I'm new to Mustangs and will be bringing home an 07 GT convertible in a few days.

I want to upgrade the wheels and tires, but am a bit confused about a few things:

1. What is the bolt pattern on the 07 GT?
2. What other year Mustangs have the same bolt pattern?
3. The stock wheels are 17", right? What width?
4. If I plan to upgrade brakes in the future, is there a certain size wheel I should look at?
5. What is the stock backspacing? Should I try and stick with that?

I'm sure this has been covered, so feel free to point me toward a FAQ or something like that.

Thanks!

 

Welcome to the forum and on your new Mustang!
1 IIRC 5 X 114.3mm or 4 1/4"
2 all 5 lug mustangs have same bolt pattern but different offset and center "ring"
3 base s197 v6 cars came with 16" wheels, GT 17", Boss, GT500 18" wheels
4 18" or bigger, check offset
5 45mm backspace

 

#1 . . . 5 lugs on a 4.5" bolt circle

#3 . . . the offset varies slightly with the three different wheel diameters.
The 16x7 wheel uses +39 offset, but I don't think the GT used these.
The 17x8 wheel uses +45 offset, base GT wheel size back then
The 18x8.5 wheel uses +50 offset, optional GT wheel size
The 18x9.5 GT500 wheel uses +45 offset and will work on a GT.

Backspacing varies quite a bit - it's about 7.1" for the GT500 wheel, less for the others.

18" wheels require different steering stops if your car originally came with 17" or smaller . . . although I suppose you could try to make sure that you never steer the wheel all the way around to its full left or right positions.


#4 . . . the no-brainer big brake kit is the 14" Brembo kit that was used on the earlier GT500's with the 18x9.5 wheels. The catch here is that not all 18" wheels will fit. This has to do with the back side contour of the wheel's spokes, as the Brembo calipers stick out a bit more than the 2-piston regular front calipers. You'll need to verify that your wheel choice fits the GT500 if you're not choosing the GT500 wheels mentioned above (available through Ford Racing/Ford Performance/whatever they're calling themselves any more).


Norm

 

I should have mentioned that when you change the wheels to 18" on a car OE-equipped with either 16" or 17" wheels that the steering stops should be changed to suit. Either that or be disciplined enough to always avoid cranking the steering all the way to "full lock".


Norm

 

I assume the same goes for 19s?

I'm picking up a set of 2010 take-off that are 19x8.5 I believe.

Can steering stops be adjusted, or do they need to be replaced with different ones?

 

They get replaced with different ones. It's mentioned in the FRPP catalogs along with part numbers. These catalogs can be downloaded from Ford Racing (maybe Ford Performance or whatever it is they're calling themselves these days). The 8.5" wide wheels are +50 offset, the 9.5" wides are +45.


Norm