My brother and I have been having this argument about Iroc wheels. He likes the 85-87 wheels and I prefer the 88-90 wheels. He believes strongly that most people like the 85-87 wheels best, which I have no clue if it's the case, but he also says they had no reason to change the wheels in 1988.

Well to me, I would say they probably changed them since the 88 wheels looked better. He says that is a stupid argument and makes no sense. (I don't know what makes no sense about a corporation changing a product because it looked better).

Anyway, my question is, does anyone know why they changed the wheels in 1988? Also, which do you guys like better, the 85-87 style or the 88-90?

 

I imagine for the same reason they changed the emblems and moved the IROC-Z decal to a different place on the door -- for a styling refresh. I wouldn't read much more into it than that. GM often changed grills, tail lights and other superficial trim features in the 1970s and 1980s just to keep their cars looking updated. As to which is better, I think that's a subjective opinion. Personally, I like the later ones a little better, but I bet if you took a poll it would be about 50/50.

 

Seems to me the 85-87 IROC wheels look better and are more iconic. The 88-90 IROC wheels looked good, but not as good, and they're definitely a little less popular. They're also more rare, so the prices of them are higher, but I think if you look around you'll notice how many more people want the earlier versions. And every aftermarket IROC wheel is based on the 85-87 version, not hte 88-90 version.

I prefer the earlier ones. I'd bet if you did a poll you'd find 60-70 percent of people prefer the 85-87 version over the 88-90.

 

Just a side note for those who might not be aware: The 85-87 IROC's could only be had in 16's, while the 88+ could be had in either 15's or 16's.

JamesC

 

Honestly I think both look good, as do the 91 & 92's... I think any 16" Wheel from 1984 - 1992 is a good looking wheel from the factory... Yes 1984 is correct...

 

For what it's worth, both myself and my co-worker prefer the 85-87 wheels.

 

I wouldn't waste my breath on a argument when the answer to it is subjective. In a sense you're both right.

 

In so many ways, I think it goes akin to asking what the best restaurant is. When you come down to it the best restaurant is the one your at, or on your way to. Something caused you to go there, where its price, location, or quality of food, in the end, its where your at, and it was the best decision you could make with the information you had.

With that said, the wheels that are the best, are the ones you have on your car, until you replace them with something else, they are still the best ones for you.

John