New guy back with more questions . . .

Topic: New guy back with more questions . . . (Read 1236 times) previous topic - next topic

New guy back with more questions . . .

June 09, 2017, 03:19:27 PM

Hi Guys;
I'm slowly working my way through deferred maintenance on my new "old" Bird mentioned in the thread below; belts, hoses, AC, wheel cylinders, etc. So far, so good. No issues to report. New tires are on the horizon and I'm starting to look around at wheel options. It has the original 14" steel wheel with hub caps. Original tires too for that matter, but I'm not going to trust them. I don't plan to do any mods any time soon, so I want something that will just bolt on and go. I'm looking at these,

https://lmr.com/item/WK-39067452/mustang-trx-wheel-kit-r390-style-16x7-7993-machined

I assume that the bolt pattern will match with no issues, but can anyone tell me if I can go from 14" to 16" without spacing problems, tires rubbing, etc. The current 14's on the car look really small, with lots of space inside the wheel wells. From what I have been able to read on the internet, which we all know MUST be true, later year models came with 15" wheels, so is 16" a stretch? There seem to be lots of options in 17" but it looks like fitment might be a problem. Thanks for your input and any other suggestions are certainly appreciated.

Kindest Regards,
Tom

New guy back with more questions . . .

Reply #1 – June 09, 2017, 03:41:08 PM

FWIW: My '86 has 15" rims and I run 225/70/R15s on it. Not much room left over inside the wheel wells.

New guy back with more questions . . .

Reply #2 – June 09, 2017, 03:49:36 PM

Tom, those will fit no problem. No concerns if you keep the over all height under 26" tall and stay under 9" wide in the front.

New guy back with more questions . . .

Reply #3 – June 10, 2017, 02:41:44 AM

Pretty much any mustang sized rim will fit. Ive seen a few 18" rims even. The strut mounts a bit closer on our spindle so you have less room up front but lots more in the rear.

I had 275/60r15's on some 10 holes (which were a factory option on our cars) on back and 235/60r15 up front. The 275/60 was a bit tall and would rub with a maxed out suspension, but 275/50's would fit perfectly and shouldn't rub at all.

I upgraded to 15" tires because 14" tires are getting more and more expensive and less common in our sizes. With 15"s a stockish sized 215/65r15 is the same tire used on civics and Camrys so they are everywhere cheap.

New guy back with more questions . . .

Reply #4 – June 10, 2017, 07:43:33 AM

275/40/17's on 17x9 rims in the rear and 245/40/17's on 17x8's up front. It's all about offset and back spacing. I'm gonna swap to an 18x9 in the rear and see about some 305/35's.

In your case factory Fox 4 lug car wheels they will bolt up to yours no problem.