It’s unusual to see aftermarket rims on a minivan, and rare indeed to see upsized rims. While the stiffer sidewalls of larger diameter rims promote superior handling, we don’t typically associate G-forces with the minivan. In addition, low profile tires degrade the vehicle’s ride, which is also in opposition to the family friendly image of these small buses.
However, the owner of this minivan has thrown all caution to the wind, mounting a full set of dubs, and painting the brake drums red (good for a increase in top speed of 10 to 20 MPH).
Does this look work for you? Would an upgrade to disc brakes be the next logical step? Share your ideas for this budding track star below.
Dumb dumb dumb… and those wheels might improve handling SLIGHTLY, but that will be offset by the large increase in unsprung weight and a decrease in braking ability.
If they are quality wheels they will lower the unsprung rate since aluminum is lighter than a tire. Of course if you use cheapo wheels they will indeed increase unsprung weight even if they aren’t larger diameter.
Those look to be elcheapo bling wheels, the kind I see often around here peeling and turning green with corrosion. Unlikely anyone would spend big $$$ tto put good wheels on some POS Caravan (sorry for the redundancy :D).
+ 1!
I mean, why, oh, why?
What gangstas’ mothers drive? I will admit to liking the red brake drums.
Depends on just HOW big the overall wheel is. Even with these rims, the tires don’t look any larger than what came ON the car originally, though it could be an optical illusion.
Just that these are super low profile though, and not always, as you say, the best choice for ride characteristics, unless you don’t mind having a FIRM ride. 🙂
I’ve seen more than one minivan rolling around like this in the South. Not a good look, but hey, it’s one less 70’s Caprice or Cadillac ruined…
Carriage with spoked wheels 2.0
this is the van for when the bingo crowd outgrows their neons, and i bet it has a bunch walmart automotive “style” accessories inside. blue led’s etc…
I feel sorry for the guy who did this. Obviously someone who wants to drive something exciting, but is resolved to the fact the the family needs a minivan
I’m no fan of the trend to put spoke-style alloy wheels on so many vehicles today, even OEM, and put imitation 5-spoke wheelcovers over steel wheels. This Caravan’s wheels are obviously not stock, but I’m sitting in a coffee shop right now and just saw two similar Caravans drive by with OEM 5-spoke alloys.
It wasn’t long ago that manufacturers still offered alloy wheels that weren’t a spoke style. For example these ones from the Chrysler 300 Touring, which are more like a solid disc with brake cooling slots around the outside.
We had a set of rather blingy 17″ wheels on our old Nissan Quest minivan for a while. I only bought them because they were cheap and had an almost new set of winter rubber mounted on them. I really didn’t like them and eventually sold them to a Chrysler 300 owner. We later put on a nice set of stock Maxima alloy wheels that look rather good.
That van looks to be an older one anyway, and a base model (judging by the flat black bumper).
So this one likely had steelies with plastic wheel covers, now replaced.
My Mazda Protege 5 has spoked alloys, but they are factory original and look quite nice. I have no issue with spoked wheels, but it DOES depend on their overall design though.
Painted brake drums are right up there with fart can exhausts… tacky tacky. If you must paint them, paint them black at least.
Now upgraded wheels and tires on a minivan isn’t a terrible idea. There is a Honda junkie who lives near me that has a pretty sweet Odyssey with lowered suspension and tuner wheels for his wife. Building your own Dodge R/T van on the cheap isn’t a bad idea. My Grand Caravan had disks all around too, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find a set at a junkyard and swap them out if you were attempting to build yourself a performance minivan.
I’ve seen a few of this generation with the aftermarket clear taillights too, they don’t really make them for the Caravan’s but they interchange with the Durango so some have installed them. The “from the ‘hood” look. 😛
UGH! Clear tail lights… Right up there with donk wheels in my book.
Is it just me, or is the tire on our subject minivan a tad under inflated?
There is a Caravan locally I have been trying to catch a picture of for a while. It had some large wheels on it, last time I saw it I think it’s back to stock but it doesn’t end there. This van is lowered, all the body lines are shaved and the door handles too, body kit on the front, those Rams head tail light covers on the back, diagonally frenched rear plate and a roll cage on the inside.
Of course this look is associated with a certain car culture… for better or worse.
Cultural baggage aside, this look doesn’t look too far off from a lifesized version of a Hot Wheels or Matchbox die cast toy car from the 1970s. Remember the Packin’ Pacer?
I’ve got that one is orange! One of my favorite Hot Wheels growing up.
I have that one in orange too.
Since everyone knows that red calipers make any sports/sporty/high dollar European car stop better (?) it makes sense that red drums will make an old minivan stop better too.
If the owner put three stick-on portholes on the front fenders then it will look like a Maserati Quattroporte too.
Maybe Little Johnny got his mom’s minivan when he turned 16 and this is how he’s trying to make it his own (?). He can cram a bunch of his friends in it when they all want to go somewhere. To further customize it he can put a sound system in it that’s worth more than the minivan itself – and when he wants “private time” with his girlfriend, he can take the seats out! It’s the 2010’s version of the old Ford Econoline with the porthole window, the mural painted on the side and the “If this van’s rockin’, don’t bother knockin’ ” bumper sticker.
IMO, I think drums actually *look* better/”cleaner” than a disc setup. Too bad they stink at actually being brakes.
Nothing wrong with drums on the back of the vehicle. I actually prefer them. Some of the systems for integrating a parking brake with rear discs are a PITA to service.
Keystone Klassics with raised white letters on a first-gen Astro? Been there, done that. 🙂
The only place that POS Caravan belongs is in the following picture (along with the rest of the 1996-2007 Caravans)
That’s a very appropriate place to stock the whole bunch of them, with or without horrible rims.
Where is this alternative minivan parking lot ? Seems to be nearby, I see a Ford Fiesta and what appears to be a Citroën GSA with Dutch plates.
sliding doors limits what one can do with oversizing tires.
Back in the day they used to make kits to make the sliders pop out further for the old full size vans so you could fit the fender flares and wide tires but I’m betting no one makes a kit for the minivans.
This reminds me of a co-worker with a clapped out 4 runner (first gen), the other day he showed up with nice new rims and wheels worth a couple hundred more than the truck. The back window is a sheet of corrugated sign plastic, the rocker panels are almost non existent but hey he’s got some bling wheels and rims now… Have to tease him on Monday that he needs some red brake drums…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vym3SuaUhU
It’s hard to be cool in a minivan…
Don’t be dissin’ swagger wagons!
I have seen an Astro van with a 350 in it. Daily driver. Came to say that.
Is that with the third row seat removed? Because if he removes the seat he could probably carry two 350s
If camp is “the failure of seriousness” then this is the rolling definition…
Swangers & Vouges
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNmOHrfC0ys
I work at a Honda dealership and one of our customers has an Odyssey with dual exhaust.