2020 GT350R - Spare set of wheels/tires options?

[50 Deep]

So much data to share.... so much drama to start.

The carbon wheel is a masterpiece. Well engineered, cool, good looking, and a track performer.

Of the roughly 450 GT350/GT500 owners I’ve worked with I can tell you that the love affair with the carbon wheel does end the first time you damage one, eat up your brake calipers, or get caught in the rain while driving on the sport cup 2. I’ve seen many damaged carbon wheels, damaged aluminum wheels, and spoken to many track/street enthusiasts first hand.

There is a reason why you don’t see any race teams with racks full of carbon wheels out on race day. There is also a reason why most Spec Miata guys don’t pony up for forged aluminum wheels. There is a cost/benefit analysis to be had. Anyone saying “I would never remove the carbon wheel” isn’t thinking the equation all the way through. There is a time and place for all things, but trust that the parking lot curbs and pot holes around town are not where the carbon wheel shines.

If you want to chat sometime I will share with you plenty of real world data so you can decide the best route for your car and long term goals. The argument isn’t about which is better, it’s a question of what is better for YOU.

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[Johnnydarkgt350]

What we have all read in this thread has been a lot of alloy /Carbon fiber Wheels issues and pluses and minuses. It’s good to hear both sides and costs vs enjoyment. I’m hoping to bring up the reality of the aspect ratios of these low profile/ hi performance tires . Suppose you were to find an acceptable higher street ratio for your type of roads ? ? 35 ? 40 ? 50 for the Cushion/collapsible tire so you could drive without any damage on either the alloy or the carbon fiber wheel?( raises your splitter too) This whole thread may actually come down to which street tire you use which is a lot cheaper than buying new wheels ? Remember the manufacture hunter that makes the touchless tire changing machine we have at our local Ford store , never scratches any carbon fiber or alloy wheel and does not touch the wheel. I was taught from the best ; Peter Brock ; when I took my 1969 Datsun 2000 over to him for a camshaft upgrade in Redondo Beach California he noticed the chrome steel wheels on my car and gave me a lesson about going to lighter wheels and all of its benefits and that has stuck with me since 1969. You will never see heavier Alloy wheels on my R “ when one of the reasons I bought this fantastic car . Try climbing the mountain and learn how to make these work for you “ you can do it “ . It could be as simple as just getting a taller aspect ratio tire and it never was a wheel problem it was a tire problem .

 

[PP0001]

You don’t need street wheels. Your R came with the baddest wheels on the market. Get some tires more suitable for the street. You can broaden your choices with a 30 series tire front and rear with a 305 up front and. 325 in the rear.
I never understood buying this car with these badass wheels and putting them on a shelf to preserve them. For what? The next owner to enjoy? Do you really want to drop 5k+ on alloys that you’ll worry about all the time too?
These Carbon rims are strong. You hit something hard enough to damage one of these you can count on that same impact destroying an expensive forged aluminum wheel.
Now if the roads in you area are just shit like Long Island, NY for example, then yes, I get wanting street wheels and would look towards something a little more wallet friendly like the LMR SVE wheels.

Eric, I find it very interesting that certain people who have unfortunately been impacted by situations such as his or her R model CF wheel/wheels being damaged due to rock and pebbles getting caught up between the brake caliper and a CF wheel drum due to clearance issues after which time they state that this now must be the absolute norm for the rest of the R model owners.

Talk about paranoia and spreading mistruths that this must now be the norm for the rest of us R model owners and without question it is just a matter of time before all 3,000+ R model owners will experience damaged CF wheels regardless of our driving environment and the amount of miles and exposure of their R models to the elements.

For anyone to make the outrageous claim that it is just a matter of time before all of us will experience damage to our CF wheels due to brake caliper/wheel clearance I would certainly like to see what kind of documentation and data that backs up these baseless claims?

Another false and baseless claim is that I have owned or still own collector R models which is even more hilarious and hard to imagine how GR107 or HR019 are oddball collector cars?

Back in 2016 I purchased GR107 and put on ~600 miles on some very suspect roads in Western Canada and without question the roads up there were full of pebbles and rocks after which time I sold that car to a Ford dealership in Washington State.

Was that a lot of miles for that car, no not at all but the road conditions are much worse than anything that I have experienced down in America and never had an issue.

During that same time period a good friend of mine who purchased a very early R model namely GR044 which was also a SB and Black stripe R model with him living in the Maritimes in Canada.

I recently spoke with my friend and asked him if GR044 was still doing well and if he was still driving his car on the street and also still tracking the car during the summer months?

