Big wheels (for grownups)

That has only pushed the enthusiasts to new extremes where the rubber hits the road. Recent years have brought "spinners" (developed for then-New York Knick Latrell Sprewell, their hubs keep rotating when the car or SUV stops – a jarring effect). Today, light-up rims from a company called Pimpstar combine fiber-optics and dashboard computers to display words and images – even digital photos – on rims. (They appear stationary as the car rolls.)

And the supersized wheels deliver a visual jolt, particularly in this odd new context. That, of course, is the point. "It's pretty interesting when one rolls up on you and you're sitting in an SUV and it's even taller than you are," says Mr. Scotto.

The biggest wheels are not yet shifting to cars in the North, says Carmelo Signorello, a custom-wheels salesman for Town Fair Tire Centers in East Haven, Conn. At a Hot Import Nights show in Boston this spring, Mr. Signorello stood behind a display that featured a set of 28-inch Dropstar rims from American Racing – $14,000 (yes, three zeros) for four, with tires mounted.

"They're not moving that fast," says Signorello. As the new giants become the rim-makers high-end offerings, "prices on the smaller stuff are dropping," he explains, moving the action to 22- and 24-inch wheels in most regions.

Most, but not all. The Southern boom took custom-watchers by surprise, says Scotto. Many people thought the Hummer truck line must have been in overdrive there, based on the number of 28-inch wheels being ordered, he says.

Instead, many were being wedged onto throwback sedans – even throwaway ones – at places like Mr. Scrape or Dreamworks, in Roxboro, N.C.

Donks – the moniker is meant to convey a clunky, big-bodied build – were generally made between 1970 and 1976. Boxes and bubbles came a little later, the names based on the cars' respective appearances in profile.

Needless to say, modifiers have no worries about voiding and warranties, as they would if they were tweaking, say, late-model Acuras. "I literally have people bring me cars out of the junkyard," says Casselman. It can cost them $8,000 or more – sometimes much more – to bring the cars up to the level that attracts attention at shows and from car magazines.

"But you could pick up a $600 Box Chevy and start from there," says Scotto, who points to the bottom-up nature of the trend. "It's the kids who are doing the cars," he says, "a lot of the rappers are getting into it after."

Casselman has five cars in the shop and many others waiting to come in. At least one is a botched job by a do-it-yourselfer in for a proper handling. If the work is done well – with careful attention to the car's stance – the driving experience is smooth, he says.

"This is definitely a new lifestyle," he says. Casselman seems jacked up to be at the center of it.

In car modifying, as in so many realms, "California's always been the place," he says. "Now I've got people from California calling me every day."

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