FAQ: Rims, Wheels that Look Good on the Riv

Almost need to see them on a Riv to be sure, but they do look like a nice wheel.

I think those would look really cool on a riv. especially with painted calipers!

Personally, I think those are very good-looking wheels, but they are a performance wheel, first - not something that looks at home on a Riviera. The dark color and graphics make a strong statement, giving the car a motorsport look, much like BBS or Volk wheels do. $200 is a steal for those if in good shape. If I were going just for looks, I'd try to find a 17 or 18" size in that style. If looking for a track or autocross rim, those 16" OZs are a dream come true. Or, if you just like the look of smaller rims on the Riv, I say get them!

How much do they weigh each?

Very nice wheel but they might look somewhat out of proportion on the Riv. I'd rather have something around a 17-19" size on these cars.

I like 19"s too, but found out they are hard to find and tires are expensive. 18"s with a 45 profile are about as firm a ride as I like.

Wish I could find these that actually fit the Riv...

AA wrote:

Personally, I think those are very good-looking wheels, but they are a performance wheel, first - not something that looks at home on a Riviera. The dark color and graphics make a strong statement, giving the car a motorsport look, much like BBS or Volk wheels do. $200 is a steal for those if in good shape. If I were going just for looks, I'd try to find a 17 or 18" size in that style. If looking for a track or autocross rim, those 16" OZs are a dream come true. Or, if you just like the look of smaller rims on the Riv, I say get them!

I do like smaller rims. Another guy has a set of 17s but he wants $650.

I'm with AA on his one. they look kinda sporty for the Riv. I think if you had a Sqrivi bumper they would look right at home.I'm only sayin this because my Riv has taken on a whole new personality with just a half finished mod bumper
But it's your call....

Hey everyone, i want to give the PA a "meaner" look and thought i do so with putting a slightly wider tire but im not sure..what i should do? Please help lol

I wonder how these wheels would look on a PA. They are 8" wide, so you can run a wider tire too. I always liked the way they look on the Riv, although I think they need a taller tire here to fill the wheel well a bit.

Hmm im not exactly looking for a sportier feel...i wanna keep the luxo-sleeper thing going..

The stock tire size is already pretty wide for the stock 6.5" rim. I wouldn't go too much wider or you are going to get bulging sidewalls and odd surface patterns.

i have 225s on it now...maybe 235s?

Ultra16 wrote:

i have 225s on it now...maybe 235s?

I'm sure a 235/60-16 will fit on the stock rim with no ill affects. That tire will be about 1/2" taller, so it may throw your speedometer accuracy off a bit, and lower numerically, your final gearing.

How about just putting spacers?

Ultra16 wrote:

How about just putting spacers?

Spacers? Why?

So i dont mess with the speed reading and still make the wider look i guess...no?

Ultra16 wrote:

So i dont mess with the speed reading and still make the wider look i guess...no?

Spacers don't change the physical size of a tire. You need to brush up on your basic geometry, LOL. A tire that is taller, will have a larger circumference. You know, Circumference = Pi X Diameter. A larger circumference means for every revolution of the tire, you cover more ground, so you will be going a bit faster than indicated. The error will be small.

Here's a little explanation of tire sizes. Our current tire size designations are a mixture of metric and English measurements. The rim size is measured in inches. We have 16" rims. Our stock tires are P225/60R-16. P stands for passenger car. The 225 is the section width (measured across from side wall to side wall) in millimeters. The 60 is the aspect ratio. It means that the side wall height is 60% of the section width (225 mm). R of course is Radial tire. So the total height or diameter of the tire and wheel together is rim diameter + 2 times the side wall. I like to convert everything to mm, and then convert back to inches after adding things up. There are 25.4 mm in one inch. So the rim is 16 X 25.4 = 406.4 mm. Each side wall is 225 X .60 = 135 mm. So the total height of the tire is 135 + 135 + 406.4 = 676.4mm. converting back to inches, 676.4 mm / 25.4 = 26.63 "

Since the aspect ratio relates the section width of the tire to side wall height, as you go wider on the section width (in your case, from 225 to 235), the overall height of the tire will increase. The P235/60R-16 will be 27.1" tall, about 1/2"

Is your head spinning yet?

Ahhh i see. Thanks a million i really appreciate it!

I know the spacer doesnt change the size of the tire..what i want to do is broaden the LOOK of the tire without effecting the speed reading but what i want to know is will the spacer really make a difference since the ones i have seen arent very wide..

Ultra16 wrote:

I know the spacer doesnt change the size of the tire..what i want to do is broaden the LOOK of the tire without effecting the speed reading but what i want to know is will the spacer really make a difference since the ones i have seen arent very wide..

A spacer can move the center line of the tire out some. That can create a rubbing problem on turns, and on suspension compression. It can also put more stress on ball joints and wheel bearings. The factory spent a lot of time and money when they designed the wheels and decided on a tire for the car.

When you change things, you need to do it right. Nothing wrong with wider tires. Wider tires need wider rims in most cases. A wider rim provides more support for the sidewalls, and insures that a wider tire will fit without pulling a portion of the outer tread up. When selecting a wheel, you need to use the right back spacing to insure the wheel is centered in the wheel well. www.tirerack.com sells wheels. All you need to do is put in the year, make, and model of car, and you can look at different wheels with the correct back spacing for that car.

Have you ever seen cars on the road where the outer edge of the tires extend beyond the fender of the car? Perfect example of someone who doesn't know what they are doing, or just bought some wheels that were for another car and bolted them on.

Bottom line, spacers are a bad idea all around. They also use up some of the wheel stud, and you have less engagement for the lug nut. Not a good idea.

Want different wheels/tires? Do it right.

Thats what I wanted to know. Thanks Larry lol

I just scored these wheels off of Craigslist for 200 bones. No rust ... just great wheels!

Hell Yes I'm a happy happy camper!

those are really nice.