Too wide wheelbase and missing tube?

[ssspppeed]

Hi guys I am new to Mustang and about to buy my first Mustang on Carmax. However when I visiually checked the target car's condition, I found two weird things compared to other mustang:

1. The wheelbase of my target is obviously wider than other Mustang GT with PP1. Although I have confirmed with Ford that my target comes with MagRide, but not sure if this is the reason of wider wheelbase. Or this car has previously modified?

2. There is missing tube in engine bay which I found in other Mustang GT. Anyone knows what this tube is used for?

Thanks!

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[LOL WUT]

Not sure about the tube but yours may have wheel spacers on it.

 

[ssspppeed]

Not sure about the tube but yours may have wheel spacers on it.

Thanks for replying! Is it safe to keep the wheel spacers? No idea why previous owner put them on the car

 

[SEAICE]

You're not talking about "Wheelbase"... Wheelbase is the distance between the front and back axles. What you're referring to is how far out the wheels are sitting relative to the body. This is "offset", and offset can be changed by buying different wheels or adding wheel spacers. Most Mustang owners like wider wheels where the sidewalls come out to the edge of the fender flares. Some go even further... Target car looks better IMO

 

[K4fxd]

Looks like it has wheel spacers, people put these on for looks. Should be able to remove unless it has wider tires than factory.

The tube under the hood is the "sound tube" it funnels intake noise to the cabin. Lots of people don't like it so it gets removed.

 

[LOL WUT]

Well, it’s not certain that it has wheel spacers. But given it’s stance it appears that it could have them installed. There are also other ways this stance could of been achieved, i.e., widened or wider wheels.

If the car does have spacers you will hear mixed reviews, however, tons of people run them here on the forms. There are 2 primary types of spacers. The first being bolt on spacers that physically bolt onto your hub and have their own wheel studs for your lug nuts to go onto. The second type is slip on spacers which slide over your existing studs. If your car has slip on spacers it likely has extended studs too which is absolutely not a bad thing at all.

Regardless, I am purely speculating and can not confirm if in fact your car has spacers installed.

 

[SEAICE]

Thanks for replying! Is it safe to keep the wheel spacers? No idea why previous owner put them on the car

Wheels look factory, so they may have spacers, but you can also buy wheels in different offsets. Hard to tell without taking wheel off. Quality billet spacers that bolt on to the hub and then the wheel bolts on to the spacer (see photo) are perfectly safe and are most likely.

 

[SEAICE]

Sounds like you bought the target car?

 

[ssspppeed]

Looks like it has wheel spacers, people put these on for looks. Should be able to remove unless it has wider tires than factory.

The tube under the hood is the "sound tube" it funnels intake noise to the cabin. Lots of people don't like it so it gets removed.

Well this car also comes with active exhaust. Is the reason why it is missing the tube?

 

[ssspppeed]

Sounds like you bought the target car?

Thanks for replay! Yeah I bought it, but I am still in the return-gurantee period. So I want to make sure this car does not have any mechanical issue before expired. This car does have factory PP1 wheels and tires, but since it is equiped with MagRide I am worrying about if widening the offset on purpose will destory factory suspension specific tunning?

 

[K4fxd]

Well this car also comes with active exhaust. Is the reason why it is missing the tube?

Who knows why someone does things. I removed my sound tube because it caused drone at certain RPM's and throttle positions. If I want more intake noise I will use an open air filter.

I grew up in carb days and nothing sounds as good as a Holley 4bbl at WOT. So the gimmick "sound tube" sounded like shit to my ears.

 

[K4fxd]

I am worrying about if widening the offset on purpose will destory factory suspension specific tunning?

No worries. I think slip on spacers with longer studs are stronger than bolt on spacers.

 

[ssspppeed]

Who knows why someone does things. I removed my sound tube because it caused drone at certain RPM's and throttle positions. If I want more intake noise I will use an open air filter.

I grew up in carb days and nothing sounds as good as a Holley 4bbl at WOT. So the gimmick "sound tube" sounded like shit to my ears.

I agree. I would remove it if I knew it is just "fake" sound.

 

[SEAICE]

Thanks for replay! Yeah I bought it, but I am still in the return-gurantee period. So I want to make sure this car does not have any mechanical issue before expired. This car does have factory PP1 wheels and tires, but since it is equiped with MagRide I am worrying about if widening the offset on purpose will destory factory suspension specific tunning?

I can't see offset having an effect on the magna-ride. magna-ride is just the shocks and related sensors. Mustangs and many other performance cars come factory with different optional offsets, widths and diameter. As for spacers, the arguments (and there are many) mostly concern hub bearing wear, safety of the disk-style with longer lug bolts or quality of the billet style, and (mostly) snobbery about spacers being the cheap-out way to go rather than buy new wheels in a different offset.

 

[Rapid Red]

I suggest you check the VIN, you could have a PP2 on your hands. If it comes back as a PP2 you got one hell of a GT. Don't open your mouth until after you own it.

No stinking spacers here just wide wheels and fat tires. from rims 10.5 rear 11.0 PP2

Sound tube is just a stupid gadget for the great unwashed

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