His response was that aside from this year as he was not driving his car much in 2020 due to COVID-19 but he has put on ~32,000 KM up until 2019 and has tracked it a total of 9 times during that time period and is on his 7th set of Cup 2 tires and has replaced his brakes a total of 3 times. He also mentioned to me that after all of his track events and street driving that his engine does not burn any oil and his passengers side catch can has very little blow by after all of these track events.

In addition to the above my good friend has always kept his CF wheels on his car and not only during all of his track events but also when he drove his car regularly on the street during the spring and summer months in Canada and has never had an issue with a damaged CF wheel and I have been to Nova Scotia many times and can tell you without question that the local roads have lots of rocks and pebbles on their roads.

With respect to HR107 I sold that car to some very close friends of mine in PA. a couple of years ago and they apparently drive that car on a regular basis without incident regarding CF wheel damage and know of many other car buddies of mine who all have R models on both sides of the border with none of them having any issues with CF wheel damage.

Bottom line is some people just have all of the answers despite not having any real or confirmed data to back up their claims and really not much different from those that claim something similar regarding our Voodoo engine failure claims and very happy to end my discussions on this subject right here.

 

[Evil_E]

Eric, I find it very interesting that certain people who have unfortunately been impacted by situations such as his or her R model CF wheel/wheels being damaged due to rock and pebbles getting caught up between the brake caliper and a CF wheel drum due to clearance issues after which time they state that this now must be the absolute norm for the rest of the R model owners.

Talk about paranoia and spreading mistruths that this must now be the norm for the rest of us R model owners and without question it is just a matter of time before all 3,000+ R model owners will experience damaged CF wheels regardless of our driving environment and the amount of miles and exposure of their R models to the elements.

For anyone to make the outrageous claim that it is just a matter of time before all of us will experience damage to our CF wheels due to brake caliper/wheel clearance I would certainly like to see what kind of documentation and data that backs up these baseless claims?

Another false and baseless claim is that I have owned or still own collector R models which is even more hilarious and hard to imagine how GR107 or HR019 are oddball collector cars?

Back in 2016 I purchased GR107 and put on ~600 miles on some very suspect roads in Western Canada and without question the roads up there were full of pebbles and rocks after which time I sold that car to a Ford dealership in Washington State.

Was that a lot of miles for that car, no not at all but the road conditions are much worse than anything that I have experienced down in America and never had an issue.

During that same time period a good friend of mine who purchased a very early R model namely GR044 which was also a SB and Black stripe R model with him living in the Maritimes in Canada.

I recently spoke with my friend and asked him if GR044 was still doing well and if he was still driving his car on the street and also still tracking the car during the summer months?

His response was that aside from this year as he was not driving his car much in 2020 due to COVID-19 but he has put on ~32,000 KM up until 2019 and has tracked it a total of 9 times during that time period and is on his 7th set of Cup 2 tires and has replaced his brakes a total of 3 times. He also mentioned to me that after all of his track events and street driving that his engine does not burn any oil and his passengers side catch can has very little blow by after all of these track events.

In addition to the above my good friend has always kept his CF wheels on his car and not only during all of his track events but also when he drove his car regularly on the street during the spring and summer months in Canada and has never had an issue with a damaged CF wheel and I have been to Nova Scotia many times and can tell you without question that the local roads have lots of rocks and pebbles on their roads.

With respect to HR107 I sold that car to some very close friends of mine in PA. a couple of years ago and they apparently drive that car on a regular basis without incident regarding CF wheel damage and know of many other car buddies of mine who all have R models on both sides of the border with none of them having any issues with CF wheel damage.

Bottom line is some people just have all of the answers despite not having any real or confirmed data to back up their claims and really not much different from those that claim something similar regarding our Voodoo engine failure claims and very happy to end my discussions on this subject right here.

Harry, I also find it interesting how some have enough pull to get my posts deleted. Apparently I struck a cord and a nerve in tandem. Thank you for your common sense perspective. I enjoy my CF wheels exclusively on the street as a weekend toy. Almost a year of ownership with 2400 miles and have loved ever single one of them.

 

[Tomster]

Harry, you didn't answer my question. How many miles have you driven on all of your R models? Tell us the final talky for each please. It is pertinent in respect to exposure. You call it absurd, but if you don't drive your cars much, well.....

I put less than 3k miles on my TY R before I suffered damage. I was as careful as could be.

You are a collector and not a driver. You buy and sell. Your latest and "greatest" is the herritage R. Great. I'm happy for you.

Now, please answer the question. Tell us how many miles you have put on each of your Rs before you sold them.

Thanks

 

[Tomster]

again, because my other thread was deleted because people can't behave themselves....

This was my experience pertaining to CF wheel repair.

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/gt350r-carbon-fiber-wheel-repair.120081/

Make up your own minds....

