What do you think of these wheel/tire combos <pic>

Honest opinions. I'll comment later. I've been wanting to come up with a "classic" look for the PCS meet, and this is an afternoon of "working with what I got"...

57ww.jpg
 
My choice isn't on the list Todd...

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Narrow whitewalls & steelies just don't look right in my opinion, the size of your ambulance dwarfs the wheels. Maybe if they were wide whites in a bigger diameter tire? I don't know but if you're going to run steelies the full trim rings look the best. Understood you're working with what you have in the shop though & no offense intended.
:myopinion:
 
wheel/tire combos <pic>

I think the most correct might be the white walls with just the dog bowls with no trim rings. Actually quite easy and appealing to the eye as well and doesn't command the major portion of the attention the rest of the truck should receive at that first glance.
 
OK, here's where I'm at:

I thought for sure I wanted whitewalls on it, but after looking at it I think they're too much? I'm kinda leaning towards blackwalls and no trim rings myself...

The tires are off my Ranger. I wanted to see if the thin whitewalls would look good. I don't know if it's because the tires are on the small side, but I'm just not feeling it.

gmcww1.jpg


At one point I was running 2 inch whitewalls, which I thought looked ok, but it was too much white with the white wheels. Unfortunately one of those tires (or more) is no longer roadworthy, and even if I had the money I'm not dropping $800 on a set of Coker tires I'll use maybe once or twice a year. I prefer the big billet wheels, but there are times where I want a "stock" setup, like exhibiting at fire station open houses, where they want a classic, not a hot rod.

I have a couple irons in the fire to get myself a pair of matching tires to the first pictures above but bigger for the back, which is probably the route I will go. Just have to decide black or white walls. The tire in the pictures are 225/70/15, which would probably look ok in the front if I went bigger in the back, like a 235/75/15 or 255/70/15, which are about the same size.

I didn't think it would look good, but I'm really leaning toward the blackwall side. Unfortunately if I don't run trim rings I will have to paint the wheels again, since they scratched the heck out of them.
 
Whether, or not they are authentic, I like the whitewalls and full trim rings. I think they make a vintage ambulance look interesting and appealing to the general public.
 
I like the whitewalls too, they go with the white in the center of the ambulance and make it stand out. Full trim rings also. But hey, whatever works for you is the best thing.
 
Once again.....this is merely an opinion. I like the trim rings....I like the plain rims. I like the billet wheels too. Years ago I had a plain jane stripped '65 Chevy 400 ( Nova) 4 door that I did the natural thing.....dress it up, skirts, trims rings, whitewalls, painted the roof white. If I had that same car again
....I would do nothing to it.....blackwalls,.dog dishes, no skirts......no trim rings.
As for your GMC.....I can see where painting the rims may not be an option with time constraints right now.......the trim rings do look good...
There was a wonderful editorial written by Richard Lentinello in Hemmings Classic Cars in the last 6 months regarding "whitewall overuse" that was fantastic. It sparked a colorful dialogue among readers. Its all a matter of choice.....and that choice is what the vehicles owner likes. :clubem:
 
not a big fan of WW on trucks. spend to much time in farm /ranch country to think they look right. and vary few emergency squids would pay for them. most got there tires from state stock and ran the same one the Hy patrol did. the truck was used in high speed runs after all. this truck would look correct to me with the 700x15s tall narrow tires and the painted wheels small caps and the wide trim rings to dress it up. but that's me, I really think the rig looks sharp in any of the manners you have configured the wheels and caps and rims out in. not correct but still sharp. the key is alike and clean. don't mix up sizes and withs. the only time a squad did that was with snow tires. the would go to a bigger size to up the final drive to help keep the wheel spin down in snow. then you wanted a narrow one with big lugs to go down and get a good bite. if your leaning to stock appearance think work truck as that was what it was. that full restored one is a city truck no self respecting rancher would have on on the place.
 
For me too it's the blackwall tires and full trim rings, I always like body colored steel wheels like yours, just adds the right touch I think!

(but of course I also like custom wheels too though!! hey, you DO have FOUR wheels!! why not just put on one of EACH??!! lol!!! NO!! NOT seriously!!!)

Dana.
 
Technically this is what it "should" look like (off a fully restored 57 GMC pickup):

gmchc.jpg

It might be fully restored, but pick ups in the 1950's didn't have white wall tires... Neither did Cadillac ambulances of the 1950's & 1960's. Now that I have said that, I am certain that someone will come up with an ambulance picture showing white walls, but it is the exception, rather than the commonplace.
 
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