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Wheel size affect on performance

9K views 27 replies 16 participants last post by  NewMtang 
#1 · (Edited)
Was doing some research and couldn't find much information specific to the V6s so was hoping everyone could provide some input. I have just about worn out my factor tires and am looking at upgrading the factory 17s to ether 18s or 19s. For those of you who had the factory 17s and upgraded how big did you go and did you notice a difference in performance? I know for the 5.0 guys it wouldn't be a big deal but didn't want to go too big and slow the car down since they only have 300 hp and with the 225s traction isn't a high issue.

I like the SVE Drift wheels so was considering either the 18x9 with a 255 tire or the 19x9.5 with the 275 tires but not sure if 275s would add a lot of weight and would slow the car down much. I like he way the 19s look but not sure if 275s would be too much tire. I was thinking 255s would be idea but wanted some other opinions.


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#2 ·
really no such thing as "too much tire" unless you have a miata. Also, the diameter of the rim matters as well as the weight. A heavy 18 can perform worse than a light 19. Really there is no "right answer" to your question, it is a combination of things.



All that being said, get the Drifts, you will hardly notice a difference. The drifts are heavy, but so are the stock rims, despite their small size. Tires are heavy too and the stock tires have a mile of sidewall.
 
#3 ·
Thanks, I may need to research a little. I had thought I saw the stock 17s were around 27 pounds. The drifts have the 18x9s listed at 23 and the 19s listed at 26 lbs so I was hoping to drop a few pounds as well


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#28 ·
Try eating a few less Big Macs and you will reach your goal. :mustang:
 
#4 ·
Performance is inversely proportional to ride. For performance lower the unsprung weight and lesson the side wall. The sacrifice is in ride comfort and possibility of tire damage due to everyday road hazards.

There is always 2 sides to the coin.
 
#5 ·
Also keep in mind that total wheel diameter affects your performance. Reducing the wheel diameter has the same effect as increasing final gear ratio. Stock wheels are 27.25 (iirc)
 
#8 ·
Imo wheel weight makes the biggest difference. For every pound of wheel is equal to 10 lbs of weight. So lets say you bought new wheels that were 5 lbs lighter, it's like taking 100 lbs out of your trunk. My summer wheels are 6 lbs lighter than my winter stocks and you can feel the difference in acceleration.

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#17 ·
Be aware that all the replica rims that LMR/AM/CJP sell are VERY heavy and take a lot of weight to balance up properly. And the clearcoat is paper thin. They are ok for a daily as long as you clean them regularly (and don't use wheel cleaner) and don't plan on them improving performance besides the traction you get from a wider tire.
 
#18 ·
Not true in my case. I got 19 inch AM wheels for summer use and they weighed significantly less then my stocks and were very easy to balance. The finish is good, comparable to ASAs I used to own.

However, it prob varies depending on style.

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#21 ·
I'm still mad I passed on a set of mint 00R OEM rims for $700 a few years back. But then they would have been sold with the blue car anyway so... I'd love to get them for my Steeda but it actually came with Konnig Villians which are a good wheel. They are still heavy and need to be repaired (all 4) so I'm not sure if I'm gonna use them or not but I'd rather get them repaired than buy replicas anyway.
 
#22 ·
I ran a 18x9 American Racing razor @ 24lbs which was 4 lbs lighter than my stock 17" with a 275/40/18. It helped my 2.73:1 gear.
 
#23 ·
There's a biger issue at work here, which is that Ford's base model tires were specially made ( different compounds than the same maker's line of the same name) for them to do well in EPA ratings and as such are rock hard and have fairly B grade handling characteristics.

They do get good MPG, though. Mine got 32mpg out to Vegas on an all- highway run, and 25 overall.

I needed new tires. So I went to my local dealer and got a set of take-off P-Zero 18s from a 2016 GT. They look better, have a proper sticky compound, and the handling went up by a huge amont - almost 30-40% better in turns.

MPG did go down to 23 combined, but it's like night and day - and the rims look amazing by comparison. Bolted right on, no issues. Total damage? $700 minus $200 I sold the old ones for.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Original tires:
A: BF Goodrich Radial T/A 225/60/17 620 A/B H rated ( 130mph max) - came with manual transmission models, extremely hard compound/low resistance

B: Michelin Energy Saver 215/65/17 480 A/B T rated ( 118mph max ) - came with automatic models, nearly the same hard compound and handling as the BFG above.

18" Base GT tires:
Pirelli P-Zero Nero 235/50/18 400 AA/A W rated ( 168mph max )

It's not the rim size but how the tire is constructed ( tread ) and what it's made of. The handling is night and day. And, yes, believe it or not, they are all-season tires. Now, you will need to disable the speed limiter and swap your driveshaft if you really want to go fast enough to stress these tires, but even for normal driving, it's like the car is planted to the road at 70mph, and rain is no longer a scary thing.
 
#27 ·
Note that the stock Ford 17", 18", and 19" rims are within ounces of each other, and have nearly the same outer dimmensions once you put tires on them. So handling is only slightly affected - pretty much the width of the contact patch, but that's very minor as well. Getting rid of the energy saving eco tires is almost all of the actual difference.

Also, the bolt holes fit with no problems as well. Clearance is an issue with a few specific models with the racing calipers, but for a stock V6, it's grab a pair you like the looks of off of a new model and bolt on easy. There's absolutely no reason to spend a lot of money on your base model Mustang when a set of take-offs from a new higher trim model will work. And there are almost 20 to choose from from the last ten years that will work.
 
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