 

[melown]

I took my R and CF wheels on a 4000 mile trip from Seattle to LA and back (5700 total now). It was epic and no damage. Track days coming soon.

 

[Carpenater]

Oh, and here is the latest Ford brainstorm... tell me this isn't a problem down the road.

This is a CF wheel on the 2020 GT500CFTP

When I bought my previous, used 19R, I missed a pretty good size chip in the passenger front tire on my pre-inspection. I didn't catch its first wash. The dealer I bought it from was nice to provide compensation to have it fixed, which I never did since it was hard to see.

I did pick up a small surface size scratch in the ceramic coating on the inside of my front rim where a small rock or piece of debris got between the rim and the caliper. I really wish Ford had shown better foresight on that design aspect. Either bigger rim or a smaller caliber, personally I would have elected for the latter. That being I was thinking about it last night and was thinking what if you glued/fastened a small brush to the caliber to brush away any debris that may come in contact with that area. A small brush with stiff bristles, like ones that come with clippers. I am thinking there could be away to attached them to the bottom side of the caliper. The trick I think would be finding an adhesive that would stick in high temperatures. I could by off-base, but thought it might work.

Carbon rim definitely can increase the pucker factor, but I don't see myself buying a another rim set to replace them.

 

[Tomster]

When I bought my previous, used 19R, I missed a pretty good size chip in the passenger front tire on my pre-inspection. I didn't catch its first wash. The dealer I bought it from was nice to provide compensation to have it fixed, which I never did since it was hard to see.

I did pick up a small surface size scratch in the ceramic coating on the inside of my front rim where a small rock or piece of debris got between the rim and the caliper. I really wish Ford had shown better foresight on that design aspect. Either bigger rim or a smaller caliber, personally I would have elected for the latter. That being I was thinking about it last night and was thinking what if you glued/fastened a small brush to the caliber to brush away any debris that may come in contact with that area. A small brush with stiff bristles, like ones that come with clippers. I am thinking there could be away to attached them to the bottom side of the caliper. The trick I think would be finding an adhesive that would stick in high temperatures. I could by off-base, but thought it might work.

Carbon rim definitely can increase the pucker factor, but I don't see myself buying a another rim set to replace them.

Yes. My only point was to inform. Things happen. People who make the position that all is ok, is misleading. It is my position to take all available information and to make your own decision.

There isn't a whole lot of room between the calper and barrel. As the rock grinds down, it is always the wheel barrel that suffers the damage. The caliper, IMHO, is significant, but not to the extent that the wheel is damaged.

 

[Carpenater]

Yes. My only point was to inform. Things happen. People who make the position that all is ok, is misleading. It is my position to take all available information and to make your own decision.

There isn't a whole lot of room between the calper and barrel. As the rock grinds down, it is always the wheel barrel that suffers the damage. The caliper, IMHO, is significant, but not to the extent that the wheel is damaged.

Someone on here suffered inside rim damage, not sure who it was. Posted pictures and was concerned if the scratch would jeopardize the integrity of the rim. The consensus after measuring it with a micrometer was that it would not. I seem to recall there was someplace you could sent it off to be recoated, don't think it was Spyder Composites, but could be wrong.

 

[Tomster]

Someone on here suffered inside rim damage, not sure who it was. Posted pictures and was concerned if the scratch would jeopardize the integrity of the rim. The consensus after measuring it with a micrometer was that it would not. I seem to recall there was someplace you could sent it off to be recoated, don't think it was Spyder Composites, but could be wrong.

Its part of the gamble. Who wouldn't want to run around on CF wheels and cup 2 tires all day long? If you can afford the consequences, go for it. But I don't want to shell out for a new wheel or ever fo through that repair process again. That sucked.

I'm going to catch up with you tomorrow. I have a big day coming up.

 

[oldbmwfan]

FWIW my brake calipers were scratched within a few hundred miles of taking delivery. I remember the first time I pulled away from a light and heard a faint screeching noise as a pebble dragged the caliper and ceramic barrel coating. No big deal, shit happens, it's a car, you drive it. But I was annoyed, to be honest.

I also had a CF wheel fail just after a track session, with a welt bubbling up on the inside of the barrel (across the ceramic layer and the CF just behind the spokes). It took me several months of back and forth with Ford, but they supplied a brand new CF wheel under warranty at no cost.

I run Signature Wheels on the street primarily because I wanted a set of rain-friendly tires, and I didn't want to track the car on wheels that are inferior to what the factory provided. I've used the Signature wheels on track in the rain (and after I had that CF wheel failure) with Pilot Super Sports, and they have been great.

