I've been wanting to post a poll like this for awhile and now I finally can. I love this new board.

Anyhow, I think buying aftermarket wheels are a waste of money. Sure you can buy lighter wheels but unless you buying like draglites or something, I think the weight loss amount isn't gonna make that much of a difference. Sure they look great and all but I find it to be a huge waste of money. The $800+ that you're out spending on something like Torque Thrust IIs you could be spending on the engine to make more power. I know if I had $800 I wouldn't be buying wheels but rather something like Nitrous or a good set of aftermarket heads or something else that I needed to make more power.

 

Depends on what you want to do with your car. If all you want to do is go fast, then you are right, it is a waste. But then so is a paintjob, etc. I seriously doubt that most aftermarket wheels weigh any less than most aluminum F-body wheels. The reason people buy them is to customize the appearance of their car (sometimes that doesn't make them look better). Another reason is to put larger rims on the vehicle than stock. If you want to make your car handle better, then a 9½" wide set of 17" or 18" wheels would be a great investment, as well as an appearance enhancement.

 

I think it depends on the what you're putting it on. Most cars I would say it helps the looks but there are some old grandma cars that run around my town with "dubs"!WTF The wheels are 10times more than what the car is worth.

 

On the early 80's Firebird SE's I can see wanting some aftermarket rims. But myself give me a set of 88-90 IROC-Z rims, there the sweetest rims ever done... so I would have to say aftermarket rims are a waste of money on some cars and not others. Like I said above some cars like the Early 80's need them but most of our cars look fine...

 

I'm a fan of them, but I was either going to get the ones I have now or get the factory ones chromed.

BTW, are these aftermarket or factory?

 

Those are factory. Those came factory on my '86 Trans Am. I love the way they look when the chrome is polished up right. That's what I'm talkin' about..... if you want to improve the look of your car buy some good looking stock type wheels like that and spend waaaay less than buying some aftermarket wheels.

 

i plan on getting a set of gragar SS 15x7's for the front and if i can afford it 15x9.5 or 10'' for the back...will looks alot better and the wider tires in the back would help to...gragar SS's are the torque thrust type and if you got 15x7s all around your tires should fit depending on what style rims you have...less than 500$ for 4 15x7 gragars...thats with lug nutz and installation of the tires

 

Those above wheels look good, I didn't know they were factory. Black wheel with a polished lip looks really good.

 

Hey you gotta admit torque 2's look good. A good looking set of rims makes a lot of difference in the looks of a car

 

Wheels, wheels, wheels. I postponed putting on new tires on my stock "snowflake" 16x8s for a good 3 months until the fuzz in the tires started to show thru b/c I was debating spending $600 for some used 17 inchers (including half worn tires), but finally broke down and bought some used Eagle HPs (225/60R16) for the worn fronts (formerly 215/65) for a mere $64 for both!!! Now I can get that exhaust system I've always wanted! If I had money to spare, though, I'd definitely get some flamed Weld wheels! So, to me, it doesn't matter what kinda car (our cars aren't worth anything; I overpaid $3K for mine when carcraft bought one for 1500 that was in better shape), just how much YOU like it. Wheels aren't a waste of $$$ unless you don't have a lot. (like me!)

 

I didn't vote on this because wheels and tires are not a waste of money but they aren't an investment either. They're simply a personalized statement.

Wheels and tires can make or break a car. It really has a profound effect on the overall looks of the vehicle. With that in mind it can make your car more desirable when trying to sell. Is it financially worthwhile? No. You'll likely spend more on the wheels and tires then the perceived increase in value of the vehicle. So it really comes down to personal preference. A lot of people like the individuality that custom wheels and tires afford. Some people need the performance advantage of specific wheel and tire combos. And some people just can't stand the stock rims or prefer to have something they like better.

My stock 15x7 Firebird rims just didn't cut the cheese with the package I was assembling. I wanted a set that was bigger, wider, better looking, and above all reasonably priced.

 

I would say it's neither a good investment nor a waste of money. You're sure as hell not going to get your money back if you sell the car with them, but they completely transform the image of the car. They definately have a major impact on the appearance, and handling as well if you're going to a +1 or +2.