I see a couple of these ridiculous vehicles around town and wonder what they must be like to drive.
Call me a luddite, but my favorite cars all have 14- and 15-inch wheels. The last rental I had was a VW Jetta with 17-inch wheels and skinny tires. The thing felt like it wanted to turn belly up on every curve and lane change. I hated it. It didn’t help that I was driving an hour from Maryland to DC and back.
I own a Jetta GLI with 18″ wheels. I, too, prefer smaller wheels, but the problem with new cars is that they tend to look like crap without the largest wheels available from the factory. The new Jettas look bloated on 16″s and merely okay on 17″s. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but the 18″s are what pretty much make my car.
That said, I outright refuse to own anything larger than 18″s and/or tires with a shorter than 40-series sidewall.
Among the many reasons I’m grateful for no longer living in the Deep South is that I no longer see donkified cars on a daily basis.
I think that pretty much sums it. This is the only subculture in which these cars are cool. Part of me would totally rock a ’77-’79 GM B/C body, but the rest of me recognizes that these cars have zero collector value, are decidedly uninteresting to most non-car people and in general my money could be better wasted on any number of old cars.
Truth be told, there is still a fair bit of collector interest in these cars, but sad to say, that interest is being quickly dwindled do to the increasing association of these cars with “gangsta” culture. I personally love these cars, but the thought of being perceived as a wanna-be gangsta or baller causes me to give pause to the thought of ever owning another one, and that’s too bad.
By the way, these thoughts, opinions and ramblings are in no way meant to be perceived as racial stereotypes, as this “trend” seems to be transcending various racial and cultural backdrops.
I don’t think if you drove one of these with the original trim you would be considered “gangsta”….and who cares if someone else thinks that
most people I know would say what a cool old car…..or what an old gas guzzler
MarcKyle64
Posted March 18, 2013 at 11:10 AM
Well, when I was driving my ’73 Galaxie 500 which had totally stock wheels, tires, hubcaps, brown vinyl top and original paint in 2005 when I lived in a bad part of Little Rock, I kept regularly getting gang signs thrown at me until I drove close enough for them to tell I wasn’t of the thug persuasion…
If you want to customize your own car, that’s your right, but what irks me about owners with this chrome wagon wheel fixation is the next owner having to fix the modded suspension to return it back to normal. It’s not as simple as swapping the wheels.
Someone needs to coordinate a Brougham Flash Mob to find that car, return it to its proper ride height, and add wire wheel covers and whitewalls. Oh, and a white vinyl top. Stat!
(In Crocodile Dundee voice) That’s not a Brougham. THAT’S a Brougham!
Why would anyone buy a car like that unless they were wanting to keep it that way. When I shop used cars, if I see ANY modded cars on the lot I won’t stop there.
at first i thought it was a Caddy, i felt queasy, then i saw it was a beautiful Olds and threw up in my mouth. Alot of people my age (25-30) tell me i should do this to my Parisienne, i always politely tell them to go to hell!
people tell me that about my ’77 Chevelle, and I tell them that its got the largest size wheel available to it, already on it. Its got massive 15×6″ wheels with fantastically large 215/70/15 WSW tires on it!
When I replaced the stock wheels/tires on my 88 Z24 Convertible (215/60/14) I went to 215/45ZR17 which matched the outer dimensions of the factory wheel so close that the GPS MPH on my phone matched the digital dash display within 1MPH. I couldn’t complain.
My brother’s ’76 Malibu has 275/60-15’s on 15 x 8″ wheels in the rear and 245/60-15’s on the front, and they fit like a glove. These cars have HUGE wheel wells. It original had 15×6″ steelies with wheel covers. It was upgraded later in life to 15 x 7″ Rallies with 235/60-15’s, which suited the car well, but were a little short.
I don’t mind upgrading tire WIDTH, but tire diameter can’t be changed much without spoiling the looks of a car.
An average everyday ’77 not collectible? That was said about a number of 50’s and 60’s cars not too long ago…. Give this guy credit, at least the car is seeing another day, instead of becoming rebar.
