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I thought it would be fun to get rim suggestions from everyone over the winter (1985 F150). Now that the paint is done on my truck I want to add some nice rims to set it off. I want to go with chrome rims to accent the chrome that is already on the truck and I am thinking I will go with 18" rims (I may look at some 17" suggestions). I want something that will make the truck pop but without making it look tacky. I will be adding front leveling coils as well since the stock coils are shot. Tire size that they recommend for the level are 32x11.5 so I won't be going any smaller then that (I will need to figure out what size I can fit). Leave your suggestions below so I can check them out! Thanks.
A couple rims I have had my eyes on are:
-XD Badlands
-American Racing AR23 (I like how they look but its not really a chrome finish)
Have you looked into tire in the 32x11.5x18 or 32x11.5x17 size?
If there are not a lot out there in that size(s) then why the 18/17size?
Do you know the size wheel is needed to support the 32x11.5 tire? May be a 10"?
What size tire/wheel is on the truck now? Going taller (32") can hurt performance.
Also what is the bolt pattern size?
Just my .02
Dave ----
ok looked up the 2 wheels you posted just to see what they look like........not a fan of the XD badland and "I" would never have them on anything of mine but its not my truck.
Now I did not look up size in either wheel.
But did go to Summit Racing and plugged in 17 & 18x10x4.5 bolt wheel in chrome and came up with 7 wheels 2 for $275, 1 $335, rest about $400 EACH and only1 I might use on my truck if it would work size wise.
So $1600 in just 4 wheels and still need rubber!
Appearance is all about opinions, and asking for opinions is risky, you might get some that you don't like! (And as an aside, I saw a quote recently that I really liked: "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not to their own facts." We now return you to your originally scheduled thread).
Of the two rims you list, I strongly prefer the American Racing for an '85 pickup. In my opinion the Badlands rim would look completely out of place on an older truck. The American Racing AR23 seems to be more of a throw-back style, similar to the 5 spoke steel Jackman wheels available back in the '70s, but with a "modern" (as in '90s) aluminum finish (and I wouldn't go with the black).
My opinion also would be to stay with a 15" or at most 16" rim. I think the 17" rim looks wrong on a truck unless the tires are at least 37" in diameter. 18s need even bigger. If you were lowering the truck and going for more of an autocross look I could see going with bigger rims and really low profile tires, but that truck has more of a classic look to it. If it were my truck I'd stay with wheels that have more of a classic look as well.
But in the end, it's your truck, so your's is the only opinion that matters.
I think i would take a pic of the truck from the side, put it in the puter then grab some pics of rims from google images and PhotoShop the pic with the different rims. I'm partial to old school rims like the Torque Thrust's, chrome reverse's, etc. but that's just me.
I understand that everyone has different opinions and I respect other opinions. I would never take offence to your opinions. I just thought it would be a fun discussion and also nice to see what other people are doing. Picking rims is always tough! It took me forever to pick out my rims for my 2001 GMC Sierra 1500, but luckily I love how it turned out in the end! Its best to not rush into anything. Now I haven't looked into tire sizes much or availability. Right now I am just running stock tire size which I can't remember off hand. I think they look way to small and and dont fill in the wheel wells enough for my liking. I initially thought 18" because I thought it would pop more but I see what you guys are saying with needing bigger tires to make it look good. So I think I am in agreement to stay with a 16" or 17" rim. I am more of a fan of lots of rubber rather then a low profile tire. The reason I say 32" tire is because the Rough Country leveling kit says that will fit on the 2wd models. I am not worried about performance loss as this truck is basically just a summer cruiser for me and I will be upgrading the engine later on down the road. A lot of people wanted me to lower this truck which I am not a huge fan of. Some of these trucks look really nice when lowered but its not my cup of tea. I would rather have a rugged looking truck. I think I would be more for lowering it if it was a short box. Now I am strongly leaning towards the throw back style rims such as the AR23's. The reason I was into the XD Badland rims was because of this picture I found on google, but now that I look at it again I think its the tires that really set them off and the tires are huge haha. So now I am looking for more throw back style suggestions! Thanks for the opinions guys.
