1999-2004 Fitment Information
Front Wheel Fitment:
Your frontspacing should be around 3.00 inches. Ford’s OEM rims seem to range mostly between 3.07-2.89 frontspacing. As you lower your car your front wheels tuck in more and more due to the McPherson strut design they use. Keep this in mind. The widest wheels you should use on the front of your vehicle should be 9 inches. You may still experience some rubbing. The 2003/2004 Cobra use rack limiters to prevent rubbing. This is not a major issue though.
Rear Wheel Fitment:
If you want the maximum frontspacing of your rims without having to roll your rear fenders then you should have 3.5 inches of frontspacing. If you want fender flush then you want to have 4.0 inches of frontspacing. You will probably have to roll your fenders for this.
If you have an IRS (Independent Rear) equipped vehicle you may can get by with a little more as the tire tuck in as they come up much like the front wheels will. The rim will not be flush with the fenders, but after you install tires they should be very close to flush. Some need 4.25 to become perfectly flush, but most want a little but under the fender for appearance. So 4.25 is the maximum unless for a normal sidewall tire.
An 11 inch rear rim with a 7 inch backspacing is about the limit for the size of rims you can run on the rear. You may have to either flip or eliminate your quad shocks if you have them for this. A seven inch backspacing is pretty much all you can get out of it. If you have an IRS (Independent Rear) vehicle then you will need to look into shaving your IRS rear frame bolts or installing button head bolts to clear over a 6 inch backspacing rim. Having your car lower than stock or larger than 17 inch rims may gain you a little extra room here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Will a 17 by 9 rim fit on the front and rear of my 94-04 mustang?
A. Yes, a 17 by 9 rim will fit perfectly fine as long as its backspacing and offset are set correctly, the backspacing for a Ford 17 by 9 mustang rim is 5.95-6.11 inches.
