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Wheels-Tires 88 GT- Biggest tire size

  • Thread starter Thread starter bill335.0
  • Start date Start date Aug 18, 2018
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bill335.0

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Jul 16, 2016
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Aug 18, 2018
#1
  • Aug 18, 2018
  • #1
I have an 88 gt mustang i just bought a set of used stock 5 star pony wheel off a 91 gt. Now i know the 88 has smaller fenders so i was wondering what tires i could run with no rubbing and I'm on stock suspension.
 

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell
Mod Dude
Feb 18, 2001
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Aug 18, 2018
#2
  • Aug 18, 2018
  • #2
I ran 245/50/16s on my '88 LX back when I had 16" pony wheels. Some minor rub up front but nothing major
 
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bill335.0

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Aug 19, 2018
#3
  • Aug 19, 2018
  • #3
Mustang5L5 said:
I ran 245/50/16s on my '88 LX back when I had 16" pony wheels. Some minor rub up front but nothing major
Click to expand...
thx
 

Blown88GT

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Nov 13, 1999
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Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Aug 19, 2018
#4
  • Aug 19, 2018
  • #4
Mustang5L5 said:
I ran 245/50/16s on my '88 LX back when I had 16" pony wheels. Some minor rub up front but nothing major
Click to expand...
That's an LX, GT's are different.
225/50/16's won't rub anywhere.
245/45/16's are good when you can find them, but they need an 8" wide wheel. Don't know what "stock" Pony's were.

The idea for early GT's is to get the overall tire diameter a bit less than the stock 225/60/15's which did rub.
Use this tire calculator: https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc

225/50/16 is 0.77" less. I now run these. Not much difference from the 245's below.
245/45/16 is 0.95" less. I use to run these until couldn't find the size except in a very expensive racing tire.

As spares, 225/50/15 on the original turbines are 1.77" less. Height difference is 1.77/2 = 0.885"
1/2 " difference in height from the 225/50/16s is not noticeable.
Load rating is about 10% less. Not a problem, unless you put 4 fat people in the car.
Tires are less expensive, too. Kumho Ecsta AST were about $75/ea.
Here's what it looks like. Car is lowered an inch, too, for total drop of 2".
 
Last edited: Aug 19, 2018
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Slumone

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#5
  • Jun 13, 2020
  • #5
Does anyone have a photo of a 245mm tire on a 7 inch wide wheel? I have staggered wheels 16x7 front 16x8 rear but am looking to go 245 square. Both BF Goodrich and General says a 245 fits a 7 inch wheel but I am curious as to how well.
 

Blown88GT

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#6
  • Jun 13, 2020
  • #6
You can mount them, but they won't fit properly.
They might fit on a tire that's too tall to fit, i.e. 60 or 70 series.
 

africansnowowl

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Apr 29, 2020
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#7
  • Jun 14, 2020
  • #7
I run a 265/35/18 up front on an 87 GT, stock fenders, 1.5” drop. I can turn my wheel from lock to lock without any rubbing. These tires are about an inch wider than a 225/50/16, and about 3/4” taller
 
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Slumone

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#8
  • Jun 14, 2020
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I am not so much worried about suspension clearance as I am the tire actually fitting the wheel. Minimum wheel requirements is 7 inches, but a 245 is more than two and a half inches wider.
 

Blown88GT

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#9
  • Jun 14, 2020
  • #9
245/50/16 General G-Max RS & BF Goodrich g-Force say 7.0-8.5 rim width range.
Therefore, they will fit your 7" wide wheels.
They will be the same height as OEM.
https://www.discounttiredirect.com/learn/tire-size-calculator
 
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