Let’s face it: Most stock wheels are, at best, fine. Occasionally one will stand out for its looks, usually because it’s been made by Mercedes, but most OEM wheels are just some basic metal that you can wrap a tire around. That’s good enough for getting from point A to point B, but we car enthusiasts often want better. Enter the entire world of aftermarket wheels, in any style you could dream up — rally turbofans, classic five-spokes, even teddy bears.
Today, though, we’re not here to talk about the wheels themselves. We’re here to talk about the cars they go on, and that brings us to a very broad question: What car looks best on aftermarket wheels? I’ll accept answers to this in two forms, either cars that most need aftermarket wheels or cars that look best on the most different designs of aftermarket wheel. Are those criteria wide-open enough for you?
I think one car fits both interpretations
For both versions of the question, I think there’s a single answer: The Toyobaru, most specifically the first-generation Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ. It’s a car that looks great on lightweight track wheels like Volk TE37s or Titan 7 T-S5s, but its style is just as well-suited to a set of bags and a BBS mesh design. Even a vintage wheel like the RS Watanabe, when scaled up to modern fitment, looks great on the Toyobaru chassis.
I think the car that looks best on aftermarket wheels is the first-generation Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ, but what do you think? Do you think the Civic most needs a new set of shoes, or that the Lexus LS400 can do no wrong with any style of wheel face? Let me know in the comments below, and I’ll collect my favorite answers later in the week. Bonus points if you’ve tried aftermarket wheels on a chassis yourself.
