18" Wheels?

tksuther · 01-01-2005

I'm considering 18" wheels and tires for my '05 Mustang GT. I know I'll need an ECM flash to make the correction to the speedometer, but what real advantage is there with 18" wheels vs. stock 17" (other than appearance of course which is a matter of personal preference)? Feedback appreciated!

DrumStyxs10 · 01-01-2005

i put 18's on mine and i thought i had to have it tuned but the guy at the shop i talked to said no because the height of the tires is the same. I went with 18x10.5 in the back and 18x9 in the front it looks more aggresive i think. I can feel them stick to the road better. Only bad thing is they are a rougher ride because of less tire. I think a nice HRSprings Cup Kit should fix it!

Legionaire · 01-01-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrumStyxs10

i put 18's on mine and i thought i had to have it tuned but the guy at the shop i talked to said no because the height of the tires is the same. I went with 18x10.5 in the back and 18x9 in the front it looks more aggresive i think. I can feel them stick to the road better. Only bad thing is they are a rougher ride because of less tire. I think a nice HRSprings Cup Kit should fix it!

Do you have any pics of your car that wheel set up is what i was thinking about doing and id like to see what it looks like

DrumStyxs10 · 01-01-2005

yeah ill try and put em up tommorow or monday.

John · 01-02-2005

The 18" fanblades that will be on the 2006's look pretty cool. I wonder if you'll be able to buy them from Ford as an aftermarket piece.

meatball · 01-02-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by John

The 18" fanblades that will be on the 2006's look pretty cool. I wonder if you'll be able to buy them from Ford as an aftermarket piece.

Afraid they'll be way expensive at least for the first year until someone replicates them. There will be tons of choices as the months go by.

tksuther · 01-02-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrumStyxs10

i put 18's on mine and i thought i had to have it tuned but the guy at the shop i talked to said no because the height of the tires is the same. I went with 18x10.5 in the back and 18x9 in the front it looks more aggresive i think. I can feel them stick to the road better. Only bad thing is they are a rougher ride because of less tire. I think a nice HRSprings Cup Kit should fix it!

Good point about the height not changing. And I didn't think about a rougher ride because of less rubber........ Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Anyway, pictures would be nice if you don't mind posting them. Thanks!

meatball · 01-02-2005

If the overall per-wheel weight (new wheel & new tire) goes up signifcantly over stockers, ride will get harsher as well. There is a noticeable difference in ride quality between my 17x8 Bullitts w/245/45/17s & my 17x9 Ultralite II's w/275/40/17/s. The Bullitt combo might be 10+lbs per wheel lighter and rides better. Factor in a shorter sidewall on the 18 inchers and it adds up.