Im fairly new to this website and cars in general, but i have learned a lot from this website. So i thank all of you for that.
I am looking to upgrade my stock 2006 V6 16" inch wheels to 18 bullit style wheels. I would like to give it a staggered look. I know it pretty much comes down to personal choice but ive come across a few options being 17"'s in the front and 18"'s in the back, or 18"s all around with deep dish in the rear. So my questions are, when changing the wheels will what kinds of problems should i look out for. I hearing things a steering stop when i upgrade, and will putting larger wheels in the back change the drivablility. That car is my everyday driver, and i drive it all day. (already has 43,000 miles on it)
I am also wondering if its a smarter choice to just stick with 18"s all around and just get a bigger tire for the back. And whats the max width i should do with on any wheel.
i have some thick friggin tires, im running 18x9 and 18x10 in the back, i dunno if i would like the 17s in the front....
as for turning and stuff, no issues here, the drive is a bit more bumpy but the looks make up for it lol.
I have the deepdish bullitts, just be careful with how wide the tires are more then anything, 18x9 is as far as you can go on the front (width wise) and i think my 18x10s are as far as you can go on the back, i tried the 10 inch ones on the front and they rubbed the caliper.
If you want a good idea of what 18s all around look like, just look at my little avatar to the left
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2006 V6 Pony Package Premium -Mods: 61mm Powerhouse Turbo and Intercooler, Evolution Dyno Tune(Jon Lund), Steeda Performance Shorty Headers. Current Numbers: 350 rwhp/420 torque @ 8.3 psi (low boost)
415 rwhp/470 torque @12 psi Car died 6/23/09
New Set Up: 4.6 3v With Manual Trans, Bolt Ons
I would most likely only use deep dish on the rear of my. I want more of a larger rear look to it. will mixing deep dish with the standard wheel cause any handling issues, or any issues for that matter. And steering stop, should i just disregaurd what i have heard and read, becuase i have the base model mustang. Not the pony package.
You seem to have a pretty good grasp of the issues. The steering stop thing is mentioned in the FRPP wheels section, complete with parts numbers for "Plus One", "Plus Two". When I went from 16 to 17 I actually ordered and received the part, never installed it, and have had no trouble even when I went from 17 to 18 and then 19. I am careful to stay away from absolute full lock. Why court danger?
Staggered looks good, mostly. Trouble is, if you like to go around corners at high rates of speed, bigger tires and/or wider wheels on the rear usually increases understeer (the car wants to go straight). If you are a drag racer or land speed record seeker, that may be of little or no consequence. If you like a balanced road machine, you might not like the result of the "good looks".
I'm still sorting out the application of wider rims in the rear, same size tires all around. I have a stiff rear sway bar (promotes oversteer) and an adjustable front bar, reputed to be stiffer by 10% over the GT front bar, when in its stiffest hole (shortest arm; promotes understeer).
With 18x8.5 rims and 245-45 tires all around, and the front bar at its stiffest, steering was very close to neutral. You could induce either over- or understeer by corner-entry technique, but ultimately it was a touch understeering at the limit (onramp champ!) That could be tuned even closer to neutral by stiffening the rear shocks (promotes oversteer).
Going to 19x9/10 rims with 275-35 tires all around moved it back in to understeer mode, somewhat corrected by softening the front bar (longer arm) and greater difference between front (soft) and rear (hard) shocks settings, and adjusting tire pressures (higher front, lower rear, 5-8 pounds difference). Still a bit more understeer than I like for autocross, but very nice for highway cruising and onramps.
It isn't easy getting what you like best, or even knowing what you like best, without actual one-change-at-a-time testing and analysis. Maybe this will help you get to a good starting place.
I would most likely only use deep dish on the rear of my. I want more of a larger rear look to it. will mixing deep dish with the standard wheel cause any handling issues, or any issues for that matter. And steering stop, should i just disregaurd what i have heard and read, becuase i have the base model mustang. Not the pony package.
Honestly i do not think the deep dish and regular will look good together.
you can try it but its an expensive thing to experiment with
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2006 V6 Pony Package Premium -Mods: 61mm Powerhouse Turbo and Intercooler, Evolution Dyno Tune(Jon Lund), Steeda Performance Shorty Headers. Current Numbers: 350 rwhp/420 torque @ 8.3 psi (low boost)
415 rwhp/470 torque @12 psi Car died 6/23/09
New Set Up: 4.6 3v With Manual Trans, Bolt Ons
Something to keep in mind if it's your daily driver and you put a lot of miles on it. With staggered tires you can't rotate your tires. You'll be wearing out your tires sooner than you did before (especially that right rear one) ...another cost to take into consideration.
