Installed the 18" Wheels on the Duster

MuuMuu101 said
Probably cheaper, but not as fun. I think I rented an econo car for about $125-150 for 4 days through Orbitz. On top of that I got insurance for the whole trip for about $90. And then when I actually picked up the car, they decided to add an extra $250 because of my age (which was stated could happen on Orbitz's website). So, overall I spent about $500 on an econo car I barely drove 100 miles in. That's almost like throwing money away.

Well, a 1 week (maybe more) long vacation in the Dart driving approximately 5000 miles can't be too bad. It sure would be memorable as I could make some stops along the way. It would probably cost $200-300 more in gas, but at least I'll actually have a car to drive down Woodward and enjoy. The only issue I'd have is if something went wrong or broke along the way.

The thing I would be worried about from my own personal experience during the Woodward weekend is being basically cooked alive inside a modified car with black interior. I'm not sure if actually shutting off the heater core lines at the engine would help or anything, but even with the vent doors open, and the windows my car becomes just about unbearable in any heavy traffic or even just cruising on the freeway on a 90 degree humid day. I'm 5' 11" and about 180 lbs and I sweat like crazy in that thing on days like that. Short of carrying extra charging system stuff, I can't imagine having too many breakdowns along the way if you keep your eye on stuff and have real gauges.

72BBSwinger said
Looks awesome, the biggest thing people don't understand is tire availability. There are buku tires in a 275/35/18 that deliver premium feel and durability. If all you're gonna do with your A-body is idle it to car shows and stare at it from a lawn chair, stick with whatever. If you want to confidently drive it ANYWHERE, follow the formula shown here. These cars are down right impressive with the right combination of parts.

Yeah, this was one of the main motivators. The car handles a lot better, and just in general feels really good compared to with the 15's. I even had some good 15" tires (BF Goodrich G-Force Sports) and these Continental Extreme Contact DWs are a big upgrade. I liked these tires on my Colorado that's lowered for the last 5 years. Since I work for Conti, I get a few sets at a good discount every year so that helped. Otherwise they make what my friends who autocross refer to as "Jesus Tires", the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R in 275-35-18. Those things are insane gumballs.

IIRC that size came on enough Corvettes and Vipers among other things that the selection should be around for a while. If you don't want to go that aggressive, they make a lot of the same tires in 245-45-17.

The standard BF Goodrich Radial T/A that everyone buys is a god-awful horrible tire for any real driving. It's hard to think of too many tires that are actually lower performance anymore.