My new wheel and tire combo

[tony-muscle]

A few weeks and loving this combo. An unintended consequence of these new wheels is that I can easily check the pads and bleed the brakes without removing the wheels.

 

[EdM]

Looks great and timely for me. What is the distance from the ground to the high spot of each (F/R) wheel arch?

 

[tony-muscle]

Looks great and timely for me. What is the distance from the ground to the high spot of each (F/R) wheel arch?

26" F and 27 1/8" R.

Keep in mind that I have a front coilover suspension and have it lowered about an inch. In the rear I have lowered leaf springs with a 1" taller shackle. After the HRPT I will go back to the stock shackle to see how it looks with 1/2" less.

Edit: My tires are about 27" tall.

 

[EdM]

Thanks. I have the SoT coil overs up front and 4 1/2 leaf mid-eyes in the rear. I am thinking my tires are 26"-ish. Appreciate the reply. My next move...

 

[V10ferrari]

Thanks for sharing it is what convinced me to go the 18inch route also 18x8 front and 18x10 rear running a nankang semi slick

 

[AcesArneson]

Thanks for sharing it is what convinced me to go the 18inch route also 18x8 front and 18x10 rear running a nankang semi slick

What size are the tires Tony? And what is the backset on the rims? Any chance you have checked the internal spacing? I need 17" to clear 2015 GT 14" brakes.

 

[AcesArneson]

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.

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.

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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Those look awesome buddy! Any chance you know how much internal space there is inside the front rims? I need 17" for the 2015 GT 14" brake package I have for the front, so I am a little concerned.

 

[c9zx]

Thanks for sharing it is what convinced me to go the 18inch route also 18x8 front and 18x10 rear running a nankang semi slick

What feedback can you provide on the Nankang tires? What specific version are you using? Thanks, Chuck

 

[tony-muscle]

Those look awesome buddy! Any chance you know how much internal space there is inside the front rims? I need 17" for the 2015 GT 14" brake package I have for the front, so I am a little concerned.

The space at the front is minimal. When straight no issues but when the wheel is turned full there was light contact. I ended up adding a 1/4" spacer and rolling the fender lips. This was enough to clear the inside. It may have worked without rolling the fender lips but I did it so I can clear my even wider track tires on front. Obviously, the inner clearance will also depend on your riding height and camber settings. The more camber the better you will clear the fender lip.
The other issue is clearing the upper ball joint. My setup is about 1/4 from the ball joint.

 

[AcesArneson]

Thanks for creating this post Tony! It really helped me get motivated to finish off the wheels on my 73 Vert. I used a wheel spacing tool to measure out the max space I have available after installing the the Global West UCA's and LCA's. I also installed the performance springs for the lighter SBF, based on all the weight I shaved off the front end (lighter hood, bumper, heads) at the direction of the Eaton Springs tech I talked to. I should have waited to finish installing all of the weight on the car before taking measurements but I included a margin of error in case it rides higher or lower than I anticipate.
I am shooting for stock ride height or just a bit higher at first (until the springs all settle in). The weight I cut off is going to pop it up a bit but the Global control arms are supposed to drop the front end almost an inch and the performance springs are almost an inch shorter as well. It is way stiffer with the 1-1/8" front sway bar which doesn't seem to want to let the car settle down. Once all the weight is back on and the alignment is finished, I am guessing it's all going to balance out.
I also replaced the rear leaf springs with the 5 leafs, hoping I could keep from having any wheel hop. I am adding a 7/8" sway bar to the rear of the car after I get the gas tank in, so I think it is going to be pretty stiff back there too.
All in all I am looking for a much stiffer and sure-footed ride. I installed Mustang Steve's 14" Front and 13" Rear S550 conversion brake package but had to take all of the calibers and rotors off because my stock rims won't fit over any of it and I needed to push the car around the garage to finish other work on it. Mustang Steve warns everyone that you need at least an 18" rim and to not bother getting the Torq Thrust because they don't fit around the front calliper. I searched for dozens of hours for rims that would fit this car with those brakes and came up empty for the size of tires I want to run. I decided to go with the Carrol Shelby CS5's that were made for these brakes and just add spacers.
So up front I have 9.5 inch wide CS5 rims ordered with Pirelli P Zero's 265/35ZR19's and a 1" spacer to put the wheel in the right spot to fit a 10.4" tire. In the back I have staggered 11" rims for 305/30ZR19's with a 1-1/4" spacer. I have always shy'd away from spacers in the past because of all the horror stories about losing wheels (hey it happened to me without a spacer ***never buy a Dodge***, guess that's what I get for breaking rule #1) but the new spacers with hubcentrics and back to front bolt-ups have kinda put my mind at ease. The only concern I have is with the front wheel and how it responds to being moved out. I guess time will tell.