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2005 V6Mustang coupe. Automatic. Black with Charcoal Interior
Mods: JLT CAI, Bamachips 91 race tune, single Mustang V8 muffler, Mustang V8 swaybars
Looks: smoke front turn signals, sequential taillights, 14" shorty antenna, MRT rear window louvers and a little chrome for the interior 2000 C5 Corvette convertible, Torch Red with Black Interior. Full of options, Corsa exhaust 1990 Ford Bronco 351ci engine- it runs.
I am starting to lean away from the staggered look being that it is my everyday driver. Though I may just go with 18"9's in the front and do the 18"/10"s in the rear. I think that would give it the little bit larger rear look, without giving me to much understear. Im also thinking maybe just 18"/9's all around.
Also, im most likely going to change the suspension down the road. I know most suspension kits will lower my car a little more then an inch. How will that effect not using the steering stop.it sounds like it may be wiser just to have it on, i do a lot of city parking.
i just got gt take off rims and tires. they were the 17 charcoal rims. They were pretty much like brand new. I dont really earn much money seeing as im still in school but i think it was a good deal and my ride quality has really increased. Turning has gotten much better and the steering does not feel as heavy on sharp turns. all of this only cost me $650 plus shipping. so i got it all for $728, rims and tires.
i just got gt take off rims and tires. they were the 17 charcoal rims. They were pretty much like brand new. I dont really earn much money seeing as im still in school but i think it was a good deal and my ride quality has really increased. Turning has gotten much better and the steering does not feel as heavy on sharp turns. all of this only cost me $650 plus shipping. so i got it all for $728, rims and tires.
do you still have the original rims???what size?? for sale.just 2??
I am in the process of doing the same - upgrading my stock V6 with 16" wheels to larger / better looking.
I had originally decided on staggered 18x9 / 18x10 deep dish chrome Bullitt's, and wasn't too worried about the inability to rotate since I only drive about 6k miles per year.
I ordered the two 18x9's and figured I'd wait a couple weeks before ordering the two 18x10's, to spread the cost out a bit.
When I went to order the 18x10's, they were out of stock (American Muscle), and not expected back in stock until June 27th at the earliest, at which point anyone who had them on back-order would get preference.
So I searched and found Wheel HQ, which carries the exact same rims (American Muscle says they are made specifically for them, but, the photos on both sites were exactly the same - identical as far as them both using the same image, just a different site logo).
Ordered them from Wheel HQ and - yup - they were also out of stock until 6/27.
Seeing as I didn't want to wait over a month, I went back to AM and ordered two more 18x9's (they only had 3 in stock at the time).
Maybe I'll go 18x10 in the rear later on...
Regarding the steering stops, as I understand it, they are needed if upgrading to Ford OEM Bullitt rims - without it, you may have issues with rubbing on the front (brake calipers), unless you also upgrade to the GT calipers. The after-market Bullitt's I looked at allegedly do not have this issue. On the other hand, I have heard from numerous folks who have put on 17", 18", even 20" without installing the steering stops and claim to have no issues.
As to lowering, if you go 18" then the most you probably want to lower in the front would be 1", for the back 1.25". I'm going to see how my 18"'s look first, before committing to a set of lowering springs. But if I go lower, probably go with Steeda Sport Springs (there was another set that has the same drop - either Roush or Ford Racing - can't remember at the moment...).
As far as issues with mixing & matching sizes, it can be done, but you want to ensure you have the same rolling diameter front and rear. In addition, you want to make sure that the rolling diameter is within 3% +/- of the original (I believe 3% +/- is the suggested variance), otherwise your speedometer may be off, and you may need to get a quick computer re-flash to compensate for the new larger (or smaller) rolling diameter.