I hope these “downsized” b-bodies one day become collectible, but I don’t think they are now. I personally love these cars, one of my all time favourites. This was GM at it’s best during a bleak automotive era. In my area, I have never seen any “donk” style cars, and I do occasionally see a fee mint b-bodies from this era, but mostly original models carefully driven by elderly people. I still have fond memories of a friend’s old ’78 Delta 88 that was virtually “unkillable”. Drove it’s self to the Junk yard in 2006 after many years of hard service.
Actually, that particular style of wheel isn’t bad. Way better than the mutant / sci-fi style rims I see some of these cars rolling on. In the factory 15″ size they’d probably look pretty sharp.
I agree with the previous posters. If it wasn’t for the donk scene, at lot more of these cars probably would have gotten crushed long ago.
Well, it’s pretty bad, but I’d still take it over the Smart – even with the huge wheels and painted-on tyres, it’d still be more comfy than a Smart. Probably rather less nimble though…!
We don’t tend to see this sort of modification in New Zealand. Most folks who like huge wheels also like their car to be airbagged and really low. Having wheels that are too big prevents the car from being low enough to still look “cool”. About the only vehicles I’ve seen 20+ inch wheels on are imported Dodge Rams and Ford F-series (and the odd Nissan Navara ute).
Theres a Benz round the corner from me sufferring from this, The cause seems to be owner stupidity and a desire toremove any ride comfort the factory installed and remove all the cornering ability it may have had new.
A couple years ago in Oakland I saw a pristine Mustang II Ghia reincarnated in this manner. Given that the original car was hideous, this version looked pretty good. And who would ever mourn the loss of an original Mustang II?
I actually kind of like the hatchback version of the Mustang II, albeit with some tasteful, appropriately sized aftermarket wheels and shorn of its tacky graphics, with a warmed over small block under the hood.
Would this be defect bait? Would not be road legal here. Actually Mike mentioned the steering lock restriction, there can’t be much room for suspension travel, but more importantly braking ability would be significantly reduced due to the larger tire diameter.
I’ll have to see if I can get a photo of the Mitsubishi Triton I saw yesterday with wheels about the same size as this. Then you get to add another defect for not meeting load rating specs.
I recall seeing these ridiculously undersized wheels not that long ago, usually stuck way out beyond the fender lips using spacers. At least those lowered the center of gravity; God only knows what those dubs do to the way that Olds handles.
I happen to like it. This is a well done donk. Started with the right model, chose some nice wheels, and achieved a good fitment without too much lift or fender cut. No theme graphics or other overboard modifications. It’s understandable if this style isn’t for everyone, but this is a pretty low-key example.
+1. Donk Culture is just a evolution of low-rider culture. And as so many above have said, it does save many of a worn out brougham from the crusher. I don’t even like Broughams, but long as someone is enjoying their car as they see fit, I don’t see why we should trash it.
I wonder if I did a piece on all the 1964 Impala low riders or last generation Falcons part of Oakland’s car scene would it get the same borderline “I’m not racist, but…” responses. The car hobby, is a large diverse body of people. It’s better to accept than to reject. Of all things, the love of cars suffer.
You make a good point. I am fascinated by the changes in style among different generations and cultures. When my dad was a teen, the trend was to lower the front by 2 inches and to lower the rear by 4 inches. When I was a teen, the trend was to jack up the ass end and stick fat tires on the back. I never really cared for either treatment, and have always appreciated stock.
The same thing has happened more recently. I jokingly made the point earlier today that a dozen or so years ago, the style was to put little teeny wheels on big (often GM) sleds of the 60s and 70s. In the last few years, the style has reversed, with monstro wheels on the same kind of cars. Again, as a lover of stock, I am not a fan of either look. Your point is well taken that without the folks who like to give cars the low rider or donk treatment, a lot of these cars would have just disappeared. I see this as a follow-up to the discussion we had some time back about modding the really old stuff. I am sick to death of cruising through Craigslist and seeing nice, straight old 1940s iron with frames hacked up and modified for modern Chevy suspensions and smallblock V8s. Are they preserving an old car or ruining it? I guess it is a matter of perspective and degree – different folks look for different things in an old car.
