Wheel and Tire combinations!

[walter]

So the dealership called and they want their polished 18's back.

(long story but they weren't included in the killer deal I lined up and after 6 weeks they remember to call about the wheels and now they want them back). I'll be going to a stock 17in size which looks too small to me so I'm looking for a new wheel setup.

I really like the way the FR500s look in black with the polished lip, thing is i'm not sure whether or not I should stagger the wheels or get them all four of the same size. 18x9 / 18x10 vs 18x9 all around. Looks wise the staggered setup is the winner but i'm concerned about tire life being greatly diminished since you can't rotate the tires properly. Also every site seems to think the FR500's are more of an SN95 fit then a S197. Shelby GT500's are also an option with all fours coming in at 18x9.5. I dunno what do you guys think? also where can I get a really good deal?

Thanks!

 

[kooldawg6]

Your tire/wheel combo depends on your plans for suspension and how you want your car to ride and handle. If you want tall meaty looking tires you can do either the 17s or 18s as tire height is what fills the fender, not wheel size. You can get 9 and 10" wide 17s and allows you to have more sidewall height. If you have any hint of wanting to rotate then staggered shouldn't even cross your mind. I never rotated my fanblades in 30K miles so getting staggered was no big deal for me.

First find the wheel style you like as they usualy make them in various sizes and widths, deep dish or non deep dish. There is a guy on here who want to put a 29.2x11.7" tire on a 20x10" wheel on the back of his Stang and it will fit as long as he stays with the stock rear ride height.

If you plan on lowering your car, I'd suggest to keeping the tire height to less than 28.5" The OEM 17 is 27.1" and the OEM 18 is 27.2" for reference. After seeing mine Tuesday when I got the wheels put on, I believe I may just drop the front 1-1/2" and leave the back alone to give it more of the muscle car rake.

There are several of us here that will answer your questions if/when they arise. Good luck

 

[walter]

If I can get a decent life out of the tires I'd love to go with the 18's staggered widening my stance but keeping the stock size. I'd like to hear what kind of mileage people are getting from their tires this way.

In my 240SX i went from 205/55/16's to 245/40/17 and they were exactly the same in radius but I had a lot more to go. That's what I'm trying to do with the Mustang.

 

[kooldawg6]

255/45-18 will keep you nearly the same height as stock.
275/40-18 is just a tad shorter than stock.

 

[Mr_Q]

Um...how on Earth did you allow that after a period of time AFTER you signed the paperwork and left the lot the dealer could take claim to ANYTHING?

I mean a killer deal is one thing but stock 18" WHEELS being that much of a killer that you allowed some foolish salesmen to put their return in to your deal memo??? NEVER!

Now I know why I should continue to spend 7+ hours hashing out my deals at the "lots" when I buy a car.

 

[walter]

OT.. simple, the guy said we'll give you this car for X much but the 1400$ of accessory wheels are not included at that price, which was fine with me since my plans were to get something else to begin with, I.E. the FR500 rims.

Back on topic... american muscle seems to have some nice deals but their FR500 wheels are all for SN95's (found out they are a different offset). Does anyone know if they got them for the S197's and are just not advertising them on their site?

 

[kooldawg6]

mrbodykit has them in chrome, black and grey for the S197. That is where I got my wheels from. Not quick shipping, but got them within 2 weeks of ordering them which was fine since I had to wait til payday again for the tires. They arrived in excellent shape

http://www.mrbodykit.com/wheels/2005_2008.htm

 

[walter]

Cool if I only could make my mind up between the FR500's or the GT500's i'd be in business...