Stylin'

Yesterday morning (Monday, May 17, 2010) we parked next to a sky-high beige Ford Crown-Victoria in the Strong Memorial Hospital parking garage.
It appeared to be a retired police-cruiser, light-bar — if it ever had one — removed, but still festooned with 89 bazilyun tiny antennas.
Its chrome-alloy wheels were at least 20 inches in diameter, perhaps 22 inches or 24.
Its tires were at least a foot wide, but only two inches deep.
End result, the Crown-Vic rode about a foot higher than normal.
“Is that thing for real?” my wife asked.
“I've seen worse,” I said (e.g. the picture posted above).
A recent tire test in my Car & Driver Magazine concluded such combinations ride extremely hard.
No matter, what we're fishing for is the “the look.”
I first saw it in southern California.
A giant black Ford Expedition mired in a traffic-jam. But stylin'.
Darth Vader on wheels, at five miles-per-gallon (zero mpg in a traffic-jam).
I converted our Honda CR-V to alloys a while ago, but they're only an inch bigger than stock; 16-inch as opposed to 15.
i.e. you don't notice the difference.
It originally had 15-inch pressed steel rims. —Alloys are lighter.
The Car & Driver article concluded you needed more tire depth to get good bump compliance. —Also that larger alloys are heavy.
Reminds me of ape-hanger handlebars on a motorcycle.
They render “the look,” but how does one steer it?
Lower bars are much more functional.
They use much larger arm inputs. You can't do much with sky-high handlebars.
The Crown-Vic was being ministered to by an over-the-road car-window replacement service.
The driver's window had been broken out, perhaps by the owner after locking his keys inside.
I also noticed the car-door didn't have any interior panel.
“Weight-saving,” I thought; “to offset those heavy alloys.”

• “Strong Memorial Hospital” is a large hospital located in the south of Rochester, named for its benefactor, who was named “Strong.”
• My wife of 42+ years is “Linda.”