+2 Fads come and go. Think of all the Model Ts and As that gave their frames and bodies to untold thousands of hot rods. And all the VWs; and all the……….
All aspects of the car hobby create demand and interest in older cars, which would otherwise likely end up in the crusher. To each their own.
“but long as someone is enjoying their car as they see fit,”
+1
It was the juxtaposition of these two cars that caught my eye – neither one is really my cup of tea, but I thought the photo, in an humorous way (to me!), captured two of the different ways folks express themselves through their rides.
And now it’s time for me to pack up and drive home in my Herbie tribute car… (c:
There are a lot of people my age who love donks like the feature Olds. Those who like donks are people I would never sell a 1981 Chrysler Imperial in sea spray green w/ green leather seats (hypothetically).
What? I can find certain “dressed” cars appealing and I happen to own a 1981 Imperial with wide whitewalls with deep dish wire wheels and spinners. It is not donk but definitely is popular with that crowd.
For the life of me I CANNOT understand the obsession with these over-sized wheels and jacked up looks on these classic cars…
Does nothing for me.
1977 Olds Ninety-Eight, great looking car on it’s own.
*its.
Signed,
Dictionary Diana
Dictionary Diana? Bwahahahahaha! Love it!
You try and concentrate on typing and punctuation with a Yorkie pup on your lap trying to help you type…
I see a couple of these ridiculous vehicles around town and wonder what they must be like to drive.
Call me a luddite, but my favorite cars all have 14- and 15-inch wheels. The last rental I had was a VW Jetta with 17-inch wheels and skinny tires. The thing felt like it wanted to turn belly up on every curve and lane change. I hated it. It didn’t help that I was driving an hour from Maryland to DC and back.
I own a Jetta GLI with 18″ wheels. I, too, prefer smaller wheels, but the problem with new cars is that they tend to look like crap without the largest wheels available from the factory. The new Jettas look bloated on 16″s and merely okay on 17″s. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but the 18″s are what pretty much make my car.
That said, I outright refuse to own anything larger than 18″s and/or tires with a shorter than 40-series sidewall.
Among the many reasons I’m grateful for no longer living in the Deep South is that I no longer see donkified cars on a daily basis.
Certain cars can and do wear larger wheels rather well. However, these older GM cars do not.
I’m glad somebody is at least keeping cars like ths out of the crusher. Aside from that, not much to say here.
I think that pretty much sums it. This is the only subculture in which these cars are cool. Part of me would totally rock a ’77-’79 GM B/C body, but the rest of me recognizes that these cars have zero collector value, are decidedly uninteresting to most non-car people and in general my money could be better wasted on any number of old cars.
So props to the donk culture. I think.
Truth be told, there is still a fair bit of collector interest in these cars, but sad to say, that interest is being quickly dwindled do to the increasing association of these cars with “gangsta” culture. I personally love these cars, but the thought of being perceived as a wanna-be gangsta or baller causes me to give pause to the thought of ever owning another one, and that’s too bad.
By the way, these thoughts, opinions and ramblings are in no way meant to be perceived as racial stereotypes, as this “trend” seems to be transcending various racial and cultural backdrops.
I don’t think if you drove one of these with the original trim you would be considered “gangsta”….and who cares if someone else thinks that
most people I know would say what a cool old car…..or what an old gas guzzler
Well, when I was driving my ’73 Galaxie 500 which had totally stock wheels, tires, hubcaps, brown vinyl top and original paint in 2005 when I lived in a bad part of Little Rock, I kept regularly getting gang signs thrown at me until I drove close enough for them to tell I wasn’t of the thug persuasion…
A car’s second owner is often its worst enemy. What would the turning radius be on that poor, abused Oldsmobile be now?
Not limited to old domestic iron.
