Pro Touring has quickly become a trendy fad among classic muscle cars. Upgrading to larger brakes and mounting them to a suspension that can handle curves is typical with these builds.
Wheel manufacturers are rising to the challenge with innovative designs that look fantastic on these cars, like Billet Specialties’ VF498 Pro-Touring wheel.
Choosing the Right Brakes
Pro touring builds require quality components that can withstand long rides and thousands of pedaling miles, with brake pads being critical components to this end. If your current ones have worn down to the point that their material no longer protrudes proud of the caliper or are showing signs of glazing (no longer sitting above), it might be time for an upgrade.
As part of evaluating your brakes, the first thing to check is pad thickness. There should always be enough pad material covering the entire rim; otherwise, the pad could come into contact with the rotor and wear out more quickly than intended. Also important are spoke count and how often spokes cross each other – some lightweight race wheels may only have two or three crossing points, which is not ideal for touring wheels.
When it comes to brake calipers, four-piston units are the most popular choice. This robust and durable design provides excellent modulation; however, its drawback can be loud braking noise; some riders prefer quieter single-piston designs that lack their power counterparts.
Brake reservoirs, giant rotors, and brake calipers are critical elements in any pro-touring build. To ensure safe stopping power at any moment, these parts must be installed correctly so as to give you confidence to stop when necessary.
Remember when braking that the front brake slows you more quickly than the rear one; use it more aggressively! Additionally, never drag your brakes, as this heats the rotor and reduces braking power.
Billet Specialties has been crafting billet wheels since 1985, and their two and three-piece Spline wheels can be seen on many custom cars as well as at autocross events. Their painted or polished centers come standard, and diameter options range from 18 inches up to 24 inches. Weld Racing also manufactures high-quality wheels used by Pro Touring enthusiasts; Weld designs their wheels with both aesthetics and strength in mind by meticulously engineering spokes that maximize power while accommodating large brakes and wide tires.
Suspension
Suspension upgrades for Pro Touring bikes are equally as essential, if not more so, than brake upgrades. Most avid riders opt for both, pairing a high-quality brake kit from Baer or Wilwood with one from TCI, QA1, or Ridetech suspension systems as part of their upgrade package.
To increase strength and traction, forged wheels tend to be chosen over five-spoke two-piece designs for their larger diameter and increased support of larger brake calipers. Furthermore, wider wheels may accept lower tire sizes to increase contact patch and traction.
Damping is one of the cornerstones of high-quality suspension. This feature regulates how quickly spring compression and rebound occur. Too much sag (how much it compresses under your weight while riding) will create an unpleasant, rigid, or stiff ride, while too little will create an unsafe bouncing ride experience.
Valving a shock also plays an integral role in its ability to regulate spring compression and rebound speeds. More valving options allow you to control how responsive it is; typically, this adjustment is made through its hose or shaft.
Spring rate is another crucial component, dictating how quickly or slowly suspension reacts to input from drivers. A higher spring rate results in a faster response to acceleration or deceleration – though this should be balanced against factors like travel length, amount of load on fork or shock, and type of terrain you will be riding over.
Be mindful of pedal bob, or “pedal bounce,” which occurs when pedaling exertion activates your rear shock and creates an ongoing cycle of compression/rebound that reduces pedaling efficiency. Although modern wonders do not usually exhibit this issue, older ones might cause it; eliminate it by changing your settings appropriately.
Tires
Selecting the appropriate wheels and tires when building a Pro Touring car is one of the most essential steps. Your tire selection will have an enormous effect on its handling as well as how comfortable the ride will be for passengers. When choosing which tire to use, consider your individual driving needs as well as typical weather conditions in your region; touring tires are an ideal solution if you want a smooth drive regardless of the conditions outside your door.
If you want your car to respond well to driver input, performance tires may be best suited for it. Performance tires tend to feature higher grip levels and unique tread patterns that increase responsiveness – but these types of tires tend to be more costly than touring tires.
Before making any final decisions, it is a brilliant idea to consult a tire professional. They will assist in selecting the optimal set of tires based on your requirements and budget. When buying touring tires, they must match existing tire sizes; incorrect sizes could result in reduced fuel efficiency or even tires coming loose from rims while driving.
Neotires’ team at Neotires suggests Grand Touring tires as a good solution for drivers interested in the more comprehensive setup. These H or T-rated tires feature broad contact patches to provide comfortable highway cruising.
When selecting tires, it’s also essential to take your car’s style and the event in which it will participate into account. A competitive event like Optima’s Ultimate Street Car Invitational (OUSCI) requires frequent road time between events, making Pro-Touring cars built with large-diameter performance wheels such as Weld Racing RTS suitable both aesthetically and for daily driving.
Wheels
Your choice of wheels for your Pro-Touring build is an integral component of both its appearance and performance. Wheel manufacturers have noted the trend towards more prominent tires and wheels, as well as increasing demand for tubeless tires (which reduce weight by eliminating their inner tube), which has resulted in different styles to meet those demands.
One of the most admired looks is a classic multi-spoke design. Though typically associated with street rods, it also looks good on Pro Touring muscle cars – particularly when opting for tubeless wheels that increase both strength and roll resistance when cornering.
Wheel companies like American Racing and US Mags offer an expansive selection of classic and modern muscle car wheels suitable for tubeless tires that will not only increase autocross competition but also enhance handling and grip when driving on public roads. American Racing’s 20-inch diameter wheels feature broad tread profiles ideal for tubeless applications; width options span anywhere between 14 inches to 26 inches with multiple offset options to meet every width requirement and offset requirement. American Racing wheels feature offset options from 5mm up to 20 inches, while width options go as far as 15 inches when using tubeless tires on tubeless applications – something many competitors don’t. American Racing’s offerings give modern muscle car drivers access to an impressive variety of classic muscle car applications, which makes American Racing stand out among competition when auto crossing or just generally improving handling and grip while driving on roads alike! American Racing wheels from US Mags offer a comprehensive collection of modern muscle car applications that will enhance handling while improving grip when driving on roads alike!
There are an array of choices when it comes to stepped lip performance wheels, including many different finishes for both the center and outer shell. Some manufacturers, like Forgeline, will even allow you to add a pinstripe on the outer lip if desired.
Forged wheels tend to be the more cost-effective option when it comes to replacing wheels for any project car, though their strength cannot compare. One key reason is their creation via forging single pieces of aluminum, which makes them significantly lighter than cast wheels and allows large production runs, making these an economical solution for any build car project.
Forged wheels come in either a 1-piece monoblock or a 2-piece split-spoke style. Both designs are solid, allowing laced configurations with different lacing techniques; however, neither type is as asymmetrical as 3-piece wheels. Manufacturers such as Weld Racing devote significant resources towards designing the rims of their wheels to optimize strength while decreasing weight; this enables them to produce wheels capable of fitting big brakes while fitting super wide meats on your pro-touring build.
