DeTomaso Mailing List: April 2001, Message #62

All,

FWIW, Pantera Performance already carries 18" Kinesis wheels properly set up 
for both wide-body and narrow-body Panteras.  Presumably you could also order 
them from Pantera Parts Connection (the other Pantera-Kinesis dealer.)

Pantera East is getting ready to produce a run of 18" rear wheels which 
should complement their 17" front wheels perfectly.  I know there are 
GT5-style wheels in the making; what about early-style Campys?  I think so 
too.

Hall Pantera sells kits consisting of Mustang Cobra wheels in 17x8 (front) 
and 17x10.5 (rear), along with a SPACER which Gary says is necessary for 
proper fit in the back.  I took a hard look at his car with these wheels 
mounted; the spacer is a good two inches thick and the wheels fit perfectly, 
which would lead me to question how well they would work without the spacer 
in the rear.  Perhaps 17x9 or 17x8 wheels (a la Jim Duncan) can work without 
the spacer, but probably not the he-man 17x10.5 wheels.

Point being, you can spend many hours coming up with your own receipe for 
outsize rear wheels, and either find Ultimate Happiness, or not (more than 
one person on this forum has spent Big Bucks getting wheels custom made, only 
to find clearance issues or other problems which forced their sale, at a 
non-inconsiderable loss.)  Or, you can support your vendors and purchase 
wheels that have been engineered to fit your car, saving precious brain cells 
for more important tasks, such as justifying the expense to She Who Must Be 
Obeyed.  

I'm not criticizing anybody for blazing their own trail--wheels especially 
are a highly personal thing.  But I'd urge you to check the off-the-rack 
options before you go for a bespoke wheel package--you might be pleasantly 
surprised.  And of course, the vendors would appreciate your business.....

Mike