Why switch to 5 lug?

deftsound said:

No, i live in south Texas, there are no canyons.

Click to expand...

ok, ever have some douche bag cut you off on the highway or streets and want to stop in an emergency? well its not gonna happen with stock brakes

deftsound said:

Well, i guess its just a matter of finding the parts. Could i buy one of the 325$ 5 lug kits and just buy some spindles seperately to go with it? Damn i dont eve know why im worrying about it at this point, i still have to get a damn inspection sticker so i can get it registered so i can get license plates so i can drive the damn thing legally. Sucks living in an emission county...

Click to expand...

5 lugs wont improve stopping power, but changing the brakes will in the disc swap 5 lug thread i listed the easiest way to do it for GREAT stopping performance. here is the copy and paste
"94-95 or 96-98 SN95 Spindles (junk yard $75 a pair)
Cobra Twin Piston PBR Calipers (price varies but i payed 45 each)
MM/Stop tech SS brake lines (check mm website)
13" Parts Master Brand Brake rotors ($32-$48 each)
MM bumpsteer kit (check mm website)
95 SN95 Rear Axle (craigs list 150-600 depending if you can get one with brakes already)
95 Sn95 rear caliper (cobra or GT dont matter they are all the same size $28-$45 dollars)
MM/stoptech rear SS brake lines (check MM website)
95 cobra r master cylinder (new $150)
95 cobra r booster (new $175 reman $85)
Willwood Proportioning valve ($45)
MM 3-2 Port conversion ($35)
Any set of 5 lug rims your heart desires
Typical sizes that fit are 255 for the front and 275 for the rear
now that the parts are out of the way here are the tips

Brake Booster needs to be "fitted" to the car, this involves cutting the lower left hole of the firewall about a 1/2" larger downward and possible massaging of the shock tower

Rear axle, its important for the easiest swap that you locate and axle that has a similar brake line setup as the fox, the SN's had 2 type, one with soft lines at either side of the vehicle, and one with a single soft line in the center and a hardline that run across to both calipers, im not saying the first one wont work but its alot more work as the other is a straight bolt up

E brake cables, there is a possibility that you can re use your factory e brake cables by relocating the brackets so they dont make contact with the wheels, what i did was buy some steel zip ties and attach the brake cable to the calipers and zip tie the loose part of the cable to the lower control arms, then relocate the bracket by drilling 2 holes one for the screw and one for the retaining fold (you'll see what i mean when you get down there) if you go this route you do not need to modify your e brake cable, now this isnt guaranteed to work(worked on my 88 but not my 87)

Now those are the parts and tips i can divulge from doing it myself everything else is basic mechanical knowledge as far as putting everything on the car, just like a brake job, take fox **** off, put SN **** on, its that simple, well it is for me"

If you don't auto x your car and stuff, then I think your best bet would be to just buy the saleen wheels you want in 4 lug.
I agree fox brakes are pretty sad, but I don't believe they are "dangerous" out on the road.

lancec2c30 said:

If you don't auto x your car and stuff, then I think your best bet would be to just buy the saleen wheels you want in 4 lug.
I agree fox brakes are pretty sad, but I don't believe they are "dangerous" out on the road.

Click to expand...

i do, i was going 60 mph and someone cut me ff, i slammed on the brakes to feel more of a slowing than a stopping, like i tossed out and anchor, just didnt have enough force to stop the car, if i hadnt tossed it into 1st i would have lost it

I just finished my 5-Lug conversion. I decided to keep this car (after test driving a lot of other later model Mustangs) so I'm going to keep continuously upgrading the old gal. For me, I got really tired of the crummy brakes, continously warping, shaking and vibrating, taking the rotors off, having them turned, re-packing the bearings, and then having to do it all over again in a year or two. The later model rotors take care of all of this, the bearings are sealed and the clearances are preset, the rotors don't warp as easy since the wheel studs are not pressed into the rotor, plus I think there is a greater swept area for braking (larger rotors) so heat is dissapated better, and with the SN95 spindles it is said you get better steering geometry. So there are lots of reasons to go 5 Lug besides wheels, but it opens up a wonderful selection of wheels that look more like they mean business, so to speak. If money is a problem, pick up the parts gradually from a J/Y , but I would recommend new/rebuilt calipers and rotors. J/Y calipers do make good cores BTW, as I found out since my J/Y calipers were frozen. The Ranger axles and drums worked out great and I will go to rear discs as time / money permits !

Shaolin Crane said:

i do, i was going 60 mph and someone cut me ff, i slammed on the brakes to feel more of a slowing than a stopping, like i tossed out and anchor, just didnt have enough force to stop the car, if i hadnt tossed it into 1st i would have lost it

Click to expand...

Weird, mine would fade right away if I did any repetitive braking. But I was always able to bring them to lock-up if the need ever arouse.

just wait for a used m2300k kit to come along imo. if you get one from a good seller (someone who knows their sht) you will get everything needed.

instead of swapping an entire rear end, you will just swap axles/end components. it's all matched and you do it right the first time. disc front and rear.

lancec2c30 said:

Weird, mine would fade right away if I did any repetitive braking. But I was always able to bring them to lock-up if the need ever arouse.

Click to expand...

Mine would fade during any braking, they would shutter, pulse and then slowly give up, and that was NOT a fun feeling, but i dont have that problem anymore

The one and only time I've had unexpected brake failure (fade) in my car was when I first got the car, 8 years ago. I was 17 and was driving like a jackass and came around a corner hard and there was a school bus stopped, dropping off kids. I almost rear ended that damn thing, and I remember the brakes were so hot, I had smoke coming from the fronts.

Moral of the story: Don't drive like a jackass and your factory brakes will work fine for regular street driving. Drive like a jackass on stock brakes and expect to have near-misses with school buses.

Funny thing is, I have Cobra disks at all 4 corners now, but my driving is much more tame than it was when I was 17.

Just buy the 4-lug wheels...

IMO

go gunmetal 10th anni cobra rims IMO

Saleens, but not black.

281pony said:

with 5 lug you get that warm fuzzy feeling, people dont look at you funny anymore, you have unlimited wheel choices, unlimited brake upgrade choices, the lugs look more proportional on the wheel, ect?

Click to expand...

^this


also, you get spindles with better steering geometery, better design sealed hubs, bigger brakes....

I went 5 lug relatively cheap... ranger drums and axles in the rear from the junkyard, '94 spindles and rotors, '99 front calipers... still running the stock mc/booster and rear brakes. I spent around $260 before wheels & tires (which also included rear calipers I have yet to install). picked up a set of 16" 5 lug pony wheels for $100.

the biggest expense by far was 4 new tires, but I waited until I needed 2 new ones anyway. of course I also sold off my stock spindles & calipers and 4 lug wheels & tires for around $140 so that deducted from the total cost.

I have not seen 10th anniversary Cobra wheels in 4 lug. do they make them now?
FWIW, if you do stay 4 lug I think the Saleen SC style wheels are one of the few that don't look too weird in a 4 lug design. those would be my choice.