17" or 18" wheels
 

looking at 17"or18" rims and tires which will let me run the bigger brakes??
when I sale my 15" rims and tires what would be a good asking price? I was thinking around $850. that would help me talk my wife into new rims**)
Thanks ED

The tires available will be the difference.

When larger disk brakes are used, watch the bake spacing of the rims. For the correct imformation contact Bob Lacey at Vintage Wheels. He will give you all of the information you will need for correct rebuild and install.

You can fit all the brakes you need in 15 inch rims. Much more tire choice on 18s.

Put 20 inchers on it, or as the kids say, rolling on DUBS:eek:

The beauty of your question is there are no right or wrong answers. It is your car and you and your wallet will decide.

Tires
 

18's will give you a very broad and diverse choice of tires

Correct on the brakes...car weighs 2400lbs...

Why have a replica 1960's Cobra if you are going to modernize it? Just curious...

I have BDR#354 and have several sets of wheels. I have the Wilwood BBK from Backdraft and the standard 17inch knockoffs work with the BDR BBK kit.
I also have the 18inch wheels from Backdraft with 335/30/18s on the rear. These also clear the BBK.
I also have Vintage Wheels "427 shelby wheels" in 17's. They also clear the BBK.

My favorite look is the 18inch in the rear and the 17's in the front. BDR did a good job as the 18's look just like the 17's and the paint is a perfect match.

With a BMW suspension for example? Or power brakes?

I'd like to add my 2 cents, as I see this question or concern a lot on this forum. I'm new to the forum and in the research stage right now. But the reason I I would modernize it for one is because I've owned several "sports" cars of similar era; mustangs, camaro's, etc nothing beats modern reliability (in regards to drive train) and modern brakes, supension when compared to anything of that era.

2 to address what I beleive your question was eluding to. My feeling is, this is a replica so not in it for any type of return in that regard. Therefore the look of bigger rims, wider tires, that muscle car look of the car but with a modernize look like the BDR offers is what I'm after. Realiabilty I can achieve with a modern fuel injected engine coupled with the retro/modernize look is a head turner. Ask any younger generation customizing a vehicle and they would agree. Your making the car yours by adding to the good look of the car with gauges, led lights (better night visibility), gt body, front spoiler...

Well no one answered your question.

850 is probably a good price. What color? How much tire is left. What type of tire? What rims are they 5 lug or pin? Why not start at a 1000 (if good rubber) and negotiate?

NOW to address the issue of asking the wife!!!! LOL

Its like this... "Baby to make this fine specimen of a Classic Cobra Replica SAFER for YOU and ME (family), I am going to upgrade the tires and brakes!"

Its free to advertise here and pictures referencing tread depth is a good thing. you can always go down price... but tough to go up... How about freight? Make it a 1000 and offer 200 towards freight... your still 50 ahead!!

Good Luck!!

I removed the original 15" wheels and traded them with Backdraft for new 18" wheels. I got $500.00 for them. I felt that was a fair trade in price. Love the new 18's. Be careful not to put to large of a tire on the rear. It can rub and damage the fender. They have had a lot of problems using the 335's on the rear. One of my friends who bought a new one had the rear fender damaged by these tires.

Fair enough but, when it comes to wheels and tires, some folks get carried away with the 'bigger is better' mindset. Cobras look good with 15", and there are many who feel bigger spoils the look. Many have gone with 17" or 18" and are quite happy, especially when it comes to handling prowess. Hell, even Carroll Shelby probably would have done so back in the '60s if he had the chance to do so - especially if he could make a few extra $$ in the process!:LOL:

Car and Driver magazine compared different wheel & tire size combos back in 2010 (on a VW Golf, so be careful about extrapolating that data to Cobras). In summary, the larger wheels and lower profile tires improved skidpad performance, but the best acceleration, stopping and fuel economy came from the smaller (and lighter) wheels and tires. YMMV

Here's their summary: "The 19-inch wheels definitely look the coolest. But the 17- and 18-inch setups offer a better compromise of grip, acceleration, price, and ride harshness, so we’re not surprised VW uses 17- and 18-inch sizes on its hot Golf, the GTI. If it’s acceleration you’re after, stick with the smaller, lighter wheels and tires. And remember, unless you believe it is better to look good than to feel good, take our advice and stay away from extremely low-profile sidewalls and massively heavy wheels."

Read the article at: Effects of Upsized Wheels and Tires Tested - Tech Dept. - Car and Driver

Reminder: This test was on a VW Golf, so not comparable to Cobras (e.g. FWD vs RWD, power/weight ratio, etc.).

Backdraft going to 18" wheels vs their 17" wheels is one of their biggest blunders, and quite frankly, it makes zero sense for the car.

I fully understand the move from antiquated 15" wheels to 17" wheels, but forcing the 18's on the car literally does nothing for it but hurt it. When compared to 17's, you get less clearance, less tire choices, more weight, same brake sizes/more than necessary, etc. If going to 18, they should have just skipped to 19".

My prior post said I had 15" but that is incorrect. The car came with 17" and changed to 18" due to one of the wheels being out of round and not finding another 17". The choice of tires for the 18" is very limited. The Nito tires being used have a very poor rating. Some dealers refuse to sell them due to poor quality. Not being interested in racing the car I chose Michelin as they give a smooth ride and no shaking.

Try BFG Rival S or Falken Azenis, both come in 265/35/18 and 315/30/18 and are extremely sticky. Find me a 17" tire with a 200 or higher TW that can hang with either of those tires... You can't...

Kevin....

I have the same sizes on mine in the Azenis 615

I chose these tires after reading several articles and talking with a # of folks.

VINTAGE Motorsports Photo Gallery - Backdraft #1445

Coming soon!

After talking with Nito about the sticky tires I decided that if I raced the car this would be a good choice but if I wanted to drive 100 miles I would need to buy another set as the tread would be gone. I did not want to buy a set of tires every time I drive the car.

I can, quite easily. The nt05. Its a shame they wont work in the given 18" size on the backdraft, which is exactly my point.

Hopefully you can come up with something better than that failed example.