Need Help with Wheel and Tire Options

[Ruby5.0]

I have a 2015 Mustang GT that is stock with 8400 miles. It does not have the PP option, unfortunately. I want to get a set of old school rims like the Cragar SS type or Torque Thrust II, however, on Cragars site they do not make a 19 ' rim in that type. On American Racings site they don't have a 19" rim either, just 18 or 20". The tires that came with the car are Pirelli Zero Nero P255/40/19 rated with a Z 98W both front and rear. I don't know the width of the rims, so if anyone has that information, it would be appreciated. The suspension is stock, as stated, so will a 20" rim fit without any suspension mods ? Obviously, that would drive me to buying new tires, as well. So what is the largest tire the car will take without mods ? 20x9 front and 20x10 rear ? Thanks in advance for the help. It seems everyone is going to black rims and I want the chrome or highly polished look. I do come by it honestly though as my first Mustang was a 70 Boss 302 after I got out of the Army in 72 and one of the first mods I did to the car was put Cragar SS deep dish rims on it. Definitely made the car have an awesome presence, as if it really needed more

Sponsored

 

[NightmareMoon]

10" is widest you can go easily, and you can run a square 10" wide on the front and rear which is nice for rotating wheels to get the most out of your tires.

American Racing (which has a spotty quality record of late) makes 18x10" and 20x10" Torq Thrust wheels:
http://www.americanracing.com/wheel/4420/ar105m-torq-thrust-m

The 20s will ride a bit harsher due to the weight and short tire sidewalls to keep stock rolling diameter as compared to the 18s, but if you really like the look of 20s, don't let anybody stop you. 18s will usually be a few bucks cheaper for both tires and wheels, and a bit lighter with better ride, but every so slightly less crisp in the handling dept.

Those 18 or 20x10" AM Torq wheels have a +45 offset, and can fit on the front for a square setup just fine with a small slip on 5mm spacer (perfectly safe). Just don't go with anything larger than a 5mm spacer or you won't have enough thread engagement on the lug nuts.

You live in Florida, so I'd recommend ditching the PZero Nero tires and not worrying about reusing those. Sure they probably have a bit of life left in them, but most people report they don't grip very well and you'd probably enjoy a really good warm weather tire that does great in wet conditions, like the Continental ExtremeContact Sport, or MP4S if you can spend the money. You really don't need all-season tires unless you're driving in sub-zero or freezing conditions very often. The new summer tires we're seeing are often outstanding in the wet.

 

[Ruby5.0]

10" is widest you can go easily, and you can run a square 10" wide on the front and rear which is nice for rotating wheels to get the most out of your tires.

American Racing (which has a spotty quality record of late) makes 18x10" and 20x10" Torq Thrust wheels:
http://www.americanracing.com/wheel/4420/ar105m-torq-thrust-m

The 20s will ride a bit harsher due to the weight and short tire sidewalls to keep stock rolling diameter as compared to the 18s, but if you really like the look of 20s, don't let anybody stop you. 18s will usually be a few bucks cheaper for both tires and wheels, and a bit lighter with better ride, but every so slightly less crisp in the handling dept.

Those 18 or 20x10" AM Torq wheels have a +45 offset, and can fit on the front for a square setup just fine with a small slip on 5mm spacer (perfectly safe). Just don't go with anything larger than a 5mm spacer or you won't have enough thread engagement on the lug nuts.

You live in Florida, so I'd recommend ditching the PZero Nero tires and not worrying about reusing those. Sure they probably have a bit of life left in them, but most people report they don't grip very well and you'd probably enjoy a really good warm weather tire that does great in wet conditions, like the Continental ExtremeContact Sport, or MP4S if you can spend the money. You really don't need all-season tires unless you're driving in sub-zero or freezing conditions very often. The new summer tires we're seeing are often outstanding in the wet.

NightmareMoon, thanks for the help with that. Definitely sounds like the 20” maybe the way to go especially if I can rotate front to back and vice versa without breaking down the tires. Ride quality is a concern and I suspect the 20” will ride harsher than my current 19’s. But I just can’t see the car riding on 18’s. Seems they would look small on there. As far as the tires go, I have never been a fan of the Pirelli or Continentals. ran them both with a lot of other brands he always come back to Michelin. In this case, probably the Pilot Cup 2. I’ll just sell my Pirelli’s. they only have 8k miles on them and still look new. You said the American Racing rims have had some Quality issues lately. Can you be more specific ? Relative to finish, structural, longevity, etc.. ? Does anyone else have suggestions for either chrome or highly polished rims ? Cost is a factor, but only if we get above 1k per rim. On the spacer your referring to of 5mm; is that for all 4 tires or just the rear or fronts ? Who sells a good quality spacer ? As far as the thread engagement with the use of these spacers, how many threads are left exposed after the lugs are torqued down ? My experience with torque on bolts tells me you need at least 2 full threads exposed to be ok.
Anyone else that has any recommendations, please feel free to jump in as the more info. I have the better I can make a good decision. Just want to keep the car running good and solid. so, I need good rims/tires that will allow me to hit triple digits often. Thanks guys

 

[Ruby5.0]

NightmareMoon, thanks for the help with that. Definitely sounds like the 20” maybe the way to go especially if I can rotate front to back and vice versa without breaking down the tires. Ride quality is a concern and I suspect the 20” will ride harsher than my current 19’s. But I just can’t see the car riding on 18’s. Seems they would look small on there. As far as the tires go, I have never been a fan of the Pirelli or Continentals. ran them both with a lot of other brands he always come back to Michelin. In this case, probably the Pilot Cup 2. I’ll just sell my Pirelli’s. they only have 8k miles on them and still look new. You said the American Racing rims have had some Quality issues lately. Can you be more specific ? Relative to finish, structural, longevity, etc.. ? Does anyone else have suggestions for either chrome or highly polished rims ? Cost is a factor, but only if we get above 1k per rim. On the spacer your referring to of 5mm; is that for all 4 tires or just the rear or fronts ? Who sells a good quality spacer ? As far as the thread engagement with the use of these spacers, how many threads are left exposed after the lugs are torqued down ? My experience with torque on bolts tells me you need at least 2 full threads exposed to be ok.
Anyone else that has any recommendations, please feel free to jump in as the more info. I have the better I can make a good decision. Just want to keep the car running good and solid. so, I need good rims/tires that will allow me to hit triple digits often. Thanks guys

I forgot the other key question I asked about earlier. NightmareMoon said a 10” rim is as wide as I can do front and rear. So what is the widest tire I can get by with without rubbing anywhere, especially on turns ? Thanks again all !!

 

[NightmareMoon]

285 is a good width for a 10" wheel.

You only need the 5mm spacers for the front. You can find hubcentric 70.5 center bore 5X114.3 spacer on ebay. Brand won't matter much, they're all just aluminum. You should get enough turns of thread engagement with 5mm spacers. A lot of people here run that type of setup, myself included (and I do a lot of hard track and autox driving). No issues.

The quality issues with the wheels to look out for are overspray on the mounting surfaces, slightly out of round barrels that don't balance right, etc. I haven't seen issues with these specific wheels, but just something to watch out for if you go that route. Make sure whatever vendor you use has good customer service and make sure you know their return or replacement policies in advance.

Sponsored