bigredgt

im having a problem if you guys can help me the pros and cons of 18 inch rims or 20 inch rims, also does anybody know where i can get customs rims built



05 TORCH RED GT MODS INCLUDE SLP AXEL BACK, STEEDA ASSOR...

sam_abuelsamid

Other than aesthetics there aren't really any pros to the 20 inch rims. The appearance is a matter of personal taste. From a functional standpoint the 20s are only negative. They are heavier overall which hurts your ride and handling because of the increase in unsprung mass. Your ride is also hurt because of the extreme low profile tires you have to use. Also more of the mass is concentrated at the outer edge of the wheel. This increases the rotational inertia of the wheel. That makes the wheel act like a flywheel. Once it is turning it tends to want to keep turning. Also if the overall rolling radius of the tire/wheel combo is increased, you are effectively incresaing the overall gearing of the drivetrain. Because of these changes it will hurt your acceleration and your braking. The only real functional reason for going with such a large rim would be to clear larger brakes. But since a 14" rotor will easily fit in an 18" rim and you are unlikely to find a brake rotor larger than that for the mustang this is a moot point. Finally you have the issues of clearance in the wheel well.

281GT

Sam makes some very good points. Also consider this....
Larger diameter rims = less sidewall. Less sidewall mean less sidewall flex. Good for handling, lousy for getting power to the ground during launch. So it depends on what you want. If you're worried about 1/4 mile times stay with the factory wheels or even go smaller. If you want handling go with the larger diameter wheels. Ford choose a 17" rim because it's decent comprimise between handling and launch capability.

bigredgt

thanks for the help guys i just want 1/4 mile and handling also for looks i think ill just stay with a 18" rim

hawgman

If you are serious about your 1/4 times, buy 6 wheels. 4 for your cruizing, and an extra set of 15s to put on the rear when you are at the strip.

bigredgt

ill probally go with the chrome bullit deep dish 18x10, 18x9 as soon as they get some i dont make that much money to buy 6 wheels the army dosent pay me enough

Professor Wizard

OK... Be realistic!

Just exactly do you want to do with the car.

Drive it... every day... every where... then stick with 17's... you have to have enough sidewall to absorb the shock of hitting pot holes and expansion joints on general roads. 17's give you a low profile look while keeping enough rubber to be a good all around road car. These tires also give you good sidewall torque for solid launches under normal heavy acceleration and yet stiff enough to give you good handling under most curvy road conditions.
"

If your going to race it – then decide what sort of racing you’re going to do.

¼ Drag Race: You want tires for LAUNCH… You want lots of sidewall to compress under drag heavy race pressures. Just think bout it… what do they put on the back of dragsters... certainly not 25” wheels. So for good general solid performance drag racing you should stick with 15” or 16” wheels.

Road Race: For heavy G-Force Cornering then you want tight sidewalls what won’t compress or waver under pressure. So THIS is the case for the 18 inch wheels. Keep in mind though, that you will be replacing wheels on a regular basis because ANY road hazard it going to dent the wheel.

Only going use the car for Car Shows and on nice Saturdays… then go with 20 or 21 inch wheels. The LOOK Cool… but these are not conducive to actually driving the car under normal highway conditions. Wheel/Tires like these require tight air pressure monitoring; if you even run 10 lbs low on air pressure you will shear the tire right off of the rims. The car will ride very rough because there is no sidewall to absorb shocks leaving it to the suspension to do all that work. If you hit any road hazard just once you will have ruined the wheel.

Now.. if you drive under ALL the conditions above… then your looking at having a lot of space taken up in your garage with tire/wheel combinations! (he he).

hawgman

My wife has factory 20s on her Infinity FX. Completely ruins the ride of the automobile. Which is a shame because for what it is, the FX is a pretty bad *** vehicle.

Loomis

Ok I have to disagree with y'all here. I have 20's on mine lowered and re-did all the suspension on mine and the ride does not suck at all. I will admit that I have to be more carefull driving around town not to bend the rims and I do have to check the tires more often and I am not that apt to smoke them either. But like was said in the other posts it is what you are going for. Lowered on 20's looks just sick. Cant hook up to save my life but hey you have to give to get I guess. I have ordered a set a 15's for the track so no biggie I guess, I dont run fast in town anyway so I would rather look good.

Gearhead Garage

I have Boyd's on mine. they are 18x8 up front and 18x10 out back. I am running 295s in the rear and 255s up front.