Rear wheels are Wheel Vintiques reproductions 15 x 7 , they look funny and I think they look like crap. I mixed them with the factory 14 x 6 on the front, the repro's use the 14" center and the rim looks out of wack when compared with the factory wheel, the rim looks way too thick. Man I hate wasting money on crap like this. Just so ya know.


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I don't see the difference, I think they look good.

 

I like them too. I wonder if they make them in 5x5 lug and in 15x9

 

I see what you mean regarding the 14" center on a 15" wheel. At first glance I didn't see anything. I'm betting however you're the only one who will notice, that is, until you show someone else.

I do feel for you bro. I figure if you're like me, every time you look at your car you're eyes are gonna be drawn to that mismatch/blemish/scratch/door ding or whatever first. Possibly you can sell those wheels on Craigslist and recoup as much as possible than get exactly what you envision.

Chris

 

I don't really see a difference in the 2 sets

 

Well they don't look like crap, but they are noticeably different than stock. Have you called WV and discussed this with them? Show them the comparisons and ask for an explanation. When you spend this kind of money on wheels there should be some kind of support from the company. Did you not compare the WV wheels with the OEMS before you mounted the tires?

 

I think its because you mixed them. I don't know much about this vintage of factory wheels. But the 1960's and 70's SSII and SSIII used the same center in both 14 and 15 inch wheels. If you had 15" on all four corners I think they would look fine.


John


I just remembered.... check out this site and click on the wheels tab on the left. It will show you factory wheels that look much like your aftermarket rear wheels.

http://texas442.com/

 

the way i understand it, the centers are all the same. so the rims must be wider/thicker to do 15's........right?

 

I think they look good, great ride you have too

 

Its the height of the "step" in the outter part of the rim where the difference in height is. As others have said, the center part is the same for both sizes.

Solution? Buy 14" trim rings for the front and 15" for the back, and the difference will disappear.

I like those rims with the chromed accents, but the "chromed" step in the rim always looked terrible to me, thats why the OEM wheels used trim rings. They just look better without that "step".

Even the chrome SS1's look better wiht a trim ring instead of just the chromed "step"

my $.02

 

I see the difference. No big shakes on my part, I like those wheels!
I have a set barely used sitting in my attic. Keeping on hand due to the 14" rubber on my 70 is getting hard to get.

Pat

 

Yeah they are alittle different but they look good.
If it botheres you that much get the other two too match which ever ones you can find the best deal on and call it a day.
But they look fine the way it is too.

 

I agree your mixing and they look a bit different, I really think it's your tire selection that makes them look odd.

 

15" rims on all four corners will look better...like this.







Those are the same rims that you ordered. 15 x 8s out back with 255 60 15s & 15 x 7s up front with 235 60 15s.

 

That's because Oldsmobile made them the same way. There is only one center stamping for the SSII/III wheels. The 15" rims have a larger drop in the middle to use this same center disk. My 69 H/O factory SSII wheels are exactly the same.

 

Sorry, no. Here's a 69 H/O wheel. The only difference is that the aftermarket wheels use the chrome G-body center. The wide rim is the same.

 

Also Olds made a very slight change to the center of the SSII/III wheel in the mid-'70s (1974-ish?) when they went to snap-on center caps. Only detail-oriented, former mechanical draftsman, wack-jobs like myself probably notice .

Compare them here and you'll see what i mean.

http://www.texas442.com/wheels/

 

[QUOTE=joe_padavano;506242]Sorry, no. Here's a 69 H/O wheel. The only difference is that the aftermarket wheels use the chrome G-body center. The wide rim is the same.


Re-po 69 HO rims were also available until last spring. Here is a set on my 72 W-30. Again 15 x 7" on front with 225 70 15s & 15 x 8" out back with 275 60 15s. Exact same chrome rim with a different center.


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The change to snap-on centers is more that a very slight change. For one thing, the snap-on center wheels are much more difficult to properly install on a wheel balancer. On the positive side, there are like half a dozen different wheel centers for snap-on wheels, from ones that look like smaller versions of the bolt-on centers to the plain round centers to the "starfish" centers.

 

Thanks for all the input, I agree if I put the 15's all around it would look better, but then I think the tire size also becomes a factor here. As noted by oldcutlass, I had 235 60's on these wheels first and they looked weird, so I put 215 70's on them and this is how they look now, I have 205 70's on the front.


RAMBOW I like your idea on the trim!!! I did try the trim ring deal on the fronts and agree, as I have a set of 14" rings, they look much better I need to grab some 15" rings for the rear.

 

I like the rims......

 

I don't think they look that bad.... But, from my personal perspective, I would use four of the same size, either 14's or 15's will look great on that wagon.....

 

+1

If/when going for a slight rake ... I'd rather it be built into the suspension so all (4) tires can be the same size.

I'd do 255/60/15's all around.

If you absolutely have to have bigger tires in the back vs the front ...

275/60/15's out back w/the 255/60 in front.

 

I agree with thepackrat.. If you put bigger tires on the rear it will look 10x better.

 

x2 imo.

 

I think the new rims look pretty good too.

 

Does anyone know how many companies make the SS1's, and is any companies wheels better than the others? I have heard that some of the wheels are difficult to balance.

I think his wheels look good, I agree a larger back tire thats a big wheel well opening.

 

A64olz if you decide to sell those wheels let me know I need a set

 

They look fine just stick with 15'' or 14'' Olds made good looking rally wheels they work well with the car. A lot of after market wheels bring down the look of the car.

 

I love the way they look 15x10 back 15x8 front.

 

They do look good

 

I just happen to have a set of 15" SS II with bolt on centers. They've been repainted agent and ready to go p,m me if you want them.