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The next big purchase for my car ('03 Base) is a set of wheels and tires. A little while back i grabbed a set of used Mallet "396" wheels off eBay and my plan is to get them looking nice with some powder coating. I'm realizing my tire selection is a bit limited and i'm wondering if i should move on to a more favorable wheel setup.
The mallets are F: 18x9.5 et 48 and R: 18x11 et 59 if i do 265/35/18 front and 295/35/18 rear i can get Continental extremecontact sport if i go up to a 275/35/18 front i can find Michelin pilot super sport. I was originally wanting 305 in the rear but i cant find anything outside a competition tire in those sizing. I'm wondering if i should just find a good 18x9.5 and 19x11 set of rims to open up my tire choices, i also worry about not being able to find anything for the mallets down the road...
Let me know what you guys think, i love the look of the mallets, id coat them in dark grey or bronze (silver car) but for the cost of what i have into them and the refinishing i can probably get into a different set of rims...
Nothing wrong with those widths and offsets. Those fronts will allow you to fit big brake kits and those rears will allow you to fit a 315 tire, without poke.
If those were mine, I would go with a 265/35/18 front (25.3" tall) and a 315/30/18 rear. (25.5" tall) Your idea of going with 265 & 295 sizing will work fine, too.
As is so often the case, this thread needs pictures to help out those with no idea of what 'mallet 396' wheels are
Are we talking about a set of these: https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...bab37a845b.jpg
Very sharp. I'd like to see a set coated black with a machined face.
^ yup those are them, mine are currently finished in bright silver. I like that they are period correct and just subtly different than the stock 5 spokes.
i would love to go 315 but I'm not in love with tire options i guess falken azenis. Id be a little worried about rubbing no?
^ look great! What i understand the XMS were a copy of the mallet design used on their 396 tuner conversions. They were really expensive through mallet so xms saw an opportunity. Could be wrong of course.
i would love to go 315 but I'm not in love with tire options i guess falken azenis. Id be a little worried about rubbing no?
You need to be honest in your driving habits. If you plan to drive the car 10k miles a year, you might not want a 200TW 315 tire. As for rubbing, you should have no problems.
You might consider the Continental Extreme Contact Sports, in 265/35/18 and 295/35/18.
Nice looking car, i do like bronze with silver I've seen another forum member with bronze forgestar f14s and i love the look. Since im picking the color the pressure is on to get it right.
as for tire wear this is strictly a sunny day car so its not a huge factor. I agree 200 is a little low still.
^ look great! What i understand the XMS were a copy of the mallet design used on their 396 tuner conversions. They were really expensive through mallet so xms saw an opportunity. Could be wrong of course.
do you remember what tire sizes did you ran?
Rear were 295/35/18 and front were 265/35/18
Last edited by knewblewkorvette; Sep 12, 2020 at 10:23 AM.
Thanks! that's probably the smartest size for me, I really have no need for a wider rear tire with my current stock power level, but i do want something i can grow into. I wish their were better 305/315 options, guess i will have to think on it. Thanks again.
Great rims, kind of thin spokes kicked up a notch. How are the weights? I'm running the Continentals on thin spokes (O.E. sizes, of course). Tremendous tires. Much better, to me, than the Michelin or Bridgestone.
If you do powdercoat or paint, do post up the interim and final looks!
I haven't been able to track down too much details on these, but as far I can tell they are just standard cast alloy, nothing special in terms of weight.
I saw some old posts that say that these are manufactured by the same company that did the XMS version, just to clear that up. I guess Mallet had early rights but XMS started selling them at some point.
I will post pictures once they are setup but i expect that wont be until spring at this point...
I'm pretty sure they no longer make these rims, not for a long time.
I'm running the Continentals on thin spokes (O.E. sizes, of course). Tremendous tires. Much better, to me, than the Michelin
As the owner of both currently, Continentals on my black 99 and Michelin Super Sports on my 02, they are BOTH great tires but hands down, the Michelin tires are superior in dry conditions in both cornering and hooking up. The Continentals are a lot less money though.
Wheel + Tire Advice
