My deep, dark secret?
I love rally wheels, especially GM rally wheels. Stupid simple, stamped steel wheels, dolled up with trim rings and an array of hubcaps, and of course chrome lug nuts.
Born in the 60s, certainly cheaper to produce than aluminum, or cast wheels; but a world sportier, and more aggressive than dog dish, or full wheel covers. Yet as simple as the concept, they carry style, and implied ruggedness that they will always stand the the test of time.
Maybe they herald back to the memories of artillery and steel wheels used on mobile equipment of the great wars, and farm/industrial machines, maybe it's just a price point; regardless they always add an element of appeal.
GM doesn't make a car that Rally Wheels don't look great on.
Duke
MegaDork
10/21/21 6:53 a.m.
The Pontiac Rallye I version of that is cool too. I wanted a set for the Le Mans, but all I could find / afford was the later and far more common Rallye II.
Like the Mopar one as well. They do not translate well to anything larger than a 15, sadly. And, the billet ones look bad, to my eye.
EvanB
MegaDork
10/21/21 9:53 a.m.
Revolutions are my favorite rally wheel, especially the 4 spokes.
I've always been a fan of the multi-slot version of the GM rally wheels:
Duke said:
The Pontiac Rallye I version of that is cool too. I wanted a set for the Le Mans, but all I could find / afford was the later and far more common Rallye II
Also a big fan of the General's rallye offerings. The Rallye II was my go-to for years, mostly because I could get them for nothing or next to it, and they looked good on a lot of different cars.
There's often good value in factory wheels. They're usually very well built, reasonably priced, and I like finding a wheel from one application that works in another
I like these infinitely more than most aftermarket wheels, they're robust without being too heavy, and the set cost about the same as one aftermarket wheel
Powar
UltraDork
10/21/21 11:27 a.m.
In reply to gearheadE30 :
Me too. Here's my current set:
I've thought about swapping the wheels on the truck, but I'm not sure what I'd like better. Maybe I'll figure it out by the time it needs tires.
My dad had a set, like these, on a blue '78 Camaro. Yes, lots of win here.
And don't forget the Mopar rally wheels' blacked out relative, the cop car wheels.
noddaz
UberDork
10/21/21 6:29 p.m.
But we need a picture of the Rally II.
Oh! There it is!
ddavidv
UltimaDork
10/22/21 6:48 a.m.
Not a rally wheel, but the old poverty cap-painted wheel-trim ring look.
I got the car this way and have to admit...they look darn nice. I was all about getting some period look alloys, but...
noddaz
UberDork
10/22/21 6:37 p.m.
In reply to Streetwiseguy :
Yep, that is how some of the wheels retire. The house next to me had a Pontiac Rally II as a garden hose rack for years.
Here's a great article with examples of all of the styled steel wheels:
https://www.hagerty.com/media/market-trends/mag-wheel-field-guide/
In reply to noddaz :
I'm sure somebody wanted a real Z28 15" wheel before I notched and welded it to a steel support.
I felt a bit guilty, actually.