Feedback on some wheel/tire ideas.......

[MNGT350]

Been thinking of getting some lightweight aluminum wheels. Love the car, but want to make it as nimble as possible for back road driving, around town between stoplights, freeway on ramps, etc.

Want to lighten up things as much as possible on the wheel/tire front, without sacrificing feel on the street. I feel like the tires and wheels are sized for the track, maximizing grip I simply don't need 99% of the time.

what about going to 19x10, running 285/40/19 or 285/35/19 all around, tweaking the offsets 5mm front, 10mm back to keep things aligned with the fenders. (Boss 302 with similar overall weight runs 19x9 and seems to do fine.)

Just thinking out loud here and trying to figure out the best street driving setup

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[50 Deep]

The GT350 does an excellent job at hiding its weight, but I wouldn't underestimate how heavy it is. The GT350 also produces more power and has more braking ability than the Boss 302, so the demands put on the wheel/tire are greater.

At minimum I wouldn't run less than a 11" wheel at all four corners if you intend to spend money on a new wheel/tire setup. Paired with that would be a 305/30/19 tire. The factory 10.5" wheel leaves some performance gains on the table, so if you are going to make the investment get the most out of it. In general our 19x11 Signature Wheel track series wheels weigh 20 lbs each, so its almost 50lbs saved when you make the swap. Just food for thought...

 

[Hack]

Sounds like an interesting experiment to me. Going narrower will definitely save some unsprung weight. And yes narrower tires will limit the absolute grip, but on street you aren't going to use all the grip anyway.

 

[nastang87xx]

I would not go narrower. The trouble with that is the wheels and tires are a part of the suspension and therefor affect geometry. Going wider is one thing and that also requires tweaking as well. But going narrower is definitely in my opinion counter intuitive if you're looking for "back roads driving" where you can definitely lose it if you're not careful. Nimble doesn't always mean smaller. I've driven a 350 with smaller wheels and tires up front and it was VERY fidgety. Tires were Conti Contact Sports. A very good tire.

 

[torque124]

Honestly, if I would get some new wheels, I would to 19x 11" ET50 wheel setup on all corners, which makes it rotatable ... Why not, it's track-able too and greatly extend the life of your tires.
Just needs a 25mm spacer up front and (in your case ) longer studs.

 

[Tony_the_Brit]

This was my post on the winter tire thread:

I have the lmr.com wheels. SVE R350 black “Fits GT350/R” 2x10” & 2x11” $999.99 - Make sure that you get the ones that say "fits GT350/R".

They go on perfect. I'm using Ford's recommendation as to tire sizes with 275/40ZR-19 Rear & 255/40ZR-19 Front - Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ all-season tires.

Having driven for 500 miles so far I agree that the stock ones are over the top for normal driving (not to mention unusable in the Midwest 4 months of the year).

The problem is that you are specifically looking to lose weight and I don't think that this does all that much if anything. FYI, though - you will experience more traction control interventions slowing you down so what you gain in weight (minimal) you will likely lose in traction. Save for the carbon-fiber wheels maybe?

 

[BluSnake]

Excited to be part of M6G and the Shelby family. I just got my first GT350 (2019 non-R). I want to get a 19x11+50 square setup to be rotatable and get most out of my tires for tracking. I've been studying all the posts re: everything that's needed to create this setup. But I have a few items I want to be absolutely sure about.

@torque124: I just want to confirm: I'll need longer studs on the front of my non-R when using the 25mm spacer? So what length and brand studs do you recommend? ARP 100-7733, Ford Performance (appears to be same as ARP), or Optimum Performance studs? Any particular brand of 25 mm spacers?

@Tony-the-Brit: You can fit the A/S3+ 275/40R19s on the 19x11 rims? Although not necessarily a track setup, it'd be nice to have the option of all-season tires with this rotatable setup.

Thanks!

 

[50 Deep]

Excited to be part of M6G and the Shelby family. I just got my first GT350 (2019 non-R). I want to get a 19x11+50 square setup to be rotatable and get most out of my tires for tracking. I've been studying all the posts re: everything that's needed to create this setup. But I have a few items I want to be absolutely sure about.

@torque124: I just want to confirm: I'll need longer studs on the front of my non-R when using the 25mm spacer? So what length and brand studs do you recommend? ARP 100-7733, Ford Performance (appears to be same as ARP), or Optimum Performance studs? Any particular brand of 25 mm spacers?

@Tony-the-Brit: You can fit the A/S3+ 275/40R19s on the 19x11 rims? Although not necessarily a track setup, it'd be nice to have the option of all-season tires with this rotatable setup.

Thanks!

We have built a number of these for track rats. Studs you can grab from MSI, ARP, or OP Mustang pretty easily. Depending on the amount of front camber you use enthusiasts have used anywhere from 22-31mm front spacers. Keep in mind your end goal for the car, as well as where you currently are. Spacer wise there are a lot of options, but Motorsport Tech is one we have had good success with.

When it comes to the wheels, our Signature Wheel 19x11 square rotatable setups rock the scales at 20lbs each

 

[torque124]

This was my post on the winter tire thread:

I have the lmr.com wheels. SVE R350 black “Fits GT350/R” 2x10” & 2x11” $999.99 - Make sure that you get the ones that say "fits GT350/R".

They go on perfect. I'm using Ford's recommendation as to tire sizes with 275/40ZR-19 Rear & 255/40ZR-19 Front - Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ all-season tires.

Having driven for 500 miles so far I agree that the stock ones are over the top for normal driving (not to mention unusable in the Midwest 4 months of the year).

The problem is that you are specifically looking to lose weight and I don't think that this does all that much if anything. FYI, though - you will experience more traction control interventions slowing you down so what you gain in weight (minimal) you will likely lose in traction. Save for the carbon-fiber wheels maybe?

Do you have any pics of them? I am considering those tires for everyday driving and winter storage, but I am concerned they are too skinny at 255 and 275... How do they look, especially on the rear? I would do a square setup, so I would use 275 all around I suppose.
Many thanks

 

[JAJ]

Here's mine last year with a set of GT500 Base rims (19x9.5") with 255/40 front and 265/40 rear Michelin A/S-3's.

You wouldn't want to do an autocross with it but heavy rain and standing water is no problem with this setup.

 

[torque124]

Here's mine last year with a set of GT500 Base rims (19x9.5") with 255/40 front and 265/40 rear Michelin A/S-3's.

You wouldn't want to do an autocross with it but heavy rain and standing water is no problem with this setup.

Thank you! Do you have any pics from the rear, I wanted to see how wide the tires are on that setup...

 

[JAJ]

Thank you! Do you have any pics from the rear, I wanted to see how wide the tires are on that setup...

Unfortunately, I don't - I was more focused on the "look" of the GT500 rims on the black GT350 than I was on tire size. However, the Mustang GT PP1 comes with the 255/40x19 - 275/40x19 combo from the factory, so seeing it from the rear is easy - just find a Perf Pack S550 GT and look from behind!

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