost 1250 new. 20's are on wish list.

AZZA

[tickfrd6]

TUF-640 trust me don't go cheap on the tyres it's worth the extra money. I've had many bad things happen.. One times the road was wet right after it raining and I was going around a round about and there was a truck about 30 meters behind and I spun out . Spun about 2 times lucky the truck wasn't closer or I would have been wiped out. Cheap Chinese tyres don't grip in the wet. I wouldn't risk it buddy. I only have them because they came with the car when I bought it. What ever you do don't down grade to a smaller rim ahah just keep your tickfords on and get good tyres.

Mik now you have got me worried about rubbing issues. What would I have to do to stop it? Roll the guards I gues.

Matt

[mik]

i think my issue is mostly the rim offset, in my case a wheel spacer might be the go, i don`t really know what my wheels originally came off, i reckon the wheel bloke would have the details on the correct offset and maximum tyre width for you, maybe borrow a wheel or 2 like you intend to put on from somewhere and look at your clearance`s, you may not have to alter anything.

come on Azza show us your wheels.

[TUF-640]

oh i never realised they were that bad. My mate runs cheap tyres on his 17s (but its commodore :P) and i dont think he really has any problems (then again he doesnt really drive it in the wet) in terms of road noise they seem pretty good compared to my dunlops
and they can take abuse from our other mate smashing them into a kerb and slicing the rubber 2cm in width, dont ask how they wernt totally destroyed lol

so with better rubber, what sort of brands should i be looking at?

[tickfrd6]

If you still want budget tyres that are good... I would personally go Khumo Ku31 my brother has them on his subaru liberty turbo and recomends them.. That what I will be getting.

[TUF-640]

Alright then, i was thinking of getting some nexens coz apparently they are similarly made or something
but now im back on rims, people keep convincing me to get some (although my parents arnt on my side coz they think its over the top lol) and yes thats how easy i change my mind back and forward
i did find a rather good deal though, a set of genuine (fakes dont exist i dont think) 3000km old 19'' fg turbo option wheels with dunlop sp max treads for $1400 i just dont know how they will look in my car

[HLC]

chasers look crap on fairmonts.

unless they have BIG whitewalls.

i hate my chasers now- no white walls :(

paint your ticky wheels. thats what im doing to mine!

[TUF-640]

well for that matter chasers look crap on any au lol saw an ex taxi today n im like arrrhh so not having my car look like that

i was actually gunna do that but i wont sleep at night knowing ive slightly ruined the precious genuine tickfords :P even though my clear coat is bubbling/peeling a hell of a lot and gutters + my driving just dont work to well lol
i did find some for sale like yours so i was thinking possibly buy them, then fill all the gutter scrapes and paint them matt black with a silver lip. But in the end i dont want it to not suit my car and ive gone out and wasted a fair bit of time and money

plus i cleaned up the wheels today with some good old budget $2 wheel cleaner :P now i remember from the first time i did it about a month ago why i wanted to keep the tickfords so much