Agreed. I think my rims weigh less than the stock 18" chrome Ford bullitts. However, I think the weight is added by my tires.

To the OP.. yes, there is a performance loss. The car does not pick up as quickly as it did before I added the 20's... It is not a huge deal (like some make it out to be) but, I was willing to sacrifice a little performance for much better looks.




I don't think that is entirely accurate. If you can manage to keep the weight (using forged wheels, not heavy chrome, etc.) and wheel circumference relatively the same then there is no reason to upgrade brakes other than you personally wanting better stopping power.

Check out this site for tire calcs: http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp

 

imagine 20" HRE's or Fiske wheels[sm=hail.gif]

 

the only issue i have with my 20s is hooking up

 

Brakes: Factory are fine. They just need some more aggressive pads and cooling ducts for the fronts.

Wheels and Tires for Track:A lightweight set of 17 x 9.5 with R Compound 275/40R17 .

Wheels and Tires for Strip: 15" Bogarts with 28x11.50-15 MT ET Streets and Narrow Fronts of your choice.

Everything else is for looks or convenience not performance.

 

Its not about how much the wheels weigh, its where they carry the weight. So when comparing an 18' tire/wheel combo that weighs the same as a 20' tire/wheel combo, you will still be losing a bit of power.


IMO, the power loss is negligible considering how much better the car looks with wheels that really fill out the wells. The one thing that turns me off about large wheels is the price. There is a lot of other stuff that can be bought for a car other than a 2k dollar set of wheels.

 

When appearance is high up on your list of priorities, a standard-size rotor starts looking kind of puny with larger than OE wheels. Especially if the wheels themselves are an "open" design so that what's (not) behind them is obvious. And since appearance is apparently the only reason for going up to 20 in the first place . . .

You've perhaps seen a compact import with tiny rotors behind outsized wheels. Or stock SUV brakes behind 24's. Not wanting to have quite that mis-matched of a look I can appreciate even though I don't particularly agree with the trend toputting ever-larger wheel sizes on cars in the first place.


Norm

 

One thing to consider as well is that the weight is now further away from the center for force (the axle) so you have more inertia both in acceleration and braking. Expanding out to the 24-26" wheels on some SUV's this is even more magnified.

Due to the mustang "adequate" braking system for its size an upgrade, especially when running larger wheels would be of great value.

While I agree that the brembo kit discussed here might be overkill for most of us, the GT500 or BEAR upgrade kits that run around $1200 for the fronts would be worthwhile. A set of more agressive pads for the rear would also be a nice addition.

And I agree that stock brakes behind open 20" wheels looks a little rediculous. For aesthetics I think getting the eradispeed plus size rotors and painting the stock caliper would be a nice compromise.

Personally I really like the look of the 20's and I havent ruled them out, but for more selection and cheaper tires on my DD I am leaning toward 18's.

Too each his own.

 

Norm, I agree.. I was just stating that I don't believe that it is necessary to upgrade... However, the small stock breaks behind an open spoke 20" wheel do look rather ridiculous. I am still using a stock setup and plan on changing my brakes in the future (I know you were not referencing my car). I am a fan of the Bear upgrade kits and I believe they are the OEM for Shelby.

 

The fronts on mine were just awful. Yea, I could have just gone for better pads but honestly didn't even want to waste time when I knew that all I'd be doing was giving myself two more corners before the brakes went.
The way I look at it, a blower is already arguably overkill for street use, so why not continue the theme. Brembos all the way

 

I agree Marcus! Love the look too! If they fit and on mine they will!