steelcomp

Hey...new to the site, thanks for the time here. I just purchased an '07 5 spd. Alloy GT with Eibach Sportlines, Magnaflow ex, and Foose 20" rims, 8.5's in the front, 10's in the rear with Nitto 555's...275/35 rear, and 255/35 front. Now the thing looks awsome, and the tires don't rub at all or anything like that. I'm just not dead crazy about the rims, so I'm thinking about switching. My goal is to build a max effort street/ sometimes track vehicle, and I's like to know if the 20's have any advantage or disadvantage over the 18's, and while I like the staggered look, can I get the performance from staggered that I'm looking for?
One other thing...I'm outside the factory specs with camber...right at 1.6/1.7 deg, where factory max is 1.5. I don't like pushing any setting to it's limit unless there's a reason, so I'm wondering what the best camber setting is for good street performance? I was going to shoot for 1 deg, which still sounds like a lot to me, but more in the middle. Is the Granatelli camber kit for the 05-07 the only one available?
Thanks in advance for any help.

CrazyAl

Foose Nitrous, huh? [sm=bling.gif]

Regarding Camber, you don't need a fancy kit. Just get a set of eccentric bolts.

If your camber is off, I'm assuming that means your car is lowered. If so, I would also make sure you have:

Ajustable Panhard Bar (to recenter your rear axle under the car)
Adjustable LCAs or UCA (to correct your pinion angle, and for traction)
New shocks (expect the stockers to blow out after several months on a lowered car)


....these are often overlooked when lowering, but they are required to restore factory suspension function and geometry. Lowering your car without doing this is asking for trouble.


As for the wheels, 20" wheels are USUALLY a performance downgrade. This is becasue most 20's are heavier than the smaller wheels. They also carry their weight at a larger radius, which makes them have a lot more intertia than the smaller wheels do. This sucks up power becasue it takes more HP to spin the wheels. Typically we see a 10-15 HP LOSS of power on the Dyno on a car with 20's. (Mind you, this is not etched in stone--there are SOME 20's that are light weight. But these are few and far between)

A smaller diameter wheel is not only lighter, but it also has a larger sidewall. This has more give which is better for traction off the line, and also makes your ride more comfortable on rough roads.

...this is why serious racers put 15s on the new mustangs!

okbfd

I put 20s on my first Eleanor and did not like the changes, went with 19s this time with lightweight Konig wheels and love it.

lrgnation

thats what i was going to reccomend to you was a lightweight 19" wheel or a 20" if you can find it. Generally hard to come by and the price can be steep but if your looking at going to take her out on to a track and want maximum cornering your going to want a 19 or 20 with a very small sidewall. The 18" with the large sidewall tends to get sloppy. However if you are looking at going to the drag strip your going to want more sidewall.

steelcomp

Thanks for the responses...makes sense about the wheels. I noticed that when I had these off they seemed very heavy. I don't know about 15's for handling, though. I'm not interested in drag racing. When I said max effort srteet car, I meant I'm looking for handling.

Eccentric bolts...where can I find these?

As far as the other things you mentioned, they're all on the list. I've already ordered material for CA's and tower brace, and I guess the Tokico's are the way to go? What about Bilstine or Koni for the new 'Stang?
Also ordered C&L CAI w/ computer.

Thanks again.

offrdmania

Most likely if you bought the car already like that from the dealer then the accentric bolts are already installed on your car. If I recall they would be installed in the upper hole on your strut where it bolts to the spindle. Look for a bolt with a different color from the other or a bolt which doesnt have the typical Ford nut torque clip. If your car doesnt have eccentrics then you can pick them up at any alignment shop for around $30.

steelcomp

Thanks...I was looking at some lightweight 20's like the Steeda or the Raceline. Nice looking wheels. Hell, I might just call BBS and see what they can come up with.
How is the tire selection for 19's? I don't hewar much about them...mostly either 18's or 20's.
Is there enough advantage in acceleration to go with the 18's? I know the 19/20's will put moree tire on the road for cornering, but there's definately something to be said for the greater inertia, no matter how light the wheel. I see mostly 18's on the track, and with a 35 profile, they're pretty stiff.

Thanks again for the time.

steelcomp

Thanks offrd...this dealer didn't do anything more than bolt some stuff on and make the car look good. I had to have all the tire pressure sensors removed because whoever installed them overtightened the bands and they kept breaking, so I just said take 'em off. (I have a tire pressure guage that worke real well) I figured I better have the alignment checked and glad I did...it was all ove the place...thus discovering the camber problem. I've been going to this same tire shop or about 30 yrs, and they don't have these bolts in stock, nor did they know anything about them. I'll have to get with them and see if we can find some.
Good info...thanks.