If you never use your truck to haul anything heavy, you will be fine with those oversize tires. Put a load of wood in the back and you are in trouble. It's all what you want to use it for.
As these trucks get older and I get older, I find my priorities don't jive as much with the younger crowd who buys these trucks now. They are restoring and cruising around with new wheels and paint jobs, I am still running around with rust holes and hauling firewood. So when I give a opinion, you sort of get where I am coming from.
If you never use your truck to haul anything heavy, you will be fine with those oversize tires. Put a load of wood in the back and you are in trouble. It's all what you want to use it for.
As these trucks get older and I get older, I find my priorities don't jive as much with the younger crowd who buys these trucks now. They are restoring and cruising around with new wheels and paint jobs, I am still running around with rust holes and hauling firewood. So when I give a opinion, you sort of get where I am coming from.
I get where you are coming from for sure. This truck was my Grandpas and I am restoring it. Will be keeping it for life. It will never see snow, mud or heavy work. A little bit of gravel is the worst it will see. Just a nice summer cruiser for me with some sentimental value.
Just a little update on this as I have made some progress. I also need to discuss tire sizes a bit more as all the research I have done has confused me more then anything. I decided to go with a more factory style look and ended up finding some 15" Aluminium rims off a 1996 F150. I have now had the rims refinished and they look brand new again. Here is what they looked like when I bought them.
Now I need to figure out what tire size to go with. As I mentioned previously, the front coils are worn out and sagging badly. So I will be replacing with 2" Leveling coils. My tire decision is between 31X10.5s and 32x11.5s. Most of the info I find online is on 4x4 models which is slightly different and also these rims are slightly different offset compared to my factory steel rims. So I need advice from people who own 2WD models and have ran one of these tire sizes. What will rub and what will not. It is a lot of money to fork out so I don't want the tires to either look to small or end up rubbing badly. Thanks in advance for any help!
I'm sure you know this, but I'll mention anyways. If you go to TireRack.com you can plug in your truck model and the site will show all the wheels (they sell) that fit and they have this feature that shows the car/truck profile with the selected wheels on it.
Also, note that you can install larger wheels than factory (17, 18 , etc.) and still keep the same overall tire diameter as stock. The amount of rubber between the wheel and road just gets smaller as wheel size goes up (and the ride gets rougher). lastly, the bigger the wheel the more expensive the tire.
I'm getting ready to replace my tires (not because of wear but due to dry rot form age) and I have to get new wheels now since you can't buy a tire in a 16.5 rim size anymore. The difference in price between a 17 wheel size 37"OD tire and 18 wheel size is like $100 per tire.
Lastly, I add that be aware if you go with chrome wheels you need to wash/wax regularly or they will rust (at least the ones I've had in the past). I now prefer the clear-coated aluminum or painted wheels on everything.
I'm sure you know this, but I'll mention anyways. If you go to TireRack.com you can plug in your truck model and the site will show all the wheels (they sell) that fit and they have this feature that shows the car/truck profile with the selected wheels on it.
Also, note that you can install larger wheels than factory (17, 18 , etc.) and still keep the same overall tire diameter as stock. The amount of rubber between the wheel and road just gets smaller as wheel size goes up (and the ride gets rougher). lastly, the bigger the wheel the more expensive the tire.
I'm getting ready to replace my tires (not because of wear but due to dry rot form age) and I have to get new wheels now since you can't buy a tire in a 16.5 rim size anymore. The difference in price between a 17 wheel size 37"OD tire and 18 wheel size is like $100 per tire.
Lastly, I add that be aware if you go with chrome wheels you need to wash/wax regularly or they will rust (at least the ones I've had in the past). I now prefer the clear-coated aluminum or painted wheels on everything.
Thanks for the input! I have checked out the TireRack thing and it is helpful and not helpful at the same time haha. If I could add the 2inch front level as an option it would be more helpful. But from what TireRack tells me so far is that the 31x10.5s should fit and the 32x11.5s have a not that says it requires at least a 4inch lift. Whether this is true or not I don't know for sure.
I would like to stay with 15" rims because I like more tire then rim on classic trucks (the price difference is also a plus). When I had my rims refinished I had them put a clear coat on them so they should be easy to maintain at least! Thanks again.
