Modern wheels look shit on old car thread

[Rustybullethole]

51 minutes ago, Soundwave said:

Seen at a show waaaay back in 2007... MGA on Halfords special multifits.

They fill the arches nicely.

So would a bin lid.

[Rustybullethole]

1 hour ago, eddyramrod said:

No.

There's nothing better on a 1969-74 Capri than a RoStyle; 74-on demands an RS 4-spoke.

Got me thinking there... Do like an RS four spoke though they are done to death. 

For alloys i'd go with these.

Though have always quite liked pepper pots. 

Here's another Capri looking hard on minishites

Banded dartboards would be my first choice for any old ford i think.

I digress, sorry.

 

[eddyramrod]

Dartboards are almost as good as RoStyles on a Cortina - any Cortina tbh.

[Spiny Norman]

10 hours ago, eddyramrod said:

One thing I will contribute: I absolutely hate seeing old cars wearing a tyre profile below about 70%.  It's RONG.

(WiFeY's new whites are 75% on 14" rims, as God intended.)

Very this. Apart from looking wrong it does hateful things to the car's ride & handling, especially if it's combined with lowered suspension.  Cars from the 70s were designed to have wheel travel and sidewall flex. 45 profile tyres simply didn't exist for road cars back then.

 

[DavieW]

Wolfies all the way on a Z. Not these.

[Datsuncog]

Nope.

On several levels, here.

[FakeConcern]

Funnily enough I just saw some pics from a recent Ford show and pretty much all of them illustrate the point.

This is the worst one for me

Then cars with correct style, but too big

 

[RayMK]

@FakeConcern I'd forgive the orange Fiesta because it looks superb.

[danthecapriman]

Capri’s, imho, all look best on steel’s. Either dartboard’s or the dog dish hub cap type. 5.5J dartboard’s are the dogs danglies!
4 spokes are a very nice option too, proper RS ones or the later Laser version. 
Slot-mags for that period muscle car style?? 
Cortina’s, imho, dartboards again. Although a mk3 with slot-mags looks great imho.

The old skool Ford Yo gang are notoriously bad for taste in wheels. They’re mainly either - too big, too modern, not enough dish, fucking ugly or just do not suit the car. 

But, the absolute undisputed champion, as a bunch, for appalling wheel choices are the American car ‘scene’. Some absolutely gorgeous cars ruined with absolutely gopping oversized modern alloys which seems to be unfortunately common. 
With American cars I’ve always been of the opinion that the manufacturers used steel wheels for a reason and then went to the effort of designing and making some really lovely wheel trims for them which suit the cars - so why take them off and fit fugly modern alloys!?

Still, your car your choice I suppose.

[danthecapriman]

21 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Thinking about it I had a Rover 114i SLi fitted with those horrid triple spoke alloys.

My sister had a mk4 Fiesta with those wheels on😄

[Metal Guru]

On 12/10/2025 at 07:56, Marina door handles said:

Most modernised rally Escorts sit on big wheels and look completely wrong.. Just say no kids!

I think they’d look ok in white.

[vtec-e]

@FakeConcern the silver Fiesta Turbo looks OK with black wheels, and I am no fan of black wheels normally. I'd agree with the others though!

 

[dome]

On 12/10/2025 at 07:56, Marina door handles said:

Most modernised rally Escorts sit on big wheels and look completely wrong.. Just say no kids!

Any bigger than 15" and they do look wrong, I agree.

But, seeing them in action, I'll forgive the modernised ones a hell of a lot of sins. In the right hands they are fucking epic👌

 

[UltraWomble]

Nope.

[eddyramrod]

6 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Nope.

On several levels, here.

I actually don't mind those.  Decent RWD offset; decent tyre profile (likely 70%); not oversized by any means, just usefully wider than standard.  I'd happily drive that.

[DavieW]

6 hours ago, FakeConcern said:

 

 

Fiesta looks OK with them. Black bonnet a no-no though.
Escort wheels are fine too but need 60 profile and not the stupid 50 profile that seems to be norm just now.

[mat777]

On 12/10/2025 at 16:10, Erebus said:

I think Saabs might be the only cars it's acceptable to have three spoke wheels on

 

On 12/10/2025 at 16:47, Tayne said:

Ahem!

 

 

See also:

[chaseracer]

1 hour ago, UltraWomble said:

Nope.

Not a lot of choice in 5x98 PCD.  Alfa, or... well, Alfa.

[D.E]

[dean36014]

If anyone hates the stupid 16 inch rims on my Bx, feel free to buy it and put the GTi rims back on🤣

[UltraWomble]

2 minutes ago, dean36014 said:

If anyone hates the stupid 16 inch rims on my Bx, feel free to buy it and put the GTi rims back on🤣

Im not keen, but then again I never liked the Speedline alloys either & always slapped steelies back on the BX's I had.

[grogee]

[captain_70s]

One of few easy wheel options for Dolomite/Toledos is the MGF/TF.

Personally I reckon they look naff and oversized and make the cars ride too high.

On the flipside, how about these equally ill fitting wires?

[Sportshatch]

5 hours ago, UltraWomble said:

Nope.

Love that colour.

[MarinaJosh]

9 hours ago, UltraWomble said:

Im not keen, but then again I never liked the Speedline alloys either & always slapped steelies back on the BX's I had.

I did a double take there when I realised that's the set of wheels I sold a few years ago pictured sitting on my old living room carpet!

The reason I sold them? I found a complete set of original GTi wheel trims. Annoyingly, my BX GTi had an original set of trims on it not long before I bought it.

A previous owner decided to literally bin them and fitted these...

[UltraWomble]

And those plates can get in the sea too.

[FakeConcern]

9 hours ago, captain_70s said:

 

 

On the flipside, how about these equally ill fitting wires?

I was never a fan of wire wheels on 60s sports cars in the 60s let alone these new ones. I spotted this in Rye and thought they looked particularly awful.

Thread drift but, number plate...

[5speedracer]

On 12/10/2025 at 16:27, yes oui si said:

 

Minilites are shite on capris.

Three spokes are best spokes.

Period-correct ATS option three spokes are best Capri wheels:

FFS man, are you on drugs?

[MrBig]

If I ever finish my beetle it's going to be universally hated on here 🫣

[EyesWeldedShut]

1 hour ago, FakeConcern said:

I was never a fan of wire wheels on 60s sports cars in the 60s let alone these new ones. I spotted this in Rye and thought they looked particularly awful.

 

 

Yeah - I hate plastic cladding too.
Oh... hang on, you mean THOSE wheels? Agree - utterly dire - now these would be the ones I'd have on a late model Stag (simply as I lusted after a 2500S with them fitted back in the day)