[clidefr0g]

First off i tried searching but couldn't find any posts about wheels/rims here.. its odd cause its like the most popular topic on 90% of car forums. so sorry if i missed a glaringly obvious post about rims and tires.

hey, i am new here i just got a 99 mustang yesterday for my birthday, it was a great buy. Anyway im looking to upgrade the rims/wheels i worked at my dads tireshop for like 12 years so i know the ins and outs. But i am new to mustangs, i was thinking of getting some 18" rims maybe 10.5" on the back and possibly some 8's or 9's on the front, Id like to rake the car a few degrees nothing too drastic and i am wondering what you guys suggest for rims/tire combo's for the mustang. Also if lowering springs would give me a better looking rake vs tires.

Also, i don't have my owners manual, and i have no idea if anything is stock on this car or not. i DON'T believe the car has been lowered and im not entirely sure what the stock setup is for offsets and whatnot.

Thanks in advance,
Matt

[ReverendDexter]

Does it look lifted to you? Then it's on stock springs, hahaha.

I wouldn't suggest 18s on a V6 unless your goals are purely aesthetic or you've got the coin for lightweight rims. 9" rims are about as wide as you want up front, 10.5s are halfway common out back. Personally, I think that's too much tire, but it does look pretty mean.

What are your goals for the car, and what's your budget to reach those goals?

[clidefr0g]

Im not out to go racing with my car i want it to look and sound muscle. Ill put a dual exhaust on eventually, i don't want to spend a fortune on wheels and tires but i would expect to pay a decent amount, keep in mind i get tires and wheels at cost

How are the brakes on these cars? do they need to be upgraded for larger wheels?

[ReverendDexter]

Why would you need to upgrade your brakes for larger wheels?

[clidefr0g]

some cars brakes tend to be smaller in size than they could be. like on my previous pontiac grand am gt, the brakes were unchanged for many years and the weight of the car had gradually risen quite a bit. Larger wheels take more brake to stop them.

[mcqueen]

I'm not sure exactly what you're looking to spend but Bullitts, Saleens, and FR500s are pretty popular. I personally just ordered 2010 GT Premiums (18x9 and 18x10 with tires) and I'm ridiculously excited to get them. It'll be $1200 well spent

And you can upgrade to something like the Cobra brakes, but there's really no need on our cars. We don't make the kind of power the GT/Cobra/Mach 1 make.

[castine917]

Originally Posted by ReverendDexter Why would you need to upgrade your brakes for larger wheels?

[QUOTE]
clidefr0g some cars brakes tend to be smaller in size than they could be. like on my previous pontiac grand am gt, the brakes were unchanged for many years and the weight of the car had gradually risen quite a bit. Larger wheels take more brake to stop them.[/QOUTE] the larger wheel puts the rotational mass farther out making the car slower to accelerate and decelerate thus making bigger brakes needed just to bring stopping distance back to original.

[99redstang]

there is a awsome group buy going on in the wheels and tires section

[clidefr0g]

why am i unable to see the wheels and tires section

[stangcharger]

Originally Posted by ReverendDexter Why would you need to upgrade your brakes for larger wheels?

This.

Our cars have GT brakes on them already.

And on 18's your car is going to be ssslllllooooowwwww.

hell my plan is 17's 9in in front with 255 tire and 10.5in in back with 315 tire. I am still on 17x9in all around atm.

[clidefr0g]

so the general concensus is to get 17's, 255 - ? and 315 - ?

also what is the offset and bolt pattern on the wheels?

[ReverendDexter]

[quote=castine917;2620344]

the larger wheel puts the rotational mass farther out making the car slower to accelerate and decelerate thus making bigger brakes needed just to bring stopping distance back to original.

I'm aware, hahaha.

The point I was attempting to get around to was that the OP had said they weren't into racing their car, just looking and sounding muscle. If they weren't racing, then the performance loss associated with heavier wheels would not be something they'd need to make up for.

On top of that, it's still likely that the stock brakes would be able to lock up the wheels (or trigger the ABS if so equipped), meaning that upgrading brakes wouldn't help until the tires were likewise upgraded to a stickier compound.

If a brake upgrade is still felt to be necessary, changing to a high-performance brake pad will provide most of the actual performance increase that you'll see from a big-brake kit at about 1/8th the price and significantly less labor. So long as you're not experience heat-based brake fade that's not due to your brake fluid, there's no reason to upsize your caliper and rotor.

[clidefr0g]

ok, as i said i really wasn't going for racing with it or anything, but brakes are still necessary and i wasn't sure about the performance of the stock brakes. I had a bad experience on my grand am. Ill probably be getting some BFG sport zr17's of the appropriate size.

[ReverendDexter]

I certainly recommend having good brakes. If you're not happy with their performance after you upgrade your wheels (i.e., can't lock up the tires or kick the ABS on), try a set of Porterfield R4-S pads (or Hawks if you're not baller like me ) and flush with full synthetic DOT 4+ fluid.

EDIT: Word of warning, good pads will brake dust. So you'll have to decide if stopping is more important than looking good, hahaha.

[clidefr0g]

well i do enjoy stopping.. im still tryin to decide what tires to get.. ill ask my dad what he thinks.. Im assuming people get 255 40's and 315 35's for 17" rims

[mcqueen]

Originally Posted by clidefr0g also what is the offset and bolt pattern on the wheels?

5x114.3mm. Not sure about the offset.

Originally Posted by clidefr0g Im assuming people get 255 40's and 315 35's for 17" rims

I think 315s should be fine if your car isn't lowered. If you lower is they should still fit but I think there's a chance you'd need to roll the fenders. I'm going 285/35/18 on the back just to be safe and 245/40/18 up front so my tires don't follow the grooves in the road so much.

[goren813]

I run 18x9/18X10 with 245/40 and 275/35. Before drilled/slotted rotors and Hawk ferro carbon pads I had some trouble getting her slowed with stock brake components. Keep in mind the rear brakes needed replacement, but definite improvement over stock. Also I went to the FR5's from 17" Cobra R's, and couldn't tell a difference in giddy-up. Near stock v6, you can't really lose much power from that.

[99redstang]

http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums...ed-omegas.html

[clidefr0g]

i would do your group buy but i have to wait a while before i can buy them. Im just trying to get a list/game-plan of mods/accessories that i want to add and in order for ease of installation.. ideally id have everything at once, but i don't have another 10 grand on me