My new wheel and tire combo

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Joined
Aug 14, 2014
Messages
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Location
Madison, WI
My Car
1971 Mach 1 w/408C stroker
I finally bit the bullet and got new wheels and tires. I did a lot of research and changed my mind 100 times in the process.

I ended up going with American Racing AR105M Series Black Torq Thrust M wheels, 18x10 (6 7/16BS) and 18x8 (4.5BS) for rear/front. For tires, I decided on Michelin Pilot S4S, 285/40ZR18 and 255/45ZR18. These tires are Thread 300, so they are a compromise between street and track. These were expensive but they were highly recommended and have the best reviews for high performance summer tires.

[SIZE=15.4px]The combo did not [/SIZE]disappoint[SIZE=15.4px]. I love the look of it and the traction is incredible. I can't break lose the tires in first gear that easily anymore. First gear is now useable! This shows how poor the BFG Radial T/A are for traction.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=15.4px]The front combo fits like a glove. With my approximately 1" lower suspension it fits very well. It is pretty much the same backspacing I had with the Magnums and the tire width although it is 255 vs 245, the total tire width is about the same. The BFGs have some curvature at the wall that makes them much wider than the thread contact width is.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=15.4px]The backspacing of the rear wheels (6 7/16) is about the max you want to go with. Maybe an extra 1/4" will be ok depending on tire. I still have about 3/4" between the tire and leaf spring. The rear tires stand about 5/8" clear from the fender. The old 295s BFG were flush. That said, I could fit 315s with these wheels if I wanted to, but unfortunately the widest they have in the 27" diameter camp are 285s. I may eventually add a 1/4" spacer to push the wheels further out. That's the max I can do while keeping 1/2" of the threads for the lug nut.[/SIZE]

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They look really good.  That particular wheel is very cool; modern performance with an aesthetic that has classic muscle-car DNA.  Great choice.

 
As a feedback. Yesterday I went out for AutoX and these tires are awesome. This is single handily the best money spent for cornering/traction return. After six runs I kept pushing the car more and more and still was not able to reach the traction limit of the tires. I can tell that I can feel a lot more lateral force than before. It is like driving a totally different car. Highly recommended!

 
I always thought that 17-inch wheels would be the largest that would look good on our cars, but that combination does look good, and has me re-thinking it.
I had 17" in my radar screen at first, but I found more options at 18". However, it takes a lot of research to find the right combo. What I wanted was a tire with enough sidewall to look good in the car. I think this combination gives me that. I didn't think a thin sidewall will look good. Unfortunately, there are a very few combinations that you can find of a performance tire, between 26.5" and 27" diameter, and staggered at 245/255 for the front and 295-315 for the rear. In my case I had to compromise with 285 although I could fit wider.

 
If anyone is curious, the Magnum 500 combo with the 245 and 295 tires weighted 49 and 54 lbs. The new combo weighs 50 and 55 lbs, respectively. Even though the new wheels are aluminum compared to the Magnum 500 steel, the new wheels are much bigger.

 
I'm generally not a fan of larger diameter wheels on older cars like ours.  But you absolutely nailed it!  I love the look of black in the center, chrome/silver on the outside.

What are you doing with your old Magnum 500 wheels?

 
Love the new wheels, looks great! Ryan

 
I'm more old school all bling bling polished wheels minded for our rides, but these fit your car as gloves! Really nice.

Michelin is not exactly a bad brand when it comes to tires! They are not cheap but you know you can trust them to keep the car on the road.
Had some on my first t-bird and I've really regretted the move to another brand.

One last thing to do: update your signature to show off the nice new shoes :D

 
I think they fit perfectly, nailed it. I wouldn’t change anything if it were mine. The mudflaps are kind of distracting to the clean lines, but I understand why you want them. 

 
I think they fit perfectly, nailed it. I wouldn’t change anything if it were mine. The mudflaps are kind of distracting to the clean lines, but I understand why you want them. 
I kind of inherited the mudflaps when I bought the car. I have never thought about them since I am used to it. Now you are making me think about it, but from the practical perspective I think they help keep the car cleaner.

 
I kind of inherited the mudflaps when I bought the car. I have never thought about them since I am used to it. Now you are making me think about it, but from the practical perspective I think they help keep the car cleaner.
I grew up in Canada and mudflaps, snow tires, were/are used all the time on daily drivers and grocery getters. They just don’t look right to me on a muscle car. They do protect the paint on your rear quarters though. This is only my opinion and I am certainly not knocking your car whatsoever. It’s beautiful as it is. If you drive gravel roads and roast the tires often then I would keep them on. 
 

Ron

 
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