In the end, it's your money, so spend it how you want. I'd drive an R on the street on CF wheels - I have, for a few thousand miles. But for me, overall, it's less stressful to have a street-friendly tire and a backup set of wheels. YMMV

 

[melown]

FWIW my brake calipers were scratched within a few hundred miles of taking delivery. I remember the first time I pulled away from a light and heard a faint screeching noise as a pebble dragged the caliper and ceramic barrel coating. No big deal, shit happens, it's a car, you drive it. But I was annoyed, to be honest.

I also had a CF wheel fail just after a track session, with a welt bubbling up on the inside of the barrel (across the ceramic layer and the CF just behind the spokes). It took me several months of back and forth with Ford, but they supplied a brand new CF wheel under warranty at no cost.

I run Signature Wheels on the street primarily because I wanted a set of rain-friendly tires, and I didn't want to track the car on wheels that are inferior to what the factory provided. I've used the Signature wheels on track in the rain (and after I had that CF wheel failure) with Pilot Super Sports, and they have been great.

In the end, it's your money, so spend it how you want. I'd drive an R on the street on CF wheels - I have, for a few thousand miles. But for me, overall, it's less stressful to have a street-friendly tire and a backup set of wheels. YMMV

I have scrapes on the inside on my front calipers and front CF wheel barrel white coating from the rocks of first month ownership too. They dont bother me. Hopefully the wheel does not fail due to heat. If so, Ill go a custom set of forged wheels as light as possible. I suspect its also a good idea to do a good cooldown lap and parade around the paddock longer than usual to bring the heat down when its sitting between sessions

 

[voodoo_6]

I recently took delivery of my new 2020 Shelby. It has been getting the clear bra added and it has just a few miles on it. In those miles just driving it to the shop for the PPF I noticed that the "bubble gum" sticky tires are throwing rocks and collecting them on the rockers. I also want to be sure that the factory carbon rims stay in perfect order.

1. Does anyone offer a set of rims that look and are sized to the same spec as the carbon GT350R rims but made in aluminum? That way I could use them for daily driving and get another set of tires such as P4S's?

2. What tire would be a good daily driver choice and where do I get a set of rims factory or not that are the same size as what I have now?

3. Anyone have any good daily driver wheel, tires options and opinions?

Anyone have any opinions or links they can throw at me so I can get a spare set of tires and get out and enjoy this without worrying about the tires I have on it. I want to save the factory tires and rims for my track day events.

Any help would be appreciated.

Hey Adam. I found some pretty nice P51 wheels about six months ago. 11 in the front (305/30/19) and 11.5 in the back(325/30/19). Attached is a photo of the setup.

 

[fatony618]

I recently took delivery of my new 2020 Shelby. It has been getting the clear bra added and it has just a few miles on it. In those miles just driving it to the shop for the PPF I noticed that the "bubble gum" sticky tires are throwing rocks and collecting them on the rockers. I also want to be sure that the factory carbon rims stay in perfect order.

1. Does anyone offer a set of rims that look and are sized to the same spec as the carbon GT350R rims but made in aluminum? That way I could use them for daily driving and get another set of tires such as P4S's?

2. What tire would be a good daily driver choice and where do I get a set of rims factory or not that are the same size as what I have now?

3. Anyone have any good daily driver wheel, tires options and opinions?

Anyone have any opinions or links they can throw at me so I can get a spare set of tires and get out and enjoy this without worrying about the tires I have on it. I want to save the factory tires and rims for my track day events.

Any help would be appreciated.

Hey Adam,

Congrats on the Shelby! I can see this thread has a lot of differing opinions --but I have my 2020 HEP R coming in October and it will be my daily driver - and by daily I mean weekends as I live in NJ and work in NYC (I drive about 7K miles/year). However, I plan to use it on weekends and am also in the Air Force Reserves so anytime I'm on duty (except snow/ice) I will be driving the R. The best daily tire set-up in my opinion is the Cooper Zeon All season in 305 square all around. This way I don't have to worry about the season/temp changes and will accept that I can't drive f there is even a chance of snow (in looking at the reviews the Coopers suck in the snow but good in dry and rain).

Regarding the CF wheels I am of the opinion to leave them on and drive them. That's what makes the R special and I'd rather at least try/experience the CF wheels than just take them off and shelve them. The car will never be tracked so by removing them that means I would never drive with them on the car -- and that seems like a crime. Geico Military does provide wheel insurance on them - so I'm less worried about the cost (I triple checked with them - as I'm sure everyone will doubt my claim that the insurance will cover but its confirmed). And if for some reason they don't then I'm willing to eat the cost to replace and then buy a replacement set (but then I can say at least I tried)

Best of luck with the car - I can't wait to get mine and I'm sure its going to be even better in person vs the 100 youtube video's I watched in anticipation. lol.

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