Are 17's too small?

[Shadow Stang]

Hey guys (and gals ). I'm thinking about picking up some new rims for the Stang and I'm looking at some 17's. She's on the stock rims at the moment, and I'm looking at some black Bullitt rims for her. I'm wondering, has anyone here moved up to the 17's and are you happy with them, or would it be better to go 18's? There's about a $500 difference in price there, so I'm curious to know if its worth it just for the extra inch. Also, I don't have it dropped or anything and I probably won't drop it due to me just being uncomfortable trusting some mechanic to get it right when he does it. Well, any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[V6muscle00]

i got 17s and im happy with them.. not too big but flashy enough for everyone to see.. i personally think extra large rims on mustangs look out of place and imo i think chrome wud look better with ur blue than black wud but thats really up to u.. gl with whatever u choose

 

[TMX]

Having a taller rim does nothing good performance wise, because you size match the tires and it's all the same diameter. Taller rim means more metal and the sidewalls of the tire have to be made stiffer to support the weight, meaning the tire still weighs just as much and the rims weight even more. Added weight gives slower times and a small loss of MPG. Width is what will help with traction, but on a stock V6, 17x8 with 245/45R-17 is more than enough, very modified you could go 17x9 or deep dish 17's. Of course, I'm more into lateral racing instead of road type courses, but I wouldn't imagine a heavy rim still helps there with acceleration.

 

[97sally6]

i went from stock 15's to steeda ultralite II 17's and im planning on getting fr500 18's. the 17's look good, i just wanna fill out the wheel well better. where are you getting prices? its only about $150 difference in 17's and 18's on mustangtuning.com. the biggest difference is gonna be in tire prices. i pay about 120-150 each, depending on the tire for a 275/40/17.

http://mustangtuning.com/bullittwheels.html

 

[bullitt 5561]

Depending on what tires you use the overall size of the wheel/tire combo may not change. Play around with this calculator to see things like circumference, speedo changes, etc.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

[Shadow Stang]

Wow, thanks for the great responses guys! I'm not sure what the name was, but to the member who mentioned black rims wouldn't look good on a blue car, I agree. But my car is black. I'm normally a chrome person, but black is cheaper and I'm not the richest person, if you know what I mean. It's a little ways off yet, but I think based on the feedback I've gotten that 17's are the way to go. I didn't think about how weight would affect acceleration. That's a very valid point. And I want to avoid the "look at me!" effect of rims that are too big. So I guess now all I have to do is finish saving up the money. Maybe by the end of the month I'll have enough. But again, thank you all for the quick, quality responses!

 

[V6muscle00]

ah ha.. i thought ur car was blue from ur thumbnail pic but if its black i def take my statement back.. black bullitts would look fresh on ur car especially with the chrome lip around the edge. good choice get some tints for the drop top too

 

[pony ride]

If you're going with bullitts, then go with the 17's. I think the 18's don't have the same aggressive look as the 17's. But 18's in other styles can look very good too (see sig).

 

[RED98]

Maybe what I'm being told is a load of poop, but I have heard the bigger you go, like 18 or 19 inch, the more your ride quality suffers. I would be hesitant to go over 17 inch for that reason; I don't want to feel like I'm riding in a tank. When I get 17's for mine, they will be chrome with the red "Bullitt" brake calipers behind them.

 

[97sally6]

the ride quality changes with the height and stiffness of the sidewall. lower profile tires have shorter sidewalls, so they will be stiffer. but you can get a 275/40/17 tire that has the same sidewall height as a 275/40/18, so the ride quality would be the same.

red98 - im ordering that same brake upgrade, with the bullitt calipers and 13" rotors. i love the running pony on them. now i just gotta save up for the rears... oh well

 

[RED98]

red98 - im ordering that same brake upgrade, with the bullitt calipers and 13" rotors. i love the running pony on them. now i just gotta save up for the rears... oh well

One thing that kinda bites about the stock Ford Bullitt setup is that you only get the big red caliper with the running pony on the fronts. The rears are red, but much smaller with no pony. I checked out three Bullitts at the last all-Ford show I was at in June, and they were all like that. I would have preferred ponys all around.. oh well, what are ya gonna do.. I'd be interested to see pictures when you have yours on.

 

[97sally6]

you know, i just looked again and i never noticed that before.. that is depressing. maybe some pony stickers or paint on one using a homemade template.. idk.. ya, ill get some pics up once everything shows up and is put together.