I ended up ordering some BF Goodrich G-Force T/A KWD tires, 255/45/ZR18, all around. Good all-season performance tire, attractive tread pattern, won't break the bank. Lots of folks go with Nitto's and whatnot, but, believe it or not a Ford dealer can usually get you the best deal on tire brands that come stock on the various Mustangs (Pirelli (ick), BFG, Goodyear), due to the volume that they purchase. You can move up a bit to the Goodyear Eagle F1 (which come on the Shelby GT 500's from the factory), but you'll get maybe 45,000 miles +/- out of them. The BFG's I ordered are good for about 80,000 miles. If you plan to have a set strictly for summer/dry driving, then sure - go for broke and get some ultra high-performance summer tires, and another set for wet/winter.
When you're having your new wheels put on, if you go with after-market rims, make sure they remove the rotor retaining clips (little clips used in the factory assembly of the brakes - the OEM rims have a notch cut out to account for the clips, but after-market typically do not, and if left in place the retaining clips can cause the wheel to sit unevenly / wobble). The clips are not needed - they're just used to hold the rotors on, while the vehicle travels down the assembly line, before they put the wheels on...
And don't forget the little stuff - center caps (if yours won't fit and/or you don't like what comes with the new rims), chrome valve stems, chrome lug nuts, locking lug nut set...
Sorry for the lengthy reply, but, these are some of the things I had to think about and consider in my weeks of research and decision-making when it came to my new wheels & tires. Hope to have all 4 on and ready to roll sometime next week - just waiting for a couple more orders to show up...
Regarding the steering stops, as I understand it, they are needed if upgrading to Ford OEM Bullitt rims - without it, you may have issues with rubbing on the front (brake calipers), unless you also upgrade to the GT calipers. The after-market Bullitt's I looked at allegedly do not have this issue. On the other hand, I have heard from numerous folks who have put on 17", 18", even 20" without installing the steering stops and claim to have no issues.
what are the steering stops? and why do I need them? sorry, im kinda new to this stuff. this is my first car
I'm shocked no one has said this already. When upgrading your rims you need to think about your breaks too. I went from the 16's to gt 17's but still have the factory breaks. 1" hasn't changed the stopping distance that I know of. When you go to 18 or 19 or 20 you start to really mess with the ability to stop. SO keep that in mind. You might want to upgrade your breaks as well as your rims/tires.
You seem to have a pretty good grasp of the issues. The steering stop thing is mentioned in the FRPP wheels section, complete with parts numbers for "Plus One", "Plus Two". When I went from 16 to 17 I actually ordered and received the part, never installed it, and have had no trouble even when I went from 17 to 18 and then 19. I am careful to stay away from absolute full lock. Why court danger?
Staggered looks good, mostly. Trouble is, if you like to go around corners at high rates of speed, bigger tires and/or wider wheels on the rear usually increases understeer (the car wants to go straight). If you are a drag racer or land speed record seeker, that may be of little or no consequence. If you like a balanced road machine, you might not like the result of the "good looks".
I'm still sorting out the application of wider rims in the rear, same size tires all around. I have a stiff rear sway bar (promotes oversteer) and an adjustable front bar, reputed to be stiffer by 10% over the GT front bar, when in its stiffest hole (shortest arm; promotes understeer).
With 18x8.5 rims and 245-45 tires all around, and the front bar at its stiffest, steering was very close to neutral. You could induce either over- or understeer by corner-entry technique, but ultimately it was a touch understeering at the limit (onramp champ!) That could be tuned even closer to neutral by stiffening the rear shocks (promotes oversteer).
Going to 19x9/10 rims with 275-35 tires all around moved it back in to understeer mode, somewhat corrected by softening the front bar (longer arm) and greater difference between front (soft) and rear (hard) shocks settings, and adjusting tire pressures (higher front, lower rear, 5-8 pounds difference). Still a bit more understeer than I like for autocross, but very nice for highway cruising and onramps.
It isn't easy getting what you like best, or even knowing what you like best, without actual one-change-at-a-time testing and analysis. Maybe this will help you get to a good starting place.
Frank, you should be a chassis engineer for one of those NASCAR teams. (A Ford team I would hope. But then I hear Jack Roush is not an easy guy to work for.......). What you say makes sense, but you only learn that by X-perience. Hey, have you got the duals on yet?
Upgrading Stock V6 16" wheels 
(A Ford team I would hope. But then I hear Jack Roush is not an easy guy to work for.......
). What you say makes sense, but you only learn that by X-perience.
Hey, have you got the duals on yet?
