Yet another wheel/tire fit thread...not a common rim though

Trying to figure out if I'd have clearance here.

The rims are 16x7.5 and have a 5.5" backspacing. If I go with the spacers from MustangsPlus(1") I'll have a 4.5" backspace. The car will be sitting on 1" drop springs in the front.
Is 4.5" the backspacing I want for a 225-55-16 tire?

Anybody else running 16" wheels? If so, what's your backspacing and tire tread width? Have you lowered the front end?
I'm concerned about hitting the suspension/steering joints more than anything.



That's VTstang66's fastback running the same rims. He told me his spacers are 1.25" but could be smaller since they rub the fenders a little. I'm looking at 1", but I don't want it to go too small and rub something on the inside.

I'm also considering dropping down to 225-50-16 tires all around to get it closer to the stock tire's diameter and provide room for the 1" drop. Good idea?

I would recommend a 225 50 tire.

Click to expand...

Awesome.

BlackGMC said:

Would using a 1" space require using longer wheel studs? It seems to me that much space on stock wheel studs would kinda dangerous cause the lugs would not have much to grab onto.....

Click to expand...

I'll need to double check with MustangsPlus, but their spacer should be the kind that have their own wheels studs. Not just a piece of metal that goes between the wheel and the rotor. This is the picture on their site, but I don't know how accurate it is:


I know NPD's 1.25" spacers have their own studs. But MustangsPlus is A LOT cheaper, so now you have me worried.

Called Mustangs Plus and their spacers are just pieces of billet, no studs. Nothing like their pic that labeled "spacers". Also, the guy didn't know if they'd fit Granada rotors, but I can definately tell the wheels would've had almost no threads to bolt to.
Guess what I need are "adapters" even though I'm just "spacing" the wheel.
NPD has a set. They'll give me a backspacing of 4.25".

The Dodgestang chart shows someone running a 4.25" backspace on a 16x7 rim with a 225-60-16. I'm hoping that extra .5" of wheel width doesn't screw me even though I'll be running a tire with a shorter sidewall.

Part of me wants to cut bait before buying the adapters and get a more period-correct wheel. But the only style I'd like are the Torque thrust D's or II's, and everyone has those.
These are different and something tells me they'd look good on a coupe. They looked alright on my friend's project car.