nagata

Hahaha, you posted the pic as I was typing up the reply to BlueGT.

I've read through the majority of your Suspension Guide twice, and will be doing so again soon, it's fantastic! I want to drop 1-1.5", and definitely want/need SFCs, Torque Arms, Panhard bar, & new LCAs.

98BlueGT

Yep nagata I like the color also!! A wheel you might look at also is the Saleen SC. Those look pretty good on our cars!!

nagata

Saleen SC? I don't think I'd taken notice of those specifically...They look pretty sweet! I can see them being a good look, thanks for the suggestion.

nagata

Well, I've been thinking about my options and am considering the fact that if I went with the SC rims or something similar, I could get 17x9s for the front and 17x10s for the rear, for the staggered look. Whatever I do, I've got LOTS of tread left on a pair of ZE-512 245/45s that I got in the fall, so I really want to keep those and put them on the front, which I know I can do with 17x9s up front.

In the rear, I could do 275-285/40s with 10" wide rims. I need to do some more reading and searching, I suppose I'm just thinking out loud. Would 275s be better suited on a 10" wide rim vs a 9" wide rim? I'm almost certain that 285s would require a 10" wide rim.

I like the staggered loom and the idea of some nice 285s out back, but at the same time, there are less options for 285s, they're more expensive (not too bad, but a factor), but I think my biggest concern is that staggered rims with directional tires will make rotations tough. Do people with staggered set ups just not bother rotating tires, or do they switch sides, remounting the tires every time?


Edit: Jazzer, you cover just about everything, don't you? Read through the tire guide again, you address most of what I'm referencing. Sounds like if I go with wider tires in the back, I'm gonna need to improve front end traction. I plan to do this eventually, but it won't happen right away. If I understand correctly, understeer will become more exacerbated by any wider tire in back with the stock 245 width up front, especially if I go with a stickier tire like a Nitto 555 275-285, regardless of rear rim width. However, tramlining effects will not become more prevalent, as I'll be keeping the stock front width. Hopefully I'm understanding correctly.

Jazzer The Cat

Yes... you have pretty much got it

As for tire sizes and running differing brands/types in front/back. I am not a fan of running differing tires on the street due to differences in grip likely to be found. A 275 is an OK fit for a 9" wheel and rated for one, but prefer a 265. A 285 is just fine for a 10" wheel, so no worries there. A 275 will run just fine on a 10" wheel, but may look a bit "thin" depending on the brand. Tramlining will tend to rear its head on 265's or larger up front, but is really a subjective "feel" and some would notice it more than others. Suspension has a lot to do wiht this as well. My car has incredibly responsive turn in due to my suspension mods. I will swerve all over the place on some roads if I am not very diligent on the road surface. Of course, I am running a 295/30 "R" comp on 10" wheels

Jazzer

nagata

Thanks Jazzer. I know that having different tires on a vehicle isn't a great idea, certainly not something I aim for. Unfortunately, I absolutely had to put on new rears last fall, but knew I wanted new rims eventually, which is why I just went ahead with the Falken 512s. They've been fine, I'm sure they're not awesome.

My goal is to have matching tires all around, but I want to try to get more use for the money I spent on the Falkens by using them up front, at least for a little while. I suppose I could go with Falken 512s in 275/40 so they'd match, but I'm not exactly in love with the 512s, and then I'd be 'stuck' with them if I find their performance to be poor.

Of course, if I go with 10" rims out back, I want 285/40 tires, which you can't even get the 512s in. Seems I have to decide what route to take, either 9" width all around and keep 512s all around or go 10" in the rear and have a less than optimal tire set up for a time. Rims may be the deciding factor, and I'm favoring the SCs at the moment.

98BlueGT

Make sure to post pics if you go with the SC's!! I think those will look good!!

nagata

Hahaha, pics are guaranteed to happen! The more I contemplate it, the more I'm leaning toward the SCs.

nagata

Well, I decided to pull the trigger on the Saleen SCs, 17x9 fronts and 17x10 rears...and wouldn't you know it, everyone is backordered, hahaha. No big deal right now, since the weather is keeping the Mustang in storage until probably early-mid March. Apparently no one knows for sure when they'll be back in stock, best guess is 30 days, so hopefully that happens.

So, I've got a set on 'order' from Wheel Replicas, hopefully I get them by the time the weather turns around. Now I'm pumped

98BlueGT

Sweet!!!