 

[tony-muscle]

Thanks for creating this post Tony! It really helped me get motivated to finish off the wheels on my 73 Vert. I used a wheel spacing tool to measure out the max space I have available after installing the the Global West UCA's and LCA's. I also installed the performance springs for the lighter SBF, based on all the weight I shaved off the front end (lighter hood, bumper, heads) at the direction of the Eaton Springs tech I talked to. I should have waited to finish installing all of the weight on the car before taking measurements but I included a margin of error in case it rides higher or lower than I anticipate.
I am shooting for stock ride height or just a bit higher at first (until the springs all settle in). The weight I cut off is going to pop it up a bit but the Global control arms are supposed to drop the front end almost an inch and the performance springs are almost an inch shorter as well. It is way stiffer with the 1-1/8" front sway bar which doesn't seem to want to let the car settle down. Once all the weight is back on and the alignment is finished, I am guessing it's all going to balance out.
I also replaced the rear leaf springs with the 5 leafs, hoping I could keep from having any wheel hop. I am adding a 7/8" sway bar to the rear of the car after I get the gas tank in, so I think it is going to be pretty stiff back there too.
All in all I am looking for a much stiffer and sure-footed ride. I installed Mustang Steve's 14" Front and 13" Rear S550 conversion brake package but had to take all of the calibers and rotors off because my stock rims won't fit over any of it and I needed to push the car around the garage to finish other work on it. Mustang Steve warns everyone that you need at least an 18" rim and to not bother getting the Torq Thrust because they don't fit around the front calliper. I searched for dozens of hours for rims that would fit this car with those brakes and came up empty for the size of tires I want to run. I decided to go with the Carrol Shelby CS5's that were made for these brakes and just add spacers.
So up front I have 9.5 inch wide CS5 rims ordered with Pirelli P Zero's 265/35ZR19's and a 1" spacer to put the wheel in the right spot to fit a 10.4" tire. In the back I have staggered 11" rims for 305/30ZR19's with a 1-1/4" spacer. I have always shy'd away from spacers in the past because of all the horror stories about losing wheels (hey it happened to me without a spacer ***never buy a Dodge***, guess that's what I get for breaking rule #1) but the new spacers with hubcentrics and back to front bolt-ups have kinda put my mind at ease. The only concern I have is with the front wheel and how it responds to being moved out. I guess time will tell.

My race set is the RE-71RS 255/35R18, which has a section of 10.2" vs. 10.4" for your 265 Pirellis. This set just fits in my setup with 1/4" spacer but the tire is 25" tall vs. 26.3" of your Pirellis. That said, yes, you will need a thicker spacer than mine but it will also depend on your camber and ride height. Although increasing ride height to fit wider tires kind of defeats the purpose if the goal is performance. With the 1" spacer I wonder if you will be hitting the fender lips. You can always roll them but you will not know if it works until you try. Keep me posted.
PS: I don't know what kind of spacer you are using. If you have long studs in your hubs then it should be okay with your suspension upgrades. I don't know about studded spacers though. They make me nervous for track use but again, many use them without issues. I won't, but that's depending on how hard you are planning to drive and your risk tolerance.
Next time I replace my discs I will upgrade to longer studs so I can add a wider spacer.

 

[AcesArneson]

My race set is the RE-71RS 255/35R18, which has a section of 10.2" vs. 10.4" for your 265 Pirellis. This set just fits in my setup with 1/4" spacer but the tire is 25" tall vs. 26.3" of your Pirellis. That said, yes, you will need a thicker spacer than mine but it will also depend on your camber and ride height. Although increasing ride height to fit wider tires kind of defeats the purpose if the goal is performance. With the 1" spacer I wonder if you will be hitting the fender lips. You can always roll them but you will not know if it works until you try. Keep me posted.
PS: I don't know what kind of spacer you are using. If you have long studs in your hubs then it should be okay with your suspension upgrades. I don't know about studded spacers though. They make me nervous for track use but again, many use them without issues. I won't, but that's depending on how hard you are planning to drive and your risk tolerance.
Next time I replace my discs I will upgrade to longer studs so I can add a wider spacer.

Yeah I agree with your concerns on the track for sure, my car is strictly street. It’s the Global West uppers that gave me all the space, I actually have enough room for 27.8” tall tires against the frame up front but I haven’t dialed in the alignment fully yet. Once I get the tires and rims on I will finish off the alignment. Going with 19” rims is the key, you get past the upper ball joint and gain 1/2” on the inside over the ball joint which equals just over 1-1/4” more backspace than stock. It’s tricky and depends on your UCA’s and how they move the top of the tire out to just miss the top rubber stopper.
I will likely still trim the front side of the back wheel wells. Ford put a little ugly looking patch in the bottom corner that’s coming out. Getting rid of that gives me enough space for 27.4” tall 12” wide tires. I am an inch away with the tires I got so I will be fine back there too.
Hopefully I don’t have to roll any fender lips but I will if I have too.

 

[tony-muscle]

Yeah I agree with your concerns on the track for sure, my car is strictly street. It’s the Global West uppers that gave me all the space, I actually have enough room for 27.8” tall tires against the frame up front but I haven’t dialed in the alignment fully yet. Once I get the tires and rims on I will finish off the alignment. Going with 19” rims is the key, you get past the upper ball joint and gain 1/2” on the inside over the ball joint which equals just over 1-1/4” more backspace than stock. It’s tricky and depends on your UCA’s and how they move the top of the tire out to just miss the top rubber stopper.
I will likely still trim the front side of the back wheel wells. Ford put a little ugly looking patch in the bottom corner that’s coming out. Getting rid of that gives me enough space for 27.4” tall 12” wide tires. I am an inch away with the tires I got so I will be fine back there too.
Hopefully I don’t have to roll any fender lips but I will if I have too.

My interference was actually with the backside of the inner wheel well or the frame, which just limits how much you can turn the steering.

 

[AcesArneson]

My interference was actually with the backside of the inner wheel well or the frame, which just limits how much you can turn the steering.

Yeah that was my issue too until I put the Global West UCA’s on.