Ugly Wheels for Our Ugly Racer

Update by Alan Cesar to the Lincoln Mark VII project car
Oct 18, 2011

When paired with new summer-grade tires to replace our long-wearing all-seasons, these will help us run with the big dogs at our next race.

Though our racer came to us with some racy-looking Aero wheels, they’re a mere 15 inches in diameter. This puts us at a real disadvantage against similar cars on track; the front runners in Crown Vics and the like have 17-inch wheels with meaty tires, not measly two-oh-fives. Thus, we began searching for an upgrade.

Sure, we could’ve spent thousands on super-lightweight racing wheels: Crapcan races allow a pretty much unlimited budget on wheels and tires. But our own budget isn’t that big, and besides, high-dollar, high-visibility hardware only encourages the judges to slap down big penalties.

Thankfully, the craigslist mojo was strong with us recently. We found a set of split three-spoke Mustang GT wheels for a mere $70. These are wide enough to handle considerably wider tires—sizes that just aren’t available for 15-inch wheels. When paired with new summer-grade tires to replace our long-wearing all-seasons, these will help us run with the big dogs at our next race. They’ll also be the single biggest improvement to our mechanical grip and lap times.

There are a few added bonuses to these wheels. At roughly 20 pounds, they’re no heavier than the steel wheels they replace. Plus, their hot-in-the-mid-‘90s styling is downright hideous today, keeping us looking low-budget while still installing a serious upgrade.

Comments

Displaying 1-3 of 3 commentsView all comments on the GRM forums

You'll need to log in to post.

Sponsored by