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1988 convertible

  • Thread starter Thread starter 88 VertFoxbody
  • Start date Start date Feb 4, 2026
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88 VertFoxbody

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I’m curious on my 1988 vert if I can fit 18inch rim on it.i have sn95 brake rotors all way around..
 

gkomo

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#2
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It can, but it also depends.

Is your car lowered? What size tire do you plan on running with the 18's? How wide are they? Offset and backspacing specs? You may have to do some trimming of your font/rear lower fender ground effect moldings to make clearance for turning the wheel. You also may need to roll your front fenders above the wheels.
 

90sickfox

Wasn't a pretty sight...and I've got big hands
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#3
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You can fit certain offset 18s on your car. Tire size and back spacing is crucial like Komo mentioned. The width is also important. My 18s dont rub and I didn't have to cut anything. I did make a bracket and adjuster to push the front groud effect out a little to clear. My car isn't at all stock.
 
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88 VertFoxbody

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gkomo said:
It can, but it also depends.

Is your car lowered? What size tire do you plan on running with the 18's? How wide are they? Offset and backspacing specs? You may have to do some trimming of your font/rear lower fender ground effect moldings to make clearance for turning the wheel. You also may need to roll your front fenders above the wheels.
Click to expand...
I just picked this car up couple weeks ago and trying to figure it out..the rims I’m trying to run are Sve Nyx 18x9 front 235-35-18and backs are 18x10 and 265-35-18 it is a package deal from LMR, but I have disc brakes on the back too.
 
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88 VertFoxbody

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This is a pic of my car. It looks a little lowered, especially in the back end.
 

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88 VertFoxbody

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Car pic
 

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88 VertFoxbody

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gkomo said:
It can, but it also depends.

Is your car lowered? What size tire do you plan on running with the 18's? How wide are they? Offset and backspacing specs? You may have to do some trimming of your font/rear lower fender ground effect moldings to make clearance for turning the wheel. You also may need to roll your front fenders above the wheels.
Click to expand...
Sorry I got tire size off a lil bit..front are 265-35 and backs are 285-35..I sent a pic of backspacing..Thx in advance
 
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88 VertFoxbody

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gkomo

now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft
Aug 2, 2024
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#9
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Looks decently lowered. Wonder if you have sn95 or Fox length axles.

My guess is some trimming and fender rolling will be required but every car is different so you won’t know until you throw them on. Tire sizes can vary from one manufacturer to the next even for the same sized tire.
 
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88 VertFoxbody

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gkomo said:
Looks decently lowered. Wonder if you have sn95 or Fox length axles.

My guess is some trimming and fender rolling will be required but every car is different so you won’t know until you throw them on. Tire sizes can vary from one manufacturer to the next even for the same sized tire.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I’m not sure what length they are but I know it’s all disc all the way around and rear quarters or rolled pretty good so I’m guessing he had some wide tires on it prior. I was just wondering if that backspacing would be able to fit I guess I’ll call him and see but before I call him tomorrow, I’ll take some tires off and put a level on on it and try to get some measurements
 

gkomo

now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft
Aug 2, 2024
2,130
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133
San Diego, CA
Feb 5, 2026
#11
  • Feb 5, 2026
  • #11
Ya with some math and measurements you should be able to decently see if they will fit but hard to do that over the internet.
 

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair
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#12
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We took a piece of angle iron and bolted onto two wheel studs, that and a tape measure and some critical thinking and we got pretty close to how much space we had to work with but we were also limited in wheel sizes back then.
And no they were not made of wood noobz...
 

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell
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#13
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Hang on guys. Looks like those are SVO/Lincoln rear disks, which add about 1.25" each side. Those are wider than Sn95 disks.

The wheels you have now are S197 wheels with a +45 offset. They are deep which is why they fit well.

If you use this tool, you can figue out where your new wheels will sit relative to current setup.

Wheel Offset Calculator

Use our wheel offset calculator to visualize the new tire position when changing wheel and tire sizes. Convert wheel offset and backspacing to calculate the correct setup for your vehicle.
tiresize.com

Current wheels are 17x8 +45 offset. So if you stick a +20 offset rear 10" wheel on the back, it;s going to stick out 1.38" more than where it currently sits



need a few more pics of the rear brakes to confirm, but you likely need to be looking at rear wheels in the +50 range if you want to run anything larger than a 8" wide rim....or change the brakes
 
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