If you want to customize your own car, that’s your right, but what irks me about owners with this chrome wagon wheel fixation is the next owner having to fix the modded suspension to return it back to normal. It’s not as simple as swapping the wheels.
Someone needs to coordinate a Brougham Flash Mob to find that car, return it to its proper ride height, and add wire wheel covers and whitewalls. Oh, and a white vinyl top. Stat!
(In Crocodile Dundee voice) That’s not a Brougham. THAT’S a Brougham!
+10
Why would anyone buy a car like that unless they were wanting to keep it that way. When I shop used cars, if I see ANY modded cars on the lot I won’t stop there.
The Smart is a tender for a land yacht?
LOL! +1
All ashore that’s going ashore!
at first i thought it was a Caddy, i felt queasy, then i saw it was a beautiful Olds and threw up in my mouth. Alot of people my age (25-30) tell me i should do this to my Parisienne, i always politely tell them to go to hell!
people tell me that about my ’77 Chevelle, and I tell them that its got the largest size wheel available to it, already on it. Its got massive 15×6″ wheels with fantastically large 215/70/15 WSW tires on it!
When I replaced the stock wheels/tires on my 88 Z24 Convertible (215/60/14) I went to 215/45ZR17 which matched the outer dimensions of the factory wheel so close that the GPS MPH on my phone matched the digital dash display within 1MPH. I couldn’t complain.
My brother’s ’76 Malibu has 275/60-15’s on 15 x 8″ wheels in the rear and 245/60-15’s on the front, and they fit like a glove. These cars have HUGE wheel wells. It original had 15×6″ steelies with wheel covers. It was upgraded later in life to 15 x 7″ Rallies with 235/60-15’s, which suited the car well, but were a little short.
I don’t mind upgrading tire WIDTH, but tire diameter can’t be changed much without spoiling the looks of a car.
Now that’s truly sad. Nice car, awful things it’s forced to roll on…
Hello? Car abuse hotline? I got one for you…
We need to form a new organization: the ASPCB–the American society for prevention of cruelty to Broughams!
Well I did my part, I formed The Brougham Society.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBroughamSociety/
Sign me up!
An average everyday ’77 not collectible? That was said about a number of 50’s and 60’s cars not too long ago…. Give this guy credit, at least the car is seeing another day, instead of becoming rebar.
I hope these “downsized” b-bodies one day become collectible, but I don’t think they are now. I personally love these cars, one of my all time favourites. This was GM at it’s best during a bleak automotive era. In my area, I have never seen any “donk” style cars, and I do occasionally see a fee mint b-bodies from this era, but mostly original models carefully driven by elderly people. I still have fond memories of a friend’s old ’78 Delta 88 that was virtually “unkillable”. Drove it’s self to the Junk yard in 2006 after many years of hard service.
Car is clean, but the wheels- yuk!
Actually, that particular style of wheel isn’t bad. Way better than the mutant / sci-fi style rims I see some of these cars rolling on. In the factory 15″ size they’d probably look pretty sharp.
I agree with the previous posters. If it wasn’t for the donk scene, at lot more of these cars probably would have gotten crushed long ago.
Well, it’s pretty bad, but I’d still take it over the Smart – even with the huge wheels and painted-on tyres, it’d still be more comfy than a Smart. Probably rather less nimble though…!
We don’t tend to see this sort of modification in New Zealand. Most folks who like huge wheels also like their car to be airbagged and really low. Having wheels that are too big prevents the car from being low enough to still look “cool”. About the only vehicles I’ve seen 20+ inch wheels on are imported Dodge Rams and Ford F-series (and the odd Nissan Navara ute).
Theres a Benz round the corner from me sufferring from this, The cause seems to be owner stupidity and a desire toremove any ride comfort the factory installed and remove all the cornering ability it may have had new.
I hate to admit it, but I happen to like the Fortwo. It’s cute.
Smart, with the worst brakes and transmission ever devised by man…
Woody Smart
That actually looks good. I didn’t think that was possible!
