mustangdad

Reply to the original poster--------Your thinking is right. On my 98 Gt vert AND on my 04 Gt vert I went with 275/40/17's all around on a 17x9 Cobra replica wheel. First off both cars rode like they were on ballons compared to the 245's all around, secondly the front tires grabbed every rut in the road and I was fighting the steering wheel. When I do it again on my 96 Gt Vert I'm going 17x9 with 275/40/17 on the rear and stock 245's on the front on preferably a 17x8 wheel for the front. I know you lose the ability to rotate tires, but so what compared to fighting the steering wheel all the time.

mrsinister2424

With any combo of having a larger tire out back, you will be giving your car more reason to understeer. If you have the means to do it, put at least 17x9's all the way around. That way you have the ability to rotate. The pull you get with bigger tires up front isn't THAT big of a deal. Just gives you more reason to buy better suspension.

IMO, substitute nothing for traction. It'll keep you on the road, out of a ditch, and using all of your available power.

@OP: You do whatever you want. All I know, is if I went with anything smaller than a 315 in the back, I would have regretted it by now.

green2000gt

can somone explain to me what understeer is and what it feels like? I am used to driving older trucks and cars and this is my first high performance car. before I drove a 68 ford f250 then a 1969 oldsmobile 98 then a 1974 chevy k20 and now my mustang so I am new to the world of performance tires and buying wheels and picking the right tire. I love the way my mustang drives now with the stock 245's but I want the wider tire look and I love bullitt wheels so thats why I want to change but I dont want to be fighting my car everyday I drive it.

Jazzer The Cat

^ understeer is when you turn the wheels and the car continues in a straight line. So your rear wheels continue to hold the line and your front pushes when you want it to turn. The Mustang is somewhat prone to understeer anyway, but will tend to be a bit worse when you add traction to the rear end via wider tires.

Pepe Choosing a new tire (sig) and will give you some insight on what tires you may like and how they differ.

Jazzer

green2000gt

jazzer if I do go with 17x9 and 17x8 with 245's and 275's what series should I get 40 or 45
I am stessing so much over it I am just tempted to go with 17x8's all around and call it a day. I HATE HAVING OCD!!!!!!!!!

mustangdad

Green2000... You are right to really think it through. Once you "pony up" the money for wheels and then add the price in of at least 2 tires going with your front stock 245's and adding rear 275/40/17's you've spent at least 700.00 and spending the money is forgetable after time but being unsatisfied everyday lingers miserably. So yeah I'm an OCD person too in that regard. I'm struggling with the same issue but I've been unsatisfied in the past with my prior 2 Stangs a 98 vert and a 2004 vert both which used the same set of wheels and tires and both which naturally felt different than stock (with the 17x9 275/40/17 combo that those wheels were). Now that I just got a 96 Gt vert I know that combo will not deliver what i'm looking for when driving while it looked better than stockers. I'm almost 50 years old and still 20 at heart BUT my logical side has evolved more. with that said I'd say if you like your stock steering feel and ride anything other than stock will change that feel. 245/45/17 for front on an 8 inch rim looks fine and feels correct and 275/40/17 on a 9 inch for the rear looks better and tire diamter is so close its not an issue, I'm sure the rear will ride slightly harder than the stockers but since your not feeling it through the steering wheel will be more neglible and easy to live with. IN MY OPINION..... and we know how that goes...... 18's or larger make the sidewall look too skinny (and the wheel and tire look too small from a side view of the car) unless the car is lowered. I think you feel this way too or you'd jump right up to 18's or bigger.

mustangdad

I think this wheel/tire look good on this car. Correct sidewall height and still looks like it means business.
https://mustangforums.com/forum/4-6l...ew-wheels.html

MJH78

going back to when I said a 245/45/17 would work and look on on a 17X9 rim.....does anyone agree with that or run that? I just got to double thinking it.

mustangdad

I just went on 1010tires and according the tire size calculator a 245/45/17 will fit a rim width from 7.5 -9.0 inches. So yeah it will fit. How it looks we need pics. in person i think I remember seeing it and it didn't have that beefy look because it was stretched too much (width wise). the sidewall looked kinda like ehhhhhhhh.

green2000gt

I think I may just go with what I planned, then I will have the old school muscle car staggered look that I love and with the 245's up front my car will handle closer to stock then if I ran 275's all around. I can always in the future get 2 17x9's for the front if I dont care for the ride and when I get the 245's and 275's I can put the 275's up front for a day or 2 to see how I like having that big of tire in the front.