+1
my sis and lil bro both love theirs…
A couple years ago in Oakland I saw a pristine Mustang II Ghia reincarnated in this manner. Given that the original car was hideous, this version looked pretty good. And who would ever mourn the loss of an original Mustang II?
Not I.
I actually kind of like the hatchback version of the Mustang II, albeit with some tasteful, appropriately sized aftermarket wheels and shorn of its tacky graphics, with a warmed over small block under the hood.
Would this be defect bait? Would not be road legal here. Actually Mike mentioned the steering lock restriction, there can’t be much room for suspension travel, but more importantly braking ability would be significantly reduced due to the larger tire diameter.
I’ll have to see if I can get a photo of the Mitsubishi Triton I saw yesterday with wheels about the same size as this. Then you get to add another defect for not meeting load rating specs.
I wish these guys would make up their minds.
My thought exactly.
I recall seeing these ridiculously undersized wheels not that long ago, usually stuck way out beyond the fender lips using spacers. At least those lowered the center of gravity; God only knows what those dubs do to the way that Olds handles.
If you’re wondering how this handles, a Pontiac donk competed in one of the 24 hours of lemons races:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/07/and-the-real-winner-is-17/
“even scarier than it looks”
Crunkin’!!!
I happen to like it. This is a well done donk. Started with the right model, chose some nice wheels, and achieved a good fitment without too much lift or fender cut. No theme graphics or other overboard modifications. It’s understandable if this style isn’t for everyone, but this is a pretty low-key example.
+1. Donk Culture is just a evolution of low-rider culture. And as so many above have said, it does save many of a worn out brougham from the crusher. I don’t even like Broughams, but long as someone is enjoying their car as they see fit, I don’t see why we should trash it.
I wonder if I did a piece on all the 1964 Impala low riders or last generation Falcons part of Oakland’s car scene would it get the same borderline “I’m not racist, but…” responses. The car hobby, is a large diverse body of people. It’s better to accept than to reject. Of all things, the love of cars suffer.
You make a good point. I am fascinated by the changes in style among different generations and cultures. When my dad was a teen, the trend was to lower the front by 2 inches and to lower the rear by 4 inches. When I was a teen, the trend was to jack up the ass end and stick fat tires on the back. I never really cared for either treatment, and have always appreciated stock.
The same thing has happened more recently. I jokingly made the point earlier today that a dozen or so years ago, the style was to put little teeny wheels on big (often GM) sleds of the 60s and 70s. In the last few years, the style has reversed, with monstro wheels on the same kind of cars. Again, as a lover of stock, I am not a fan of either look. Your point is well taken that without the folks who like to give cars the low rider or donk treatment, a lot of these cars would have just disappeared. I see this as a follow-up to the discussion we had some time back about modding the really old stuff. I am sick to death of cruising through Craigslist and seeing nice, straight old 1940s iron with frames hacked up and modified for modern Chevy suspensions and smallblock V8s. Are they preserving an old car or ruining it? I guess it is a matter of perspective and degree – different folks look for different things in an old car.
+2 Fads come and go. Think of all the Model Ts and As that gave their frames and bodies to untold thousands of hot rods. And all the VWs; and all the……….
All aspects of the car hobby create demand and interest in older cars, which would otherwise likely end up in the crusher. To each their own.
“but long as someone is enjoying their car as they see fit,”
+1
It was the juxtaposition of these two cars that caught my eye – neither one is really my cup of tea, but I thought the photo, in an humorous way (to me!), captured two of the different ways folks express themselves through their rides.
And now it’s time for me to pack up and drive home in my Herbie tribute car… (c:
Donk Volga.
I wonder what it would be like to ride the rails in a car instead of on a train.
There are a lot of people my age who love donks like the feature Olds. Those who like donks are people I would never sell a 1981 Chrysler Imperial in sea spray green w/ green leather seats (hypothetically).
What? I can find certain “dressed” cars appealing and I happen to own a 1981 Imperial with wide whitewalls with deep dish wire wheels and spinners. It is not donk but definitely is popular with that crowd.